The Practical Application of Mark-Selective Fisheries

Abstract.—Mark-selective fisheries offer a promising tool to coho Oncorhynchus kisutch and Chinook salmon O. tshawytscha fisheries managers for expanding recreational harvest opportunities on healthy hatchery stocks while minimizing fishing impacts on natural stocks. The concept is simple: hatchery fish are marked with a visual identifier, e.g. an adipose fin clip, and marked fish are retained in a mark-selective fishery while unmarked fish must be released. Although simple in concept, the development of mark-selective fisheries has not been without controversy. Concerns have been raised over loss of management information (e.g. bias in exploitation rate estimates, through the conduct of mark-selective fisheries). That loss leads to more stringent requirements in managing the fishery. Therefore, practical application of this tool should consider many factors including the encountered mark rates, stocks impacted, alternative management approaches, benefits for harvest opportunity as well as stock conservation, and loss of management information. Because of these factors, not all fisheries are wise choices for selective regulation. Based on several years of having implemented selective regulations and several years of contributing to an intense evaluation process, we offer guidelines to help fishery managers design and understand the impacts of their mark-selective fisheries