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Fisheries-based livelihood activities constitute an essential means of income and well-being for the majority living in coastal areas. This paper examines vulnerability of fisheries-based livelihoods caused by climate variability and change. It focuses on three small pelagic fishers' communities including Kipumbwi, Kilindoni, and Kilwa-Kivinje, along the Tanzanian coast, as a case study. Little research has been done on the effect of climate variability and change on the livelihoods of small-scale fishing communities in developing countries, particularly along the Tanzanian coast. In collecting data, questionnaire, focused group discussion and an interactive governance approach were used. Results showed that the natural vulnerability issues include, reduced catches, and strong winds. Economic vulnerability, mentioned lack of credit facilities. For social vulnerability, respondents mentioned an increased number of fishers and fishing vessels On the aspect of technology, respondents mentioned lack of modern fishing methods. As findings suggest, these vulnerability aspects, are possibly associated with anthropogenic factors such as illegal fishing, may not be related to climate change, but climate change may intensify them. The findings further showed that climate variability has negatively affected the fisheries on which fisher communities depend for income and for food security thus affecting their local economy. Climate change has negatively affected small pelagic fishers. The decline in fish catches and economic- un-matching changes in fish prices have negatively affected the fishing community's income, employment, and food security. The recommended means for reducing vulnerability include reducing taxes and levies, availability of facilities for reducing post-harvesting loss and availability of reliable markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study delves into the effects of the European Union's (EU) quota-based regulations on fishers' access to marine resources, focusing on the experiences of fishers from North Shields, UK. Employing Hall, Hirsch, and Li's framework of powers of exclusion, this study examines how fishers experience evolving access to sea resources within the EU CFP. The findings illuminate the intricate interplay of regulatory, market, and legitimization powers, which drive exclusionary processes and profoundly influence fishers' access to resources and livelihoods. Importantly, this research underscores the necessity of comprehending the complex dynamics of exclusion within quota-based fisheries management, particularity within the unique socio-cultural contexts of fishing communities. Based on this research, further investigation into the socio-cultural dimensions of fishing is advocated to foster more inclusive policies and practices in fisheries management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines reciprocal financial relationships' influence on shrimp fishers' income sources and their motivation in Rivers State, Nigeria, fishing communities. A mixed methods design was employed using a semi-structured questionnaire, interview guide and checklist to collect data from 125 shrimp fishers and 20 Key informants. Data on shrimp fishers' financial contributions were subjected to UCINET 6.647 Net draw to generate a sociogram. Fishers' income sources and motivating factors were subjected to content analysis and multiple regression. The results showed that shrimp fishers in Rivers State pay dues, contributions and donations to obtain revolving loans from their network and receive remittances from relatives. The sums of money are invested in fishing equipment and off-fishing ventures. 44% of fishers relied on remittances and loans for investment. However, enabling institutional framework and support from external agencies are motivating factors to join a social network which aims at improving income sources among shrimp fishers in line with Sustainable Development Goals 16 and 17. Shrimp fishers who engage in a reciprocal financial relationship have their income sources improved by diversifying into off-fishing ventures. The study recommends that Shrimp fishers register as cooperatives to attract more support from government and donor agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bristol Bay in Alaska is home to the world's largest commercial salmon fishery. During an average fishing season, the population of the Bristol Bay region more than doubles as thousands of workers from out of state converge on the fishery. In the months leading up to the 2020 commercial fishery opening, as the COVID-19 pandemic exploded worldwide, great uncertainty existed about the health risks of opening the fishery. Bristol Bay residents had not yet experienced any cases of COVID-19, yet the livelihoods of most were closely tied to the commercial fishery opening. To better understand how COVID-19 risk perceptions affected decisions to participate in the fishery, we administered an online survey to community members and fishery participants. We collected standard socioeconomic data and posed questions to gauge risk perceptions related to COVID-19. We find that COVID-19 risk perceptions vary across race/ethnic groups by residency and income. People with below median income who are members of minority groups—notably, non-resident Hispanic workers and resident Alaska Native respondents—reported the highest risk perceptions related to COVID-19. This study highlights the important linkages among risk perceptions, socioeconomic characteristics, and employment decisions during an infectious disease outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offshore renewable energy, particularly wind farms, is rapidly expanding globally and has become an essential component of many coastal nations' decarbonization plans, including the United States. The addition of these physical structures to the marine space may impact fish production and may preclude fishers from traditional fishing grounds - both of which have the potential to affect fisheries outcomes. Understanding the socioeconomic and sociocultural impacts of implementing offshore wind is crucial to determining appropriate mitigation strategies and to developing data collection, monitoring, and adaptive management strategies. This review synthesizes quantitative and qualitative indicators that have been used to assess the impact of fisheries preclusion and shifts in fished species' biomass on fishery participants. By providing a description of the indicator, a list of the datasets required to calculate its value, and a list of studies that used the indicator, this review can serve as a guide to those designing monitoring plans to determine socioeconomic and sociocultural offshore wind impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scarcity of information on small-scale fisheries (SSF) prevents the dimensioning of production and the assessment of fish stocks and, consequently, impairs the feasibility of adequate management decisions. This study aimed to analyze the challenges and opportunities of landing records in SSF based on a case study in a fishing community in northeastern Brazil. In addition, the temporal trends of the main exploited fish species were analyzed using the local ecological knowledge of artisanal fishers. Due to the wide data gap, this analysis included the records provided by the fisher Colony Z-19 only from 2017 and 2018 and a comparison from October to January for 2006–2007, 2012–2013, and 2017–2018. The free listing technique was applied to 30 local fishers. The total catch recorded in 2017 was 50.7 tons, and 43.79 tons in 2018, while the average catch per unit effort was 12.32 ± 6.18 