British Columbia’s diverse fish resources support a variety of recreational fisheries that are important culturally, socially and economically. In these complex social-ecological systems, managers face the challenge of balancing angler satisfaction and participation with the conservation of fish populations; objectives which often conflict. However, a poor understanding of the interactions among the biological, social and management components of these systems has contributed to the decline and collapse of a number of freshwater fish stocks in Canada. I evaluate the importance of jointly considering the primary drivers and feedbacks between these fishery components for recreational fisheries management, and I challenge the commonly held belief that recreational fisheries are inherently self-regulating. Using a novel, integrated bio-economic framework, I demonstrate that the intrinsic vulnerability of the fish population to overexploitation, the dynamics and diversity of the angler population, and the regulations in place are all important for determining management outcomes. Furthermore, I demonstrate the importance of making management objectives explicit and the potential benefits of shifting away from a yield-based approach to fisheries management (MSY), towards optimum social yield (OSY), an objective that includes biological and socioeconomic benefits associated with fisheries. Ultimately, increasing our understanding of the complex interactions in these social-ecological systems can help us both conserve our fish resources and develop sustainable recreational fisheries.

The Natural Resources & Environmental Studies Institute (NRESi) at UNBC hosts a weekly lecture series at the Prince George campus. Anyone from the university or wider community with interest in the topic area is welcome to attend. Presentations are also made available to remote participants through Livestream. More information will be posted about these presentations as it becomes available.

Past NRESi colloquium presentations and special lectures can be viewed on our video archive, available here.