A Mixed-Method Approach for Quantifying Illegal Fishing and Its Impact on an Endangered Fish Species
Illegal harvest is recognized as a widespread problem in natural resource management. The use of multiple methods for quantifying illegal harvest has been widely recommended yet infrequently applied. We used a mixed-method approach to evaluate the extent, charac- ter, and motivations of illegal gill...
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ftdatacite:10.7282/t3m32xq2 2023-05-15T15:47:16+02:00 A Mixed-Method Approach for Quantifying Illegal Fishing and Its Impact on an Endangered Fish Species Free, Christopher M. Jensen, Olaf P. Mendsaikhan, Bud 2015 application/pdf https://dx.doi.org/10.7282/t3m32xq2 https://scholarship.libraries.rutgers.edu/esploro/outputs/journalArticle/991031550241904646 en eng Rutgers University Open Fishing Rare fishes Endangered species Illegal harvest Research--Methodology article-journal ScholarlyArticle Journal article Text 2015 ftdatacite https://doi.org/10.7282/t3m32xq2 2022-03-10T10:59:16Z Illegal harvest is recognized as a widespread problem in natural resource management. The use of multiple methods for quantifying illegal harvest has been widely recommended yet infrequently applied. We used a mixed-method approach to evaluate the extent, charac- ter, and motivations of illegal gillnet fishing in Lake Hovsgol National Park, Mongolia and its impact on the lake’s fish populations, especially that of the endangered endemic Hovsgol grayling (Thymallus nigrescens). Surveys for derelict fishing gear indicate that gillnet fishing is widespread and increasing and that fishers generally use 3–4 cm mesh gillnet. Interviews with resident herders and park rangers suggest that many residents fish for subsistence during the spring grayling spawning migration and that some residents fish commercially year-round. Interviewed herders and rangers generally agree that fish population sizes are decreasing but are divided on the causes and solutions. Biological monitoring indicates that the gillnet mesh sizes used by fishers efficiently target Hovsgol grayling. Of the five species sampled in the monitoring program, only burbot (Lota lota) showed a significant decrease in population abundance from 2009–2013. However, grayling, burbot, and roach (Rutilus ruti- lus) all showed significant declines in average body size, suggesting a negative fishing impact. Data-poor stock assessment methods suggest that the fishing effort equivalent to each resident family fishing 50-m of gillnet 11–15 nights per year would be sufficient to over- exploit the grayling population. Results from the derelict fishing gear survey and interviews suggest that this level of effort is not implausible. Overall, we demonstrate the ability for a mixed-method approach to effectively describe an illegal fishery and suggest that these methods be used to assess illegal fishing and its impacts in other protected areas. : Sea Grant Article in Journal/Newspaper Burbot Lota lota lota DataCite Metadata Store (German National Library of Science and Technology) |
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language |
English |
topic |
Fishing Rare fishes Endangered species Illegal harvest Research--Methodology |
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Fishing Rare fishes Endangered species Illegal harvest Research--Methodology Free, Christopher M. Jensen, Olaf P. Mendsaikhan, Bud A Mixed-Method Approach for Quantifying Illegal Fishing and Its Impact on an Endangered Fish Species |
topic_facet |
Fishing Rare fishes Endangered species Illegal harvest Research--Methodology |
description |
Illegal harvest is recognized as a widespread problem in natural resource management. The use of multiple methods for quantifying illegal harvest has been widely recommended yet infrequently applied. We used a mixed-method approach to evaluate the extent, charac- ter, and motivations of illegal gillnet fishing in Lake Hovsgol National Park, Mongolia and its impact on the lake’s fish populations, especially that of the endangered endemic Hovsgol grayling (Thymallus nigrescens). Surveys for derelict fishing gear indicate that gillnet fishing is widespread and increasing and that fishers generally use 3–4 cm mesh gillnet. Interviews with resident herders and park rangers suggest that many residents fish for subsistence during the spring grayling spawning migration and that some residents fish commercially year-round. Interviewed herders and rangers generally agree that fish population sizes are decreasing but are divided on the causes and solutions. Biological monitoring indicates that the gillnet mesh sizes used by fishers efficiently target Hovsgol grayling. Of the five species sampled in the monitoring program, only burbot (Lota lota) showed a significant decrease in population abundance from 2009–2013. However, grayling, burbot, and roach (Rutilus ruti- lus) all showed significant declines in average body size, suggesting a negative fishing impact. Data-poor stock assessment methods suggest that the fishing effort equivalent to each resident family fishing 50-m of gillnet 11–15 nights per year would be sufficient to over- exploit the grayling population. Results from the derelict fishing gear survey and interviews suggest that this level of effort is not implausible. Overall, we demonstrate the ability for a mixed-method approach to effectively describe an illegal fishery and suggest that these methods be used to assess illegal fishing and its impacts in other protected areas. : Sea Grant |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Free, Christopher M. Jensen, Olaf P. Mendsaikhan, Bud |
author_facet |
Free, Christopher M. Jensen, Olaf P. Mendsaikhan, Bud |
author_sort |
Free, Christopher M. |
title |
A Mixed-Method Approach for Quantifying Illegal Fishing and Its Impact on an Endangered Fish Species |
title_short |
A Mixed-Method Approach for Quantifying Illegal Fishing and Its Impact on an Endangered Fish Species |
title_full |
A Mixed-Method Approach for Quantifying Illegal Fishing and Its Impact on an Endangered Fish Species |
title_fullStr |
A Mixed-Method Approach for Quantifying Illegal Fishing and Its Impact on an Endangered Fish Species |
title_full_unstemmed |
A Mixed-Method Approach for Quantifying Illegal Fishing and Its Impact on an Endangered Fish Species |
title_sort |
mixed-method approach for quantifying illegal fishing and its impact on an endangered fish species |
publisher |
Rutgers University |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://dx.doi.org/10.7282/t3m32xq2 https://scholarship.libraries.rutgers.edu/esploro/outputs/journalArticle/991031550241904646 |
genre |
Burbot Lota lota lota |
genre_facet |
Burbot Lota lota lota |
op_rights |
Open |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.7282/t3m32xq2 |
_version_ |
1766382056873394176 |