A bright spot analysis of inland recreational fisheries in the face of climate change: learning about adaptation from small successes - IFishMan

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A bright spot analysis of inland recreational fisheries in the face of climate change: learning about adaptation from small successes - IFishMan
Rev Fish Biol Fisheries (2021) 31:181–200
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-021-09638-y   (0123456789().,-volV)
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 REVIEWS

A bright spot analysis of inland recreational fisheries
in the face of climate change: learning about adaptation
from small successes
Amanda L. Jeanson . A. J. Lynch . J. D. Thiem . W. M. Potts .
T. Haapasalo . A. J. Danylchuk . T. D. Beard . R. Arlinghaus .
L. M. Hunt . N. Young . S. J. Cooke

Received: 21 September 2019 / Accepted: 15 January 2021 / Published online: 11 March 2021
Ó The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG part of Springer Nature 2021

Abstract Inland recreational fisheries have social,                                     recreational fisheries management, where innovative
economic, and ecological importance worldwide but                                       approaches are leading to increases in social and
these fisheries are increasingly challenged by the                                      ecological well-being in the face of climate change.
diverse effects of climate change. Coupled with other                                   Cases such as these are important sources of inspira-
anthropogenic stressors, climate change has con-                                        tion and learning about adaptation to climate and
tributed to declines in freshwater biodiversity of                                      environmental change. In this article, we analyze 11
greater severity than those observed across marine or                                   examples of such ‘bright spots’ drawn from multiple
terrestrial taxa. At a macro level, inland fisheries are                                jurisdictions around the world from which we
experiencing declines. There are, however, a number                                     extracted lessons that might apply to fisheries man-
of success stories, or ‘bright spots,’ in inland                                        agement challenges beyond the region and context of
                                                                                        each case. Collectively, these bright spots highlight
                                                                                        adaptive initiatives that allow for recreational fisheries
A ‘positive future’ for inland recreational fisheries in the face
of current and future climatic change is possible! This work                            management to mitigate to stressors associated with
highlights potential strategies to adapt to current and future                          current and future climate change. Examples identified
climate changes.

A. L. Jeanson (&)  S. J. Cooke                                                         T. Haapasalo
Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory,                                    Department of Geographic and Historical Studies,
Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and                                University of Eastern Finland/Itä-Suomen yliopisto,
Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125                                    Joensuu, Finland
Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
e-mail: Amanda.l.jeanson@gmail.com                                                      A. J. Danylchuk
                                                                                        Department of Environmental Conservation, University of
A. J. Lynch  T. D. Beard                                                               Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Climate
Adaptation Science Center, Reston, VA, USA                                              R. Arlinghaus
                                                                                        Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-
J. D. Thiem                                                                             Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, and
Department of Primary Industries, Narrandera Fisheries                                  Integrative Fisheries Management and Integrative
Centre, Narrandera, NSW, Australia                                                      Research Institute for the Transformation of Human-
                                                                                        Environmental Systems, Faculty of Life Sciences,
W. M. Potts                                                                             Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes
University, Grahamstown, South Africa

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include community-based restoration projects, collab-        nature, escape, relaxing, and socializing; Driver and
orative and adaptive approaches to short-term fisheries      Knopf 1976; Caltabiano 1994; Toth and Brown 1997;
closures, transdisciplinary large-scale conservation         Freudenberg and Arlinghaus 2009; FAO 2018). The
projects, and conservation-minded efforts by individ-        socio-psychological benefits accrued by anglers
uals and communities. By highlighting examples of            encourage them to incur expenses associated with
‘small wins’ within inland recreational fisheries man-       fishing trips (e.g., travel, goods, and services), which
agement, this review contributes to the idea that a          in turn creates jobs and stimulates local and regional
‘positive future’ for inland recreational fisheries in the   economies. In the United States of America (USA)
face of climate change is possible and highlights            alone, inland recreational fisheries generate over 31
potential strategies to adapt to current and future          billion USD annually in direct expenditures (Lynch
climate scenarios.                                           et al. 2016). Globally, the recreational fishery sector
                                                             within inland waters generates over 100 billion USD
Keywords Anthropocene  Recreational fisheries              in revenues (Funge-Smith et al. 2018), often con-
Social-ecological systems  Positive futures  Inland        tributing in meaningful ways to livelihoods in smaller
fisheries                                                    rural communities (Smith et al. 2005; Hoogendoorn
                                                             2014).
                                                                Current and projected climate scenarios threaten
                                                             the integrity of ecosystems supporting inland recre-
Introduction                                                 ational fisheries (Harrod et al. 2019), thus endangering
                                                             the economic and social benefits resulting from this
Inland aquatic ecosystems (lakes, rivers, brackish and       sector. Inland aquatic ecosystems have experienced
coastal wetlands, marshes and swamps, reservoirs,            biodiversity losses that are greater than those in
bogs, etc.; Janse et al. 2015) are facing severe habitat     terrestrial and marine environments (WWF 2016;
modification and biodiversity declines in the Anthro-        Reid et al. 2019). General climate-driven threats to
pocene (a time in which humans are driving ecosystem         freshwater ecosystems include increased mean surface
changes; Lewis and Maslin, 2015; Reid et al. 2019),          temperatures, losses in dissolved oxygen levels,
thereby causing social, economic, and ecological             changes in water availability and seasonality,
losses (Fike et al. 2007). Recreational fishing (e.g.,       increased eutrophication (Myers et al. 2017), greater
the fishing for reasons other than obtaining sustenance      frequencies of cold shock events (Szekeres et al.
or for profit from sales; FAO 2012) represents one           2016), and changes in stratification patterns (King
sector that relies on inland waters. Engagement in           et al. 1999). Furthermore, changes in precipitation
recreational fishing is high, with an average of             patterns (e.g., increases in drought frequency; Lennox
approximately 10% of the human population partic-            et al. 2019) are shifting the distributions of fish species
ipating in the activity (Arlinghaus and Cooke 2009;          (Chu et al. 2005; Perry et al. 2005), leading to thermal
Arlinghaus et al. 2015). It is estimated that up to 6.7%     niche contraction or expansion promoted through
of the global population engage in inland recreational       increased competition/predation from invaders (Moh-
fishing and have a combined total catch of * 11.6            seni et al. 2003; Pratchett et al. 2011).
million tonnes (FAO 2018).                                      Inland aquatic ecosystems supporting recreational
   High participation rates in recreational fishing can      fisheries are of significant conservation concern, as
be linked to the social and psychological benefits           they must absorb fisheries-related stressors resulting
gained from recreational fishing (e.g., connecting with      from fisher interactions with fish (e.g., fishing mortal-
                                                             ity arising from harvest or incidental mortality asso-
                                                             ciated with fishing injuries or stress encountered
L. M. Hunt
Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research, Ontario       during catch-and-release fishing) and climate change
Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Thunder Bay,     driven stressors such as those listed above. For
ON, Canada                                                   example, increased water temperatures and other
                                                             climate-induced environmental changes can be phys-
N. Young
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of      iologically challenging to species, especially when
Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada                                   combined with exercise-induced stress resulting from

