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Abstract
A reoccurring conservation problem is the resolution of consumptive use of threatened wildlife and is especially difficult to defend when it occurs for recreational practices. We explored the commercial capture and supply of threatened European river lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis) to anglers, to determine the extent of exploitation and seek opportunities for improved conservation. The trade began in 1995 from England, but by 2012 involved sale of lamprey from England, The Netherlands and Estonia, including from protected populations. Lamprey are sold frozen for the capture of predatory fish, mostly in freshwater. In the year 2011/2012 9 tonnes (>90,000 lampreys) of river lamprey were supplied, almost exclusively to British anglers. Although annual catches in the main English lamprey fishery (River Ouse) have varied widely since 1995, catch per unit effort did not decline between 2000 and 2012. Conservation actions since 2011 have included a cap on fishing licenses, catch quotas and restricted fishing seasons. Now, 86% of lamprey bait is imported to Britain. Most bait sellers interviewed would not stock lamprey if they knew they were from threatened populations; many felt their trade would not be impacted if lamprey were not stocked. This facilitates opportunities to enter into dialogue with anglers over alternative baits to threatened lamprey. The study emphasises the need to inform stakeholders about conservation species subjected to market-driven exploitation.
Highlights
Conflicts often exist between the agendas of conservationists and stakeholders who are involved in the consumptive use of a wildlife resource, if the resource is threatened [1,2,3,4,5]
The worldwide exploitation of lampreys, of which over half of species are threatened [9,10,11], typifies some of the conflicts between conservation objectives and stakeholder motivations. Both the anadromous river lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis) and sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) are widely considered threatened in Europe [10,11,12,13] globally they are Least Concern according to the International Union of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species [14], [15]
3.1 Commercial Catches in the River Ouse Before fishing restrictions in 2011, catch data from 2000–2008 indicate that Ouse lamprey were fished from as early as 9th September (2006 season, Fisher A) up to 21st February (2000 season, Fisher A), and the number of traps and days fished varied between seasons
Summary
Conflicts often exist between the agendas of conservationists and stakeholders who are involved in the consumptive use of a wildlife resource, if the resource is threatened [1,2,3,4,5]. It is important to examine, from both an ecological and socio-economical perspective, instances in which the exploitation of a threatened species has legal legitimacy and is driven by the demands of recreational users Such circumstances tend to be characterised by different stakeholder attitudes towards regulation and improved conservation outcomes are likely to require consensual negotiation [2], [6,7,8]. The worldwide exploitation of lampreys, of which over half of species are threatened [9,10,11], typifies some of the conflicts between conservation objectives and stakeholder motivations Both the anadromous river lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis) and sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) are widely considered threatened in Europe [10,11,12,13] globally they are Least Concern according to the International Union of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species [14], [15]. The decline of both species in Europe has been attributed to river regulation, habitat degradation and pollution, exploitation has represented a threat to their sustainability [10], [19,20,21]
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