ABSTRACT
Recreational fishers preferentially target top predators. In this context, northern pike preferred target species of many freshwater and coastal recreational fishers across much of its natural circumpolar distribution in the northern hemisphere. The behaviour and preferences of recreational fishers targeting pike with different gear types vary. For example, work in Minnesota has revealed that anglers and darkhouse spearers differ strongly in their preferences and attitudes to fishing. By developing fisheries to meet the expectations of specific angler types, these anglers types could best be served because it is usually impossible to maximize the quality of the fishing experience for all angler types jointly in a single fishery. This chapter investigates whether pike angling can achieve overfishing states and under which conditions. In addition, it explores the potential for pike angling to induce evolutionary changes and examine how pike react behaviourally to exploitation.
