Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Nebraska
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Satisfaction, an attitude-like judgment of an event based on pre-event expectations, of recreational participants is important to natural resource managers. A growing concern throughout freshwater ecosystems in North America is the negative effects of aquatic invasive species on water-based recreational activities. However, positive effects of aquatic invasive species to on water-based recreational activities are possible.

The American paddlefish is a popular target among fishers on the Missouri River, which has thriving populations of bighead carp and silver carp (collectively referred to as “bigheaded carp”). Bigheaded carp, native to Asia, are invasive species in North America. It is likely that multiple ecological and sociological factors contribute to satisfaction of fishers targeting American paddlefish in the Missouri River.

To understand the influence of bigheaded carp on paddlefish-fishers’ satisfactions, we are quantifying fishers’ expectations and outcomes during archery and snagging seasons on two temporal scales—day and season. Our a priori prediction was that the presence of bigheaded carp would positively influence satisfactions of fishers during archery season (by providing additional opportunities to shoot fish) and negatively influence satisfactions of fishers during snagging season (by increasing work, via bycatch of bigheaded carp, required to harvest an American paddlefish). Preliminary results are somewhat consistent with our prediction. The presence of bigheaded carp did enhance satisfactions of fishers during archer season, but did not diminish satisfactions of fishers during snagging season.