and 10.33 ± 5.66 kg/fisher.day, respectively in each year. Landing records encompassed eight multi-specific categories, which strongly restricts the potential use of this information for fisheries management. Despite the relevance of the Colony's intention to monitor the landings without external support, this is strictly aimed at the commercial control of fishing production. This scenario presents an opportunity, with the cooperation of other stakeholders, to develop standardized methods of fishery statistics that shed light on the conditions surrounding stocks that are fished in SSF. Some recommendations are provided for a national well-established fishing landing monitoring. • This study explores the limitations and opportunities of SSF landings records. • The standardization of landing records can contribute to fishery statistics. • Fisher perception of a decrease in catches and the landing records were convergent. • Recommendations are provided for a national fishing landing monitoring. • SSF monitoring should be based on partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish harvesters respond to economic, regulatory, and environmental changes within complex and often highly uncertain decision-making processes. Analyzing and quantifying human decisions can improve our understanding and sustainable management of marine systems. Wild fish harvesters face high income volatility linked to natural variability in fish abundance, changing ocean environments, and world market dynamics. Past research has shown that owning additional permits reduces risk but at considerable cost, leaving such adaptation strategies unattainable for many harvesters. This study conducted a survey with Gulf of Alaska commercial salmon permit holders applying a discrete choice experiment to investigate the propensity of harvesters to switch target species within a given permit and to better understand participation under rapid environmental and economic change, increasingly outside historical ranges. Availability of target species, price, and historical harvest were found to be relatively more important than environmental changes affecting operations and income, even though these factors were of concern to the long-term viability of their fishing businesses. The resulting behavioral model allows fisheries managers to anticipate declines in participation relevant for managing marine resources under rapid change. It also improves understanding of fisheries participation and harvester perception of climate impacts, relevant for policy makers developing climate resilient fisheries and supporting adaptation across fishing communities. The results and approach are generalizable to other resource-dependent sectors adapting to change outside historic ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, electric rays are not targeted by fisheries but form a significant portion of bycatch. Little information exists about their ecology and biology. Fishers' traditional ecological knowledge can fill the knowledge gap for these historically data-deprived fishes. Hence, we assessed attitudes and perceptions of artisanal fishers towards electric rays' conservation. We gathered information on catch frequency, seasonality, population trends, post-capture usages, and socio-economic values through a semi-structured questionnaire survey. We interviewed 243 fishers at 15 artisanal villages in three states: Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha, along the east coast of India. The survey data was scrutinized, sorted into various categories: demographics, fisheries, and fishers' traditional knowledge, analysed and visualised as graphs and figures. We also presented qualitative information as general statements or quoted specific comments to better explain our findings. We found that fishers were well aware of electric rays and their electrical discharge. The data indicated that fishers knew the habitat in nearshore sandy bottoms. They get electric rays in their bottom-set gill nets. In general, December, January and February have high electric ray bycatch. Post-capture usage includes take-home consumption, discarding them dead, releasing them alive, and sell to poultry. Fishers discussed health benefits of electric rays' consumption. They perceived a downward trend in population due to anthropogenic influences: overfishing, pollution and climate change. Fishers' knowledge and scientific contributions can help develop management plans and conservation strategies. Initiating awareness campaigns within fishing communities and coastal citizens foster positive attitudes, thereby enhancing the electric rays' conservation. • We assessed fishers' traditional ecological knowledge on electric rays. • We collected key information on catch frequency, seasonality, population trends, and socio-economic values. • Fishers perceived downward trend in electric ray population due to anthropogenic influences. • Data will be useful to develop conservation strategies to protect the electric rays. • Our initiative of awareness camps is fostering a positive attitude along east coast of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The confluence of climate change impacts on coastal communities includes intensifying natural hazards, decreasing abundance of and access to natural resources, and ecosystem shifts that imperil livelihoods and cultural heritage. Yet, especially in rural communities with complex, dynamic participation in commercial fisheries and marine support industries, adaptation planning continues to be elusive. To capture opportunities for climate change planning, this work reviews multiple categories of local plans for 16 communities and boroughs on the Gulf of Alaska, selected for engagement in commercial fisheries and dependence on coastal infrastructure. This analysis characterizes the components of these local plans relative to a climate change plan framework and evaluates their social resilience capacity with respect to fisheries and marine support industries. This approach reveals that local planning to support fisheries and marine support industries within comprehensive and hazard management plans is largely focused on habitat protection and often unrelated to climate change stressors, even in communities with extreme engagement in coastal industries. Further analysis highlights critical relationships between planning for fisheries and marine support industries and domains of social resilience. In the absence of political will and funds to aid communities in developing standalone climate plans, planning for climate change can and should occur within existing community planning frameworks. This research clarifies how that integration may occur within local plans and suggests pathways for ensuring that integration is successful in including necessary climate plan components that are expansive and inclusive of diverse social resilience domains. • Climate adaptation planning is sparse in Gulf of Alaska communities. • Climate planning can be incorporated into other community plans. • A framework reveals how to improve this integration. • Fisheries and marine-related strategies integrate social resilience domains. • Targeted climate inclusion within planning can diversify and connect these domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Numerous conservation initiatives have been undertaken to protect large marine animals by legal protection and implementing marine protected areas (MPAs). Despite these efforts, many marine animals are still threatened, partly due to lack of compliance with conservation regulations. Meanwhile, research suggests that conservation efforts which also take socio-economic factors such as fishermen's livelihoods into account during planning and implementation are more likely to succeed. This study examined the compliance and socio-economic situation of local fishing communities at three sites in Indonesia (Nusa Penida, Tanjung Luar and Komodo National Park) where shark and manta ray conservation efforts have been implemented. 