Balancing Fisheries Management and Water Uses for Impounded River Systems

Tropical Reservoir Fisheries in Puerto Rico: Adaptive Management through Applied Research

J. Wesley Neal, Craig G. Lilyestrom, and Darien Lopez-Clayton

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781934874066.ch44

Abstract.—Management of reservoir fisheries in Puerto Rico has been an evolving process. Puerto Rico has few native freshwater species, so reservoir fish communities have been created using nonindigenous species introduced to the island from various parts of the world. Early management efforts in reservoirs met with limited success due to low priority and limited use of reservoir fisheries, and management primarily followed temperate models focusing on largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides. Beginning in 1990, management priorities shifted and focus on reservoir fisheries began to increase. This was partly due to the increasing popularity of largemouth bass sport fishing and the organization of fishing clubs and tournament angling. An important early step was the creation of reservoir management stations, which included full-time management biologists, access ramps, and picnic and camping facilities. Cooperative research with university scientists was initiated in 1991. The ensuing research findings, changes in priorities, and establishment of on-site management biologists have combined to create an atmosphere of adaptive management, accompanied by significant changes in reservoir regulations and management protocols. In this overview, the progression of research-based adaptive management is chronicled for Puerto Rico reservoirs, which can help provide a template for management endeavors in the United States and elsewhere.