Wl. Fisher et al., Warmwater stream and river fisheries in the southeastern United States: Are we managing them in proportion to their values?, FISHERIES, 23(12), 1998, pp. 16-24
We compared findings on stream and river fishing activity in the southeaste
rn United States from the 1991 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wil
dlife-associated Recreation with those on stream and river management progr
ams in this region from a 1995 survey by Warmwater Streams Committee of the
Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society. Based on the 1991 nat
ional survey, two-fifths of all anglers in the Southeast fished streams and
rivers; almost one-fourth of the total number of days fished by southeaste
rn anglers were in this water type; and more than half of all trip expendit
ures, including those associated with lakes, reservoirs, and ponds, were ma
de by stream and river anglers. In comparison, southeastern state agencies
reported in 1995 that they allocated 10%-19% of their total fisheries budge
t and an average of 5 people to programs that manage stream and river resou
rces. Approximately one-third of the states had completed fish inventories
of less than one-third of their streams and rivers. One-fourth did not have
an active warmwater stream and river management program. States with high
angler use and abundant stream and river resources tended to have well-deve
loped management programs (e.g, Virginia, West Virginia), whereas states wi
th low use and limited riverine resources had less-developed programs (e.g.
, Oklahoma, Texas). The remaining states fell between this range. Given the
substantial use of southeastern warmwater stream and river fisheries, we r
ecommend that state agencies increase their emphasis on and proportionally
allocate greater human and monetary resources toward managing these valuabl
e resources.