The North Carolina charter boat fishery was surveyed in 1978 and provided a comprehensive assessment of the species catch composition and economic impacts. This fishery was surveyed again in 2007–2008 to provide a more recent representation of the effects and impacts on tourism and coastal fish populations. We analyzed and compared the species catch composition, type of fishing trips (inshore vs. offshore), and anglers' residency (in state vs. out of state) between these two surveys. Overall, in 2007–2008 the northern district was mainly characterized by offshore fishing trips by out‐of‐state anglers during summer and fall months, whereas the central and southern districts were primarily characterized by in‐state anglers making inshore (southern district) and offshore (central district) trips occurring mainly during summer (southern district) and fall (central district). Since 1978, the fishery in the northern and central districts has expanded further offshore, mainly targeting larger pelagic species. The fishing effort in the southern district, although expanding further offshore, has concentrated on reef species and on coastal pelagic as secondary target species. Larger, technologically more advanced boats may explain the observed patterns. This result may also be attributed to the adoption of species‐specific fishing regulations after 1978.
Managers are consistently challenged to reconcile the impacts of recreational activity and tourism with protection of the integrity of the natural resources upon which these experiences depend. In the absence of opportunities for active resource management, the ability of natural mitigation
processes to sustain natural resources becomes a critical attribute of resource viability. This case study, therefore, examines the relationship between natural mitigation processes and a specific form of tourist management—signage—on the Zeke's Island Component of the North Carolina
National Estuarine Research Reserve Program (NCNERR). The island features of the Zeke's Island Component of the NCNERR are primarily accessible by small boat. Activities common for tourists to engage in at the Reserve are fishing, swimming, hiking, bird watching, and camping. Phase # of
the study examined whether, given the absence of visitor management, natural processes mitigate recreation and tourism impacts caused by these activities. Phase #2 of the study examined whether the use of signs is an effective passive management technique in restricting recreation and
tourism camping behavior. The results of the study indicate that: 1) natural processes mitigate most, but not all, recreation and tourism impacts on the subject site, and 2) signage can be an effective approach for passively managing human behavior and tourism in natural resource settings.
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