Catch-and-Release Science and Its Application to Conservation and Management

Moderators: Julie Meka and Steve Cooke
Emails: julie_meka@usgs.gov and scooke@interchange.ubc.ca

Date: Monday, September 12 and Tuesday September 13, 2005
Time: 1:20 pm to 5:40 pm Mon. and 8:00 am to 12:00 pm
Location: Egan 2

The focus of this symposium will be on catch-and-release science and its application to conservation and management. Recreational fishing is an economically important activity in North America, and indeed around the world. Despite the fact that ~60% of all fish captured by anglers are released, there is still little known about their fate when returned to the water. Over the years there have been several symposia and conferences dedicated to understanding catch-and-release. The majority of these contributions have focused on quantifying mortality, and usually on a specific taxa (e.g., salmonids, black bass) or environment (e.g., marine). Although we have gained a better understanding of the factors that contribute to mortality, we know very little about the sub-lethal consequences of catch-and-release angling. Knowledge of sub-lethal effects can provide fisheries managers with an understanding of the potential population level consequences that can arise from individual disturbances. Also, knowing the extent and magnitude of sub-lethal effects can also lead to the development of conservation strategies to mitigate these effects and potentially reduce mortality. We hope to attract presentations and posters with focus on topics such as hooking injury and mortality, gear technology (e.g., circle hooks), physiological disturbances associated with angling processes, energetic/behavioral/fitness alterations following release, human dimensions of catch-and-release, catch-and-release research for management and conservation, approaches for assessing the success of catch-and-release, and disseminating catch-and-release research findings. This comprehensive symposium will bring together a diverse array of catch-and-release researchers from around North America. Although participants will present unique contributions on different taxa and problems, the focus will include recognizing generalized patterns relevant to conservation and management. It is our assertion that this symposium is both timely and essential. It is our hope that this symposium will contribute useful information for fisheries managers, policy makers, and anglers. We also hope to elevate the status of catch-and-release angling among the global conservation community.

Link to list of presentations in this symposium on Monday
Link to list of presentations in this symposium on Tuesday

Sponsors:

AFS Fish Management Section

Freshwater Ecology Section of the Society for Conservation Biology