59 local residents were interviewed. The results showed that 49% of those residents had experienced a deterioration and 37% an improvement in their economic situation since conservation efforts in the form of species protection or MPAs were implemented in their area. The economic situation of the residents was associated with their access to alternative livelihoods, access to information on conservation rules, and relationship with conservation authorities. Particularly, interviewees with easier access to alternative income and a positive relationship with conservation authorities also experienced an increase in their economy. In addition, compliance with conservation efforts was positively related to improved economic situation, access to alternative livelihoods and information on conservation rules. These factors all differed among the three study sites, leading to different compliance levels between sites. The results of this study indicate the importance of considering socio-economic factors and of involving local communities when planning and implementing conservation efforts. Highlights • The socio-economic effects of marine conservation on fishing communities were studied. • Almost half of interviewed fishers perceived a decrease in income due to conservation. • Impacts on livelihoods seemed to affect compliance with conservation rules. • Access to alternative livelihoods had a positive effect on compliance. • Access to information on conservation rules was also a contributing factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japan's fisheries, among the largest in the world, are currently facing overcapacity. As of 2017, approximately half of the 37 stocks with abundance estimates were either overfished or subject to overfishing. In response, in December 2018, the government of Japan enacted revisions to the Fisheries Act which was modeled partly on the systems used in the United States and the EU. Implementing these changes will take time, as lessons learned from other countries are incorporated. Over the past 26 years, the United States has undergone a similar succession of amendments to its fisheries law, yielding a system that has been largely successful in reducing overfishing and rebuilding overfished fisheries. We compare the Japanese and U.S. approaches to fisheries management in four areas that may explain the differences in the number of stocks that are overfished: 1) overall structure of fisheries management and who is responsible for conducting the management, 2) the specificity and goals of fisheries laws in each country, 3) the role and independence of science in the management process, and 4) the approach to scientific and management uncertainty. • Fishery management systems seek to balance the conservation of fishery resources with the benefits to fishing communities. • The United States' system asserted the primary importance of conserving biological productivity of fisheries in 1976. • Japan's pre-form fisheries management system prioritized the economic well-being of fishing communities. • Both systems recognize the important role of scientific advice that is not influenced by political decisions. • The U.S. has built strong protocols by which scientific information is reviewed and results are passed to the management system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to better understand the trade-offs between food production, trade and consumption; social and environmental impacts of food systems and food health requirements remains a challenge. Additionally, there is an urgency to transform the food system to reach the dietary patterns required to address the current diet-environment-health trilemma. Transformative changes are required to deal with the food system crisis. To this end, it is necessary to strengthen the links in the food chain and establish solid alliances between production and consumption with the objective of designing alternative food systems. In this context, the Agroecosystems History Laboratory of Pablo de Olavide University and Alimentta-Think tank for the transition of agrifood systems, organised the IX International Congress of Agroecology between the 19th and the 23rd of January, 2023, in Seville (Spain). Its theme was "Cultivating local agroecological-based food systems". Within the Congress, a hybrid panel of "Sowing initiatives with transformative potential in the fishing sector" was held to bring together initiatives with the capacity to generate transformative changes and enhance the value of fisheries in the field of agroecology and food sovereignty. The panel included communications related to seafood consumption, food sovereignty, co-management, inequalities, collaborative experiences, waste management, transformation processing and commercialisation. As a conclusion of the panel, a new perspective is required to redesign the agrifood systems and promote desirable multiple transformative changes that help to establish analytical and political action strategies in the field of fisheries as a food system. • Profound changes needed for agri-food system transformation and nature conservation. • Food sovereignty creates critical thinking and enganges local fishing communities. • Agreements for distant water fleets cause overfishing and force Africans to migrate. • Sufficiency, regeneration, distribution and care are crucial for agri-food system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building upon the literature on the importance of adaptive capacity and co-management, this study investigates adaptive capacity as a type of community characteristic which can shape a community's co-management activities, and how communities' perception of adaptive capacity changes after engaging in co-management activities. While studies have examined the diverse factors that influence adaptive capacity, this study seeks to provide empirical evidence for the relationship between adaptive capacity and co-management activities in the context of South Korea. Using survey data from each fishery community leader or manager in South Korea, this study conducts multivariate regression analyses to investigate the relationship between fishing communities' adaptive capacity and their co-management activities. This study conducts the paired samples one-tail t-test to examine changes in the communities' perception of their adaptive capacity. Results suggest that adaptive capacity of each community relates to co-management activities and communities' perception of adaptive capacity changed after performing co-management activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, the projected increase in sea surface temperature is expected to facilitate large changes in the marine food web, affect coastal communities, marine ecosystem goods and services, global fisheries, tourism, aquaculture and others. This ongoing change takes place on different time scales, and coincides with increasing global demand for seafood, a growing middle class, and expectations of future need for food security from the marine sector. This article contributes to advances in climate change research by exploring, within the context of the results of the viewExposed program for assessing Integrated Vulnerabilities in different municipalities in Norway, to what extent stakeholders in different industries are willing to accept, or expect to be able to adapt to, these new realities. This was investigated through stakeholder driven