Improving Coded-wire tag sampling and submission adequacy through better understanding of barriers.

Salmon stock in BC have declined substantially since the 1990’s. A US/Canada Coded Wire Tag (CWT) fishery monitoring program was implemented in the 1980s with the intention of helping managers understand salmon stocks in order to make decisions about harvesting. The program relies on the fishing community return salmon heads so managers can retrieve CWT information. Currently, the return rate is not meeting requirements to provide managers with enough data to base management decisions. Participation from the non-commercial fishing community in monitoring programs like the CWT program are crucial for sustainable fisheries management. While educating the community of why participation is important is important, it is also important to understand their values because values are often the source of what makes people act in environmentally responsible ways. In order to enhance participation in the CWT program, it is necessary to understand the community in terms of motivation, values and potential barriers to participation

Faculty Supervisor:

Karen Beazley

Student:

Erin Dann

Partner:

Essa Technologies Ltd

Discipline:

Environmental sciences

Sector:

University:

Dalhousie University

Program: