Pike stock management in designated brown trout fisheries: anglers’ preferences

A policy review with respect to the active management of pike stocks within lakes that are designated as wild brown trout fisheries is currently underway. This paper examines trout and pike anglers’ preferences for pike stock management. Pike stocks are controlled with the objective of protecting brown trout stocks, and a naive assumption is that trout anglers support and pike anglers oppose this management intervention. This research reveals that this is not the case and that angler preferences for pike stock control are complex and nuanced.