workshops with stakeholders from maritime industries, commercial fisheries, tourism and aquaculture in Norway using the conceptual modeling tools of systems thinking and Bayesian Belief Networks. Results showed that commercial fishers are worried about quota allocations with changes in fish distribution. The aquaculture industry was worried about allocations of new areas for industry expansion in contested areas in Northern Norway, and the tourism industry was worried about changes in communications (transport) in light of a changing climate. Only the commercial fishers perceived that their adaptive capacity was low in light of these changes, especially the small-scale coastal fishers. This was because they expected the combination between increased power of the aquaculture industry and new species requiring expensive quotas would be too critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small-scale fisheries (SSFs) constitute a critical socioeconomic sector by providing a source of income and animal protein for fishing communities worldwide. In Uruguay this sector has traditionally been neglected. More recently, the Uruguayan government has shown an increasing interest in readdressing this situation by setting a high-level policy for SSFs. This paper addresses the long-term process from conceptualization to operationalization of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) in Uruguayan SSFs. An overview of the social-ecological enabling conditions that facilitated EAF operationalization across four pilot sites is also provided. Long-term results showed that the intrinsic characteristics of each fishery conditioned the goals achieved. Fishery systems with more favorable enabling conditions served as starting points for operationalizing an EAF strategy. By contrast, SSFs with historical conflicts of use and a complex relationship between the fisheries management agency and fishing communities are still challenging. These results were used as learning platforms to strength and enhance the normative framework regarding management of SSFs. Progresses in EAF implementation at pilot sites have provided initial building blocks for scaling practices to other Uruguayan SSFs. The translation of processes and results into the long-term fishery policy allowed establishing an appropriate legal basis for further EAF development at a national level. Despite the above, long-term political will is critical for sustaining responsible fishing practices and the involvement of fishers as stewardships of their own activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationalization in fisheries has been shown to lead to the slowing of fishing activity, input and effort consolidation, cost savings, and new market and product development. The effects of rationalization on fishermen's behavior become more complex when one accounts for the spillover effects that catch share programs can create in other fisheries and regions. Recently available annual costs and earnings data allow us to quantify the average marginal effects of the U.S. West Coast Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program on fisheries in Alaska. Empirical results indicate that the primary drivers of harvest in the Alaska fisheries are vessel size and operating costs for catcher vessels that deliver to West Coast mothership processors and shoreside processing plants. Rationalization does not appear to have a statistically significant impact on whether and to what extent catcher vessels that are endorsed to fish in both regions actually fish in Alaska. The advent of catch shares on the West Coast has in effect harmonized fishery management across the two regions. Conditional on fishing in Alaska, the advent of catch shares in the West Coast groundfish trawl fishery has lengthened the number of days at sea in Alaska for the West Coast catcher vessels that participate in the Alaska fisheries. This result is in line with the fact that after rationalization, catcher vessels have increasingly harvested in one region rather than fishing in both regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mediterranean fisheries are characterized by differentiated fishing systems implemented by companies of different sizes and types. On the other hand, small scale fishing is the most important characteristic when one tries to find the main differences with oceanic fisheries. Small-sized family fishing firms play an important role in several local communities and economies, where the globalization of the competitive arena is perceived as one of the worst threats to their survival. One of the organizational solutions adopted by small scale fishing firms in order to face the changing institutional as well as marketing environment is cooperation. Economic performances in fishery have been predominantly determined by adopting vessels as decision-making units. This means that a lack of information exists with reference to fishing companies or cooperatives. This study aims to estimate the economic performances of Sardinian fishing cooperatives by surveying a sample of 104 firms. The research has been carried by first assessing firms’ profitability by applying a balance sheet analysis; then, sector technical was estimated as well as scale efficiency. High technical and scale efficiency and substantial technological homogeneity between big and small cooperatives were found. Some policy implications deriving from these findings are discussed in the concluding remarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artisanal fishermen use ethnoclimatologic knowledge to make prognoses that ensure the achievement of successful fishing, under safe conditions. This study aims to analyze the ethnoclimatologic knowledge of artisanal fishermen in southeastern Brazil from nature signs and weather indicators, identifying the interference of these signals and natural events on the coastal environment and the artisanal fishery. Between October and November 2016, 80 ethnographic interviews were conducted with fishermen based at the Farol de São Thomé port (22°02′S), and the results were analyzed with triangulation and SWOT methods. Most fishermen (97.5%, n = 78) observe the micro and mesoclimatic conditions, oceanographic, and astronomical conditions prior to fishing to avoid “bad weather” and to be successful in catching fish. The fishermen (96.2%, n = 77) indicate “storm swells” that damage the vessels and cause erosion; and the “sea-level advancement and retreat” that reaches in the local of berthing of vessels and the coastline and the buildings on the seashore. They suggested solutions for the protection of the coastline from these natural events: i) the use of ethnoclimatologic knowledge by the public authorities and local managers, made possible through meetings between the interested parties; and ii) periodic maintenance of the breakwater located at the exit of the Flechas Channel for better control of the inflow and outflow of seawater within the channel. The combination of ethnoclimatologic and scientific knowledge in southeastern Brazil can provides subsidies to the National Plan of Coastal Management of Brazil, providing resilience to the artisanal fishing in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A methodology is described to measure the short to medium term social impacts of the European Union (EU) quota setting procedure. The method utilises data that is collected nationally within the EU and so allows timely estimation of possible social impacts as a result of changes in total allowable catches that could affect national fishing fleets and fishing dependent communities. Social impacts can extend to a very broad set of characteristics such as employment, wages, health and