By: Emily Abrehart

As the years go by and global climate change continues to worsen, fisheries all over the world are beginning to struggle. Total landings are decreasing, certain species are being overfished, bycatch is increasing, fish populations are decreasing, and seafood prices are declining. These are a few of the many number of reasons as to why fisheries continue to see a decline in performance and success rates. But do not fret, it can be improved!

In a Marine Policy journal article written by Marco et al. in 2020, the authors examine a deep sea shrimp fishery based in the Colombian Pacific region. This fishery was facing a 50% decline in total fish catches per year and was experiencing zero economic profit. These issues were due to a number of factors: high fishing effort, overproduction of shrimp farming causing lower prices, and little option for fishing nets creating an increase in bycatch (species like turtles or sharks that are not intended to be caught but get stuck in the shrimp nets). Several assessments were conducted in order to find out why this fishery was becoming so unsuccessful and what could be done to improve it.

The authors of the article found that there were minimal regulations in place to monitor the commercial fishery. Essentially, they were catching what they wanted, whenever they wanted, without many limits. This means that they were not doing anything to promote sustainability and keep the shrimp populations high enough to sustain them for years to come. For example, there were no marine protected areas put in place so fishermen could fish anywhere. The season length was nine months which was a very long time to be fishing tons of shrimp everyday. As well as, the total allowable catch or TAC, was way too high to maintain large shrimp populations for long periods of time. The size regulations were poorly monitored, meaning that fishermen could keep any size shrimp they wanted, including juveniles and breeding adults which are needed to sustain the population size. These were just a few of the major problems that this fishery was facing.

To fix these problems, new regulations were set in motion. Total allowable catch (TAC) was greatly reduced to remain sustainable, meaning they were not allowed to catch so many shrimp that it would harm the population sizes. The length of the fishing season was reduced to only a couple of months, and no fishing was permitted during the reproductive season to allow the population sizes to successfully grow again. Regulations on fishing technology were improved to require anti-bycatch technology in the nets so larger animals could escape easily. When the fisherman return to the dock, their catches for the day are monitored to make sure they have not caught too many, and that they have not broken the size limit of the shrimp.

With all of these new changes, the success rate of the fishery began to increase again. Showing that just some more careful monitoring and decently ‘simple’ regulation implementations can change performance rates rapidly. New regulations have been set in motion all around the world and we have been seeing great improvements. This is not only good for these businesses but also for us as we can continue to get jobs in the fishing industry and good, sustainably caught seafood on our dinner tables!

This news piece reports on original research in:

Eggert, H., Anderson, C. M., Anderson, J. L., & Garlock, T. M. (2020). Assessing global fisheries using Fisheries Performance Indicators: Introduction to special section. Marine Policy, 104253.

BY: Joedeelee Rigdon

The European eel Anguilla anguilla, also known as the Glass eel, were listed as endangered in 2009 after a stock assessment of their population marked them at an all time low. This inspired regulation from the European Council to help replenish the population of Glass eels. These eels are thought to spawn in the Sargasso Sea in the Mid- Atlantic and migrate to the continental shelf of Europe when they mature. Once matured they move into the Severn River in Great Britain where their population can be influenced whether from capture by nets or by pollution from the river.

A study was recently published on this in Fish Management Ecology and was conducted by Miran Aprahamian. This study aims to figure out why recruitment, that is, the repopulation of eels, might be falling short. Fishing for Glass eels takes place in the Severn estuary, where Glass eels are captured by hand nets and sold to UK Glass Eels Ltd. Some of these were marked and returned to different sites around the Severn estuary. These were later used when calculating the fishery exploitation rate, which helps determine if the fish are being exploited and unsustainably fished. When capturing eels later, eels recaptured (that is eels that have been marked are recapture) can be used to find the exploitation rate, as well as the mortality rate, and determine if the eels are being overfished and need more recovery time. The fishing has been declared sustainable, and something else is causing the population to fail to meet EU conservation targets the study found a relatively low exploitation and mortality rate resulting from the fishery, but recruitment was still low, and the population is declining, suggesting something else, possibly man-made barriers, may be causing a decline. The Glass eel fishery is important because the eels are a good indicator of habitat quality, as well as sustainable fishing practices in European waters. The Glass eel fishery in the Severn is following guidelines in place, suggesting sustainable fishing habits, which is good for the governance of the fishery. New moves can be made to address the barriers that might be in the way of migrating eels.

This news piece reports on original research in:

Aprahamian, M, Wood, P. Estimation of glass eel (Anguilla anguilla) exploitation in the Severn Estuary, England. Fish Manag Ecol. 2021; 28: 65– 75.

Available:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/fme.12455 or https://doi.org/10.1111/fme.12455

BY: Cameron Moore

Have you been searching for information that you know the website should have, but it is not showing up? The frustration of finding information on governmental and large corporation websites is common due to lack of transparency from the different companies. Collaboration between groups, governmental and non-governmental, is the solution for creating transparency and greater access to information, outcomes, and public participation. If fisheries-related non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have access to all of the appropriate information, fisheries will have the chance to operate more sustainably because of the checks and balances created by these groups. Though this is not a one-stop fix all, it will help in creating more sustainable and efficient workings in fisheries.

Recently, Matilda T. Petersson published a paper in Marine Policy, discussing transparency in fisheries governance and the ways NGOs are influencing transparency amongst 12 Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMO). The article broke down transparency into three categories: NGOs request for public participation, access to information and access to outcomes. Data was collected from several different areas, all coming from these 12 organizations websites where NGOs voiced their concerns. The goal of Petersson’s paper was to understand how NGOs can be effective instigators for transparency and to discuss what needs to change in order to improve transparency.

Petersson found throughout her research that many of these organizations (RFMOs) have concerns for lack of transparency across the three categories. This comes with a caveat, some organizations have been around for longer, thus having more time to collect NGOs concerns. This lack of transparency was found throughout all of the more established ones. However, this trend did not run throughout the newer RFMOs due to the fact that they were too new at the time the article was published, so there was less published feedback from NGOs on their transparency. In the context of this article, transparency means “greater openness and less secrecy, through an increasing availability and flow of information” (Petersson, 2020).

The article concludes that while this is the first step in understanding the role of NGOs in relation to large fishery organizations, there is more research to be done to understand how intertwined these two groups are. We now understand that NGOs have expressed concerns through writing and oral summations about issues in RFMOs transparency and will continue to do so. It is important for these organizations to implement clear measures about the work they have done. While many of the 12 organizations did well, they tended to want to restrict access when it reflected badly back onto them as they did not want to air their dirty laundry to the public. By having these checks and balances in fisheries governance it will help create a more open conversation about the problems. Improving accountability from the organization means that the fisheries do not decimate the ecology they are in.

One last aspect that is important to note is that if all barriers were taken out of the picture, transparency is not the only aspect of governance that needs to change. There are other aspects to efficiency like climate change and ecosystem wellness that this article has not touched upon. The work to improve the practices in our fishing teams is ongoing and complex. It is important to note that improving transparency is just one piece of the puzzle that needs to change.

This news piece reports on original research in:

Petersson, Matilda T. “Transparency in Global Fisheries Governance: The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations.” Marine Policy, no. 104128 (2020): 104-128

Available:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X19306682 or https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104128.

The Pacific Islands are well known all over the world for their beautiful coral reefs, which provide both a source of income and food for their inhabitants. These reefs are in danger however due to climate change, overexploitation, and other localized factors, and if conservation efforts are not implemented soon the Pacific Island coral reefs face a grim fate- by 2030 70% of these coral reefs will be destroyed (Filous et al., 2020).

