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Seasonal variation in rod recapture rates indicates differential exploitation of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar , stock components
Author(s) -
THORLEY J. L.,
YOUNGSON A. F.,
LAUGHTON R.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
fisheries management and ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1365-2400
pISSN - 0969-997X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2400.2007.00540.x
Subject(s) - salmo , fishery , stock (firearms) , fish migration , fishing , mark and recapture , fish stock , fisheries management , biology , environmental science , geography , fish <actinopterygii> , population , demography , archaeology , sociology
Differential exploitation of the various components of a fish stock can adversely affect the diversity, abundance and long‐term survival of the entire stock. Many anadromous salmonid stocks exhibit a seasonal structuring of their run‐timing that allows fisheries managers to map monthly rod catches onto stock components. To estimate the rod exploitation levels of the various run‐timing groups, fishing guides on the River Spey, Scotland, floy‐tagged 786 rod‐caught and released Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., between 2000 and 2002 and recorded recaptures. Whereas 25% of the fish tagged early in March were recaptured, only 2% of those tagged early in June were caught a second time. Exploitation is biased towards the early‐running stock components which current assessments show to be least abundant. Management of Atlantic salmon based on an average exploitation rate is inappropriate.