safety, gender participation, education, traditions, ‘well-being’, etc. Here, the use of the term ‘social’ is in a narrow sense in that the indicator that is relied on is employment (including downstream effects) due to the characteristics of the indicator and its availability in terms of data collection. The methodology is described in terms of its application in Ireland and measures are suggested to enable its application at an EU level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ocean salmon fishery on the US West Coast has faced periodic closures of varying extents in order to protect vulnerable runs. These closures can have serious consequences for fishers and fishing communities, and have necessitated the release of millions of dollars of federal disaster aid. The 2017 ocean Chinook troll fishery (the major salmon ocean fishery) is closed between southern Oregon and northern California to protect the Klamath River fall Chinook, which is forecast to return in low numbers. A model of vessel fishing choices was used in combination with an established input-output model to estimate the potential economic impact of this closure on fishers and fishing communities. The analysis predicts that this closure of the ocean fishery will result in a loss of $5.8–$8.9 million in income, $12.8–$19.6 million in sales, and 200–330 jobs. These estimates are only a partial estimate of the economic impacts of the 2017 salmon regulations, as they do not fully account for the effects of the limited season outside of the closed ocean area or the effects on other salmon fisheries (e.g. the gillnet and recreational fisheries). The impacts are not distributed evenly in space, with the largest relative losses occurring in the Coos Bay, Brookings, and Eureka regions. This information may be useful as policymakers consider mitigating economic losses in the fishery and associated communities. Early estimates of economic impacts of fishery closures may also enable quicker determination of the need and extent of disaster assistance and a more timely response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is estimated that more than 200 million people worldwide depend on small-scale fisheries for their livelihood, driving the need for fisheries reform to develop effective, local-level governance systems to protect food security and lessen reliance on common resources. However, our ability to impose new management relies on the assessment of vulnerability and adaptive capacity, and the lack of social-ecological data often stifles decision making. Here we test the use of simple fisheries attributes from 33 fishing communities in an understudied, and chronically poor region of the Colombian Pacific, to generate indicators of relative fisheries adaptive capacity, as a proxy for vulnerability to planned management changes. We demonstrate the strengths of this approach using four variables (species assemblage, spatial dependence, gear dependence and compliance), and illustrate how potential threats to livelihoods can be identified early, and with limited data, allowing for management to adapt decision-making accordingly. We show that in the absence of detailed socio-economic information, relatively basic fisheries data recorded by community observers can be applied to decrease uncertainty by providing a rapid characterisation of community vulnerability to management decision-making, in a range of management intervention options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small-scale fishing in the Bay of Bengal using non-motorized, wooden motorized and mechanized boats without basic safety devices is a risky venture. Fishers developed a long tradition of adaptation to the dynamics of the unpredictable nature of the marine ecosystem. The empirical findings presented in this article are primarily based on a two-year long ethnographic study with the caste-based Hindu coastal fishers of Thakurtala fishing village, Moheskhali Island, Cox's Bazar. The worldviews and popular beliefs associated with fish and fishing epitomize a rich cultural history of fish-loving Bengali societies. The article examines pragmatically obvious notions of luck, risks, and socio-political implications behind observances of rituals in the coastal fishing villages. Observances of rituals at both domestic and community ambits are perceived to improve luck, reduce anxiety level associated with marine fishing, and reinforce pre-voyage psychological preparedness of the sea-faring fishers and their family members. It documents the roles of fish and fishing related worldviews in rural Bengali societies along with the pre-voyage and post-voyage activities and rituals observed by coastal fishers. Some ritual practices are characterised by interfaith fusion, and hence, their observance would positively add to the foundations of secular practices, humanism, and mutually benefitting existential philosophy in rural societies. This ethnographic narrative also examines fishing cultures’ comprehensive articulations of natural and unnatural elements of marine ecosystem within the broader framework of maritime anthropology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do environmental damages and disasters affect the wellbeing of fishers and fishing communities? How do fishers, and their communities, deal with and recover from such impacts? A three-dimensional wellbeing framework, involving material, relational and subjective wellbeing components, is applied to explore these questions as they arise in the urban coastal community of Vila dos Pescadores, in Southeast Brazil. This analysis examines a range of environmental impacts on fisher wellbeing, the cumulative effects of these impacts, and the particular case of a human-caused environmental disaster, namely a major industrial fire near Vila dos Pescadores. The analysis highlights how a pre-existing state of strong relational wellbeing was a major factor in the resilience of the community, as it recovered from the disaster. Emphasis is also placed on the important potential of conservation initiatives, carried out with the involvement of fishers, not only for ecological recovery but also for building wellbeing and social capital in the community. Based on the insights of fishers and other community members in Vila dos Pescadores, a series of recommendations to improve governmental policy are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change poses significant and increasing risks for Pacific Island communities. Sea-level rise, coastal flooding, extreme and variable storm events, fish stock redistribution, coral bleaching, and declines in ecosystem health and productivity threaten the wellbeing, health, safety, and national sovereignty of Pacific Islanders, and small-scale fishers in particular. Fostering the response capacity of small-scale fishing communities will become increasingly important for the Pacific Islands. Challenging decisions and trade-offs emerge when choosing and mobilizing different responses to climate change. The trade-offs inherent in different responses can occur between various exposures, across spatial and temporal scales, among segments of society, various objectives, and evaluative criteria. Here we introduce a typology of potential trade-offs inherent in responses, elaborated through examples from the Pacific. We argue that failure to adequately engage with trade-offs across human responses to climate change can potentially result in unintended consequences or lead to adverse outcomes for human vulnerability to climate change. Conversely, proactively identifying and addressing these trade-offs in decision-making processes will be critical for planning hazard mitigation and preparing island nations, communities, and