Recently Alexander Filous and his colleagues published a paper in the Marine Policy journal showing how Pacific islander forms of traditional conservation, such as rāhui, in combination with some modern research on Anaa Atoll, has led to successful conservation of Anaa Atoll’s endangered and important bonefish fishery located on their coral reefs.

Anaa Atoll is a small island in French Polynesia and historically has had a great bonefish population that provided the locals with a source of food and ecotourism income but due to the degradation of the reef habitat the bonefish fishery had suffered. A solution was needed to conserve the important bonefish fishery and rather than researchers neglecting what the locals had to say, researchers wanted to include locals when deciding how to conserve the bonefish.

Essentially researchers wanted to educate the locals of the importance of the bonefish fishery and use traditional, local conservation techniques to get everyone on board to create a sustainable, community-based, conservation effort. In the past locals on the Anaa Atoll partook in rāhui which is a conservation technique that includes banning the usage of a certain resource when that certain resource is low. Rāhui was a perfect candidate for saving the bonefish fishery because the researchers knew that March, April, and May were the first three months of the bonefish spawning season, so if they could institute rāhui during these three months that the bonefish fishery would bounce back.

In order to educate the locals as well on the importance of the bonefish fishery researchers passed out info-graphics in Anaa Atoll traditional languages. Researchers in collaboration with the French government even created an Aire Marine Educative (AME) initiative which officially gave ownership of a reproductively important section of the bonefish fishery to the local primary school to be responsible for. The students enthusiastically soaked up information about the bonefish fishery and gladly took the responsibility of conserving the fishery. The newfound knowledge and appreciation of the bonefish fishery spread through the small community like wildfire. The AME worked so well at conserving the bonefish fishery that they even received the 2020 Local Hero Award by the Blue Marine Foundation.

In order to measure the success of the fishery conservation, researchers used a metric called the Spawning Potential Ratio (SPR), essentially indicating how much a given fishery can reproduce. Incredibly the bonefish fishery in just three years under rāhui went from 7% SPR to 17% SPR. Clearly the informational and rāhui conservation efforts have worked. This paper shines a beacon of hope that if researchers are able to educate the public on fisheries importance and use their own conservation techniques- we may just be able to conserve a lot of important fisheries.

This new piece reports on original research in:

Filous, A., Lennox, R. J., Beaury, J. P., Bagnis,

H., McHugh, M., Friedlander, A. M., Clua,

E. G., Cooke, S. J., Fuller, T. K., &

Danylchuk, A. J. (2020). Fisheries science

and marine education catalyze the

renaissance of traditional management

(rahui) to improve an artisanal fishery in

French Polynesia. Marine Policy, 123.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ma rpol.2020 .

104291

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X20309374

In the Bidasoa basin (in Northern Spain) one of the most iconic and important species is the brown trout. The brown trout can be found throughout the basin in two types: sea trout and riverine trout. Both are equally as important to the structure of the Bidasoa river food web and a valued recreational species to the people on the banks. However, in the 20^th century the need for energy production outweighed the needs of the brown trout. Weirs were put into the river to increase energy production fragmenting the river and obstructing the water. The trout’s migration patterns were slower and there was a decline in both the riverine and the sea brown trout. This loss in population growth called for immediate actions. Management started in the 2003, but multiple techniques were used, and it was unknown which impacted the population the most. So, the question was asked: which management tactic brought the brown trout back?

Ana Garcia-Vega et al. set out to answer that question with their publication in Fisheries Management Ecology at the end of 2020. Prior to any management the amount of sea trout migrating up the river was low. The research team believed this was because of the weirs fragmenting the river making it difficult for the fish to travel. On the river there were four weirs, Endarlatza, Las Nazas, La Mina, and San Marin some of which possessed a way for the fish to by-pass the weirs called fishways. A fishway is an inclined switchback attached to the side of the weir to encourage the fish to go around and over. Similar to a slowly inclining set of stairs. The weirs where one of the first steps to bring back the trout. First was Las Nazas, the problem was there was not a working fishway at the station, so one was added in 2008 and it was able to keep function as an energy plant. Next was three removals of the other remaining stations in 2014 and 2016. At the same time as the destruction and reconstruction of the weirs there was also two other management styles being practiced. The first started in 2003 and continued to 2012 which was fish stocking, where they bred fish and placed them along the river, this was ineffective. Second was fishing closure which extended from 2008-2010 where no fishing of brown trout was permitted in the river.

All of these actions were overlapping, and the question remained which is best? The answer to that question is the fishing closure between 2008-2010 and the construction of the fishways at Las Nazas station. Both of these actions are the primary reason for the increase in migration of both riverine and sea brown trout in the Bidasoa River. After the implementation of both management styles there was an increase in mean number of migrating individuals in the riverine trout from 292 to 830 and in the sea trout from 9 to 123. The team believes this is because the river was restored to the natural movement and flow and fishing closures allowed time for the population to recover. This study shows how ecological management styles work together with fishing restrictions to provide a fast and effective comeback for the brown trout.

This news piece reports on original research in:

Ana Garcia-Vega et al. (2020). Effect of restoration measures in Atlantic rivers: A 25-year overview of sea and riverine brown trout populations in the River Bidasoa. Fisheries Management and Ecology. 27:580-590.

When given the choice between relentlessly chasing our meals and having them served up in front of us, most would prefer the latter. The same can be said of killer and sperm whales in the Sub-Antarctic. Populations of killer and sperm whales in this area have been known to engage in a practice called depredation which involves stealing fish straight off the hooks of fishermen. This is especially true in the case of the Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) commercial fishery. Toothfish are caught using a long line, which is a line suspended in the water which has many baited lines coming off of it. Once the fish have been caught by these lines they make easy prey for toothed whales which frequent the area. This can have serious implications for the toothfish, the whales, and the fishermen whose livelihoods depend on their catch.

In a recent study by Paul Tixer and his colleagues published in Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, the effects of depredation of toothfish are examined. The study sought to determine the rate of depredation of Patagonian toothfish in fishing areas across the Sub-Antarctic. This is important to better understand the current population size and distribution for management which allows the fishery to thrive for years to come. The study also sought to assess depredation in response to different fishing methods, to determine the cost of depredation to local economies, and to better understand fishermen- predator interactions. This study was particularly important because the Patagonian toothfish is a historically overfished species that has only recently recovered in population size. It is currently managed by a group of national and international committees including the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. The amount of fish caught per year needs strict monitoring to prevent the species from becoming overfished again, depredation can mean that managers underestimate how many fish are being removed from a population each year.

To carry out this study observers were paired with commercial crews of all Patagonian toothfish licensed vessels from 2004-2018. The observers were responsible for watching the area where the lines were placed and recording any activity of whales feeding which was signified by the sight of whales taking long dives, oil slicks at the surface of the water, and large amounts of seabird activity. Observers also recorded fishing methods, location, season, and depth. The study divided the region into six main areas which ranged from southern Chile to the Indian Ocean and compared toothfish landed when whales were absent vs present.

The results of this study provided important insights into the depredation of toothfish. The results showed that depredation accounted for $15M worth of fish lost a year and was equally to 41% of total catch brought aboard. To make up for the fish taken from their lines fishermen increased time spent fishing by 14-30% to meet quotas. Overall this meant more time spent working for the fishermen, greater fuel and supply costs, and increased safety concerns due to having to fish during the winter season. That 41% of toothfish lost to depredation are not included in total catch and therefore not currently included in management estimations such as maximum sustainable yield which measures the amount of fish that can be taken each year while keeping the population healthy. This study also provided some insight into how depredation can be reduced. Those who used a special umbrella-like device on their long lines experienced far less depredation. Going forward studies such as this which look at ecosystem interactions as well as the human impact will help to better maintain sustainable fisheries.

