Dustin R. Martin

Using the internet to understand angler behavior in the information age

ABSTRACT Declining participation in recreational angling is of great concern to fishery managers because fishing license sales are an important revenue source for protection of aquatic resources. This decline is frequently attributed, in part, to increased societal reliance on electronics. Internet use by anglers is increasing and fishery managers may use the Internet as a unique means to increase angler participation. We examined Internet search behavior using Google Insights for Search, a free online tool that summarizes Google searches from 2004 to 2011 to determine (1) trends in Internet search volume for general fishing related terms and (2) the relative usefulness of terms related to angler recruitment programs across the United States. Though search volume declined for general fishing terms (e.g., fishing, fishing guide), search volume increased for social media and recruitment terms (e.g., fishing forum, family fishing) over the 7-year period. We encourage coordinators of recruitment programs to c...

Luring anglers to enhance fisheries

Current fisheries management is, unfortunately, reactive rather than proactive to changes in fishery characteristics. Furthermore, anglers do not act independently on waterbodies, and thus, fisheries are complex socio-ecological systems. Proactive management of these complex systems necessitates an approach--adaptive fisheries management--that allows learning to occur simultaneously with management. A promising area for implementation of adaptive fisheries management is the study of luring anglers to or from specific waterbodies to meet management goals. Purposeful manipulation of anglers, and its associated field of study, is nonexistent in past management. Evaluation of different management practices (i.e., hypotheses) through an iterative adaptive management process should include both a biological and sociological survey to address changes in fish populations and changes in angler satisfaction related to changes in management. We believe adaptive management is ideal for development and assessment of management strategies targeted at angler participation. Moreover these concepts and understandings should be applicable to other natural resource users such as hunters and hikers.

The Influence of a Rapid Drawdown and Prolonged Dewatering on Fishing Effort, Catch, and Harvest in a Nebraska Reservoir

Red Willow Reservoir, Nebraska, experienced a rapid reduction (drawdown) in surface area, from 580 to 240 ha (59%), and prolonged maintenance at a low-water level from November 2009 until June 2012 (although the reservoir did not begin to refill until 2013 due to drought conditions). We documented changes in fishing effort, catch, and harvest at Red Willow Reservoir from two years pre-drawdown to three years post-drawdown. Fishing effort shifted from a majority of boat anglers to roughly equal representation by boat and bank anglers because of the low-water level. Effort also shifted from anglers seeking specific species to anglers simultaneously seeking all species (anything) during first-year post-drawdown, and then reverted back to anglers seeking specific species during the second and third years post-drawdown. Angler catch of fishes declined substantially post-drawdown. This case study highlights the complicated dynamics that exist among angler participation, reservoir quality, and sport-fish community. Understanding these dynamics is important in the management of fisheries, particularly when fishery managers must manage a reservoir subjected to an extreme change.

Coupling ecological and social network models to assess “transmission” and “contagion” of an aquatic invasive species

Network analysis is used to address diverse ecological, social, economic, and epidemiological questions, but few efforts have been made to combine these field-specific analyses into interdisciplinary approaches that effectively address how complex systems are interdependent and connected to one another. Identifying and understanding these cross-boundary connections improves natural resource management and promotes proactive, rather than reactive, decisions. This research had two main objectives; first, adapt the framework and approach of infectious disease network modeling so that it may be applied to the socio-ecological problem of spreading aquatic invasive species, and second, use this new coupled model to simulate the spread of the invasive Chinese mystery snail (Bellamya chinensis) in a reservoir network in Southeastern Nebraska, USA. The coupled model integrates an existing social network model of how anglers move on the landscape with new reservoir-specific ecological network models. This approach allowed us to identify 1) how angler movement among reservoirs aids in the spread of B. chinensis, 2) how B. chinensis alters energy flows within individual-reservoir food webs, and 3) a new method for assessing the spread of any number of non-native or invasive species within complex, social-ecological systems.

Habitat selection by adult walleye during spawning season in irrigation reservoirs: a patch occupancy modeling approach

Recruitment of walleye (Sander vitreus Mitchill) is limited in irrigation reservoirs of the Republican River basin in southwestern Nebraska. The causal mechanism for this limited recruitment is unknown, but may be related to a lack of suitable spawning habitat. Patch occupancy models were developed to describe variation in detection probability and habitat selection during spawning season using shoreline electrofishing data. Detection of adult walleye was negatively affected by water temperature, silt substrate, and woody cover. Adult walleye selected sites with cooler water temperatures and greater fetch at Enders Reservoir, and large rock substrate and no cover at Hugh Butler Lake; these characteristics are limited to areas on or near the riprap dams in both reservoirs. Walleye eggs were also only found in these areas. We conclude that patch occupancy modeling provided valuable information when considering habitat improvement projects and propose a management approach for the addition of walleye spawning habitat in irrigation reservoirs.

Reservoir Area of Influence and Implications for Fisheries Management

AbstractUnderstanding the spatial area that a reservoir draws anglers from, defined as the reservoirs area of influence, and the potential overlap of that area of influence between reservoirs is important for fishery managers. Our objective was to define the area of influence for reservoirs of the Salt Valley regional fishery in southeastern Nebraska using kernel density estimation. We used angler survey data obtained from in-person interviews at 17 reservoirs during 2009–2012. The area of influence, defined by the 95% kernel density, for reservoirs within the Salt Valley regional fishery varied, indicating that anglers use reservoirs differently across the regional fishery. Areas of influence reveal angler preferences in a regional context, indicating preferred reservoirs with a greater area of influence. Further, differences in areas of influences across time and among reservoirs can be used as an assessment following management changes on an individual reservoir or within a regional fishery. Kernel de...

Landowner and practitioner perspectives on private land conservation programs

ABSTRACT Efforts to reverse declines in native grasslands benefit from agricultural policies that encourage private land conservation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) improved conservation across landscapes but enrollment has declined. We used sequential exploratory mixed methods to compare landowner and conservation practitioners’ perceptions, evaluate perceived benefits, and identify potential improvements to CRP. Focus groups of practitioners informed a quantitative survey of landowners who had properties >160 total acres in Nebraska. Results suggest potential misalignment in perceptions between practitioners and landowners. Practitioners were concerned that conservation, especially of wildlife, was secondary to profit. But the majority of landowners valued CRP-related ecosystem services, including native pollinators. Practitioners posited that younger landowners were primarily profit motivated, but CRP enrollment did not differ by demographics. Practitioners and landowners identified rule complexity as a major challenge and practitioner–landowner relationships as critical to success. Findings suggest that practitioners may underestimate non-economic motivations and illuminate opportunities to encourage private land conservation.

Variation in angler distribution and catch rates of stocked rainbow trout in a small reservoir

We investigated the spatial and temporal relationship of catch rates and angler party location for two days following a publicly announced put-and-take stocking of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Catch rates declined with time since stocking and distance from stocking. We hypothesized that opportunity for high catch rates would cause anglers to fish near the stocking location and disperse with time, however distance between angler parties and stocking was highly variable at any given time. Spatially explicit differences in catch rates can affect fishing quality. Further research could investigate the variation between angler distribution and fish distribution within a waterbody.