Angler Conflicts in Fisheries Management: A Case Study of the Striped Bass Controversy at Norris Reservoir, Tennessee

Abstract

An intensive stocking program initiated in the 1960s in Norris Reservoir, an aging tributary storage impoundment on the upper Tennessee River, created a striped bass (Morone saxatilis) fishery that garnered regional and national attention, particularly from anglers seeking trophy fish. However, some anglers complained of declining catches of native gamefish species. Anglers targeting species other than striped bass postulated that predation by striped bass contributed to the declines of native species. To a lesser extent, interspecific competition for food or space was also considered a factor and anglers complained that their concerns were not being adequately addressed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). Although no data were available to suggest that striped bass were culpable, opponents of the state's striped bass stocking program sought recourse via legislation. In 1995 and 1996, five bills were introduced in the Tennessee state legislature that would have banned the stocking of striped bass into Norris Reservoir and restricted TWRA's ability to propagate or manage all non-native species. Although the bills were defeated, attempts by TWRA to seek reconciliation with anglers opposed to the striped bass program met with little success. In addition to scientifically defensible biological data, human dimensions data are needed to effectively diffuse fishery management disputes between stakeholder groups and management agencies before they escalate to unmanageable levels. Alternative methods of conflict resolution should be carefully considered when polarized stakeholder groups are involved. Effective communication by management agencies of social, economic, and biological impacts of a fishery are essential to stemming future conflicts.