Quantitative estimates of freshwater fish stocking practices by recreational angling clubs in France

Abstract

Although freshwater fish stocking is widely used by managers, quantitative assessments of stocking practices are lacking in many countries. The general objective of the present study was to determine the quantity and characteristics of fish stocking in metropolitan France. Using a survey-based approach, stocking practices for 2013 by recreational angling clubs in France were quantified, which represented the bulk of fish stocking undertaken in that year. Stocking was found to be practiced by 88.6% of angling clubs in France, representing, on average, 65% of their annual budget. Overall, 22 species were stocked, including 13 native and nine non-native species, with strong variations among species in terms of life stages and body sizes used for stocking.Using Bayesian modelling, a total biomass of 2.029 t, representing approximately 90 million fishes, was estimated to be stocked in France in 2013. In terms of biomass, the most widely stocked species were rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), brown trout Salmo trutta L., roach Rutilus rutilus (L.), common carp Cyprinus carpio L. and northern pike Esox lucius L. A stocking volume of approximately 60 fishes or 1.5 kg of fish biomass per angler per year seems commonplace in industrialised countries for which data are available.

Sex-Specific Life History Affected by Stocking in Juvenile Brown Trout

“…Brown trout are a keystone species within their natural range, have been translocated across the globe (Halverson, 2008;Hunt and Jones, 2018;Hasegawa, 2020), and have great socioeconomical value (Elliott, 1989;Liu et al, 2019). Because of their value and often high exploitation rates, restocking and stockenhancement are a common management practice for brown trout populations (Aas et al, 2018;Cucherousset et al, 2021). A large body of literature is thus available focussing on the effectiveness of these management practises (Pinter et al, 2018;Dieterman et al, 2020), the intraspecific competition between wild-and hatchery-born individuals (Einum and Fleming, 2001;Araki et al, 2008) and the overall population-level consequences (Meier et al, 2011;Leitwein et al, 2018;Klütsch et al, 2019).…”

Efficiency of Northern pike (Esox lucius) stocking in metropolitan France at large spatial and temporal scales

“…Despite the willingness to have comprehensive information regarding pike stocking, the potential effect of illegal pike stocking was considered as limited for two main reasons. First, pike are relatively expensive compared with other commonly stocked species, such as brown trout Salmo trutta L. and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum) (Cucherousset et al, 2021). Second, occasional translocations of a few individuals (e.g.…”

“…However, in practice, recreational fishery managers implement stocking programmes across a variety of socio‐ecological contexts, but mainly because stocking fish guarantees angler satisfaction, despite the programmes not necessarily consisting of elements required for them to be effective in population enhancement (Arlinghaus & Mehner, 2005; Van Poorten et al, 2011). Furthermore, the collection of quantitative and qualitative data and appropriate monitoring are still rare in freshwater recreational fisheries (Cucherousset et al, 2021; Riepe et al, 2017; Walters & Martell, 2004). Therefore, the effect of stocking on the wild population abundance and the temporal dynamics often remains unclear despite its economic importance and ecological implications (Post et al, 2002).…”

Mitigating human impacts including climate change on proliferative kidney disease in salmonids of running waters

“…Stocking rivers and streams with salmonid brood is commonplace practice in many European and American salmonid populations (Arlinghaus et al., 2002; Cucherousset et al., 2021; Fraser, 2008). The method has persisted even though a growing body of research publications warn for possible negative consequences of stocking on the loss of locally adapted genetic strains and point out that stocked fingerlings have lower survival than natural brood stock (Baer et al., 2007; Baer & Rösch, 2008; Derry et al., 2019; Fraser, 2008; Harbicht et al., 2014).…”

“…Stocking rivers and streams with salmonid brood is commonplace practice in many European and American salmonid populations (Arlinghaus al., 2002;Cucherousset et al, 2021;Fraser, 2008).…”