A management program was established to harmonize recreational fishery and conservation; recreational fishery management program ‘Great Fishing in Lake Shikaribetsu’ (GFS), initiated in 2005. Under this program, angling is only permitted for 50 days of the year, to only 50 persons/day, and fishing gear is restricted. In addition, catch-and-release is required for all Miyabe charr, and anglers are required to submit a daily catch report that describes the species and size of fish caught and the capture location.
Lake Shikaribetsu is located in the mountainous area of central Hokkaido Island, Japan, at latitude of 45.3°N and longitude of 143.1°E (Fig. 1). Its area is 3.4 km2, and its average depth is 56.1 m;
Local people (e.g., individuals, communities, co-operatives)
National external (individual, groups. e.g., hunters, anglers, photographers, tourists)
Is the use part of a strategy to generate conservation incentives, to finance conservation, or to improve tolerance/stewardship?
Yes
Is there evidence that the use is affecting the conservation status of the species? HIDE
Yes – use is improving the status (e.g., population is increasing or stabilising, extraction effort OR catch per unit effort is decreasing or stable)
Is there evidence that the use is affecting natural selection?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting poaching of illegal wildlife trade?
Unknown/not reported
It is believed that the fishing regulations have contributed to the recovery and sustainability of this endemic population
Is there any evidence that this use of the species is having a knock-on effect on the status of non-target species
Unknown/not recorded
Unknown/not recorded
Details of assessment carried out
mortality through catch-and-release angling is low and accidental; Moreover, no decreasing population trend was detected on analysing 8 years of anglers’ catch data. Consequently, angling has facilitated stock assessments of Miyabe charr under the current program. This case is a good example of recreational angling acting as a conservation tool under appropriate management.
s a result, the Miyabe charr recreational fishery was assessed as worked properly as a conservation tool of the endemic fish population under the current management program. First, angling had a negligible impact on the fish population, because angling mortality was very low. Second, the cur- rent management program precisely checks and regulates angling effort. Third, the fish population was always monitored using angling data.
Has a valuation of financial flows from this use at the site/national/international level been recorded
Yoshiyama, T., Tsuboi, Ji. & Matsuishi, T. Recreational fishery as a conservation tool for endemic Dolly Varden Salvelinus malma miyabei in Lake Shikaribetsu, Japan. Fish Sci 83, 171–180 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-016-1051-3
a scientifically acceptable recreational fishery management program was assessed as a conservation tool for endemic fish populations. To conserve an endemic species inhabiting a limited area such as the Miyabe charr, prohibiting fishing would be the usual conservation tool. However, the Miyabe charr recreational fishery indicates that, under a sustainable management program, recreational fisheries can be used as an alternative conservation tool.
Threats/pressures impacting the species at the scale of this record