Fisheries Sustainability, Crime, and Enforcement: Whodunnit, and How Do We Manage It?

Law enforcement is a critical yet often under-appreciated and under-represented component of fish crime and fish management.  Law enforcement personnel and fisheries management professionals must work together to achieve the common goals of protecting and sustaining fisheries resources.  Law enforcement must understand the scientific basic of fisheries management decisions in order to be effective in enforcing regulations, reducing fish crime, and educating and protecting citizens.  Fisheries professionals must be aware of the limitations and concerns of law enforcement when developing scientifically-based management regulations.  Fisheries law enforcement professionals have largely been under-represented in the American Fisheries Society despite the common goal of perpetuating fisheries resources and the continued contribution of law enforcement to the many successful fisheries management programs. The goal of this symposium is to create a forum where law enforcement personnel and fisheries professionals can cooperatively discuss the role of law enforcement and conservation criminology in shaping the future of fisheries science and the fisheries profession.  This symposium will feature presentations from law enforcement, fisheries professionals, and conservation criminologists detailing specific case studies involving fisheries enforcement including advances in criminal and fisheries science and technology.  The ultimate outcome of this symposium will be a continued closer cooperation and communication between law enforcement and fisheries professionals.