ALLOCATION POLICIES AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR RECREATIONAL FISHERIES MANAGEMENT IN INLAND WATERS OF ARGENTINA

Pablo H. Vigliano1, José Bechara2, Rolando Quiros3

1Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Quintral 1250, (8400) Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina. 2 Instituto de Ictiología del Nordeste, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, UNNE, S. Cabral 2139, (3400) Corrientes, Argentina. 3Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av San Martin 4453, (1417) Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Northeast, region

Central, Western and Northwestern regions

Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego regions dominate the scene of Argentina recreational fishing, been each unique in terms of environmental context, fish fauna and fishery types. Fishery type Resource Main target sp Fishers Argentinian region Regional characteristic socio- human sought for economic density level World class- Trophy size Salmonids Very high Tierra del Fuego Very low Fishing lodges high numbers Salminus inter / /Patagonia Iberá national swamps

Recreational 1 Large size Salmonids High Northern Patagonia Low -Fishing lodges Salminus nationals NE Argentina- Pseudoplatistoma Paraná Paraguay Confluence- Ibera Piaractus Confluence- Ibera swamps Brycon Recreational 2 Size and Salmonids Upper Northern Patagonia Middle numbers of Odontesthes middle Pampa plains fish caught class – fish caught hatcheri class – Upper & middle middle O. bonariensis middle Paraná river class Salminus Pseudoplatistoma Piaractus Recreational 3 Numbers of Salminus Middles Lower-Middle Middle - fish caught Pseudoplatistoma class- Parana River High lower Odontesthes lower Paraná delta middle bonariensis middle Pampa plains class class Northwestern reservoirs, Yacireta dam Recreational 4 - Numbers of Cyprinus carpio Low Río de La Plata High banned fish caught Small riverine fish middle river class & poor The Northeast

1. Pilcomayo river, 2. Paraguay river, 3. Upper Paraná river, 4. Yacyreta dam, 5. Middle Paraná river, 6. Lower Paraná river and delta, 7. Uruguay river, 8. Iguazú river, 9. Iguazú falls, 10. Corrientes river, 11. Río de la Plata river. Order Scientific Name Habits Characiforms Salminus brasiliensis potamodromous, top predator Piaractus mesopotamicus potamodromous,omnivorous / frugivorous Brycon orbignyanus potamodromous, omnivorous / frugivorous Hoplias malabaricus non migrant, lake dweller, top predator Leporinus obtusidens potamodromous, omnivorous

Siluriforms Pseudoplatystoma corruscans potamodromous, top predator Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum potamodromous, top predator Paulicea luetkeni potamodromous, top predator Zungaro zungaro potamodromous, top predator Luciopimelodus pati potamodromous, top predator potamodromous, top predator potamodromous, top predator potamodromous, top predator non migrant, benthic feeder potamodromous, omnivorous potamodromous, benthic feeder

Perciforms non migrant, top predator Atheriniforms non migrant, lake dweller,/ planktonic and benthic feeder Upper Paraná River

Dorado

Surubí

boga Dorado fishing at Iberá Marshes and related wetlands Middle Paraná River

Surubí

Dorado

Pacú LiveLive BaitBait

Hoplos Swamp eel

Knife fish Tararira Conflicts with artisanal fisheries at Paraná-Paraguay confluence. Large Reservoir Fisheries

Itaipú Small catfishes

Yacyreta

Piranhas Salto Grande

Armored catfish FishingFishing TournamentsTournaments

Dorado fishing

Locations of some famous fishing tournaments BACKGROUND AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE NORTHEASTERN REGION

•Most rivers share provincial and international jurisdictions creating problems and conflicts To solve problems: • Joint commission (Paraguay and 4 limiting provinces), establish a Common Fishing code •Relies on consultations with Advisory Committee con formed by: Scientist, technicians, Commercial & Fishing organizations, outfitters, lodge owners, coast guard Fishing Code •Harvestable target species in common waters •Species specific daily catch quotas per fisher •Fish size limit regulations •Types of gear & banned fishing practices •Season closure periods •Reserves and protected areas OBJECTIVES AND GAPS

Meanwhile the fishing code is achieved by consensus taking into account previous management schemes: • No major revisions of objectives and regulation usefulness have been undertaken •Real managers in most provinces are lacking and those that exist lack the necessary funding for major management plans •Very little is known about the processes that should direct sound management •No catch quota for fishing types allowed exist •The numbers of licenses sold in not limited •The only limitation to over fishing is fish minimum size •There are no allocations between fisher groups •In some cases fishing type (commercial –recreational) is area allocated •Allocation schemes do not respond to an integral management perspective generating conflicts between and within fisher groups Hydrology of the Central, Western and Northwestern regions:

1. Río De La Plata, 2. Paraná river, 3. Salado river (Buenos Aires province), 4. San Borombon river, 5. Canal 5 river, 6. Mar Chiquita, 7. Colorado River, 8. Salado river (La Pampa province), 9. La amarga lake, 10. Atuel river, 11. Diamante river, 12. Tunuyan river, 13. San Juan river, 14. Jachal river, 15. Quinto river, 16. Cuarto river, 17, Tercero river, 18. Segundo river, 19. Primero river, 20. Mar Chiquita lake, 21. Dulce river, 22 Salado river. Order Scientific Name Habits

Characiforms Hoplias malabaricus non migrant, lake & streams and irrigation channel dweller, top predator potamodromous, omnivorous

Atheriniforms Odontesthes bonariensis non migrant, lake dweller,/ planktonic and benthic feeder

