Balancing Fisheries Management and Water Uses for Impounded River Systems

Citizen Advisory Committees as a Reservoir Fishery Management Tool: Experiences from Three Cases in Arkansas

Michael L. Armstrong, Diana L. Andrews, Thomas R. Bly, and Carl A. Perrin

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781934874066.ch13

Abstract.—Effective means to directly engage the public in determining reservoir fishery management objectives and strategies is a common challenge to managers. This paper examines the experiences and lessons acquired from three separate situations in which citizen advisory committees were used to assist fishery management biologists in resolving conflicts and setting management objectives for three lakes in Arkansas. Benefits included a better understanding on both the part of anglers and agency biologists of their respective motivations and preferences, a greater sense of shared ownership of solutions, and a well-defined but flexible management plan. The effectiveness of citizen advisory committees was challenged by dissent and mistrust among advisory committee members, failure of committee members to communicate management plans outside the committee proper, political intervention, and the threat to agency credibility if the agreed plans fail to be implemented. Citizen advisory committees can be an effective tool for crafting reservoir fishery management plans.