individuals to anticipate and adapt to change, not only for Pacific Islands, but for coastal communities around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored how Territorial Use Rights for Fisheries (TURFs) functioned during the recovery from the devastating tsunami disaster which struck the Sanriku region in 2011, with a focus on abalone harvest, which is the most profitable resource managed by TURFs. During the winter of 2011–2012, only 36 of 51 managing bodies could harvest abalones because of a great shortage of boats. Recourse degradation was also feared, and the harbors were badly damaged. Of 27 managing bodies whose harvesting methods were known, 22 harvested collectively. Abalones are traded at high price and harvesting them requires skill; hence, it has always been done individually and competitively; collective harvesting conducted during this season was therefore quite exceptional. Eighteen managing bodies also handled distribution of the harvest, adopting flexible measures according to each community's circumstances. The collective action ended immediately after the urgent shortage of boats was alleviated. The diversity of natural resources managed by TURFs, autonomy of the fishing communities fostered by their remoteness and the nested structure of TURFs’ resource management enhanced the resilience of the fishing communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF-Guidelines) were agreed with extensive input from small-scale fishers themselves, and hold great promise for enhancing both small-scale fishers’ human rights and fisheries sustainability in a meaningful and context relevant manner. However, this promise will not be fulfilled without continued input from fishing communities as the SSF-Guidelines are implemented. This paper proposes that international conservation NGOs, with their extensive geographical and political networks, can act as a conduit for communication between small-scale fishing communities and other parties and thus catalyse implementation of the Guidelines. In order to do so, they will first need to demonstrate a genuine commitment to people-as-well-as-parks and the human rights based approach espoused in the SSF-Guidelines. This paper reviews current engagement of international conservation NGOs with human rights in fisheries; looks at their potential motivations for doing more; and identifies challenges in the way. It concludes with a proposal for how international conservation NGOs could play a critical part in catalysing the implementation of the SSF-Guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socio-economic development of small-island fishing communities is greatly dependent on local coastal and marine resources. However, illegal fishing and aggressive practices in insular ecosystems lead to over-exploitation and environmental deterioration. Moreover, a lack of scientific data increases uncertainty and prevents the adequate monitoring of marine resources. This paper focuses on the integration of local fishing communities into decision-making processes with the aim of promoting artisanal fishing on the Island of Tenerife (the Canary Islands), as a way to preserve the marine ecosystem and socio-economic development of traditional cofradias (fishers' organisations). A qualitative methodological framework, based on participatory problem-solution trees and focus groups, was used to identify the main factors impeding the sustainable development of the artisanal fishing sector on the island and to elaborate collective proposals with policy implications. The fishing community involved identified four main issues that are maintaining an unsustainable island fishery: 1) Over-exploitation; 2) Poor self-management of cofradias and commercialisation problems; 3) Fisher individualism and low co-management strategies, and 4) Illegal fishing increase vs. artisanal fishing decline. Results show the required policy enhancements to tackle them and the need to adapt regulations to the local situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effects of neoliberalization on the opportunities and constraints that fishing cooperatives face in Yucatán, Mexico. Cooperatives have the potential to enhance small-scale fishing livelihoods and participate in sustainable resource governance. However, promoting cooperatives’ success entails developing a realistic understanding of the political and economic contexts in which they operate. Drawing on interview and census data, the analysis employs the theory of club goods to examine how the neoliberalization of Mexican fisheries policies in the 1980s and 1990s has affected cooperatives’ ability to provide members with collective benefits, and thus the success and failure of fishing cooperatives in the region. In general, neoliberalization has reduced support to fishing cooperatives and generated greater challenges for their success in Yucatán. The results of this study are likely relevant to many other small-scale fisheries in the South that have undergone similar processes of neoliberalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fisheries management policy shift towards resource user participation in Malawi in the early 1990s resulted in mixed benefits among small-scale fishers, with many applauding the changes. This paper considers the impacts of these policy changes on government and within the fishing communities around Lake Chiuta whose fisheries co-management experience is considered successful. Benefits to the communities range from gaining government support in excluding non-local fishers using destructive fishing gear to increased household incomes and improved livelihoods, while benefits to government range from taking credit for establishing a sustainable fishery and co-management arrangements to reduced resource management costs. Community costs include financial resources and time spent by resource user representative organisations in enforcing fishing regulations. These findings enable a more balanced assessment of neoliberal claims about the benefits of delegating management responsibilities and downloading costs of management onto fishing communities and organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A global recurring challenge for marine managers and policy makers is the effective management of fisheries conflicts. This study demonstrates the usefulness of a political ecology approach in understanding the complexity of conflict in increasingly internationalized national fisheries. By doing so it aims to provide an alternative approach to the environmental security perspectives, predicated on scarcity narratives, that often underpin policy on fishery conflicts. Using a localised example of industrial Chinese and local artisanal fishermen conflict in Ghana, this paper reveals a complex account of contesting ‘access’ to resources, in material and nonmaterial terms, that moves beyond an ‘absolute scarcity’ driven narrative. The conflict is shown to be one, in part, focussed around spatially fixed areas as well as moral claims of correct ways of fishing that reflect social tensions within the local fishing community. Both aspects show long term motivations to keep resource access, rather than being concerned with in the moment struggles over scarce resources. This work also highlights the existence of cooperation between groups of artisanal fishermen involved in transhipment with Chinese fishermen, revealing the complex nexus of winners and losers produced by environmental, social and political factors. In sum, policy must acknowledge that conflict is rarely produced purely by scarcity, and that broader social and political factors often combine in a variety of forms to produce localised conflict. If these complexities are ignored, fisheries policy runs the risk of unintentionally exacerbating conflicts and disadvantaging those who it aims to help. