Impacts of Commercial Gill-Net Bycatch and Recreational Fishing on a Florida Black Crappie Population

Abstract

Commercial bycatch can potentially induce high fishing mortality and represents serious concerns for the sustainability of some fisheries. We evaluated the potential population-level impacts of commercial gill-net bycatch and recreational fishing mortality on black crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus in Lake Dora, Florida. We assessed total black crappie bycatch and the mortality rates of black crappie entangled in gill nets, quantified recreational fishing effort and harvest, and estimated exploitation for the recreational and commercial (bycatch) fisheries. We used an equilibrium age-structured population model to assess potential population-level impacts of bycatch and recreational fishing mortality. Onboard observer data of commercial fishers showed that about 17,000 and 30,000 black crappie were captured in gill nets in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Cage experiments revealed that about 30% and 47% of black crappie captured in gill nets experienced mortality after 72 h in 2005 and 2006, respectively. The recreational fishery exploitation rate was estimated to be 42% based on angler tag returns in 2006, and commercial exploitation via bycatch from commercial gill nets was 15%. The population model suggested that the level of recreational fishing mortality observed in 2006 was probably sustainable but that additional commercial or recreational exploitation would create a risk of recruitment overfishing. The greatest risk for recruitment overfishing via bycatch occurs when other sources of exploitation are also high (e.g., via a recreational fishery).