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Effective and sustainable management of small-scale fisheries (SSF) is challenging. We describe a novel approach to identify important fishing grounds for SSF, by implementing a habitat modelling approach, using environmental predictors and Automatic Identification System (AIS)-B data coupled with logbook and First Sales Notes data, within the SE Bay of Biscay. Fishing activity patterns and catches of longliners and netters are used to determine the main environmental characteristics of the fishing grounds, and a habitat modelling approach is implemented to predict the zones that fulfil similar environmental characteristics across a larger geographical extent. Generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs) were built for 24 fish species, and to identify other zones that fulfil similar characteristics and, thus, could be considered relevant for the species targeted by each gear type. Most of the models showed a good prediction capacity. The models included between one and four predictor variables. 'Depth of mixing layer' and 'benthic rocky habitat' were the variables included more frequently for fish species captured by netter's fleet. For longliners, the 'seafloor slope' and 'benthic rocky habitat' were the two most important variables. The predictive maps provide relevant information to assist in management and marine spatial planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This is the first study to investigate the spatial distribution and population structure of the tub gurnard (Chelidonichthys lucerna) in different regions of the northeast Atlantic. To analyze fish body shape, a morphometry-based method, which helps identify variations in fish body shape that may exist due to genetic factors or environmental adaptability, was used. This study relied on C. lucerna individuals captured in the following three fishing areas: Conwy Bay (United Kingdom), Biscay Bay (Spain) and Matosinhos (Portugal). The findings indicate the existence of significant regional differences in fish bodies, thus highlighting the existence of distinct fish populations in the three regions. Results also suggest that the Spanish and British populations may inhabit similar habitats, as some similarities in body shape were found. To confirm these findings, we recommend future research using a holistic approach with alternative and complimentary stock assessment tools. The study of geometric morphometrics among stocks has proven to be a valuable tool in delineating fish spatial distributions and discriminating distinct population units. Variations in fish body morphology can be linked to genetic factors or to phenotypic adaptability in response to environmental variables. The tub gurnard (Chelidonichthys lucerna) is a demersal species that usually lives in the bottom of the continental shelf, being widely distributed along the northeast Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black seas. Worldwide interest in the species has increased since 2006, when ICES recognized its potential for commercial exploitation. However, despite its broad geographic occurrence, to date, research on C. lucerna population structure at large spatial scales is still lacking. In this paper, body geometric morphometrics, using a landmark-based truss network, was applied in order to discriminate C. lucerna populations caught in three different fishery grounds areas along the northeast Atlantic: Conwy Bay (United Kingdom), Biscay Bay (Spain) and Matosinhos (Portugal). The results obtained in this study revealed a high overall relocation success (95%) of samples to their original locations, thus demonstrating the existence of significant regional differences and indicating that we are dealing with different fish population units. Moreover, the data revealed a partial overlap between individuals from Spain and United Kingdom, suggesting that in geographically distant areas these populations may inhabit similar environments. However, to corroborate these findings, future works using a holistic approach with alternative and complimentary stock assessment tools (e.g., genetic and phenotypic natural tags) are highly recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fishery bycatch is a serious threat to several protected, endangered, and threatened species (PETs), requiring urgent action to develop and implement conservation measures. This study performs an Ecological Risk Assessment for the Effects of Fishing (ERAEF) using a spatially and temporally Productivity–Susceptibility Analysis (PSA) to calculate the potential risk to great shearwaters (Ardenna gravis) from direct interaction with the metiers of the artisanal tuna fishing fleet at the Bay of Biscay (baitboats and trollers). The PSA incorporates productivity attributes based on the Fecundity Factor Index; and susceptibility attributes calculated from the species spatio-temporal abundance patterns obtained developing density surface models and distribution and intensity of fishing activity based on pooled Vessel Monitoring System and logbook data. The PSA shows an overall moderate risk to great shearwaters by the artisanal tuna fishery also revealing that baitboats are less risky than trollers (risk score of 3.12 ± 0.09 and 2.70 ± 0.05, respectively). Spatially, the likelihood of presence of high potential risk areas was associated with prey availability for both the PET and the commercial fish species. The systematic, repeatable, and standardized ERAEF followed in this study can be used to advice for ecosystem-based fisheries management to improve management measures for reducing bycatch of PETs around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recreational fishing (RF) is a large yet undervalued component of fisheries globally. While progress has been made in monitoring, assessing, and managing the sector in isolation, integration of RF into the management of multi‐sector fisheries has been limited, particularly relative to the commercial sector. This marginalises recreational fishers and reduces the likelihood of achieving the sector's objectives and, more broadly, achieving fisheries sustainability. We examined the nature and extent of RF inclusion in harvest strategies (HSs) for marine fisheries across 15 regions in 11 nations to define the gap in inclusion that has developed between sectors. We focused on high‐income nations with a high level of RF governance and used a questionnaire to elicit expert knowledge on HSs due to the paucity of published documents. In total, 339 HSs were considered. We found that RF inclusion in HSs was more similar to the small‐scale sector (i.e., artisanal, cultural, or subsistence) than the commercial sector, with explicit operational objectives, data collection, performance indicators, reference points, and management controls lacking in many regions. Where specified, RF objectives focused on sustainability, economic value and catch allocation rather than directly relating to the recreational fishing experience. Conflicts with other sectors included competition with the commercial sector for limited resources, highlighting the importance of equitable resource allocation policies alongside HSs. We propose that RF be explicitly incorporated into HSs to ensure fisheries are ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable, and