1. EIFAC, Sub-Commission IV, WP Recreational Fisheries
A Global Code of Practice for Recreational Fisheries: an Initiative by EIFAC
Robert Arlinghaus
EIFAC, Sub-Commission IV, WP Recreational Fisheries
Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Adaptfish-Project, Berlin, Germany
Inland Fisheries Management Laboratory, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Hallo zusammen.
Als erstes möchte ich mich aber erst noch mal vorstellen, für die die mich noch nicht kennen.
Mein Namen ist Jan Hallermann und ich studiere an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Fischereiwissenschaften und Aquakultur. Und zu Zeit schreibe ich bei Robert Arlinghaus, den wahrscheinlich vom Namen nach die meisten kennen, meine Abschlussarbeit.

2. European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission (EIFAC)
Statuary body of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations
Inter-governmental networking forum linking policy-makers, managers and scientists working on inland fisheries and aquaculture
Scientific work undertaken in Working Parties led by specialists from member countries 2

3. Why recreational fisheries? Because it is important and widespread
Average participation rate: 10.6%
Hotspots: Scandinavia, Australia, Eastern Europe, North America
Arlinghaus & Cooke 2009). In: Dickson et al. (eds.), Blackwell Science 3

4. Social, economic and ecological importance
Most important direct user of freshwater fish stocks (Arlinghaus & Cooke 2005, Science)
Feeds a multi-billion industry (Arlinghaus et al. 2002, Fish Fish.)
Incentives and engagement in fish conservation (Granek et al., 2008, Cons. Biol.)
Overlooked potential for biological impacts (harvesting, stocking) 4

5. Increasingly noticed biological impacts of recreational harvesting
Rainbow trout: ,
CPUE 5.6 -> 0.25 fish/h,
Total effort doubled
Walleye:
CPUE > 0.02 fish/ha
Pike:
CPUE 0.4 -> 0.04 fish/h
Younger, larger fluctuations in year class strenght
Bioscience
Fisheries
Science 5

6. Changes in structural attributes of the fish stock
Low frequency of large and old individuals in heavily exploited stocks (catch-and-kill fishery)
Brown trout > age 4
Gedrez
Brown trout of „large“ size
1.4
Naviego
Exploited
5.5
3.4
Moal
5.1
Fishery
Name der Gewässerstrecke in Spanien
25.4
Tablizas
15.5
43.5
Banzao
15.3
Unexploited
39.5
Zreizal
23.3 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
data: Braña et al. (1992), Hydrobiologia
Relative frequency (%)
Prozent am Gesamtfischbestand 6

7. Potential impacts of stocking
Competition
(intraspecific, interspecific)
Predation
(mostly top-predators stocked)
Introduction of novel pathogens
(Gyrodactylus salaris; Anguillicola crassus, KHV, viruses and bacteria)
Loss of genetic variability
(introgression, outbreeding depression)
Hoch
Lewin, Arlinghaus & McPhee (2008), In: Aas, Arlinghaus et al., Blackwell Science 7

8. Introduction of exotic species and genotypes
A major problem throughout the world (Johnson et al. 2008, Front. Ecol. Evol.)
Often illegal introduction by anglers or live release from bait buckets (Johnson, Arlinghaus & Martinez, 2009, Fisheries)

9. Radical Calls

10. Pressing issues for the future
Ethics and values – fish welfare, public attitudes towards fishing, conservation values, behaviour of a minority of fishers etc. result in intersectoral conflicts
Intrasectoral conflicts - Horizontal conflicts between stakeholders, vertical conflicts between authorities and users
Fishery declines and sustainability - recreational fishing sector has potential to negatively affect fish and fisheries
Stocking - meeting environmental goals and fishers can mean conflicting demands in more natural water bodies
Non-native species - detrimental effects from the stocking of non-native fish for recreation 10

11. Codes of Practice in Recreational Fisheries
Exist in some countries for local, regional or even national application produced either by fisheries authorities or NGOs (e.g., Nordic Angler Association)
Need for more international agreement on good practice expressed at various World Recreational Fishing Conferences, starting in 1996 in Dublin (Hickley 1998) 11

12. EIFAC Working Party Publications
Output of Working Party on Recreational Fisheries
English is official version, but is being translated by volunteers into other languages (currently available French, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese)

13. The drafting process
Experts of 17 different nations ranging from mangers, scientists, NGOs and avid anglers collaborated under the leadership of the WP on Recreational Fisheries
Consultation workshop in November 2007 at the Dutch Sport Fishing Organization
Endorsed in May 2008 by EIFAC

14. Rationale
Recreational fishing the most important user of most inland fish stocks and many coastal ones in industrialized countries (Arlinghaus et al. 2002, Fish Fish.)
Diversity in fisheries types but similar rights and plight
Largely overlooked in international policy on fisheries and sustainable fisheries management
A Global Code of Practice for Recreational Fisheries needed to complement the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (FAO 1995) with the specifics of recreational fisheries