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This short communication piece presents guidelines and challenges for organizing fisheries learning exchanges (FLEs). Non-governmental organizations, government agencies, and resource users use FLEs to share best practices and bridge knowledge gaps between small-scale fishing communities and stakeholder groups. Even though FLEs are widely used and have numerous cited benefits, there are challenges associated with planning and implementing FLEs. To overcome these challenges and maximize FLEs’ effectiveness, the authors describe guidelines for FLE organizers. The guidelines are based on the perspectives of over 20 FLE experts collected during 2013 through questionnaires, interviews, discussions, and surveys. The guidelines include steps that organizers should take before, during, and after a FLE. For instance, there was broad consensus that before a FLE, it is important to select a diverse group of participants, including both conservation advocates and critics, and to create an exchange agreement outlining the roles and responsibilities of participants. During a FLE, cultural activities and daily reflections by participants are valuable to the exchange process. After a FLE, activities that formalize the participants’ involvement in the FLE are important, such as welcome-home ceremonies and participation certificates. Follow-up support for FLE participants is perceived as an essential step in the FLE and should be included in the FLE's budget. Finally, challenges in organizing FLEs are explicitly described and potential solutions to overcome those challenges are provided. The authors researched and compiled these guidelines and challenges to inform and improve the increasingly widespread use of FLEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fisheries learning exchanges (FLEs) bring together fisher communities to exchange knowledge and experiences, with the goal of building social capital and disseminating management techniques. In 2015 two groups of octopus fishers from Bahia de los Angeles, Mexico and Sarodrano, Madagascar travelled to Andavadoaka, southwest Madagascar to learn about the temporary fishing closures for octopus used in the region. Octopus fisheries in Madagascar and Mexico differ in several respects, particularly harvesting techniques. The FLE was qualitatively evaluated through participant observation and semi-structured key informant (KI) interviews. Thirty before-and-after interviews were carried out with 16 KIs including visitors, hosts and organisers. Informants suggested that holding the FLE at the same time as the closure openings allowed for learning benefits but carried an important opportunity cost for organisers and host participants, and that shortcomings of planning and translation capacity limited learning opportunities. Several KIs were concerned about the applicability of the Malagasy management model to the Mexican context concerned, and the FLE may have had unforeseen consequences since Malagasy fishers were excited to learn a new fishing method (trapping) from the visitors: if effective, trapping could negatively impact Malagasy octopus stocks. The exchange of knowledge in the FLE was primarily one-way, from host to visitor, and most organisers did not view themselves as participants. Recommendations to improve the effectiveness of future FLEs include: (i) improving facilitation and translation capacity to promote dialogue, (ii) focusing on key messages, (iii) selecting appropriate participants and (iv) recruiting a specialist to organise and lead exchanges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many policymakers attribute the success of fisheries management regimes to the design and implementation of particular regulatory tools. While sound design and effective implementation are crucial elements of any successful regulatory action, fisheries policymakers and regulators should also account for the heterogeneous sociocultural institutions of partner communities. The success of fisheries policies relies on compliance and, ideally, cooperation (accepting policies, i.e. not protesting or otherwise strongly agitating against the system) from fisheries stakeholders. Even a policy that is sound in design and flawless in execution is at risk of failure if target stakeholders obstruct or otherwise undermine the system. This paper investigates how institutions, at various levels of scale and formality, play a role in determining the degree of compliance and/or cooperation that a fisheries management regime enjoys. In particular, it will examine the issue of Individual Vessel Quotas (IVQs) in Norway, and the response of fishing communities to the trade liberalization of IVQs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assessed the socio-economic implications of climate change and vulnerability of fishing communities known as “Koli” living in Mumbai, India. The vulnerability indicators are derived from sustainable livelihood literature and use of multi-criteria analyses and are validated with expert opinions. A survey of two hundred fishermen from five fishing villages in Mumbai was conducted to collect data. The results demonstrate that vulnerability perpetuates due to physical and financial resource constraints among the fishing community. Fishermen from Madh and Worli villages are observed to be more vulnerable and less adaptive due to their inability to use efficient mechanized boats and advanced fishing implements, such as fish finders and GPS (Global Positioning System). The divergence in the vulnerability scores among fishing villages is attributed to the coping strategies, resource availability, knowledge and the benefit derived from the local government. Fishermen have been observing the negative impacts of climate change on their fishing livelihoods. Adaptation strategies to maximize fish catch are observed in such practices as targeting different species and fishing intensively for several days. However, these practices are leading to an imbalance in the common resource pool and biased resource sharing among different groups of fishermen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During periods of abrupt change, understanding sources of resilience for adaptability in small-scale fisheries (SSF) is important for enhancing their sustainability. This study aimed to understand the vulnerability of five diverse SSF communities in northern Peru amid COVID-19, by analyzing key sensitivity indicators that influence their response to the immediate impacts caused by the lockdown and their short-term adaptive capacity. We established a baseline for each fishing community, through socio-economic, fishery-related, and commercialization characteristics. We then assessed fishery changes before and during the first and most restricted lockdown and community responses to the pandemic impact. These were used to generate a score value that ranked the adaptive capacity of each community. Through a regression tree we identified key SI that most influence the communities´ response to COVID-19 impacts. Our results show that the 'fishing area related to distance from the coast' was the most important sensitivity indicator as offshore fisheries were riskier (i.e. higher travel costs) than inshore fisheries. The communities that responded better to COVID-19 impacts had high social capital (i.e. self-organization and social learning); while, the least successful communities responded passively. The adaptive strategies of SSF here identified included diversification of fishing activities (i.e., shifting to fishery areas closer