Local ecological knowledge can be useful to assess data‐limited fisheries such as the Ontario Black Bass ( Micropterus spp.) recreational fishery. We surveyed local anglers using the Life History Calendar approach to determine if there were perceived changes in fishing quality for Black Bass in eastern Ontario across different time periods. For both species (Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass), respondents noted declines in n...

The welfare of non‐human animals is central to ethical discussions on animal use, with increasing attention to fish welfare across research, aquaria, aquaculture, and fisheries. This paper reviews current theoretical approaches to animal welfare and recent advances in defining and assessing fish welfare since the seminal paper by Huntingford et al. (2006; J Fish Biol 68 : 332–372), highlighting the growing role of cognitive an...

Non‐lethal biopsy is a valuable tool for gaining insight into the physiological status of fish in the wild and for predicting their subsequent behaviour and survival. However, linking the insights from biopsy to post‐release behaviour relies on the assumption that the biopsy itself has no meaningful impact on post‐release behaviour or survival (e.g. in animals tagged with electronic devices). This assumption is likely to be qu...

Freshwater biodiversity is increasingly threatened by invasive species, which can disrupt native fish populations and the fisheries they support. Must‐kill regulations, which prohibit the live release of invasive fish caught by recreational anglers, are a management strategy that can be implemented to limit the negative effects of invasive fish populations. Our review of angling regulations around the globe revealed that must‐...

Connectivity is a multifaceted concept that has important implications for the management and conservation of marine and freshwater fishes. We developed a conceptual framework that encompasses multiple, interrelated categories of connectedness, including landscape (e.g., structural, functional) connectivity and ecological (e.g., trophic, genetic, demographic) connectivity, that together shape the flow of organisms, energy and...