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Rev Fish Biol Fisheries (2021) 31:181–200                                                                          183

catch-and-release fishing events (reviewed in Gale           together to illustrate tangible take-home lessons, and
et al. 2011; Whitney et al. 2016). The conservation of       to share successful adaptive management tools to aid
fish populations used by recreational fisheries should       inland recreational fisheries management in the
therefore be a significant consideration for the fish-       Anthropocene. By compiling successes in inland
eries management community to ensure the sustain-            fisheries management at a global scale, this work
ability of the fisheries in the face of current and future   gives fisheries managers the opportunity to adopt and
stressors. Furthermore, anglers can influence the            build off of successes demonstrated in faraway
survival of angled fishes through the adaptation of          fisheries to adaptively enhance their capacity to
conservation-driven behaviours. For example, when            climate change.
faced with high water temperatures in Western USA,
anglers have altered behaviours to the benefit of
angled fish species (Boyd et al. 2010).                      Methods
   The management of inland recreational fisheries in
the Anthropocene should involve multi- and trans-            Collection of bright spots
disciplinary collaborations amongst social scientists
and biologists, as well as relevant stakeholders             Examples of social-ecological bright spots were
(Arlinghaus et al. 2017). Human-related barriers             solicited via an email and social media call (e.g., via
(e.g., public and political will) are the greatest           co-author twitter accounts) to researchers and fisheries
impediments to fisheries management success (Ar-             managers around the globe who work with inland
linghaus 2006; Hilborn 2007), demonstrating the              recreational fisheries. Emails and social media posts
importance of viewing fisheries as part of coupled           were written and shared by us authors to our contacts,
social-ecological systems (Arlinghaus et al. 2017).          thus reaching others in our professional networks. As
Furthermore, inland recreational fisheries manage-           our author list is comprised of experts in the field,
ment must be forward-looking and adaptive to best            soliciting through our own professional networks
mitigate current and future stressors associated with        enabled us to successfully reach other experts working
climate change (Pratchett et al. 2011; Szekeres et al.       with inland recreational fisheries conservation and
2016; Lennox et al. 2019). To achieve a positive future      management and collect insightful bright spots. Inland
for inland recreational fisheries, decision-makers can       fisheries researchers and managers study or manage
draw inspiration and learn from successful initiatives       fisheries facing climate change and anthropogenic
that create social-ecological bright spots (referred to      stressors and are therefore well positioned to encoun-
by Bennett et al. 2016 as ‘seeds towards a good              ter examples of successful initiatives that have led to
Anthropocene’) when looking for novel management             social and ecological successes in an inland fisheries
strategies. These bright spots can serve as lessons for      context. We received a total of 14 bright spot
adaptive conservation measures to achieve sustain-           suggestions by experts in recreational fisheries man-
ability in the face of current and future climate change     agement world-wide. Of those 14, 11 submissions
scenarios.                                                   were from North America. A short-list of bright spot
   Here, we outline a number of bright spots found           ideas was built from submissions that matched our
within inland recreational fisheries. The included           criteria for a bright spot, as adopted from Bennett et al.
bright spots contain useful approaches to manage the         (2016). Submissions had to be social-ecological,
impacts of climate change, and/or address other              meaning that they demonstrate or show potential for
stressors (e.g., angling exploitation) in systems vul-       social and ecological improvements. We define a
nerable to, or impacted by effects of climate change.        successful social-ecological bright spot as: 1) promot-
The initiatives discussed here are all small-scale and       ing ecological sustainability (the ability of the ecosys-
local or regional in application. However, each one has      tem to withstand the needs of fishery users; Morelli
demonstrated improvements in human well-being                2011), and 2) promoting social and economic sustain-
without negatively impacting or in some cases                ability (the ability of the fishery to provide well-being
improving the environment, thus creating ‘social-            and economic benefits to stakeholders; Garcı́a-Llor-
ecological bright spots’ (Bennett et al. 2016). Geo-         ente et al. 2006). The short list of bright spots was
graphically dispersed bright spots are analyzed              comprised of 11 submissions, all of which

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demonstrate these ‘three pillars of sustainability’         rationale for success is included in the bright spot
(social, economic and ecological sustainability; Purvis     summaries.
et al. 2019).
   The co-author list is comprised in part of recre-        Temperature-based in-season closures
ational fisheries experts who submitted selected bright     in the Miramichi River (Canada)
spot cases for analysis. Some information regarding
these bright spots originate from co-authors’ personal      The Miramichi River in New Brunswick, Canada, is
experience. In some of the included bright spots,           essential nursery habitat for wild Atlantic salmon
factual information was also sought via personal            (Salmo salar) populations, which are highly valued
communications with key knowledge holders for a             amongst recreational anglers in the area. However,
given fishery.                                              climate change induced high water temperatures have
                                                            been linked to fatalities in this population of Atlantic
Analysis                                                    salmon (Lund et al. 2002; Gallant et al. 2017). In
                                                            response to resultant declines in the abundance of
The framework for analyzing the included bright spots       Atlantic salmon, the province of New Brunswick
is based on criteria gleaned from two sources: Elmer        implemented adaptive temperature-based in-season
et al.’s (2017) Ten commandments for sustainable            fishery closures through collaboration with academics,
management for inland recreational fisheries man-           Indigenous communities, recreational anglers, and
agement, and Brownscombe et al.’s (2019) The future         other fishery stakeholders (Department of Fisheries
of recreational fisheries: Advances in science, moni-       and Oceans Canada 2019).
toring, management and practice (see Table 1).                 To protect Atlantic salmon under climate change
Themes in Table 1 were agreed upon by co-authors            and recreational angling-induced stressors, the pro-
as being central to included bright spots and echoed        vince of New Brunswick implemented two exclu-
themes included in the two works mentioned above.           sively catch-and-release Atlantic salmon fisheries in
Included bright spots were then analyzed to identify        1981 (Tufts et al. 2000). Fisheries remained open until
chosen themes in each. These themes were further            water temperatures reached levels at which aggrega-
dissected using examples pulled from our compilation        tions of salmon in cold-water refuges, mortalities, or
of bright spots and resulting ‘lessons learned’ are         low water levels were observed by Fisheries and
shared below. Through this analysis, this paper             Oceans Canada wardens. Decisions on closures were
provides tangible examples of fisheries management          originally made on ad hoc bases after consultation
strategies and tools that can be adopted or scaled up to    with governmental and academic colleagues, as well
the benefit of other inland recreational fisheries around   as resource users. This allowed for input by those
the globe as we continue to experience climate              working directly in the system resulting in quick
change-induced stressors, and other anthropogenic           closures, but decisions were ultimately arbitrary.
stressors.                                                  During an extreme thermal event in July 2010 in
                                                            which temperatures in mainstem Miramichi River
                                                            tributaries reached as high as 30.78 C during the day
Bright spot cases                                           (Elvidge et al. 2017), and remained above 228 C at
                                                            night over four days (Corey et al. 2017), high-density
The bright spots are presented in no particular order,      aggregations of juvenile salmon parr and mortalities of
yet similar themed bright spots were placed near each       adults in deep-water pools were observed. This led to
other in the body of the text (see Fig. 1 for corre-        the current procedures for closures in the Miramichi
sponding themes). The bright spots described below          River: fishery closures are now implemented after two
include examples of existing successes within inland        consecutive 24-h periods in which water temperatures
fishery management, examples of management pro-             remain above 20° C, with a one-day lag period to allow
jects yielding ongoing initiatives within inland fishery    news of the closure to be disseminated to resource
management, and potential initiatives that are believed     users and commercial operations. Openings occur
to bring successes in inland fisheries management. The      after two consecutive days in which water tempera-
                                                            tures fall below 20° C (Fisheries and Oceans 2012a) to