This news piece reports on original research in: Tixier, P., Burch, P., Massiot-Granier, F. et al. Assessing the impact of toothed whale depredation on socio-ecosystems and fishery management in wide-ranging subantarctic fisheries. Rev Fish Biol Fisheries 30, 203–217 (2020). https://doi-org.eckerd.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s11160-020-09597-w

Available here: https://link-springer-com.eckerd.idm.oclc.org/article/10.1007/s11160-020-09597-w#Abs1

Although multiple regulations are in place which prohibit the catch and sale of the various shark species which reside in Myanmar’s Myeik Archipelago, shark populations have continued to decline. The culprit? non-compliant fishers who rely on the protected resource for income and food. Tracy MacKeracher and colleagues published a paper in Ambio Journal of Environment and Society concerning the motivations behind the non-compliance of these shark fishery regulations.

In their research, MacKeracher and colleagues surveyed fishers who resided and fished within the boundary of the regulations, an area containing 800 islands along 600 km of the coast of southern Myanmar. They hoped to gather data about the types of people that were fishing for sharks, as well as the motivation that these people had. Of the 144 self-proclaimed surveyed fishers, only 46% were aware of the national ban, and only 24% reported that they had fished for sharks, themselves. 86% of the group that had self-reported listed money as their primary motivation in fishing for sharks, and the second most common reason was food.

Those who claimed to comply with the fishing laws stated that their motivations included fear of sharks and lack of equipment, but the fact that fishing for sharks is against the law is not a common concern. This reinforced MacKeracher and colleagues observation that education and awareness of the national ban on shark fishing did not change the behaviors of the shark fishers.

In general, the self-proclaimed shark fishers shared a few common characteristics. Most were young men who did not own their own boats. This is likely due to the fact that Hookah diving with spears is the most common method of shark fishing in the Myeik Archipelago. This method is not only physically demanding, but also quite dangerous, which is not suitable for the elderly and is not worth the risk for boat owners who may have another means of income.

Although common, shark fishing is not a widely desired profession in Myanmar. “Indeed, approximately half of shark fishers in our study reported that hookah diving is dangerous and tiring, and that they would rather be doing something else but they continue fishing due to a lack of alternatives” writes MacKeracher et al. “These findings suggest that while these fishers currently target sharks, compliance could be increased if fishers were provided safer alternatives that provide similar levels of income.”

In order increase compliance of shark fishing regulations, political and economic issues must first be addressed. The people of Myanmar need a source of income, and there are few existing alternatives for them to turn to. It’s easy to assume that communities such as those of the Myeik Archipelago are simply disobedient or unaware of the regulations, but in reality, issues such as this are often a result of political issues such as poverty or food security.

MacKeracher, T., Mizrahi, M., Bergseth, B. et al. Understanding non-compliance in small-scale fisheries: Shark fishing in Myanmar’s MyeikArchipelago. Ambio 50, 572–585 (2021). https://doi-org.eckerd.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s13280-020-01400-1

Sargassum is a species of brown algae that travels the oceans via currents and wind, slowly collecting into island-like structures called mats. Sargassum mats are known for being extremely beneficial to fish populations, due to the fact that they provide coverage, and are a wonderful nursery for juveniles. However, these so-called mats have violently expanded in the past twenty years. This expansion can be directly correlated to the increase in pollution from human activities, specifically the high nitrogen runoff created by an increasing agriculture industry.

There are two main reasons why these mats are posing an increasing dancer for marine ecosystems. First, is that with an increase in the Sargassum population, mats can get so big that they block out sunlight from penetrating into the water. This creates competition for oxygen between the Sargassum and fish causing hypoxia which may eventually lead to anoxia. This extreme coverage and decrease in oxygen levels, can drastically affect the biomass of fish underneath the mats. The second danger caused by these mats is a loss of the fishing industry. Large mats of sargassum can “clog” fishing nets and break boat propellers causing significant decreases in fish landings.

Recently, Roland Ofori and Mark Rouleau published a paper in Marine Policy concerning the impacts of Sargassum on fishery sustainability in Ghana. This study was made possible through the use of Agent-based models (ABM). An ABM is a computer driven simulation that uses inputted data and known facts to predict future outcomes. The ABMs used in this study created a simulation using predicted decisions made by fishermen that expanded across the fisheries of Ghana. The simulation calculated how the decisions fishermen made correspond with different amounts of Sargassum being removed from the sea on a weekly basis.

The study ran five different scenarios of what amount of the total seaweed biomass should remain in the sea each week (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). It was concluded that when 25% of the total biomass of Sargassum remained in the sea, it was the “optimal” amount. At this level, both fish stocks and landings were able to benefit from the Sargassum. Fish biomass stayed relatively stable and the fishing industry was also able to stay afloat.

However, this study also highlights how when studying problems associated with Sargassum, it is not only a scientific question of how much should be spared, but it turns into an ethical one. The study concluded that at the 25% level, optimal growth for fish stocks would be allowed, but this growth only continues to about 2050 before stocks collapse. Even with seaweed removal policies, the fisheries in Ghana are still headed down a path where there is a very foreseeable end point. WIth this, we can see how this study further expands into the ethical issues that arise with overfishing and who/what is really to blame. We are led to consider whether we should be controlling the Sargassum population or controlling the human activities that are leading to the blooms of seaweeds because responsibility has to be held somewhere.

This news piece reports on original research in:

Ofori, R. O., & Rouleau, M. D. (2021). Modeling the impacts of floating seaweeds on fisheries sustainability in Ghana. Marine Policy, 127, 104427–. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104427

Despite increased regulation, many fisheries around the globe are still being overharvested. There are many reasons for this, but the most important reason of all is that the models we have used to estimate fish stocks in the past are flawed. Flawed estimates lead to mismanagement of species, which more often than not results in overfishing.

However, a new model has been developed by Nanda Wijermans and her team. This model considers more factors than previous models have considered. For the past 20 years, fishery models have been ignoring social science aspects of fisheries, writing them off as unknowns. Wijermans and her team took a step in the right direction on June 20th of last year when they published their study, Behavioural diversity in fishing—Towards a next generation of fishery models. This study describes their new model of fisheries, which they have titled Fisher Behavior model, or FIBE.

This model includes not only one or two factors of fisherman and fisherwoman behavior, but all four factors that have been studied by social scientists in the last 20 years. This is one of the first attempts by scientists to bridge the gap between natural science and social science.

The implementation of this model into fisheries management systems promises to bring a better understanding of fish stocks, fishermen, and how the two interact. With better understanding come better regulations.

This new model, FIBE, is the first bridge between the social sciences and the natural sciences in the fishery field. As these two categories of research become increasingly more intertwined, and our fisheries remain healthy and flourishing, we will have Nanda Wijermans and her team of researchers to thank for the abundance of our resources.

One limitation of the FIBE modeling system is that it is a single species model, meaning it only models one species at a time rather than multiple species which interact with one another. Until a multi-species modelling system is developed to estimate our fish stocks using not only natural science data but also social science data, we will not be able to estimate our fish stocks with 100% confidence. However, the FIBE modeling system is a step forward for fisheries managers. This development shows us that the future of our fisheries may not be as dim as we may think.

