Urban and Community Fisheries Programs: Development, Management, and Evaluation

<em>Abstract.-</em>Demographic studies have indicated that, since 1990, Kentucky’s urban population has experienced an 18% increase while its rural population has expanded by less than 1%. These demographic changes, coupled with a decline in fishing license sales, focused the need to develop and increase fishing opportunities in and around urban areas. In 2005, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources initiated a pilot urban fishing program aimed at providing urban residents with high quality fishing opportunities close to home. Five pilot lakes, located within four of Kentucky’s most populated counties, were selected to receive regular stockings of rainbow trout <em>Oncorhynchus mykiss</em>, channel catfish <em>Ictalurus punctatus</em>, largemouth bass <em>Micropterus salmoides</em>, and hybrid bluegill <em>Lepomis macrochirus </em>x <em>L. cyanellus</em>. Rainbow trout were stocked at each lake in April and October. Channel catfish, largemouth bass, and hybrid bluegill were stocked in May and June. Monthly stocking rates were 202 trout/ha, 34 channel catfish/ha, 12 largemouth bass/ha, and 81 hybrid bluegill/ha. Creel and angler attitude surveys were conducted at two of the pilot lakes from April through August 2006 to determine angler catch and satisfaction. Although fishing pressure at these two lakes was high, most anglers practiced catch and release. Catch rates were 1.03 fish/h at Stein Lake and 0.79 fish/h at Upper Sportsman’s Lake. Angler attitude survey results indicated that the majority of anglers interviewed were not aware of the program and did not know that regular fish stockings were occurring at the lakes. The typical angler fishing these lakes was a white male between the ages of 30 and 49, who was satisfied with his fishing experience regardless of the number or size of fish caught. Further studies need to be completed to compare results from this study, and to refine stocking and marketing techniques used in the program.