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Fig. 1 Map of bright spot locations categorized by theme (see   Strategy (LSCCAS; Canada). 6. Mitigating smallmouth bass
Table 1). 1. Temperature-based in-season closures in the        range expansions (Canada). 7. Changes in angler behaviour in
Miramichi River (Canada). 2. Water temperature and algal        response to climate change (Western USA). 8. Harvest control
bloom-induced angling competition cancellations in South        of walleye using special walleye licensing in Alberta (Canada).
Africa. 3. Survival projections of cisco in warming waters:     9. Resulting benefits of put-and-take fisheries formed by water
Minnesota lakes (USA). 4. Identifying climate shields for       infrastructure (Australia). 10. Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture
salmon conservation in Northern Rocky Mountains (USA). 5.       (USA). 11. Voluntary Longinoja Brook sea trout habitat
The Lake Simcoe Watershed Climate Change Adaptation             restoration (Finland)

meet the physiological needs of Atlantic salmon, as             stressors under high water temperatures. Using tem-
they demonstrate decreases in metabolic performance             perature-induced closures allows for the presence of a
and increases in mortality resulting from catch-and-            catch-and-release fishery to be present in the face of
release angling above this temperature (Dempson et al.          temperature concerns, allowing for continued eco-
2002).                                                          nomic and social sustainability of the fishery in the
   Success resulting from the Miramichi River tem-              area whilst accounting for ecological sustainability of
perature closures is defined by the ability to effectively      the system.
remove angling stressors during periods in which fish
cannot physiologically cope with both fishery and               Water temperature and algal bloom-induced
water temperature induced physiological stressors               angling competition cancellations in South Africa
(promoting ecological sustainability). The current
process in place for closures is the result of collabo-         The Rock and Surf Super Pro League (RASSPL) is a
rative, and science-based management. Temperature-              competitive catch and release South African shore-
induced closures based on scientific knowledge of fish          based marine angling league (competitions take place
physiology and temperature trends such as those in the          along the coast as well as inland in the Kei River). The
Miramichi River can result in adaptive and appropriate          league operates nationwide, with six franchises (each
closures that benefit fish populations in question. By          with eight different competition zones) situated in the
implementing species-specific maximum temperature               cool-temperate and warm-temperate biogeographic
thresholds for closures, the chances of fish populations        regions of South Africa. Climate change and other
in a system being subjected to lethal stressors from            anthropogenic stressors have led to water temperature
catch-and-release fishing is reduced, mitigating the            spikes and concerning algal blooms in competition
high physiological cost of recuperating from fisheries          zones, threatening the survival of fish captured during

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Table 1 Take home messages for management divided by themes with examples pulled from bright spots
Theme             Take-home message for management                         Examples                                            Bright
                                                                                                                               spots

Individual        Management may recognize, foster and encourage the       Decisions by anglers to adopt conservation-         7
  action           conservation-minded behaviours of individuals            minded behaviours can lead to changes in
                                                                            social norms, and ecological benefits for
                                                                            targeted fish species
                                                                           Shifts in angling efforts from at risk              6&9
                                                                            populations can lead to ecological benefits
                                                                            for wild populations at risk in light of climate
                                                                            change
Community         Management may recognize, foster and encourage           Collective efforts by communities can lead to       11
 action            conservation efforts from communities                    conservation successes without the
                                                                            involvement of management bodies

Cross-scale       Management may engage in cross-scale collaborations      Engagement with multi-stakeholders and              4, 5, &
 collaborations    to increase available resources and knowledge, and       governing bodies can provide increased               8
                   yield management decisions supported by all              resources and knowledge, favouring
                   stakeholders                                             successful management decision-making
                                                                           Collective support for management decisions         1, 2, &
                                                                            from stakeholders can positively influence           8
                                                                            the success of resulting management
                                                                            strategies
Adaptive          Management may include monitoring as part of             Monitoring of temperature and other                 1, 2, 3,
 management        conservation strategies in the face of climate change    environmental parameters, fish population            6, &
                                                                            numbers, and habitat quality can allow for           11
                                                                            management to predict problematic scenarios
                                                                            and act quickly, thus minimizing the
                                                                            consequences of climate change-induced
                                                                            stressors
Ecosystem-        Management may look to adopt ecosystem-based             Restoring ecosystems can help re-establish fish     5, 9, &
 based             approaches to management                                 populations supporting recreational fisheries        10
 management