This news piece reports on original research in:

Wijermans, N, Boonstra, WJ, Orach, K, Hentati‐Sundberg, J, Schlüter, M. Behavioural diversity in fishing—Towards a next generation of fishery models. Fish Fish. 2020; 21: 872– 890. https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12466

By: Tasha McCluhan

Researchers Masakazu Hori and Masaaki Sato with the National Research Institute of Fisheries and the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency recently published a study in the journal Population Ecology which looks at the effects of a decades long seagrass restoration project by local fishers on genetic diversity of restored seagrass beds in the Hinase area of Japan (2021). Coastal pound netting has historically been a significant fishery activity in this area of Japan until increased coastal development during a period of economic growth of the 1980s led to a decline in eelgrass, an important species of seagrass which the fisheries depend on. Subsequently, fishers adapted to the decline in the ecosystems by switching to oyster farming. A cooperative of local fishers has worked together to bring back the seagrass to the area’s historic levels by artificially seeding spots that have sparse populations of this marine plant. The traditional ecological knowledge of the fishers led them to understand that the return of the seagrass would create a better environment for the oysters, and in time, may support pound netting of small fish and shrimp once again. In the decades following this restoration effort, the eelgrass has increased to half of its historic levels, improving the ecosystem services of this area which includes the coastal fisheries. Improvements in coastal management in addition to the seagrass that has been artificially sowed by fishers has led to a drastic improvement in water quality and seagrass cover which has subsequently improved the ecosystem services of the area. This study highlights the success of ecosystem based management and traditional ecological knowledge approaches in recovering fisheries.

Researchers studying this case looked into the genetic diversity of the seagrass, noting that artificially seeding vegetation may alter the natural diversity of the areas and may lead to an anthropogenic change in the ecosystems. By collecting samples of seagrass from the areas that were seeded by fishers and the areas that the seeds were taken from, researchers were able to analyze the genetic diversity by amplifying DNA fragments and looking at 7 microsatellite markers. The variables used by the researchers to analyze the genetic composition of the seagrass beds include clonal richness, allelic richness, observed heterozygosity, and expected heterozygosity. In addition to genetic data obtained from the laboratory, researchers also referenced the records that have been kept by the fishers cooperative which includes data regarding the quantity of seeds dispersed in each area and where the specific seeds came from. The results showed a high clonal richness at each site, and the researchers concluded that genetic diversity of eelgrass is increasing as a result of the seeds being artificially dispersed by local fishers; however, there is no evidence that the new genetic makeup of the beds are unnatural and negatively altered by human interaction. Further studies regarding the specific impacts of the new genetic makeup of these seagrass beds should be considered.

In conclusion, the cooperative effort of local fishers in restoring an ecosystem which their historic fishery has depended upon has yielded success over the past few decades. The combination of an ecosystem based management approach and the implementation of traditional ecological knowledge has led to drastic improvements in the coastal ecosystem and has promoted the return of healthy fish stocks.

This news piece reports on original research in:

Hori, Masakazu and Masaaki Sato. “Genetic Effects of Eelgrass Restoration Efforts by Fishers’ Seeding to Recover Seagrass Beds as an Important Natural Capital for Coastal Ecosystem Services.” Population Ecology 63 (2021):91-101. Available: https://esj-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/1438-390X.12073

By: Thomas Vetter

In the past year researcher Benny Gallaway and colleagues worked with Texas Sea Grant and LGL Ecological Research Associates Inc. to recently publish a study in the journal iScience, which goes into detail about how the shrimping industry within the Gulf of Mexico is responsible for the decline of Red Snapper.

Shrimping has been part of a lot of coastal communities for thousands of years. This industry has changed the way we fish and how much fish we can catch with new industrial ways of catching fish. With using net to catch shrimp you will also end up catching other fish known as, 'bycatch'. Since the 1900s Red Snapper has been a sought after fish within the Gulf of Mexico. Red Snapper prey on shrimp which leaves them vulnerable to trawling, which is how shrimp are caught.

During this study the researchers wanted to look at how much bycatch of red snapper the shrimp industry was contributing to. Throughout the research processes researchers surveyed fishers using snowball sampling, recorded shrimp trawl bycatch, and conducted scientific analyses. These methods helped them get a better understanding of how much red snapper was being affected by the shrimping industry. One big factor that led to more research was that study time was pretty long considering it was from 1990- 2020, which led to more data and change over time through the industries.

The biggest factors that helped save the red fish was the implementation of 2 new amendments that decreased the total catch of red snapper and which also cut down on the shrimping fishing effort by 74%. Both of these ended up helping the red snapper population regrow to a safe number.

In conclusion the researchers were astonished that the shrimping industry wasn't the main problem for the decreasing numbers. When looking at the results the researchers found out that the recreational sector was damaging the population the most. They realized that both Commercial and Shrimping industries stayed within their annual quotas, unlike the recreational industry which went over by 34%. These findings ended up leading to a management review to see what went wrong when implementing those amendments towards the shrimp sector. The big question that came up for me is we see overfishing happen all around the world but could recreational fishing be adding to the problem to the same extent?

This news piece reports on original research in:

Gallaway, J. Benny, Scott W. Raborn, Laura Picariello, Nathan F. Putman. "Changes in Shrimping Effort in the Gulf of Mexico and the Impacts to Red Snapper." iScience, (2020). Available: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2020.101111

Technology created for or utilized by the recreational fisheries sector (consisting of anglers and the recreational fishing industry) has quickly and drastically changed how recreational anglers interact with fisheries resources by providing a variety of services. Such benefits to anglers include an easier time finding and catching fish, the ability to imitate their prey, and accessing new waters. While these are all positive from an angler’s perspective (aside from the cost of technologies), unintended challenges may be brought about for fisheries managers and policy makers that lead to rash management policies as they try to keep pace with technological changes.

Recently, Steven J. Cooke and colleagues published a paper in Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, concerned with how innovative recreational fishing technology is changing how anglers interact with fish, and therefore how recreational fisheries management is executed. In order to ascertain this concern, the researchers combined structured reviews, expert analyses, and descriptive case studies to determine the myriad way that technology influences the practice of recreational fishing, and therefore what that implies for how fisheries and/or technologies must be managed in terms of technology use and sharing of information between anglers.

In the bulk of their article, the researchers review key technological innovations in the recreational fishing sector, noting the application of the technology and then discussing the implications for recreational fisheries governance. The article reviews a wealth of technologies utilized in recreational fishing, including those not normally thought of to be used for such purposes. Such examples include underwater cameras; remotely operated vehicles (ROVs, aerial and aquatic); unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drones; boat-based electronics (such as underwater sonar to provide GPS positioning); hook technology (shapes, sizes, sharpness, and designs of hooks); fish attractants; lure and bait technology; fish care (technologies to promote recovery of captured fish that will be released); social media and online forums (to share information with other anglers); and even smartphones. All of these pose potential threats and opportunities to anglers and management.

For anglers, they have access to a startling amount of technology for a variety of purposes, and most innovations make fishing activity easier or more effective (in terms of catch per time). However, innovation dynamics in recreational fisheries run the risk of creating cultural conflict in angling communities and create group biases, in addition to conflict and power imbalances as later adopters of technology are typically older, more traditional fishermen with more decision-making power in communities.

The traditionally reactive process of recreational fisheries management must become more adaptive in response to the more rapidly-developing technology that influences catch rates and fishing mortality. While there will still be a place for more traditional control methods to regulate these aspects, management must develop as technology does to provide effective local management in real time. While technology can provide significant challenges for fisheries management, benefits include identifying new issues, promoting regulation compliance, and improving enforcement. The vast technological advances in the recreational fishing sector call for natural resource management agencies to pay attention to these innovations, and more swiftly regulate them while taking advantage of their potential to enhance sustainability of recreational fisheries.

