Modelling and management options for salmonid sport fisheries: A case study from Patagonia, Argentina

RECHENCQ, M.; VIGLIANO, P. H.; LIPPOLT, G. E.; ALONSO, M. F.; MACCHI, P. J.; ALVEAR, P. A.; HOUGHAM, V.; DENEGRI, M. A.; BLASETTI, G.; JUNCOS, R.; FERNANDEZ, M. V.; LALLEMENT, M. E.; JUAREZ, S. M.

FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AND ECOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2017 vol. 24 p. 103 - 116

0969-997X

Salmonid sport fishery management in Argentinian Patagonia is usually guided bystakeholder perceptions, which do not consider the biological and ecological constraintsacting upon aquatic resources. An example of this are management policies forTraful Lake, where Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., was actively stocked during the lastdecade in an attempt to change the fish assemblage structure and to create a highlyvaluable sport fishery. This study assesses the likelihood of these policies achievingsuch assemblage structure changes through the study of affluent-stream suitability asspawning and breeding grounds, lake fish assemblage parameters, trophic diversityand possible competition due to diet overlap. This study also assesses alternative managementpractices through population simulations and bioenergetic modelling underdiverse catch-size limit scenarios. This study concludes that it is not advisable to try togenerate a unique and distinctive sport fishery by stocking Atlantic salmon in an alreadyrenowned fishery in Northern Patagonia. Instead, a more comprehensive frameworkfor decision-makingis suggested, involving short-termstudies that go beyondthe specific problem of the target species and incorporate the whole fish assemblageusing diverse approaches and modelling strategies