A Mixed-Method Approach for Quantifying Illegal Fishing and Its Impact on an Endangered Fish Species.

ABSTRACT: Illegal harvest is recognized as a widespread problem in natural resource management. The use of multiple methods for quantifying illegal harvest has been widely recommended yet infrequently applied. We used a mixed-method approach to evaluate the extent, character, and motivations of illegal gillnet fishing in Lake Hovsgol National Park, Mongolia and its impact on the lake's fish populations, especially that of the endangered endemic Hovsgol grayling (Thymallus nigrescens). Surveys for derelict fishing gear indicate that gillnet fishing is widespread and increasing and that fishers generally use 3-4 cm mesh gillnet. Interviews with resident herders and park rangers suggest that many residents fish for subsistence during the spring grayling spawning migration and that some residents fish c

SUBMITTER: Free CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4666464 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature