Objective: Competition over resource access can drive conflict between commercial fishers and recreational anglers, especially when fish stocks are declining. This study presents a spatially explicit integrative assessment of Northern Pike Esox lucius fisheries across five major brackish lagoons around Rügen Island (Germany) in the southern Baltic Sea, combining social and ecological indicators of status and trends.
Methods: We combined an extensive mark–recapture- based approach with catch- curve analysis to estimate spatially differentiated, user- group- specific fishing mortality rates, as well as natural mortality rates acting on the coastal pike across five lagoons. Using surveys, we assessed the preferences of fishers and anglers for dif ferent lagoons as a measure of their social desirability. Additionally, we examined long- term commercial land ings as a coarse indicator of stock trends. Finally, we formed a composite index combining spatially explicit social–ecological use and status indicators to provide an integrative perspective.
Results: Current fishing pressure on pike as assessed by captures was similar for anglers and commercial fish ers, with an annual potential instantaneous fishing mortality rate F of 0.10 (∼9.5% per year) for each sector. However, when considering only retained fish due to widespread catch- and- release practices by anglers, com mercial fishers removed approximately twice as many pike as anglers did during the study period (2020–2022). Spatial analyses revealed pronounced differences in fishing and natural mortality rates among lagoons, while the long- term trend in commercial landings suggested a declining pike population. Integration of the various indicators revealed that the largest lagoon in the study area, the Greifswalder Bodden, exhibited the largest number of threats.