tools for management - regulations

5 tools for management

1) protection via regulations 2) wildlife control 3) incentives 4) establishing parks 5) enhancement like stocking

protection via regulation

1) regulate the season

2) regulate entry

3) regulate catch

4) regulate gear

regulate the season

regulations where restricting specific times to protect stocks when they are congregated and vulnerable to overharvest (ex reproduction or spawning, overwintering, etc)

also protect habitats from destruction by harvesting or other industry processes like instream activities (ex RAP)

ex include shortening the season, male only seasons, periodic harvests → increases incentives during the specific open seasons tho

factors to be weighted before closing a season

potential long term damage to the population

long term and short term declines in license sales

adverse political response from stakeholders and public

credibility gap between managers and the public if nothing was done

the relationship between season, length and effort is not linear

regulating entry

privatize, exclusion zones, restrict access, restrict entry by license sales, restrict entry by lottery

number of licenses allowed is related to population status and management goals → collapse, vulnerable (none), stable and trophy (probs restrictions), OR MSY, quality deer management, trophy deer management

privatizing - limited entry

ex is virginia oyster fishery where the beds are treated as private property

incentive for owners to invest in their property via seeding, and improving habitat

exclusion - limited entry

ex of economic exclusion zone under authority of UN convention of the law of the sea

terrestrial sea and exclusive economic zone are within national jurisdiction - within 200 mil from coast of a nation

areas beyond are subject to tragedy of the commons basically, high seas

access - limited entry

hard to implement and controversial with the public

launching ramps, piers, parking, artificial reefs can all be built but they lead to increased use - very strong relationship in AB (threshold of decline with harvest)

licenses and lotteries - limited entry

quotas can be achieved by limiting license sales or hunting opps per individuals

• ex tags, licenses,

huge penalties for poaching, try to make quota match MSY

regulating catch

key to effective regulatory practices, determined by quota

hard to determine harvest level, how to close down season, and ensuring equal access - hard when unpredictable season closures

• harvest models include fixed quota, fixed effort and fixed escapement

various policies can regulate - weight, number of or volume of

fixed quota harvest model

most common

specifies a fixed harvest level which does not change with population size, so for ex if pop size is large enough then the harvest will be a fraction, but if too small if could be entire population

fixed effort harvest model

constant exploitation rate, number of animals harvested changes as their abundance changes

hard to implement

fixed escapement harvest model

harvest only after a threshold population size has been surpassed, however the level of harvest increases one to one as population size increases

alternative but rarely used

catch limit

the number of fish an angler is allowed to catch and keep in one day

or bags limit for wildlife

prevents hoarding of resources, promotes ethical use, attributes value and conveys a realistic expectation regarding the capacity of resource to support combined harvest

possession limit

the number of fish an angler is allowed to legally possess at one time, whether on hand, in cold storage or in transit

prevents hoarding of resources, promotes ethical use, attributes value and conveys a realistic expectation regarding the capacity of resource to support combined harvest

size limits

intended to reduce biological impacts of angling without restricting opportunity

maximizes yield and protects spawning stock while maintaining angling quality

required knowledge of life history of the species

three types: min, slot, and max

measured with either fork or total length

slot size limit

fish within a designated size range must either be released (protected) or retained (harvest)

objective is to protect spawning aged fish while still allowing the angler to harvest smaller or trophy fish

minimum size limits

all fish below a designated size must be released

objective is too allow females to spawn at least once before they are harvested

increase yields when there is limited natural reproduction, good growth, low natural mortality, and high exploitation

but results in selection for slow growing fish

maximum size limits

all fish above a designated size limit must be released

objective is to protect spawning sized fish or to control harvest of trophy sized fish

can increased density of mature fish where stock has good growth potential, or to maintain the population structure of unexploited stocks in lakes where large size can be attained

catch and release

based on the idea that a recreational angler does not have to harvest to produce utility from fishing

generally moral suasion and command and control

allow release, growth and reproduction

but controversial to some due to hooking mortality

regulating gear

controlling tools of the trade, reducing efficiency/mortality/limiting harvest

for example in fishing: number of hooks/lines, barbs, bait, net type, wildlife: archery, black powder, rifle or shot gun

usually implemented in heavily fished waters to prevent overexploitation

good for use without having to regulate entry

pros of regulations

immediacy of control

cons of regulations

region wide uniform regulations are not great because people are not distrubuted evenly over the land area

things like social media and technology can alter human behaviour - ex access to knowledge about good sites

when is management most effective?

when tied to biological data

age specific birth and death rates, breeding ages, number of individuals, sex and age class, carrying capacity - all known is best