This news piece reports on original research in:

Cooke, Steven J., Paul Venturelli, William M. Twardek, Robert J. Lennox, Jacob W. Brownscombe, Christian Skov, Kieran Hyder, Cory D. Suski, Ben K. Diggles, Robert Arlinghaus and Andy J. Danylchuk. “Technological innovations in the recreational fishing sector: implications for fisheries management and policy.” Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries (2021). Available: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-021-09643-1

Australia used to have a very strong fishery and peaked in production in 2004/05 but has experienced a decline around the years of 2014-17. Therefore, researchers have conducted the first national fishery production analysis to estimate about potential increase to the current size of the fisheries. Workshops were held by the eight different management jurisdictions to agree on the methods and approaches to calculating the maximum sustainable yield (MSY). The obtaining of the MSY for fishery production from each region provides the ability to determine the possibility to increase economic revenue at a sustainable rate. Australia's fishery production can be categorized into three different sectors including commercial market, indigenous fishing, and recreational fishing. Surprisingly, recreational fishing matches or even surpasses the amount of catch from inshore areas.

Research proved that there is the potential to increase the production from fisheries along the waters of Australia. Overall, this study provides that there is the opportunity for Australia moving away from high fish product imports towards higher food security and improved food self-sufficiency. One aspect of Australian fisheries that shows the greatest potential is small pelagic species such as Australian sardines, blue mackerel, and jack mackerel. Pelagic species were estimated to be able to have a nearly 80% more harvestable population size, some species more than others. Despite the finding that showed production could be greatly increased overall, higher for some species than others, there are still problems that must be addressed before any new management practices are implemented. Some of the problems that must be addressed include the threat of climate change and the interactions of species or fishing equipment.

Evidence proving that there is the possibility of increasing the production from fisheries serves as a point for future discussion and more research to determine the options for future management. Australia has been changing the management of its national waters over the past decade towards a more sustainable model. The Australian fishery industry and the fishery economy could shift towards supporting the local communities and promotion of local food production if total production could be increased to allow more fish landings per year. This could help create more jobs and bring about a revitalization of the fishing industry of Australia as it doesn't stand as one of largest fishing nations around the world, but very small in comparison to other nations.

Research studies such as this one begin the conversation about how society should efficiently manage the environment while still satisfying the needs of society itself. Increased wild caught but local fish could mean that Australia could spend less of importing fish products and instead begin to create a sustainable fishery that still meets the demand. Further research is required to fully apply the findings from this study as mentioned by the study, to determine the market demand for this shift in the industry and a estimation of the economic benefits that would come from this type of management.

The original study can be found here:

David C. Smith, Malcolm Haddon, André E. Punt, Caleb Gardner L., Richard Little, Stephen Mayfield, Michael F. O’Neill, Thor Saunders, John Stewart, Brent Wise, Elizabeth A. Fulton, Simon Conron. (2021) Evaluating the potential for an increased and sustainable commercial fisheries production across multiple jurisdictions and diverse fisheries. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104353

Limited entry into Alaskan salmon fisheries is hurting small communities in Bristol Bay where local permit holdings have declined 50% since 1975. Recent research by Rachel Donkersloot and Colleagues published in Marine Policy has investigated how and why management is impacting fishers in Bristol Bay. The scientists explain that fishery privatization is an economic tool that is designed based on the assumption that fishermen are independent and want to get as much money as they can. Individual transferable quotas and limited entry into the fishery is meant to prevent the tragedy of the commons that often occurs when fishermen are motivated by self interest. This way of managing fisheries ignores the community interdependence in small rural towns.

There are four bristol bay communities included in this study. They are Togiak, Dillingham, Kokhanok, and the Bristol Bay Borough which includes Naknek, South Naknek, and King Salmon. The population's range from 2314 to 64 residents. About 70% of the people in the region identify as Alaska Native and one third of the population lives below the poverty line. 60% of the self-employment income in the region is from sockeye salmon harvest. Local permit holdings continue to decrease and the researchers interviewed 61 participants from the region to understand the ways fishing management is impacting them.

The research found that high entry costs and the complicated application process with inadequate outreach to rural communities made it difficult for many people in Bristol Bay to get a permit. The application process assumed that fishing businesses were individually run and fished full time for the whole season. This is not the reality for many salmon fishermen in Bristol Bay. Cultural and language barriers as well as lack of experience with debt and financial management meant that the limited entry system had disproportionate negative impacts on rural and native fishing communities.

One thing being done to help these communities is Community Development Quota (CDQ) programs. There are six in Western Alaska and Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation (BBEDC) is a CDQ helping the rural Bristol Bay community. CDQ programs are allocated 7.5 to 10% of quotas for groundfish, halibut and crab in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. They invest some of the earnings from these fisheries into programs to help the locals. BBEDC launched a permit loan program in 2008 that provides Bristol Bay residents an easier way to get fishing permits. The program offers down payment assistance, mandatory financial and business counselling, grants for equipment, and loan guarantee. By the end of 2019, 60 Bristol Bay residents had gotten permits with BBEDC.

Even with CDQ programs getting permits can be out of reach for residents who are financially struggling. The program helps people who can eventually pay the loan back, not necessarily the people that need it the most. There are still many challenges to getting the permits and the result is a continuing loss of permits in the local community. On average the region loses 17 permits a year and BBEDC is able to get five to seven permits back into the community a year. More needs to be done with fishing management to make fisheries accessible to small, rural, and native communities.

This news piece reports on original research in:

Rachel Donkersloot, Jesse Coleman, Courtney Carothers, Danielle Ringer, and Paula Cullenberg. “Kin, community, and diverse rural economies: Rethinking resource governance for Alaska rural fisheries.” Marine Policy 117, (2020): 103966. Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X19300910?via%3Dihub

Silver eel populations in Europe have been declining since the 1970’s. Recently, Olvin Alior van Keeken has published a paper in Fisheries Management and Ecology investigating whether man-made structures might play a role in this.

Silver eels must swim from inland to the sea in order to spawn. When they come across man-made obstructions such as dams or pumping stations they can become delayed which can result in higher predation rates, disease, and depletion of energy sources. If they are too delayed they may miss their chance to spawn. In order to see if pumping stations were delaying eels, van Keeken created a study looking at the migration of eels through three pumping stations.

These pumping stations were Miedema, Ropta, and Schalsum in Friesland, Netherlands. In order to see the migrations, van Keeken collected 93 eels. He then inserted recievers into them and placed transmitters 220-280 m upstream of the pumping stations, 5-10 m upstream the pumping stations, and 10-20 m downstream the pumping stations. Along with a receiver at both Harlingen and Dokkumer Nieuwe Zijlen, where eels from Schalsum exit to the Wadden sea. Then 31 eels were released over 1000 m upstream of each site. They recorded when the eels came within proximity of the transmitters in order to know if the pumping stations were delaying the eel migration.

They found that 89% of the eels had passed through the pumping stations. Most passed through within the day that they arrived at the stations and during the first possible pumping event. They also found more eels passed through when the water was higher, likely due to the current moving eels faster downstream and the pumping events lasting longer. The lowest rate of eel passage was at Miedema and it was unclear as to why. More research needs to be done to determine the direct survival rate of eels after passing the pumping stations. Eels that were dead could have been recorded drifting past recievers in the currents.

Few eels were delayed passing through the pump stations and most passed meaning blockage is not a major factor to correct for in population models. Installing fish-freindly pumps and fish passages would help eel pass through man-made blockages with less delay. These can be costly and it is not plausible to create them for the thousands of pumping stations in the Netherlands. Prioritizing the sights by degree of passage and mortality rates could help determine which sites should receive these fish-friendly pumps and passages.