Evidence-based    Management may benefit from basing decision-             Scientific findings from environmental              1, 2, 3,
 management        making on evidence-based scientific findings             assessments and scientific experimentation           4, 5,
                                                                            can aid development of management                    & 10
                                                                            strategies that best fit with the ecological
                                                                            needs of fishes and ecosystems

competitions. In response, a research team from the                 avoid having anglers travel and book reservations for
Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science                     postponed events, the collaborative research team is
(DIFS) at Rhodes University partnered with RASSPL                   working towards practical solutions to best predict
with the goal of finding strategies that allow for                  water conditions on competition days. To best predict
accurate and timely predictions of unfavourable water               water temperature, daily sea temperature based on
conditions on which to base decisions on cancella-                  in situ validated satellite observations (Moderate
tions, reallocations, or postponements of fishing                   Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, i.e. MODIS
competitions.                                                       terra; Reinart and Reinhold 2008) for each of the eight
   To protect targeted species under high water                     competitive angling zones for each franchise over the
temperatures and concerning algal blooms, and to                    previous 10 years is compiled and the frequency of

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Rev Fish Biol Fisheries (2021) 31:181–200                                                                      187

anomalous ‘warm water events’ is calculated based on      Survival projections of cisco in warming waters:
knowledge of the thermal preference of the primary        Minnesota lakes (USA)
target species for each fishing zone, by month. Data
are then used to identify high frequency warm water       The USA state of Minnesota is known as the ‘Land of
zones for each month where competitions should be         10,000 Lakes’. As the most prominent lentic forage
avoided. Franchises are subsequently asked to adjust      fish in Minnesota, cisco (Coregonus artedi) live within
their competition schedules accordingly. Unlike water     some of these lakes (Jacobson et al. 2008), and play an
temperature, the presence of an algal bloom in a          important role in sustaining populations of lake trout
fishing zone can be accurately predicted based on         (Salvelinus namaycush), walleye (Sander vitreus), and
information collected the previous day. For example,      northern pike (Esox lucius), that support socially and
Hu et al. (2005) recommend the use of the near-real       economically important recreational fisheries. Climate
time MODIS fluorescence line height (FLH) data as a       change has led to decreases in population numbers of
reliable satellite product for detecting red tides        cisco in Minnesota, at the trailing edge of their species
(harmful algal blooms) in coastal waters. The next        range (Jacobson et al. 2012). Such declines threaten
steps for the research team will be to identify           the success of recreational fisheries in the area as
biologically relevant FLH values that could comple-       angling opportunities decrease with loss of cisco. In
ment temperature indicators for the relocation or         response to cisco population declines, the Minnesota
postponement of a competition (completion date by         Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) used
2020).                                                    research to determine the most effective strategy for
   Success resulting from the proposed strategy to be     cisco management.
used by RASSPL is defined by the ability to                  To protect populations vulnerable to climate
effectively remove angling stressors during periods       change such as cisco, management can protect
in which fish cannot physiologically cope with high       resilient habitat or, when that is no longer possible,
water temperatures and algal bloom-induced stressors      engage in more intensive efforts to translocate them to
in a manner that will not greatly inconvenience           suitable habitats (e.g., Winfield et al. 2012). Modeling
anglers. The proposed strategy allows for timely and      the cisco thermal niche, Fang et al. (2012) identified
appropriate recommendations to relocate, or if all        176 Minnesota lakes that are deep and clear enough to
zones are negatively affected, postpone competitions.     serve as refuge lakes, maintaining thermal habitat for
This strategy will allow for decisions to be made early   cisco even with projected warming for Minnesota. The
enough as to not greatly inconvenience competition        MNDNR then prioritized management action to
participants (anglers must book/pay for fishing-related   proactively protect cisco habitat in these refuge lakes
travel and incur such expenses should a closure take      and surrounding forested watersheds. Furthermore, by
place at the last minute; thus accounting for social      protecting water quality and forest within these
sustainability of the fishery) and for survival of        watersheds for cisco habitat and the recreational
targeted fish species during periods of elevated water    fisheries cisco support, the broader landscape also
temperature and damaging algal blooms (thus pro-          benefits from conservation efforts. Cisco habitat
moting ecological sustainability). Oxygen concentra-      protection indirectly benefits the predatory fish feed-
tions and water temperatures are critical                 ing on cisco, which ultimately benefits recreational
environmental parameters to post-release survival as      fisheries dependent on these predatory fishes in the
hypoxia (like during a bloom of algal biomass;            area.
Hallegraeff 1993; Pick 2016) and high water temper-          Success resulting from modeling cisco thermal
atures (Dempson et al. 2002) have been found to           niche is defined by the ability to proactively protect
impair fish recovery from catch-and-release events        valuable habitat based on scientific findings in the face
(Suski et al. 2006; Gale et al. 2013).                    of ecosystem alterations induced by climate change.
                                                          The strategy of using decision-support tools (e.g.,
                                                          science) to prioritize management investment allows
                                                          one to optimize the use of limited resources for current
                                                          recreational fishing goals and future ones. This
                                                          approach opens doors to additional, often non-