15. Role of a Code of Practice Cowx & Arlinghaus, 2008, In: Aas et al
Role of a Code of Practice Cowx & Arlinghaus, 2008, In: Aas et al. (eds), Blackwell Publ.
Code of Practice
International agreements and conventions
National animal welfare legislation
National fisheries legislation
National environmental legislation
Code of Practice
Regional fisheries regulations
Code of Practice
Local fisheries management, angler behaviour, conflicts

16. Framework of the Code of Practice
Works from assumption that recreational fisheries is a legitimate activity providing a vital source of benefits and well-being for people and ecosystems
Acknowledges the importance of the recreational fisheries sector to help society in conserving and enhancing aquatic habitats
Code of Practice designed to outline a minimum standards for environmentally friendly, ethically appropriate and, depending on local conditions, socially acceptable recreational fishing globally
Is entirely voluntary and generic enough to fit alongside national legislation and regional best practice guidelines

17. Overarching goals Cowx & Arlinghaus (2008), In: Aas et al
Overarching goals Cowx & Arlinghaus (2008), In: Aas et al. (eds), Blackwell
To increase awareness of recreational fisheries in the policy arena
To increase acceptance of the sector as a major player in the world’s fisheries
To improve management and development of recreational fisheries
To improve the image of recreational fisheries within society

18. Specific objectives (Arlinghaus et al., Fisheries, in review)
To promote sustainable recreational fisheries
To serve as a reference document to guide institutional and policy frameworks nationally and internationally
To promote international exchange of knowledge and stimulate discussion
To facilitate cooperation among researchers, managers and NGOs
To “prepare” the recreational fisheries sector to burgeoning threats (e.g., animal liberation and rights movement)

19. The Challenge of a Generic Definition
Definition: Recreational fishing is fishing of aquatic animals that do not constitute the individual’s primary resource to meet nutritional needs and are not generally sold or otherwise traded on export, domestic or black markets (EIFAC 2008)

20. Structure: 13 Articles 2: Objectives 3: Implement. + Upd.
1: Nature & Scope
4: General Principles
5: Env. Stewardship
6: Instit. Framework
7: Compliance, Enforc.
8: Fishing Practice
9: Fish Welfare
10: Stakeholder Inter.
11: Mgmt.
12: Research
13: Aware., Educ.

21. PROMOTION and EDUCATION
Logic
INTRODUCTION
Article 1: Nature and Scope
Article 2: Objectives
Article 3: Implementation and Updating
VALUES
Article 4: General Principles
Article 5: Environmental Stewardship And Ethics
POLICY
Hierarchical structure
From the general to the particular
Keys are the articles on Technical Substance and New Knowledge
Article 6: Policy and Institutional Frameworks
Article 7: Compliance and Enforcement
TECHNICAL SUBSTANCE
Article 8: Recreational Fishing Practice
Article 9: Fish Welfare
Article 10: Stakeholder Interactions
Article 11: Management
NEW KNOWLEDGE
Article 12: Research
Arlinghaus et al. (2010), Fish. Magmt. Ecol.
PROMOTION and EDUCATION
Article 13: Awareness, Education and Training 21

22. Articles 1-3: Introduction
2: Objectives
1: Nature & Scope
3: Implement.& Updating
Scope (voluntary, recreational fisheries sector, EIFAC)
Objectives statement as outlined before
Authority for updating of the Code in the future

23. Articles 4 and 5: Values
4: General Principles
5: Env. Stewards
To protect, promote and encourage access to recreational fishing
To ensure sustainable use, conservation and management of recreational fisheries
To avoid irreversible, costly or slowly reversible changes to aquatic biodiversity
To avoid conflicts with commercial fisheries and other users of aquatic ecosystems
To raise awareness that recreational fisheries can impact on fish stocks and aquatic ecosystems and encourage actions to minimize such impacts through best practice
Environmental stewardship: moral obligation to care for aquatic environments and the actions undertaken to provide that care 23

24. Articles 6 and 7: Policy
6: Instit. Framework
7:Compl., Enforc.
Governments, administrations and decision-makers should:
establish policy and regulatory frameworks for the management of recreational fisheries
provide resources and mechanisms for enforcement of rules and regulations
ensure that the recreational fisheries sector is involved in other activities related to aquatic ecosystem management, conservation and planning
provide the mechanisms to settle conflicts

25. PROMOTION and EDUCATION
Logic
INTRODUCTION
Article 1: Nature and Scope
Article 2: Objectives
Article 3: Implementation and Updating
VALUES
Article 4: General Principles
Article 5: Environmental Stewardship And Ethics
POLICY
Hierarchical structure
From the general to the particular
Keys are the articles on Technical Substance and New Knowledge
Article 6: Policy and Institutional Frameworks
Article 7: Compliance and Enforcement
TECHNICAL SUBSTANCE
Article 8: Recreational Fishing Practice
Article 9: Fish Welfare
Article 10: Stakeholder Interactions
Article 11: Management
NEW KNOWLEDGE
Article 12: Research
Arlinghaus et al. (2010), Fish. Magmt. Ecol.
PROMOTION and EDUCATION
Article 13: Awareness, Education and Training 25