This news piece reports on original research in:

van Keeken, Olvin Alior, Ralf van Hal, Hendrik Volken Winter, Tony Wilkes, Arie Benjamin Griffioen. “Migration of silver eel, Anguilla anguilla, through three water pumping stations in The Netherlands.” Fisheries Management Ecology, 28, no. 1 (2020) 76–90. Available: https://doi.org/10.1111/fme.12457

In the modern world, China dominates the aquaculture industry. The country exports more seafood than any other, and of that product, around 73% is bred and farmed. In the past few years, it has gained a reputation as an aquaculture powerhouse. However, the production of some species is still reliant on the ocean. Chief among these wild foods is the Zhinkong scallop. Unlike the three other scallops produced by China, the Zhinkong is collected from the ocean when they are roughly the size of a pea, during the life stage known as the spat. The molluscs are then kept in nets suspended in the ocean where they are raised until of proper size, in a process known as mariculture. Spat collecting is, for many, a full-time job and an essential source of income. And with most of the world’s scallops coming from China, these collectors offer a vital source for the industry.

However, recent legislation has made the rearing of Zhinkong scallops nearly impossible. As of a few years ago, local government decided to ban all forms of traditional mariculture in favor of preserving the aesthetics of coastlines for tourism. This ban includes spat collecting. While this does not directly prevent farmers from raising Zhinkong scallop, it cuts out the source for young spat. Despite the implications for the industry and the livelihoods of people, there has been little to no publications on the effects of the ban. That it, until a group of researchers led by Lance Yu conducted a series of interviews with spat collectors and scallop farmers. Just this year, they published their findings: the ban, while recent, has had a dramatic effect on the Zhinkong industry. Since its passing, the annual spat harvest has reduced by half, with a similar reduction of collectors. With the main source no longer legal, many have abandoned the industry and sought new jobs, putting many who once depended on the spat under financial stress. And the cost of replacing lost wild spat with captive bred scallops? According to their publication, this would cost eighteen million dollars yearly under ideal conditions. With Zhinkong scallops, conditions are far from ideal; while there have been significant technological strides in aquaculturing scallops, the species tends to have low spawning rates and high mortality. Unfortunately, it seems as though the most likely means of saving the Zhinkong scallop industry is to lift the ban.

While the government has stated that the ban is to keep coastlines cleaner and support tourism, the researchers state in their article that abandoned spat facilities are typically taken over by new industries rather than being left alone. Rather than cleaning up the coast, this only serves to displace spat collectors and introduce other businesses. As this has continued, what facilities are left have had to fight for their space, and they’re losing; Lance Yu and the other scientists found that, while inflation has quintupled since 1984, the price of molluscs in China has only risen 25%. With such low profits, its no wonder spat collectors and scallop farmers can’t compete.

Going forward, the Chinese government has to update their management strategy. While artificial breeding should be worked on as a potential alternative, forcing spat collectors out of their livelihood while ushering in other industries does little to solve much.

Yu, L., Ma, L., Lam, V., Guan, X., Zhao, Y., Wang, S., Mu, Y., & Sumaila, R. (2021). Local marine policy whacking the national Zhikong scallop fishery. Marine Polcy. 124, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104352

The ever growing global demand seafood is responsible for employing millions around the world. While these fisheries provide jobs to so many people, there are those who are often forgotten by the industry and left vulnerable to abuse and mistreatment. Migrant fish workers in Asian countries have been identified as a group that is particularly vulnerable to these detrimental effects of the industry. The coronavirus outbreak led to a pandemic that has disproportionately affected migrant fish workers in Asia. Government guidelines and restrictions affect this group of essential workers in key ways that affect the management of the fisheries as a whole.

A study by Dr. Melissa Marschke and her colleagues set out to observe the effects of COVID-19 on already vulnerable populations of migrant fish workers. Using news reports, informant interviews, and data from NGO’s , Dr. Marschke identified three main areas that the COVID-19 pandemic would effect migrant fish workers in Thailand and Taiwan. Her team identified the destabilization of the seafood system, travel restrictions, and access to emergency healthcare and financial support as the three main areas of the fishery workers that would be affected by COVID-19. Destabilization refers to drastic changes in seafood needs and the effect that it had on the market. Travel restrictions stranded migrant workers away from their countries and limited their access to find ways to make a living. Emergency healthcare is less available to migrant fish workers due to their legal and financial status.

Migrant fish workers were already considered vulnerable to abuse and mistreatment prior to the pandemic. Thai Migrant Workers come from Myanmar and Cambodia. Taiwan’s Migrant Workers come from Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam. So many of these workers were stranded in foreign ports, leaving them susceptible to health and financial concerns. Unlike other industries that found ways to adapt to coronavirus restrictions, fisheries struggled to find ways to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Many seafood plants were forced to close while many more migrant workers lost their livelihoods. COVID-19 mitigation restrictions are almost impossible to implement or enforce at sea, and PPE are rarely worn due to the strenuous nature of fisheries jobs.

Moving forward, the study argues that the coronavirus pandemic, despite the horrors that migrant fish workers are enduring, sheds light and awareness on the issue as a whole. The current plight of migrant fish workers could lead to opportunities to advocate for better working conditions in the post-pandemic world. This has major impacts on governance and management of the fisheries themselves. By understanding the struggles caused by COVID on migrant fish workers, policymakers can amend regulations to be more realistic and more firring for the post-pandemic world. Lasting attention to this cause would ensure fishery management to be more ethical and more effective.

This news piece reports on original research in:

Marschke, M., Vandergeest, P., Havice, E., Kadfak, A., Duker, P., Isopescu, I., & MacDonnell, M. (2021). COVID-19, instability and migrant fish workers in Asia. Maritime Studies, 20(1), 87–99. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-020-00205-y

Inland fisheries are pivotal for many socially, economically, and nutritionally vulnerable populations around the world. Communities depend heavily on the success of these small-scale fisheries in order to survive. Sri Lanka in particular is home to over 206,000 ha of reservoirs that provide a source of food and income to many rural fishing communities. Recently, these reservoirs have taken on new practices, Culture Based Fisheries, to help increase productivity in these small scale fisheries.

Within this past year, K.B. Chandrani Pushpalatha and colleagues published a paper in Fisheries Management & Ecology that discovered the benefits of culture based fisheries (CBF) in five of Sri Lanka reservoirs. Calculating data on the production trends and technical efficiency levels in these reservoirs to see if culture based fisheries practices are indeed doing their job.

The five reservoirs the research was conducted on included: Amparawewa, Hambeganmuwa, Jayanthiwewa, Senanayake Samurda, and Urusitawewa reservoir. Majority of their study focused on comparing the stock abundances of each reservoir prior to the incision of culture based fisheries (2003) and after these practices were applied 2009-20180. The entire span of data looked at in their research stretched from the year 2000 up until 2018. Specifically, the researchers wanted to see if there were significant trends in data once culture based fisheries were enacted, so they focused on comparing data of the two different time periods. Researchers looked at the list of species stocked in the different reservoirs and the mean stocking weight. In addition to stock abundance levels of species, they assessed technical efficiencies, which include things like income, meeting attendance levels, number of fishers, and number of fishing days per year, etc.

Results from this research displayed some very significant trends in these reservoirs due to culture based fisheries. Research found that in all five reservoirs mean annual fish production increased immensely per species. In addition to production and abundance levels rising, the mean annual income per fisher increased greatly. Which is a huge win for the surrounding communities that depend on these reservoirs.

This research provides significant evidence in supporting the idea that culture based fisheries strategies help to increase inland fish production in reservoirs. Rural communities can benefit through well established culture based fisheries in terms of increased livelihood opportunities, enhanced income, better living standards and strengthened rural economies. Going forward with the management of small-scale fisheries, like these reservoirs in Sri Lanka, culture based fisheries can be a very positive and important tool to use in effective management.

