Ecosystem-Based Angling: Incorporating Recreational Anglers Into Ecosystem-Based Management

Abstract

Coastal management institutions and recreational fishermen share concerns about the current state of marine fisheries. This article provides coastal managers with an outreach framework for recreational fishers that contextualizes social and ecosystem information toward the goals of ecosystem-based management. Based on a survey of anglers conducted at saltwater fishing expositions in the Northeast United States and on the literature, we report data on perceptions of recreational anglers about potential threats, individual fishing impacts, preferred modes of communication, conceptions, and behavior. We conclude that outreach campaigns should (a) focus on the perceived threats to the resource, (b) contextualize and justify the recommended pro-ecological target behaviors, (c) include topics of general interest to anglers, and (d) communicate through socially trusted sources.

Keywords:

• ecosystem-based management
• recreational fishermen
• education
• outreach
• stakeholder communication
• recreational marine fisheries

This research was conducted under NOAA Award NA07NOS4200129. The authors would like to think the Jacques Cousteau National Estuary Research Reserve (JCNERR), the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association and Mark Hixon and Robert Francis for their initial thoughts and advice about this manuscript. Additionally, we would like to thank the editor and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments which improved our manuscript.