26. Article 8: Recreational Fishing Practices
Detailed, yet mostly common-sense, provisions related to
Safety while fishing
Fish stocks (e.g. not take more than needed, not leave gear unattended, where feasible – gill nets, traps exceptions)
Litter (e.g. do not litter and remove litter from others)
Environment and habitats (e.g. not illegally stock or transfer live fish, avoid damage to vegetation, avoid disturbance of waterfowl)

27. Article 9: Fish Welfare Focuses on what happens to the individual fish
No reference to contentious issues such as pain and suffering
Function-based definition: good welfare means that an individual fish is in good health, with its biological systems functioning properly and with no impairment of fitness

28. Provisions in the Code A. Live baitfish, killing process
B. Catch-and-release, voluntary or manadatory
C. Holding fish alive, weigh-in

29. Article 10: Stakeholder Interactions
Emphasises often-overlooked basic principles such as:
To understand that some human activities have priority over recreational fishing
To respect the values and perspectives of other stakeholders
To respect the rights of land owners
To respect other people’s privacy at the fishing site
To work cooperatively to resolve conflicts

30. Article 11: Management Emphasizes basic management principles such as
11: Mgmt.
Emphasizes basic management principles such as
Ecosystem approach
Precautionary approach

31. Article 11: Management Emphasizes basic management principles such as
11: Mgmt.
Emphasizes basic management principles such as
Ecosystem approach
Precautionary approach
Structured management process by identification of goals and measurable objectives
Adaptive management though monitoring and evaluation of actions
Decisions based on the best available science 31

32. Adaptive learning and management
Governance regime & institutional settings
Goal Setting
Policy Formulation
Policy Implementation
Monitoring & Evaluation
State/Policy Assessment
Improvement of
policies
Learning &
Adaptation
New information must be available and/or consciously collected (e.g. indicators of performance or change) and monitored over appropriate time scales
Actors need to be able to process information and draw meaningful conclusions
No expert culture with private access to information 32

33. Article 11: Management Emphasizes basic management principles such as
11: Mgmt.
Emphasizes basic management principles such as
Ecosystem approach
Precautionary approach
Structured management process by identification of goals and measurable objectives
Adaptive management though monitoring and evaluation of actions
Decisions must be based on the best available science
Management at three levels: people, fish, environment 33

34. Management toolbox People Fish, habitats Size limits
Creel limits and harvest quotas
Season limits
Area restrictions (sanctuaries)
Gear restrictions
Prevention of stocking
 Stocking
 Habitat enhancement
 Fish removal
People
Fish, habitats

35. Account for a diverse fishing clientele, manage for diversity (no panaceas)
Generic
Consumptive 20 40 60 80
100
Number of angling licenses
Trophy
Mixed anglers 20 40 60 80
100 25 50 75
100 25 50 75
100
Minimum-size limit (cm)
Johnston, Arlinghaus, Dieckmann, 2010, Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 35

36. Article 12: Research
12: Research
Emphasizes the need for cooperation between researchers and local stakeholders, e.g. to identify research questions
Highlights multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary nature of recreational fisheries research, specifically the need to integrate natural and social sciences
Emphasizes the need for standardised monitoring programmes of fish and fisher dynamics to enable timely and well-grounded management responses
Emphasizes need to document knowledge in published form

37. Article 13: Awareness, Education and Training
To disseminate new information, policies and regulations to the fishing public
To communicate recent advances in recreational fisheries science objectively
To invest funds for education and outreach programs
To promote awareness of the CoP internationally and development of more specific regional and local codes (e.g. tailored towards particular fish species)

38. Summary and Outlook
Framework that describes minimum standard of best practice principles, approaches and actions
Useful for policy makers, NGOs, recreational fishing industry, managers and scientists as a communication tool for best practices
May develop into a tool to facilitate assessment of recreational fisheries
To be viable, it needs to be adopted by the international community and applied nationally and regionally and possibly further developed to meet regional specifics
Technical Guidelines for Recreational Fisheries will be drafted under the auspices of FAO in 2011 to provide more substance to the rather densely-written and rather generic principles of the Code

39. Acknowledgements
Raymon van Anrooy (FAO) for encouragement and drive for funding
Financial support from the Central Fisheries Board in Ireland (Joe Caffrey), the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (Arjo Rothuis), the Dutch Recreational Fishing Association (Fret Bloot) and the Adaptfish-Project (
28 participants at international workshop in Bilthoven (The Netherlands) in November 2007 and EIFAC experts for their constructive feedback on earlier drafts
The organizers of this symposium for the invitation!

40. Access to the Document
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/011/i0363e/i0363e00.pdf 40