This news piece reports an original research in:

Pushpalatha, K. B., Kularatne, M. G., Chandrasoma, J., & Amarasinghe, U. S. (2020). Production trends and technical efficiencies of culture‐based fisheries in five tropical irrigation reservoirs: A case study from Sri Lanka. Fisheries Management and Ecology, 28(2), 112–125. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/fme.12460

Mangroves are important for coastal communities due to providing livelihoods and habitats for marine organisms. However, there has been a frequent increase of deforestation of mangroves. Nations that are reliant on fish as a source of protein and most vulnerable to micronutrient malnutrition have large numbers of small-scale fishers and mangrove population. The objective is to determine key drivers of fishing intensity in mangrove regions globally and address the gaps by developing a global model of mangrove associate fisher numbers and mangrove fishing intensity.

Drivers of small-scale fisheries in mangrove habitats were identified through a three-round Delphi process. The Delphi technique used three rounds of structured online surveys from selected participants. The first round was an open ended survey to rank a list of the twenty most important factors determining the volume of fish and invertebrate catch. A total of 46 factors were established. The second round identified which type of mangrove fisheries the participants were most familiar with and then had them score the factors in relation to that fishery type. A conceptual model of mangrove fishing intensity was built using these factors. Factors such as climate change or factors that influenced density of fish were excluded. The third round was used to clarify previous rounds and participants were to re-score the remaining factors for the same questions as previous rounds and what factors were relevant to the objective. Only four factors were deemed useful to make a global model out of sixteen factors.

The global map of mangrove fishing intensity shows the estimated the number of small scale mangrove fishers participating in in-mangrove, near-shore subsistence and near-shore commercial fisheries is 4.1 million across 109 countries and territories. The largest number of mangrove fishers were found in Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Brazil. Factors used to create the global model were non-urban population, distance to market, distance to mangroves and other fishing grounds, and storm events.

More research on fisheries supported by mangroves could stimulate improved fisheries management and mangrove rehabilitation. Mangrove forests provide many ecosystem services to the coastal communities and global communities. Therefore, if more research is done fisheries management practices might become more efficient and sustainable if mangrove conservation is increased.

This news piece reports on original research:

Philine S.E. zu Ermgassen, Nibedita Mukherjee, Thomas A. Worthington, Alejandro Acosta, Ana Rosa da Rocha Araujo, Christine M. Beitl, Gustavo A. Castellanos-Galindo, Marília Cunha-Lignon, Farid Dahdouh-Guebas, Karen Diele, Cara L. Parrett, Patrick G. Dwyer, Jonathan R. Gair, Andrew Frederick Johnson, Baraka Kuguru, Aaron Savio Lobo, Neil R. Loneragan, Kate Longley-Wood, Jocemar Tomasino Mendonça, Jan-Olaf Meynecke, Roland Nathan Mandal, Cosmas Nzaka Munga, Borja G. Reguero, Patrik Rönnbäck, Julia Thorley, Matthias Wolff, Mark Spalding (2021). Fishers who rely on mangroves: Modelling and mapping the global intensity of mangrove-associated fisheries. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Volume 248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2020.107159.

By: Nikolai Clay

There are significant challenges to monitoring recreational fishing due to many factors of management and lack of recreational data. Therefore, this has led to some negative impacts due to the lack of data collected from recreational fishermen. With this lack of data, there is a poor representation, assessment, and management of some marine fisheries. Harming the sustainability of these marine fisheries. With a goal of estimating the catch per unit effort, methods such as onsite surveys and mail surveys could no longer be the only thing to guide recreational fishing management. Smartphones could be used as a new tool to provide recent voluntary data, augmenting past surveys to give more data to properly manage certain fisheries. Apps such as Fishbrain, Fishidy, and FishFriender allow fisherman to post their catch with specific sizes and species according to the location. With millions of users around the globe, spatiotemporal data and data on recreational fishermen's behavior can be recorded on a local scale as well as larger ones. Now local recreational fishermen could potentially assist in data collection for future management plans for certain fisheries (Skov et al., 2021).

This study was motivated by the growing use of these apps and wanted to test their relevance and usability to see if government agencies need or should coordinate with these apps to better manage fisheries. They collected expert opinions from 20 countries, regarding the potential of apps for data collection from marine recreational fisheries. As well as identifying barriers and research needs for the use of fishing apps. This study surveyed more than 75 key individuals from Ph.D. students to senior advisors all a part of the International Council for Exploration of the Sea and Working Group on Recreational Fisheries Surveys. The responses to the app awareness questions were pooled together according to the country with averaged responses as well as given a number value of 1-3, 1 being less than 2 years in the fisheries field, 2 being 2-5 years in the field, and 3 being more than five years in the field (Skov et al., 2021).

Most questions were related to awareness of these apps as well as the likelihood of the data from these apps to be used for fisheries management in their country. They also asked how relevant this app data was compared to other surveys. There were other questions regarding barriers to these apps and the research necessity for the data these apps collect like size of the fish, location, effort, and other human aspects. They discovered that nearly 70% of the participants believed that app data would support marine recreational fisheries. However, the other respondents thought the apps were not yet fully situated and would need at least 5 years of data to notice any significant traits. Others thought they wouldn’t be helpful because the data would be too limited to certain species and locations. Also, they don’t trust the quality of the apps due to a lack of comparative studies that research the variation between the traditional methods and these apps. However, most countries acknowledged that data is better than no data and could have a place given more time. Giving recreational fishermen a chance to participate in data collection (Skov et al., 2021).

Work Cited: APA

Skov, C., Hyder, K., Gundelund, C., Ahvonen, A., Baudrier, J., Borch, T., deCarvalho, S., Erzini, K., Ferter, K., & Grati, F. (2021). Expert opinion on using angler Smartphone apps to inform marine fisheries management: status, prospects, and needs. ICES Journal of Marine Science, fsaa243.

In August of 2020, Merdeka Agus Saputra published an article in the Maritime Studies Journal on the illegal crustacean fishing in Indonesia. In the article “Moving within and beyond illegal crustacean fishery: why do Indonesian fishermen not comply with the crustacean catch ban rule?” he explains the current predicament going in in Indonesia, specifically in the Banyuwangi district. The Indonesian government made a crustacean catch prohibition in 2015 in response to dramatically declining crustacean populations. The crustacean catch prohibition banned the catch of crustaceans under 200g, and egg bearing crustaceans, along with the use of trawl fishing gears and dynamite. After the ban, they still saw lots of illegal fishing, despite their best efforts to stop it and help the populations recover.

Due to this continued illegal fishing problem they wanted to find the root cause of why the fishermen continued to break the law. They used social practice theory, which focuses on practices and how they are established, as opposed to perceptions and attitudes. There are three elements to social practice theory: meaning (sense of purpose), material (physical gains), and competence (skills and know-how). They found that all of the practices in the supply chain, from fishermen, to processors, to consumers, were exploiting the crustacean resource, and were motivated by those three elements. This meant they all existed interdependently, and that influenced the structure and persistence of the illegal fishing problem.