we recommend that fisheries organisations urgently review HSs for marine fisheries with a recreational component to close the harvest strategy gap among sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most relevant information gaps in worldwide fisheries is related to the origin and consequences of the gender gap. Recreational fisheries show a remarkable gender gap, which has been especially poorly addressed in the scientific literature. In 2021, the Spanish Working Group on Marine Recreational Fishing (MRF) developed a broad diagnosis on the participation of women in MRF and agreed on a roadmap to address negative impacts derived from the gender gap. The network experts concluded that there is an urgent need to include the gender gap in the agendas of scientists, fishery managers, policy-makers, stakeholder organizations, and civil society. There is a need to better understand the gender-related socio-ecological impacts of MRF to improve fisheries governance and to develop policies and initiatives that facilitate the full access of women to the benefits derived from the practice of MRF. Establishing economic incentives, increasing the visibility of female success references, developing fishing-related programs specifically designed for girls, and promoting the perception of MRF as a family leisure activity in contact with nature will increase women's engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine recreational fishing (MRF) is a popular activity that involves millions of people worldwide. While the impacts of recreational fishing on freshwater ecosystems received increasing attention in recent decades, the consequences of MRF on marine fish and ecosystems are largely unstudied. MRF takes place mainly in coastal areas where most of its impacts concentrate. This review identified and ranked the activities and potential risks associated with MRF using a risk assessment matrix based on ecological and fisheries-related literature. The majority of the impacts were rated to be of minor importance (impacts that occur locally, are reversible, and comparably easy to manage on local scales). Three impacts were ranked as high-risk impacts (severe impacts that are difficult to reverse and to manage, and that may require management measures on a broad spatial scale): (1) the direct and indirect impacts of high and selective fishing mortality (truncation of the natural age and size structure, depensatory mechanisms, loss of genetic variability, evolutionary changes, and food web changes) because they potentially contribute to the decline of fish stocks and undermine biodiversity and ecological resilience, (2) the use of live bait organisms that originate from water bodies elsewhere because released or lost live bait organisms potentially impact the genetic, species, and ultimately ecosystem diversity, and (3) the loss of lead containing fishing tackle that potentially causes environmental contamination. The separation of MRF-induced impacts from other anthropogenic impacts is difficult and the impacts vary according to country-specific fishing practices, legislation, and cultural backgrounds. It can nonetheless be concluded that MRF can impact fish populations and coastal environments. In particular, the high-risk impacts require further investigations as information on their effects on marine fish stocks and ecosystems are generally sparse. Finally, the review outlines management implications for sustainable marine recreational fisheries that match the temporal and spatial scale of both the marine environment affected and the recreational fishing effort and proposes areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine recreational fishing (MRF) has been shown to substantially contribute to fishing mortality of marine fish. However, European MRF catches are only quantified for a small number of stocks, so it is unclear whether a significant part of fishing mortality is excluded from stock assessments. This study estimated: (i) European MRF removals, which were defined as landings plus dead releases; and (ii) impact at stock level by comparing the percentage contribution to total removal by MRF and commercial fishing. As MRF data were limited for some European countries, catches were reconstructed using a mixture of average release proportions, average fish weights, and extrapolation using the catch per fisher of the nearest country providing catch estimates. Where catch reconstructions exceeded 50%, data were excluded from further analysis. Furthermore, as MRF survey methodology can be variable, semi-quantitative estimates of bias and error were calculated for each stock. Only 10 of the 20 stocks assessed in this study had sufficient MRF data for full reliable estimates. Percentage contribution to total removals (MRF + commercial removals) by MRF ranged between 2% for Atlantic mackerel in the North Sea and Skagerrak and 43% for Atlantic pollack in the Celtic Seas and English Channel. The biomass removed ranged between 297 (± 116) tonnes (Atlantic cod in the western English Channel and southern Celtic seas) and 4820 (± 1889) tonnes (Atlantic mackerel in the North Sea and Skagerrak), but the errors were substantial. Additionally, the bias in the estimated removals was low for most stocks, with some positive biases found. The present study indicates that removals by MRF can represent a high proportion of the total removals for some European marine fish stocks, so inclusion in stock assessments should be routine. To achieve this, regular surveys of MRF are required to collect data essential for stock assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the first study that estimates sea bass recreational catches in the Basque Country including fishers from shore, boat, and spearfishing. Three different offsite survey methods were used (e-mail, phone, and post) and their performance was compared. Estimates were different depending on the survey method used. Total catch estimates for shore fishing were 129, 156, and 351 tonnes for e-mail, phone, and post surveys, respectively. For boat fishing, estimates varied from 5 tonnes (phone) to 13 tonnes (e-mail and post). For spearfishing, only e-mail surveys were performed and total catch was estimated in 13 tonnes. Potential representation and measurement bias of each survey method were analysed. It was concluded that post surveys assured a full coverage of the target population, but showed very low response rates. Telephone surveys presented the highest response rates, but lower coverage of the target population. E-mail surveys had a low coverage and a low response rate, but it was the cheapest method, and allowed the largest sample size. All surveys methods were affected by recall bias. Recommendations are made about how to improve the surveys (increasing coverage, reducing non-response, and recall bias) to set up a routine cost-effective monitoring programme for Basque recreational fisheries. Results show that estimated sea bass recreational catches are comparable to commercial catches, which emphasize the relevance of sampling recreational fishing on a routine basis and including this information into the stock assessment and management processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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