The Case for Multi-jurisdictional Management of Ohio River Paddlefish
The paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) population in the Ohio River Basin is an inter-jurisdictional resource shared by 8 states and managed with 3 different strategies, restoration, protection, and harvest. These contrasting management strategies evolved from a historical gradient in abundance of paddlefish from the upper to lower reaches, differential impact of anthropogenic factors, and U.S. Supreme Court settlements, which changed river ownership among lower Ohio River states. Ohio River Basin states participated in a national paddlefish study during 1995-1999 verifying movement of...
