Lessons Learned from a Literature Review of Sportfishing Regulation Effects

Given the prevalence with which fisheries agencies use sportfishing regulations as a management tool, there is great value in improving our assessment and understanding of conditions that influence the success of regulations in achieving their intended goals. Our overall aim is to document and discuss the known and unknown effects of sportfishing regulations from a synthetic perspective that considers the broad diversity of ecosystems and fisheries on which they are placed. To characterize the current state of knowledge, we will present findings from a literature review aiming to: (1) document the extent to which the biological, social, and economic effects of sportfishing regulations have been evaluated, and (2) determine if sportfishing regulations have consistent effects.   To date, results of the literature review, which includes simulation modeling studies and field tests of regulations, have revealed some intriguing results.  First, field evaluations of regulation effects have rarely included more than 10 individual lakes or streams, even in very lake- or stream-rich regions.  Further, simulation models have predicted that a proposed regulation would have an effect almost twice as often as field tests have documented an effect.  However, relatively infrequently have simulation projections and field tests been performed on the same fishery.  Overall, we have found a paucity of synthetic reviews, a lack of consistent evidence for regulations successfully achieving their goals, and much uncertainty regarding factors underlying variation in sportfishing regulation effects.  By identifying critical areas of uncertainty regarding effects of sportfishing regulations, we aim to stimulate and inform a productive discussion.