Socio-economic drivers of specialist anglers targeting the non-native European catfish (Silurus glanis) in the UK

Rees, E. M. Ann; Edmonds-Brown, V. Ronni; Alam, M. Fasihul; Wright, Ros M.; Britton, J. Robert; Davies, Gareth D.; Cowx, Ian G.

Abstract

© 2017 Rees et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Information about the socioeconomic drivers of Silurus glanis anglers in the UK were collected using questionnaires from a cross section of mixed cyprinid fisheries to elucidate human dimensions in angling and non-native fisheries management. Respondents were predominantly male (95%), 30-40 years of age with < 10 yr angling experience for S. glanis; most had received college rather than university education. The majority (34%) were employed with low-moderate income status ( < £30k per annum), which may restrict time and expenditure spent on angling. Highest angling expenditure was on equipment and bait with most from southern England (54%) spending > £500 per annum. The proportion of time spent angling for S. glanis was significantly related to angler motivations; fish size, challenge in catch, tranquil natural surroundings, escape from daily stress and to be alone were considered important drivers of increased time spent angling. Overall, poor awareness of: the risks and adverse ecological impacts associated with introduced S. glanis, non-native fisheries legislation, problems in use of unlimited ground bait and high fish stocking rates in angling lakes were evident, possibly related to inadequate training and information provided by angling organisations to anglers, as many stated that they were insufficiently informed.

Citation

Rees, E. M. A., Edmonds-Brown, V. R., Alam, M. F., Wright, R. M., Britton, J. R., Davies, G. D., & Cowx, I. G. (2017). Socio-economic drivers of specialist anglers targeting the non-native European catfish (Silurus glanis) in the UK. PLoS ONE, 12(6), e0178805. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0178805

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 21, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Jun 12, 2017
• Publication Date: Jun 12, 2017
• Deposit Date: Jun 27, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 27, 2017
• Journal: PLoS ONE
• Print ISSN: 1932-6203
• Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 6
• Article Number: ARTN e0178805
• Pages: e0178805
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0178805
• Keywords: General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology; General Agricultural and Biological Sciences; General Medicine
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/452937
• Publisher URL: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0178805
• Additional Information: Copy of article first published in: PLoS ONE, 2017, v.12, issue 6, article number e0178805.