To find out more details, they did semi-formal interviews with fishermen, asking them if they understood the ban, if they broke the rules, and why. They found out that most of the fishermen understood it but disobeyed it anyways. Many of them said it was because the rules were contradictory, that the ban didn’t leave any crustaceans acceptable to fish, some said the banned crustaceans wouldn’t survive in the wild anyways, so it was just hurting fishers financially. Others said they had to keep fishing them because of a loan system within the fishing supply chain, the fishers would get loans from the middlemen in order to pay for fishing supplies, and they would pay them back in discounted illegal crustaceans. This led to a never-ending cycle where they were always in debt and had to keep fishing. They also found that the fishers and processors and sellers all changed their methods to get around the rules. They found ways to keep fishing for the banned crustaceans, and then processed them in a way that they could deny breaking the law, taking out the eggs from the crabs for example.

Overall, the business relationships and intertwined nature of the fishing industry led to normalized illegal fishing. This was also a global problem, due to the entrance of the international market, the demand for the illegal crustaceans increased greatly, which amplified the need for illegal fishing and kept it going even after the ban. In the end, they found that the global markets took advantage of the nature of this small-scale fishery and used their purchasing power to get them to exploit their own resources. The main role in the continued overfishing of crustaceans was due to the culturally accepted, established practices combined with the financial hardship of the fishers and influence of the global market. The researcher argues that in order to solve these illegal fishing problems, they need to enact change at every level in the supply chain.

This news piece reports on original research in:

Saputra, M.A. Moving within and beyond illegal crustacean fishery: why do Indonesian fishermen not comply with the crustacean catch ban rule?. Maritime Studies 19, 457–473 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-020-00194-y

By Joelle Clayborne

Modern Slavery is a term that encompasses when someone is coerced, exploited or threatened into forced labor, human trafficking, and other forms of unwilling imprisonment. In fisheries, forced labor and human trafficking are commonplace in many coastal developing nations. Due to the increased demand of fish, increase fishing laws and decrease in stock, many people are exploiting workers to temporarily increase profit. By cutting labor expenses, the companies come out on top financially. This greed presents itself in wage, but also in employee working conditions. Many times, employees are working in poor conditions, with little or no breaks. They can be physically assaulted and, in some cases,, killed. In some instances, these employees can be imprisoned on ships for months or years without pay when the ships are resupplying or offloading. On occasion, when the ship is involved in legal or business deals, the workers are not being paid while those ships are on hold.

There have been many offered solutions to this issue of greed. Some suggest that management negligence is the reason for the large number of exploited workers, an estimated 40.3 million globally (Migran info, 2019), and that remedying law enforcement and supervision would drastically cut the rates. Another offered solution is increase social welfare, for poor communities. Guaranteed benefits including minimum wage, minimum age, and guaranteed breaks would be put into law and enforced. Even further, country wide goals to increase education levels, and reduce poverty would assist in helping people avoid being taken advantage of or resort to such work to feed their families.

This problem of exploitation has huge implications to fisheries managers, commercial fisherman and recreational fisherman alike. This a world problem that involves everyone. Not only is a human rights violation that deserves the empathy of all, but an environmental disaster as well. When unregulated fishing takes place, it is under the nose of those mitigating fish stock and ecosystem health. If a fish stock is protected, or there is regulation that makes it illegal to fish past a certain quota, these illegal fishing habits are not being counted and therefore the stock is being overfished. This hinders economic development in the long run, despite the initial intent of increased profit.

Much attention needs to be raised on the human rights, environmental and economic disaster brewing in our seas.

Original Research by: Yuliantiningsih, A. MODERN SLAVERY IN FISHING INDUSTRY: THE NEED TO STRENGTHEN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION. Yustisia Jurnal Hukum, 10(1), 1-15.

New research is providing a road map for the Nuxalk Nation to manage one of its most important resources – the eulachon fish. This fish has been a vital food source for the Nuxalk people for thousands of years, but changes in the environment and fishing technology have caused a significant decline in its population. The decline, which started in the 1990s, has reached such levels that the Nuxalk people can no longer harvest the fish for subsistence.

Recently published research in the fisheries journal Marine Policy, examined how indigenous management authority can be strengthened in the Nuxalk Nation in order to sustainably manage eulachon for the future. Eulachon, also known as candlefish, are found from northern California to Alaska. The Nuxalk Nation inhabit the central coast of British Columbia and live in an area now known as Bella Coola.

Currently, de facto management exists in the Nuxalk Nation, which means that someone who has not been designated as a manager still has complete authority over a system. This creates complications because Nuxalk people have jurisdiction in the territory. With support from community members, Nuxalk people are seeking to reclaim their rights to lands and waters through local management authority.

Lead researcher Rachelle Beveridge and colleagues spent four years interviewing and conversing with almost 180 Nuxalt individuals. They created the Sputc Project, engaging community members and documenting Nuxalk knowledge about the management of the eulachon. Researchers interviewed men and women of all ages for this study, but they focused mostly on older adults. Because of the scarcity of the eulachon in recent times, children and young adults have little to no experience with the fish.

This project will allow Nuxalk leaders to strengthen management authority in their territory and enable the documentation of knowledge and representation of Nuxalk members in the community. The results of the research upheld Nuxalk management and governance practices and, as a result, it allows the Nuxalk people to initiate authority within the community and act on their own management priorities. In the end the Sputc project resulted in a 172-page book called the Eulachon Book, noteworthy because it does not include any Western science or knowledge.

Other indigenous people will benefit from this research. It will help show them how to manage and regain control of their ancestral lands by using their own knowledge. The Nuxalk themselves see this as a model for such future environmental projects such as the management of salmon and wildlife.

This news piece reports on original research in:

Rachelle Beveridge, Megan Moody, Grant Murray, Chris Darimont, and Bernie Pauly. “The Nuxalk Sputc (Eulachon) Project: Strengthening Indigenous management authority through community-driven research.” Marine Policy, no. 119 (2020): 103971. Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X19304506

In Melanesia, a region located in the South Pacific Ocean consists of roughly 2,000 islands and 12 million residents. Melanesia, as a region, is very dependent on the fish needed to sustain a healthy population. It is predicted that as the population grows over the next 20 years, there will be a demand for roughly 100,000 additional tons of seafood needed. In January of 2021, there was an article published in Marine Policy Journal titled Exploring gender inclusion in small-scale fisheries management and development in Melanesia. The objective of this study was to explore and understand the gender approaches that are being used, barriers of successful implementation and the need for gender equitable outcomes for small-scale fisheries.

Around half of the annual catch within the Pacific is from women. Within small scale fisheries, women make up 47% of the labor force in or 56 million women total. In the Pacific women's annual catch is roughly 2.9 million tons which is equal to 5.6 billion USD. Even though women are an important and crucial part of our economy, there are gender norms that surround women working in these fisheries in the Pacific. This is because these women's contributions are often unpaid, part-time and seen as part of extra household duties. The main purpose of this study is to analyze gender inclusion because it is a vital part of the survival of fisheries outcomes.

The authors of this paper Conducted in three Melanesian countries – Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. In these countries it is said that women provide a disproportionate contribution, roughly 80%, of seafood catch. They conducted 68 interviews, 39 women and 29 men during August 2018 and February 2019. It was found that roughly 52.9% of the people interviewed believed that gender was poorly institutionalized within their organization. 19.1% of the people who were interviewed said that there was insufficient data and evidence to make a strong case for gender inclusion in their work. Finally, 5.9% of the people interviewed believed that gender inclusion came down to legislation and policies enforced by the government.

In our minds, it may be a shock that women are employed in this field in this sort of magnitude. Fishing can be a 'stereotypical' man's job. Women deserve the same rights and opportunities as men. The way to do that is focus on gender inclusion. This will ensure the success of small scale fisheries at any corner of the world.

This news piece reports on original research

• Mangubhai, S., & Lawless, S. (2020, November 13). Exploring gender inclusion in Small-scale FISHERIES management and development in Melanesia. Retrieved April 04, 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X20309337