Subject: Re: Natural selection by anglers

From: Lawrence Taylor <[email-masked]>
Date: 2 Nov 1995 12:01:05 GMT

Grant

I recall having a few beers over this topic with an old fish Biologist 
at Dalhousie University, just wish I could remember more details. There 
certainly should be sci. papers around about mortality rates due to 
angling. There has been interest and discussion over over-playing fish 
and their survival rate, imagine running 400 meters flat out the 
sticking your head in water for a minute. About the same for fish. 
"Natural" sellection may favour those who better oxygen capacity.

Sorry not to be much help, I'll try to remember to bring the subject up 
at our weekly Biobeer social in the biology deparment.

Regards    Lawrence

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From: [email-masked] (Hector Cruz-Lopez)
Date: Thu, 2 Nov 1995 14:32:44

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Grant Hughes) writes:
>From: [email-masked] (Grant Hughes)
>Subject: Natural selection by anglers
>Date: 27 Oct 1995 08:40:26 GMT

>Recently, I asked myself a question.  To what extent does angling select
>naturally occuring fish populations?  In some rivers, high percentages of
>certain age-class mortality is due solely to sport-fishing.  As fishing 
>pressure increases we might expect to see stronger natural selection 
>towards those fish that can avoid the fish hook and then survive to spawn.

>Has this question been studied?  Can anyone cite any references?  Have 
>sport fish become 'smarter'?

>Just wondering.  I'm desperately trying to blame my recent lack of fishing
>success on anything other than my lack of skill!

>GCH
>[email-masked]

Ever heard of the term Genetic Overfishing?  I believe Busack published a few 
papers about this.  It seems obvious that trophy fish (and their genomes) are 
being selected against.

che cruz-lopez
fisheries genetics research lab
boca raton, fl

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From: Fritz Funk <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 03 Nov 1995 15:24:18 -0800

> >sport fish become 'smarter'?

There's been quite a bit of work on this topic, although the 
ramifications are not very often considered in 
management. Policansky (1993) has an excellent review of fishing 
effects on evolution of fish and would be a good place to start.

Policansky,D. 1993 Evolution and management of exploited fish 
populations. pp 651-664 in: Proceedings of the international 
symposium on management strategies for exploited fish 
populations. AK-SG-92-02, Alaska Sea Grant College Program, 
Fairbanks.

-- 
Fritz Funk, Biometrician - Statewide Herring
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Commercial Fisheries Management and Development Division
P.O. Box 25526, Juneau, Alaska 99802-5526, USA
Email: [email-masked]
fax: (907) 465-2604

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From: [email-masked] (AKruk)
Date: 6 Nov 1995 09:54:42 -0500

In response to your attempt to blame lack of fishing success on natural
selection-
more likely is that you and your cohorts have succeeded in depleting the
available supply of fish. By definition, natural selection is the process
of a species adapting to their natural environment, not their unnatural
environment. No species is able to outsmart weapons through their natural
behaviors. Natual selection success is determined by inhereted genes not
adaptations since birth. Since humans have only been invading the planet
for a relatively short period of time, and natural selection takes much
longer, it is doubtful that any species would have had time to allow
random mutant genes to produce a behavior that helps them avoid bullets
and hooks.
Fishing is not a naturally occuring environmental condition, and will not
likely entice species to develop "natural" behaviors as adaptations.