Urban Landscapes and Constituencies: Implications for Restoring and Sustaining Fisheries Under the NFHAP

Urbanization of U.S. society complicates fisheries and habitat management.  City landscapes include abundant impervious surfaces and pollutant sources, which can adversely affect both the habitat and biotic components of fisheries.  Furthermore, urbanites are less likely to fish, face greater time constraints, and have more alternative recreational opportunities available than their rural counterparts.  When they do fish, urban anglers typically frequent limited-acreage local systems that can only be sustained by intensive stocking programs.  Despite these challenges, urban constituents (both anglers and non-anglers) have the potential to be the greatest allies in sustainable fisheries management.  The visibility of habitat restoration projects in urban areas is usually much greater than in rural areas and successful programs can generate tremendous support.  Through education and demonstration, conservation programs can instill a broad environmental ethic and sense of ownership in urban residents. These constituents can in turn use their strength in numbers and political power to provide support for future conservation programs.  Although restoration of aquatic habitat in urban environments is important to water quality and sustainability in its own right, it is also a vital first step to educating the population majority on the need for healthy aquatic resources as a whole.