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traditional, funding sources and builds a broad base of         Success resulting from the ‘climate shield’
support with local, state, and federal governmental          approach is defined by the ability to proactively
partners and non-governmental organizations. By              identify (through scientific approaches) and protect
considering the suite of available management options        climate shields under climate change thus aiding in the
for current and future conditions, the MNDNR and             survival of salmonids (promoting ecological sustain-
others can maximize their conservation outcomes and          ability). The proposed strategy to protect coldwater
ensure resiliency for cisco populations and predator         salmonids can be less expensive and less intensive
populations (promoting ecological sustainability), and       than other alternatives (e.g., translocation) to support-
ultimately the recreational fisheries they support           ing recreational fishing for coldwater fish in the
(promoting social and economic sustainability within         Northern Rocky Mountains in a changing climate
the fishery).                                                (promoting social and economic sustainability). This
                                                             simple concept can be used to strengthen existing
Identifying climate shields for salmon                       collaborative approaches of natural resource agencies
conservation in Northern Rocky Mountains (USA)               and recreational fishing stakeholders and foster new
                                                             partnerships with other conservation interests in the
Recreational fisheries for primarily coldwater salmo-        area.
nids in the Northern Rocky Mountains of the USA are
significant cultural and economic resources; in Mon-         The Lake Simcoe watershed climate change
tana, the recreational fishing industry contributes at       adaptation strategy (LSCCAS; Canada)
least 1 billion USD annually to the economy (Outdoor
Industry Association 2017). The dominant hypothesis          Lake Simcoe is home to lake whitefish (Coregonus
for mobile species is that they relocate to maintain         clupeaformis), yellow perch (Perca flavescens), small-
their optimal thermal habitat (e.g., the cisco in the case   mouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), and one of the
study above) when faced with climate change-induced          most southern natural population of interior lake trout
stressors. Conventional wisdom suggests that coldwa-         in Canada, making it a destination for anglers year-
ter fish in headwater systems, such as salmonids in the      round. Lake Simcoe is the most-fished lake in Ontario
Northern Rocky Mountains, are particularly vulnera-          with * 1 million angler hours per year and is a
ble to angling because they are often isolated and           particularly popular destination for ice fishing
constrained in their ability to move to new habitat and      (Government of Ontario 2017). Climate change and
are therefore, at high risk of extirpation.                  other anthropogenic stressors onto Lake Simcoe have
   To protect cold water salmonids in the Northern           led to changes in aquatic life; emergence of invasive
Rocky Mountains, a ‘climate shield’ approach in              species; changes in water quality and quantity; and
which cold waters are protected (by receiving a              changes in aquatic fauna species; resulting in reduced
protected status eliminating any activity leading to         opportunities for recreational activities such as
the loss of such coldwater habitats) in order to preserve    angling (Government of Ontario 2017). In response,
coldwater fauna and their ecosystem services (such as        the Lake Simcoe Climate Change Adaptation Strategy
recreational fishing) is suggested. Isaak et al.             (LSCCAS) was developed by the Ontario government.
(2016) show that thermal habitat in headwater streams           To protect the Lake Simcoe watershed from climate
is highly resilient to air temperature increases because     change and other anthropogenic stressors, the
of topographic controls. The ‘slow climate velocity’         LSCCAS looks to combat the negative implications
of these systems suggests that they can serve as             of climate change onto the Lake Simcoe ecosystem,
thermal refuge or ‘climate shield’ for salmonids and         industries, and users (Government of Ontario 2017).
other coldwater aquatic species long after the sur-          The Government of Ontario has partnered with locals,
rounding landscape may have transformed (Isaak et al.        Indigenous communities, municipal governments,
2015, 2016). In the case of coldwater salmonids in the       industry, developers, and other identified stakeholders
Northern Rocky Mountains, it is suggested that cold          to build a comprehensive and expansive strategy for
refuges be identified by scientists, and protected to        climate change management for the Lake Simcoe
ensure the longevity of such populations, allowing for       system. To protect valuable Lake Simcoe fisheries, the
prosperous recreational fisheries in the area.               LSCCAS suggests deviating angler efforts from areas

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that are at a greater risk to climate change-driven            To protect native species and ecosystems through-
stressors by promoting angling opportunities during         out plausible smallmouth bass range expansions (both
different times of year or at different locations.          naturally occurring, and human-driven), it is suggested
Second, it suggests diverting angler efforts away from      that invasive species risk assessments be conducted to
cold water species by promoting angling for more            assess potential threats to habitats with high invasive
warmwater species that may actually fare better under       species vulnerability. Following the potential threat of
climate change. Third, it suggests habitat restoration      smallmouth bass range expansion into Kejimkujik
and protection projects to ensure quality habitat for       National Park in Nova Scotia, Canada, a risk assess-
Lake Simcoe fish species under climate change.              ment comprising of a computer-based analysis of
Furthermore, the LSCCAS includes efforts to inform          habitat suitability, and literature reviews of potential
visitors about the impacts of climate change, and to        management techniques were conducted. The assess-
provide suggestions on how visitors can do their part       ment suggested devastating effects on the ecosystem
to negate stressors (Government of Ontario 2017).           following the presence of smallmouth bass, and so
   Success resulting from the LSCCAS can be defined         monitoring, and rapid post-detection action plans were
by its collaborative, trans-disciplinary, social-ecolog-    put in place (Davis et al. 2016) to reduce the possibility
ical approach to climate change management                  of range expansion into the park.
(Lemieux et al. 2014), thus ensuring and considering           Success resulting from risk assessments on poten-
ecological, social and economic sustainability of the       tial invasive species such as smallmouth bass is
lake system. The inclusion of recreational fisheries        defined by the ability to effectively predict environ-
management into an ecosystem-based, government-             mental outcomes of such events, allowing for proac-
supported strategy can allow for resources and plan-        tive management promoting ecological sustainability.
ning required to ensure the persistence of such             Smallmouth bass expansion can be socially and
fisheries in the face of climate change and other           economically beneficial to recreational fisheries
stressors. The LSCCAS strategy to fishery conserva-         across Canada, yet precaution must be taken to ensure
tion includes collaborative efforts amongst stakehold-      that such expansions do not carry negative ecological
ers, education for users, and scientific findings on        implications. When properly managed, introductions
which to base management decision-making.                   as well as natural range expansions can result in
                                                            fishing opportunities of preferred species without
Mitigating smallmouth bass range expansions                 negative effects onto the ecosystem all while poten-
(Canada)                                                    tially removing angler pressure on other native
                                                            populations fairing less well in the face of climate
Recreational angling contributes an average of 8.8          change and other anthropogenic stressors.
billion CDN to the Canadian economy, with small-
mouth bass being a heavily targeted species (Brown-         Changes in angler behaviour in response to climate
scombe et al. 2014). As a consequence of changing           change (Western USA)
climate, smallmouth bass in North America are
predicted to expand their range into northern latitudes,    Recreational angling can be an important economic
and into habitats previously unavailable to them            activity providing employment and other benefits
(Sharma et al. 2007; Sharma and Jackson 2008) with          (Ditton et al. 2002; Arlinghaus et al. 2007). To help
the help of facilitated introductions by the recreational   protect targeted species and minimize the negative
fishing industry. Unfortunately, in Ontario, Canada         effects of catch and release angling on species
alone, 25 000 populations of native cyprinid species        threatened by climate change stressors, anglers can
may be lost as a result of direct predation by              comply with regulations intended to reduce the lethal
smallmouth bass in new locations (Jackson and               and sublethal effects of capture and handling on fish,
Mandrak 2002). In response to these possible threats,       and/or voluntarily modify their behavior to ensure
it is suggested that introductions and invasions of         impairment of targeted fish is minimized (Cooke et al.
smallmouth bass be mitigated by management fol-             2013).
lowing scientific risk assessments such as the one done        In Western USA, increased water temperatures
in Kejimkujik National Park, Canada.                        have elicited both voluntary- and regulation-mediated

