Existing datasets uncover complex interactions driving catches of a data‐poor recreational fishery in South Australia

Abstract

Understanding drivers of effort and catch is important for sustainable management of recreational fisheries. For the Pipi (Latona deltoides) fishery in South Australia as a case study, publicly available datasets on fisher demography, market forces and internet connectivity improved understanding of fisher motivations and capabilities, identified different historical periods in the fishery and addressed temporal gaps in effort and catch estimates from on‐site surveys. Most variables were correlated with recreational effort and catch estimates from on‐site surveys and principal component analysis identified 2013–2014, 2015–2018 and 2019–2022 as distinct periods in the Pipi fishery. Results corroborated studies and anecdotal information that suggested declining availability and higher prices of local, commercially caught Pipi, and reduced imports of bivalves from Asia that previously supplied the South Australian bait market. Reduced availability and higher prices of Pipi likely motivated recreational fishers to gather their own bait to increase catch over the years. Similarly, increased internet and smartphone access and increased numbers of utility vehicles aided recreational catch efficiency of Pipi. Effective management of recreationally harvested resources requires understanding of external processes that drive fisher motivations and capabilities, particularly for stocks that are shared among fisheries. The need for improved data on fisher behaviour for management of recreational fisheries can be addressed by leveraging external information from available datasets. We recommend that the temporal gap between surveys should be less than 5 years, supplemented by analysing behavioural information collected from fishers during interviews.