PhD Oral Defence: Social ecological interactions in inland recreational fisheries
PhD Oral Defence of Jacob Ziegler, Natural Resource Sciences
Lakes, like all ecosystems, provide benefits to people while also undergoing human modifications that represent challenges and opportunities for maintaining these benefits. I explore this idea in the context of recreational fisheries, which have high cultural and economic value in North America. Lake-rich landscapes often experience high fishing pressure and widespread development along shorelines with implications for fish populations. Both government and local management groups invest in maintaining fisheries through habitat enhancement and stocking of fish but these actions may not always improve the benefits people derive from the fishery. I present empirical and bio-economic model results to demonstrate these outcomes and discuss their implications for maintaining recreational fisheries.