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management of lotic systems supporting recreational        walleye in an open-access recreational fishery (Sulli-
fisheries (Boyd et al. 2010). For example, in the state    van 2003). In response to resulting reductions in
of Montana, a drought fishing closure policy is now in     walleye abundance in the mid-1990s, fisheries man-
place to ‘limit the additive impact of angling mortality   agers developed strategies to mitigate walleye decli-
during stressful conditions created by drought’. In        nes, without removing social and economically
2018, Colorado Parks and Wildlife initiated voluntary      valuable recreational walleye fisheries.
closures resulting from low river flow rates and              To protect walleye populations, the government of
associated high water temperatures. Similar voluntary      Alberta implemented very strict input-based regula-
requests by anglers targeting landlocked sockeye or        tions (used in open-access fisheries), which produced
kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) were made in           high catch rates for walleye at many lakes. However,
Wyoming in 2018, urging other anglers to stop fishing      such efforts were not well received by recreational
once they had harvested their limit to reduce temper-      anglers because management allowed for little oppor-
ature related mortality on fish being released. In         tunity for anglers to harvest walleye (Sullivan 2003).
Montana, so called ‘hoot owl’ closures have been           Continued angling dissatisfaction with strict input-
instituted at warm temperatures. This involves daily       based regulations led fisheries managers to implement
closures that extend from 2:00 pm until midnight so as     a special harvest license (SHL) in 2006 in lakes where
to protect fish from the hottest period of the day (see    a sustainable surplus of walleye was available for
Mahoney 2016). Although this can be done formally          harvest (Government of Alberta 2018). SHL directly
with regulations (e.g., as in western Montana), it can     controls harvest by requiring anglers to obtain and use
also be achieved through voluntary means.                  a tag when harvesting walleye (Government of
   Success resulting from angler engagement in policy      Alberta 2017). These tags are now allocated to anglers
and/or voluntary pro-environmental changes in beha-        through lottery draws where anglers apply for tags for
viour are defined by decreased angler-induced stres-       specific lakes and sizes of walleye. This lottery was
sors onto targeted fishes (promoting ecological            based on the same principles for managing the hunting
sustainability). Species facing stressors from recre-      of big game wildlife species, including increased
ational fishing and climate change are at greater risk,    selection odds for anglers who applied but were not
yet anglers can minimize these risks whilst continuing     successful in the previous year’s lottery. The SHL
to socially benefit from the fishery by altering their     permits fisheries managers to move away from
behaviours on the water. Decisions to practice such        limiting access through lake closures and catch and
behaviours is linked to knowledge on how capture and       release regulations. While no evaluation of angler
handling affects fish (Brownscombe et al. 2017) and        satisfaction with the program exists, the demand for
also social norms within the recreational angling          the program has increased faster than the availability
community (Danylchuk et al. 2018; Guckian et al.           of tags from 1815 applications in 2006 to 46,727
2018). Although the effectiveness of respected manda-      applications in 2018 (Government of Alberta 2019).
tory closures and calls for voluntary action has yet to       Success resulting from SHL permits is defined by
be directly quantified for recreationally targeted fish    resulting benefits onto walleye populations (promot-
stocks, the precautionary nature of these potential        ing ecological sustainability), and potential increases
changes in angler behavior can mitigate the com-           in angler satisfaction with the fishery. Importantly,
pounding effect of climate change-induced stressors        SHL internalizes the cost of overfishing by letting
and those that result from catch and release fishing.      those anglers benefiting from harvest to pay (Arling-
                                                           haus et al. 2019). The use of SHL permits appears to
Harvest control of walleye using special walleye           have increased angler satisfaction as proxied by the
licensing in Alberta (Canada)                              increased number of applicants and is a successful
                                                           method to manage population numbers of walleye in
Walleye are the most often caught species by Alberta       Alberta. By recognizing the desires of stakeholders (in
anglers (Fisheries and Oceans 2012). Alberta is            this case, anglers), managers can develop strategies
characterized by a low abundance of lakes with             that fit not only the ecological needs of the fishery
walleye (n = 177), and a high abundance of walleye         ecosystem, but rather the desires of fishery users, thus
anglers, resulting in troublesome efforts to manage        allowing for a socially, ecologically and economically

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sustainable fishery. In areas where climate change               Success resulting from put-and-take fisheries situ-
restricts the availability of walleye such as in             ated in catchment headwaters in Australia is defined by
Wisconsin where increased water temperatures favour          the potential to remove angling stress from wild at-risk
largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) recruitment          populations, increasing ecological sustainability of at-
over walleye (Hansen et al. 2017), greater use of SHL        risk systems. This assumption is made based on
may pay large dividends over open access manage-             previous examples in which put-and-take fisheries
ment using annual licensing with unlimited individual        have resulted in shifted angler efforts away from wild
landings.                                                    stocks (see Howe et al. 2001). Habitat created by
                                                             impounding rivers has also resulted in opportunities for
Resulting benefits of put-and-take fisheries formed          the creation of unique recreational fisheries, providing
by water infrastructure (Australia)                          novel opportunities for anglers to fish recreationally
                                                             and for subsistence, yielding health and wellbeing
Human development along waterways has increased              benefits for anglers (thus promoting social and eco-
exponentially over the past few centuries, with the          nomic sustainability; Eigenschenk et al. 2019; Korpela
construction of large dams for water storage and             et al. 2014). For example, Forbes et al. (2016) identified
hydropower substantially altering river systems glob-        that Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii), a popular
ally (Dynesius and Nilsson 1994; Nilsson et al. 2005),       recreational angling target, were not completing their
including those in Australia (e.g. Thoms and Sheldon         life-cycle within an Australian impoundment and
2000). This in conjunction with other factors including      populations were reliant upon stocking. This informa-
climate change-induced stressors such as drought, has        tion led to a regulation change whereby the species is
led to severe declines in several native Australian fish     able to be targeted, and harvested year round in this
species, and damage to ecosystems, leaving many              waterbody (Copeton Dam) during what would other-
species at risk of extirpation or extinction (Crook et al.   wise be a closed season to protect the species during the
2010; Koehn and Lintermans 2012). While the                  key breeding season (https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/
negative impacts of large dams are indisputable, put-        fishing/closures/summary-fw-closures). Interestingly,
and-take fisheries have been created in many of the          growth rates are often found to be greater in fish living
resulting water reservoirs which provide an additional       in the artificial habitats created by dams when com-
angling opportunity and help to reduce angling               pared to natural rivers and streams (Russell et al. 2015;
pressure on wild riverine populations (Howe et al.           Forbes et al. 2016). Although human-made water
2001).                                                       barriers pose major threats to aquatic ecosystems,
   Australia has an estimated 446 large dams ([ 10 m         using novel put-and-take fisheries resulting from
in height), the majority of which are situated in Eastern    existing dams with no likelihood for removal to alle-
Australia (Kingsford 2000). The presence of these            viate angler efforts on stressed wild stocks can lead to
dams has greatly altered (generally negatively) water-       positive environmental outcomes for wild fish.
dependent biota (Walker and Thoms 1993; Gehrke
and Harris 2001). The change from lotic to lentic            Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture (USA)
habitats has also altered fish community structure and
resulted in some species being unable to complete            Brook trout (S. fontinalis) have been traditionally
their lifecycles (e.g., Pelicice and Agostinho 2008).        distributed throughout the Eastern USA (Appalachi-
Other species, however, have been able to exploit and        ans and eastward) from northern Georgia, along the
thrive in these altered habitats, in some instances to the   spines of the Appalachians into northern Maine
benefit of recreational anglers. To aid efforts to protect   (MacCrimmon and Campbell 1969). Climate
native wild populations of targeted fishes, unique           change-induced stressors threaten the survival of
recreational fisheries with widespread stocking pro-         brook trout in the Eastern USA. In response, the
grams have been developed in habitats created by             Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture (EBTJV) was
dams impounding Australian rivers (in which fish are         developed as a data-centric approach for protecting,
stocked for the purpose of being caught and in some          enhancing, and restoring brook trout throughout their
cases, kept by anglers; Hunt and Jones 2018).                eastern range under climate change-induced stressors
                                                             (www.easternbrooktrout.org).

