Managing Centrarchid Fisheries in Rivers and Streams

Preface

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781934874523.fmatter

Although much of the angling effort targeting centrarchids occurs on lakes and reservoirs, an increasingly important and often overlooked component occurs on the scenic rivers and streams of North America. In 2016, about 13.1 million or 45% of all freshwater anglers fished in rivers and streams, up from 11.9 million in 2011 (U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau 2012, 2018). Participation in kayak fishing in the United States has increased 15% annually, on average, from 2010 to 2017 (Outdoor Foundation 2018). These surveys clearly indicate river and stream fisheries are important to anglers. These stream fisheries also offer many other values to humanity that are priceless, including their aesthetic and recreational value and their ability to connect people to nature. Managing populations of stream centrarchids has increased in complexity as new species and genetic lineages are discovered. Management challenges vary from state to state, and this symposium and publication provided a forum for managers and researchers to share their experiences related to the management of these important fisheries.