Cypriniforms Cyprinus carpio Freshwater / omnivorous Central Pampa plains

GENERAL BACKGROUND AND LEGAL FRAME WORK IN THE CENTRAL, WESTERN AND NORTHWESTERN REGIONS

•Responsibility for regulating fisheries rest in provincial governments •Socioeconomic and biological information for management is scattered trough provincial jurisdictions •Valuable data such as total catch and effort are not sought for or reported •Regulations are issued in response to declining fisheries •Regulations rely closed seasons, bag limits and size slots fluctuating widely across jurisdictions •Regulations are in general interspersed with ambiguity and contradictions been usually ineffective •Fishery control and enforcement is week •Public participation in the decision process is practically null OBJECTIVES AND GAPS

•Objectives for the extensive fisheries of O. bonariensis are not clearly set

•Fishery Science is at present dispersed in a few Universities poorly financed •Sound Management is usually implemented at local levels, lacking in many occasions continuity through out time

•Most allocation actions are set in accordance to perceived decline of particular fishery but not on actual studies Hydrology of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego regions.

Atlantic drainages: 1.Colorado river, 2. Negro river,3. Neuquén river, 4. Limay river, 5. Chubut river, 6 Chico river (Chubut province), 7. Senguerr river, Deseado river, 9.Chico river (Santa Cruz province), 10. Santa Cruz river, 11. Coig river, 12. Gallegos river, 13. Grande river, 14. Ewan river, Pacific draining: 15. Lacar lake, 16. Manso river, 17 Puelo lake, 18. Futaleufu river, 19. Corcovado river, 20 Pico. (Falkland) lake, 21. Pueyrredon lake, 22. San Martín lake, 23. Fagnano lake, Endorheic basin 24. Senguerr river. 1 Order 1 Scientific Name Habits Salmoniforms Oncorhynchus mykiss Freshwater and anadromous / top predator (fish and macrozoobenthos) Salmo trutta Freshwater and anadromous / top predator (fish and macrozoobenthos) Salmo salar landlocked / top predator (fish) O. tshawytscha Anadromous / top predator Salvelinus fontinalis Freshwater / top predator S. namaycush Freshwater / top predator Atheriniforms Odontesthes hatcheri Freshwater / benthic and planktonic feeder O. bonaeriensis Freshwater / benthic and planktonic feeder Perciforms Percichthys altispinis Freshwater / fish and macrozoobenthos P. colhuapensis Freshwater / fish and macrozoobenthos P. trucha Freshwater / fish and macrozoobenthos P. vinciguerrae Freshwater / fish and macrozoobenthos Eleginops maclovinus marine – brackish water/ Mugil liza marine brackish water/ Cypriniforms Cyprinus carpio Freshwater / omnivorous Pleuronectiforms Paralichthys sp. Marine- brackish water / top predator Rainbow trout

Brook trout

Brown trout Brown trouts

Rainbow trout Silverside Silverside

Catfish

Perch Salmo salar landlocked

Salmo salar Pacific run

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha Pacific run

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha Atlantic run Steelhead trout

Sea run brown trout GENERAL BACKGROUND AND LEGAL FRAME WORK FOR PATAGONIA AND TIERRA DEL FUEGO Consultive Commission on Patagonia Continental Fishing Provincial Governments & National park Administration

COMMON FISHING CODE trough consultations with:

•Technicians •Fishing organizations •Outfitters, Lodge owners and Administrators •Fishing guides •Fishing associations

•Etc. OBJECTIVES AND GAPS Management does not respond to an integral perspective

•Usually corresponding to “de facto” policies •Allocations rely mainly on particular perceptions of specific sectors and interest groups usually involving: ¾catch quotas, size and bag limits ¾close seasons ¾there are no differential allocations policies between recreational fisher groups ¾fishing licenses have differential values according to fishing modes (fly fishing, casting, trolling) ¾allocation trough designation of particular habitats for specific fishing modes THIS HAS GENERATED CONFLICTS SUCH AS :

•Private lodges (restricted access and strictly catch and release policies) vs unlimited public accesses •Catch and release polices for all rivers fostered by fly fishing organizations vs catch quotas fostered by other fishing groups •Release of all native fish species fostered by National Parks and conservation NGO’s vs official agencies that foster their catch INCREASING DEMANDS FOR SOUND MANAGEMENT ARE MET WITH: •Few trained fishery scientist and managers •Insufficient funding and infrastructure

•Myths about how to manage inland fish resources

•Political decisions •Lack of fishery oriented studies FINAL REMARKS

A WIDE BODY OF LAWS AND REGULATIONS EXIST TROUGHOUT ARGENTINA HOWEVER:

•There seems to exist a mismatch between the purpose of the law and actual management

•Stemming from lack of awareness about the importance of the resource, its fragility and the complexities inherent to managing fish resources •THIS GENERALLY LEADS TO •FISHING CODES AND ALLOCATION POLICIES BASED ON PERCEPTIONS OR AGENDAS OF PARTICULAR INTEREST GROUPS •SCARCE MANAGEMENT ORIENTED RESEARCH

•NO CONTINUITY ON IMPLEMENTED MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES PRIORITY GAPS TO BE FULLFILLED

TO CREATE AWARENESS ON ALL SOCIETY LEVELS ABOUT RESOURCE FRAGILITY AND THE NEED FOR MANAGEMENT ORIENTED RESEARCH

TO DEVELOP LOCAL AND REGIONAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS THAT COULD GENERATE BIOLOGICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN FACTOR INFORMATION THAT MAY LEAD TO SOUND MANAGEMENT DECISIONS

TO INTEGRATE AL STAKEHOLDERS OF PARTICULAR FISHERIES INTO THE DECISION PROCESS THANK YOU

Nahuel Huapi Lake