I'm pretty certain Mike didn't want that posted here. I guess if this is the information being disseminated to the public, it is up for review, but that will take some time and require some specific questions. I like that the habitat is being addressed
, but the closures are questionable and the biggest question I have after reading this is "our knowledge of fishing pressure in Alberta." Maybe pretty decent info for walleye, but East Slopes streams...
Read the following abstract. I like the last line...
Decline in angler use despite increased catch rates: Anglers’ response to the
implementation of a total catch-and-release regulation
Fiona D. Johnstona,b,∗, Robert Arlinghaus b,c, Jim Stelfox d, John R. Post a
A mandatory total catch-and-release regulation and a bait ban were implemented on Lower Kananaskis
Lake, Canada, due to the drastic decline of the native bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) population. In
the decade following harvest-regulation changes, the adult bull trout population experienced a 28-fold
increase in abundance. Two roving creel surveys of winter ice-anglers, the first conducted just prior to
the regulation changes (1992) and the second 10 years later (2002), were used to compare catch rates,
the size structure of fish caught, and angler effort before and after the bull trout population rebuilt. Supplementary
information from voluntary creel cards (1996–2003) was used to evaluate temporal trends
in summer catch-related fishery attributes as the fish population recovered. Winter catch rates were
three-fold and 12-fold higher in 2002 than in 1992, for all bull trout and large (>50 cm) bull trout, respectively.
The proportion of large fish in the catch also increased. Voluntary creel card information suggested
summer catch rates and the frequency of large fish in the catch both increased as the population rebuilt.
However, despite the increase in fishing “quality”, angler numbers were three- to 10-fold lower in 2002
than 1992, indicating reduced utilization of the fishery. We speculate that harvest-oriented anglers were
displaced from Lower Kananaskis Lake because of restrictive regulations. Our study shows anglers are not
necessarily attracted to high-catch-rate fisheries, suggesting angler behaviour is complex and not driven
by catch rates alone. Thus, to meet management objectives, understanding angler effort responses to
regulatory changes is fundamentally important.