Understanding the Efficacy of Fishing Regulations Given Their Effects on Angler Dynamics Across Northern Wisconsin

Northern Wisconsin is dotted with an impressive array of lakes; diverse in terms of the natural variation in physical and fish community attributes as well as fishery stakeholders. Managing the fisheries in this diverse landscape is a difficult endeavor which involves balancing stakeholder desires with environmental capability and variability. The principal tool in our managers’ toolbox is the use of fishing regulations designed to change angler behavior to meet management objectives. With such a diverse resource to manage, fishing regulations have become increasingly complex over time. Effectively evaluating the efficacy of the increasing number of regulations is difficult, both for logistical and statistical reasons. Most evaluations are focused on responses in population metrics and are often equivocal. If regulations are intended to modify angler dynamics and fishing mortality, a more appropriate first step may be to characterize how angler dynamics respond to fishing regulations. We present perspective on understanding the efficacy fishing regulations by describing the current status of regulations in Wisconsin, the extent of population-level evaluations, and finally how angler dynamics vary in response to fishing regulations. Using creel surveys conducted since 1990 we describe patterns in angler effort and harvest across various black bass and walleye regulations over time. Preliminary analyses suggest that angler dynamics are highly variable and modifying behavior with regulations could prove difficult in achieving management objectives.