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   To respond to climate change-induced stressors on        result of partial channelization, and poor water quality
brook trout in their eastern range, the EBTJV               (Lähitieto 2017). For example; electrofishing efforts in
conducted a range-wide assessment of the status of          1998 yielded zero juvenile trout (LUKE 2018) in the
brook trout, showing that indeed decline had occurred       Longinoja Brook.
(Hudy et al. 2008). Perhaps a more disconcerting               In response to losses of sea trout in Finland, the
finding was that in some parts of the range, very little    Longinoja Brook restoration project was created to
was known about current distribution and population         restore a sea trout population in the Longinoja Brook
status making management very difficult (Hudy et al.        (an urban brook). Longinoja brook is a tributary to the
2008). A second assessment, built upon a more robust        Vantaa River in the Malmi suburb of Helsinki,
data set than the first assessment, was performed in        Finland. Gravel, rocks, and woody debris were
2013 that lead to the identification of patches of          reintroduced to the riverbed, creating natural habitats
remaining brook trout habitat that present discrete         for spawning and juvenile trout (Longinoja 2019a, b).
populations (Whiteley et al. 2013). Data from these         In addition, juvenile trout from a Vantaa River
analyses have been used to both focus limited habitat       population were stocked into Longinoja Brook in
funding around the primary goals of protection,             1998, 2001, and 2002. The resulting onset of natural
enhancement, and restoration and has spurred man-           spawning events in Longinoja Brook was reported to
agement agencies to develop a more systematic               be in 2001 and resulting naturally spawned juvenile
approach to monitoring brook trout throughout the           trout in Longinoja Brook were documented in 2005
range.                                                      (Pellikka et al. 2015) at a density of 30 juvenile trout
   Success resulting from EBTJV is defined by the           per 100 m of brook length (LUKE 2018). In 2012, the
ability to quantify the status of brook trout populations   number of naturally spawned juvenile trout grew to
to best develop management strategies in the face of        238 juveniles per 100 m of brook and in 2015, a record
climate change. Primary mechanisms for conservation         year, 343 naturally spawned juvenile trout were
of brook trout in their eastern range are now numerical     observed per 100 m of brook (LUKE 2018). Between
targets from the scientific assessment and will focus       2001, when restoration efforts began, to 2019, the
habitat efforts around reconnecting isolated patches of     brook has slowly restored into suitable sea trout
existing brook trout habitat. The science-based             habitat through long-term co-operation amongst vol-
approach to identifying management priorities since         untarily involved locals. As a result of working
2006 has led to an overall total investment of              directly with Longinoja Brook, people have demon-
approximately 18 million USD in conserving and              strated pro-environmental behaviours towards the
restoring brook trout habitat. By efficiently distribut-    brook. For instance, illegal fishing has not manifested
ing funds based on scientific knowledge, the potential      into a problem even through the brook is accessible
for ecological benefits and sustainability of the fishery   and located around populated areas, as locals are quick
increases.                                                  to sanction others trying to engage in illegal fishing
                                                            practices (Maaseudun Tulevaisuus 2018).
Voluntary Longinoja Brook sea trout habitat                    Success resulting from the Longinoja Brook
restoration (Finland)                                       restoration project is defined by the ability of the
                                                            community to independently restore a once native sea
Sea trout (Salmo trutta) historically spawn naturally in    trout population by restoring habitat and introducing
several coastal rivers in Finland. In response to           sea trout back into the ecosystem (thus promoting
anthropogenic stressors, most natural stocks have           ecological sustainability). By fostering this population
been extirpated (Pellikka et al. 2015), decreasing the      of sea trout, angling opportunities along Finland’s
available sea trout that catch and release recreational     coast are likely to increase, thus providing opportuni-
anglers can target along Finland’s coastline. Losses        ties for social and economic gains through coastal
are specifically attributed to decreased available          recreational sea trout fisheries. The idea of protecting
spawning habitat, loss of water quality (in part due        the brook lives on and has become a year-round public
to climate change), and overfishing (Koljonen et al.        activity. Now, spawning sites, erosion of riparian areas
2014; Erkinaro et al. 2011). Population numbers of          and number of salmonid juveniles are annually
fishes in rivers and brooks decreased significantly as a    monitored by locals and Luonnonvarakeskus (LUKE;

