Abstract As aquatic biodiversity continues to decline, recreational anglers are interacting more frequently with imperiled species. As a result, management strategies must be developed to balance fisheries management and conservation objectives. Understanding the human dimensions of these encounters is important for both fisheries management and conservation objectives, because decisions made by anglers have a direct impact on the fish. This work explores angler perspectives and behaviors toward American Eel (Anguilla rostrata), a species listed as Endangered in the Canadian province of Ontario and globally (IUCN Red Listed as Endangered), and not typically targeted by recreational anglers in Ontario. Interviews with 48 anglers on the Ottawa River revealed that almost half had captured an eel at some point, but few had intentionally killed eels (in each case prior to the eel’s Endangered status listing in Ontario). However, a large proportion of respondents were, or would be, uncomfortable handling eels if captured, and almost half of respondents declared a limited or lack of knowledge about the species. These findings suggest that discomfort around eels and limited knowledge about their value (both ecological and economical) do not cause direct harm to eels but may impede full public support for conservation of the species.

中文翻译：

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垂钓者与美洲鳗（Anguilla rostrata）的互动：探索对濒危鱼类的看法和行为

摘要 随着水生生物多样性的持续下降，休闲垂钓者与濒危物种的互动越来越频繁。因此，必须制定管理战略以平衡渔业管理和保护目标。了解这些遭遇的人为因素对于渔业管理和保护目标都很重要，因为垂钓者做出的决定对鱼类有直接影响。这项工作探讨了垂钓者对美洲鳗 (Anguilla rostrata) 的看法和行为，该物种在加拿大安大略省和全球范围内被列为濒危物种（IUCN 红色列为濒危物种），并且通常不会成为安大略休闲垂钓者的目标。对渥太华河上的 48 名垂钓者的采访显示，几乎一半的人在某个时候捕获了鳗鱼，但很少有人故意杀死鳗鱼（在鳗鱼在安大略省列为濒危状态之前的每种情况下）。然而，很大一部分受访者曾经或将会在捕获鳗鱼后感到不舒服，几乎一半的受访者表示对该物种的了解有限或缺乏。这些发现表明，鳗鱼周围的不适和对其价值（生态和经济）的有限了解不会对鳗鱼造成直接伤害，但可能会阻碍公众对该物种保护的全面支持。