Ecosystem Services and Cooperative Fisheries Research to Address a Complex Fishery Problem

The St. Louis River represents a complex fishery management problem. Current fishery management goals have to be developed taking into account bi-state commercial, subsistence and recreational fisheries which are valued for different characteristics by a wide range of anglers, as well as extensive sediment remediation and habitat restoration goals for the lower river and associated port. At the center of fishery management goals are a few culturally and economically important species – Walleye and Muskellunge. We are addressing this complex problem using the concept of ecosystem services to integrate management goals and ecological benefits to the community. Our objective has been to conduct cooperative research with federal, state, and angler partners to develop approaches and tools to evaluate fish movements, stocking success, habitat availability, and habitat contamination. We will present an integrated decision-making framework for incorporating cooperative research, agency and community decision-making, and community benefits associated with fisheries. We propose that the concept of ecosystem services can serve in transdisciplinary research to support a broad range of user groups and diverse fishery-related management goals.