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Natural Resources Institute Finland) allowing for          USA)’ bright spot, anglers voluntarily advocated
more adaptive management of the brook. Longinoja           against continued fishing once catch limits were
Brook now holds the title as the most famous brook in      reached, to ensure that fish did not experience excess
Finland, and in 2019 it won the Biodiversity Award         handling stress as a result of catch and release fishing.
from the Finnish National Broadcaster (YLE 2019).          By creating social norms on the water through angler
                                                           to angler sanctioning against said behaviours, and
                                                           through the promotion of alternative behaviours,
Findings and discussion                                    individual anglers can minimize the effects of angling
                                                           on fish physiology.
While the bright spot cases described above are               Individual anglers can also make significant con-
disparate, they exhibit common themes linked to            tributions to the sustainability of inland recreational
successes in recreational fisheries management iden-       fisheries by engaging in ecologically beneficial fishing
tified in past works (Elmer et al. 2017; Brownscombe       practices. For example, in the bright spots ‘Mitigating
et al. 2019). We can derive lessons from these cases for   smallmouth bass range expansions (Canada)’ and
reforming inland fisheries management to enhance           ‘Resulting benefits of put-and-take fisheries formed by
adaptive capacity to climate change. In the discussion     water infrastructure (Australia)’, anglers altered their
below, we describe these themes extracted under the        efforts to focus on non-threatened populations of
following titles (see Table 1): (a) individual actions,    fishes, thus decreasing pressure on species at risk
(b) community efforts, (c) cross-scale collaborations,     under current or future climate change scenarios. The
(d) adaptive and ecosystem-based decision-making           decision made by anglers to shift angling efforts away
strategies, and finally, (e) evidence-based decision-      from at risk populations is not always a conscious pro-
making strategies. By defining and analyzing the cases     ecological act, yet it benefits previously targeted, at
above using a framework of existing themes linked to       risk native populations of fishes just the same.
recreational fisheries management successes, we hope       Consultation with resource users may be beneficial
to provide insight for fisheries management to aid in      to natural resource management, as users often have
the implementation of successful management strate-        creative solutions to issues that potentially limit
gies. By embracing the lessons presented here, we can      fishing opportunities, and monitoring their actions
reform inland fisheries management practices, making       may capture potential bright spots.
them more adaptive and enabling management strate-
gies that better mitigate climate change and other         Community efforts
anthropogenic stressors.
                                                           Community efforts can lead to inland fisheries success
Individual actions                                         by raising the visibility of conservation concerns to
                                                           higher levels of management, thus accruing resources
Efforts by individuals can have long lasting, positive     for conservation. Also, community engagement in
environmental impacts, and can greatly increase the        conservation efforts can mobilize long-term volunteer
likelihood of success of management policies and           labour that can inspire long-term commitment to
strategies for recreational inland fisheries facing        conservation activities. These activities can help to
climate change-induced stressors (Bennett et al.           sustain conservation efforts whilst climate change
2018; Chapmin III et al. 2015). In the bright spots        continues to alter landscapes and ecosystems. Fur-
presented above, the actions of individuals often had a    thermore, support by resource user communities can
direct impact on the ecosystem in which they fished.       also improve the likelihood of successful implemen-
Individual anglers on the water positively impact          tation of policies and management strategies.
outcomes by setting social norms through the promo-           The resulting successes of the bright spot ‘Volun-
tion of best practices (e.g., in relation to catch-and-    tary Longinoja Brook sea trout habitat restoration
release), and by educating and sanctioning others to       (Finland)’ demonstrates that achievements can be
engage in conservation-minded behaviour out on the         obtained through long-term voluntary-based commu-
water (Stensland et al. 2013). In the ‘Changes in angler   nity work. The restoration of Longinoja Brook is a
behaviour in response to climate change (Western           prime example of the power of the general public’s

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194                                                                         Rev Fish Biol Fisheries (2021) 31:181–200

interest in local ecosystems, and the potential of         Canada)’, ‘Identifying climate shields for salmon
collective stewardship. Collectives of individuals can     conservation in Northern Rocky Mountains (USA)’,
identify a concern, rally for support for a cause, and     and ‘Temperature-based in-season closures in the
engage in conservation efforts (Granek et al. 2008).       Miramichi River (Canada)’ co-management occurs
The Longinoja Brook project began out of the desire of     amongst varying levels of government, stakeholders
local anglers and community members to once again          and resource users, including anglers, Indigenous
enjoy a brook that supports sea trout. A small             communities, and NGOs. In these cases, decision-
community of actors was able to get others involved,       making followed engagement with stakeholders,
including the Natural Resources Institute Finland          allowing for management decision-making to align
(LUKE 2018), expanding community involvement to            with the desires and needs of all stakeholders.
include a government organization, which provided              Continued, long-term engagement with stakehold-
additional support and resources.                          ers is prominent amongst many bright spots. The
   Support from angling communities can also greatly       bright spot ‘Voluntary Longinoja Brook sea trout
increase the likelihood of success following novel         habitat restoration (Finland)’ still receives volunteer
policies or management strategies implemented in           efforts from the community, and continued monitoring
response to climate change-induced declines in fish        efforts from LUKE, allowing for continued success,
populations supporting fisheries. For example, the         regardless of potentially changing threats to the
‘Harvest control of walleye using special walleye          system. Bright spots ‘Temperature-based in-season
licensing in Alberta (Canada)’ bright spot demon-          closures in the Miramichi River (Canada)’ and ‘Water
strates the importance of the accordance between the       temperature and algal bloom-induced angling compe-
desires of fishery user communities and implemented        tition cancellations in South Africa’ continuously rely
policies. As walleye anglers in Alberta value the          on successful channels of communication between
ability to harvest, angler effort following implemented    scientists, fishery managers, and resource users to
fishing regulations imposing no harvest was extremely      successfully implement adaptive and appropriate
low, resulting in social and economic losses for the       fishery closures. Furthermore, the bright spot ‘Harvest
fishery. When regulations were altered to allow for        control of walleye using special walleye licensing in
sustainable and regulated levels of harvest, angler        Alberta (Canada)’ relies on continuous communica-
effort increased suggesting that social and economic       tion amongst anglers and management to ensure that
benefits of the walleye fishery also increased. Man-       management strategies match the needs and wants of
agement may therefore look to recognize, foster and        anglers, and the ecological needs of the targeted fishes
encourage conservation efforts from communities.           under current and future climate change, allowing for
                                                           a sustainable fishery (defined here as a fishery that can
Cross-scale collaborations                                 persist and mitigate the social-ecological stressors in
                                                           today and tomorrow’s world).
Inland recreational fisheries often cross human-made
boundaries such as political jurisdictions and are often   Ecosystem-based management
comprised of numerous stakeholders with differing
agendas, making inland fisheries co-management             Inland recreational fisheries are not found in isolation,
complex (Yandle 2003). Humans, however, are the            as they rely on ecosystems in which they are estab-
primary determinants of management successes of            lished. To achieve sustainable fisheries, ecosystems
inland fisheries (Arlinghaus 2006), and so incorporat-     must also thrive, and so an ecosystem-based approach
ing the opinions and suggestions from all stakeholders     to inland recreational fishery management may help
is needed. This incorporation includes stakeholders        (Beard et al. 2011; Pajak 2011). Many of the bright
that are often neglected from fisheries management         spots described herein include consideration for the
decision-making in the face of climate change, such as     ecosystems in which fisheries are situated. For exam-
anglers or Indigenous communities (Ranger et al.           ple, the central focus of the bright spot ‘Voluntary
2016).                                                     Longinoja Brook sea trout habitat restoration (Fin-
   In the bright spots ‘The Lake Simcoe Watershed          land)’ was to restore a brook ecosystem to allow for
Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (LSCCAS;                the return of sea trout. In the bright spot ‘Eastern

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