to the coast), selling marine products at local markets, fishing fewer days, establishing agreements with authorities, using technology (i.e., digital platforms) in creative ways to enhance local seafood value chains, and combining different types of knowledge from different actors. These strategies fostered the re-organization of the supply chain in which a shift to local markets became a trend. We include a list of recommendations for decision-makers and principal insights related to community resilience. • We assessed the adaptability of five small-scale fishing communities in northern Peru to the Covid-19 pandemic. • The distance from shore of the fishing ground was the main indicator of community adaptability. • Communities that responded better to the pandemic had higher levels of existing social capital. • Adaptive strategies fostered reorganization of the supply chain. • These results can help make fishing communities more resilient to future crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seafood is central to global protein and food security, and the livelihoods of millions worldwide. Yet the fishing sector is universally acknowledged as one of the most dangerous in the world (ILO, 1999). Conservative estimates over the past two decades have put the fatalities at between 24,000 and 32,000 a year – but these estimates are generally accepted to be significantly below the true figure. Emerging research by the FISH Safety Foundation reveals that fishing is even more dangerous than currently thought, with rates shown to be at least three to four times higher than currently accepted estimates. Beyond determining a more accurate mortality figure, the research also aimed to identify any contributing drivers to fisher fatalities. The research thus shows that fishing for the global community therefore comes at a staggeringly high cost of human life. This toll is most often paid by the most vulnerable communities around the globe, regardless of region, and their deaths are also less likely to be tracked or reported. Fishing is so dangerous – and affects the most marginalised – because people are often forced to take extraordinary risks to provide food for their families, communities, and world markets. Collective, international action is needed now to ensure fishing communities continue to provide sustainable, high-quality protein without such a staggering loss of life. While some reasons why fishing is so dangerous are difficult to tackle, others are tractable, including addressing data and reporting gaps and limitations, and international policy change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines cooperatives' role, contribution, and challenges for poverty reduction among small-scale fisher communities using the social capital approach. Social capital is being used as a popular and low-cost strategy for poverty reduction among marginalised communities. The study mainly covers the reflections of the small-scale fishers as experiential narratives on the role of cooperatives. The structures and processes of cooperatives in addressing the vulnerability and socio-economic development of small-scale fishers have been analysed in the study. The study conducted in fishing villages of Kerala, India, predominantly used a qualitative paradigm to understand how social capital favours cooperative membership and influences cooperatives' functioning to help fishers develop coping mechanisms as a poverty reduction strategy. The study finds the significance of cooperatives as a supplier of material and non-material resources, namely livelihood opportunities, credit support, protection from middlemen exploitation, awareness creation, and development of savings habits to cope with everyday challenges. At the same time, political authoritarianism, pre-conditioned criteria for cooperative membership, and power structures within the cooperatives mediated fisher's access to and utilisation of cooperative services. As a result, the influences mentioned above dampened the fishers cooperatives' images to promote voluntary participation, democratic management, and network building, which were the prime challenges identified in the functioning of cooperatives for poverty reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the impacts of ocean and climate change become more pronounced, fishing communities are experiencing unprecedented disruptions to social and economic life. We argue that a broader interpretation of adaptation is required for a comprehensive understanding of fishers' adaptive responses. Instead of examining adaptation in relation to climate driven ocean changes alone, we argue that adaptive responses are shaped by and contingent on compounding social, economic, and environmental stressors. Although research has produced management frameworks to support adaptation, few concrete examples of management actions exist, particularly actions aimed at mitigating the impacts of compounding social and economic stressors. We share the results from a multi-sited case study in which we conducted a rapid ethnographic assessment of fishing communities on the US West Coast. By examining ocean change in the context of compounding stressors, our study brings two important points to light. First, fishers are employing a wider range of adaptation strategies than previously thought. Second, there are several unrealized institutional pathways that could support and remove barriers to adaption. Our analysis highlights how ocean change compounds existing stressors through two examples, labor shortages and finding new markets. Through this paper we argue that to support fishing community adaptation to climate change, agencies should explore a range of outside of the box solutions that address cumulative stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there are numerous studies on the role of women in coastal small-scale fisheries worldwide, little information about the challenges facing women, especially in the small-scale fisheries sector of Ghana exist, and as a result received strikingly little attention in debates over policy, legal and institutional reforms within the sector. This paper unearths the challenges facing women in the small-scale fisheries sector in their daily interactions with their environment. Interviews were conducted in Elmina, a small-scale coastal fishing community in the Central Region of Ghana, to assess the situation. The paper shows that most of the challenges confronting the women in the study area can be linked to their marginalization in decision-making processes on the issues affecting the fisheries sector. It discusses how an international human rights framework can be effective as a possible tool to respond to the challenges identified and to enhance the integration and inclusion of women in small-scale fisheries resource management in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As impacts of climate change on marine fisheries grow in frequency and magnitude, planning and implementing adaptation actions are both urgent and crucial to enable fishery participants and communities to minimise risks and benefit from potential opportunities. Exploring factors that constrain or facilitate the adaptation process in complex fisheries socio-ecological systems can enable greater insight into why certain adaptation strategies may succeed or fail and help inform adaptation planning. Using data collected from interviews and workshops in four commercial fishing communities in New England along the Northeast US coastline, we ask what barriers and enablers of climate adaptation are being experienced or perceived, and where within the fisheries socio-ecological system they are emerging. Thematic analysis identified a variety of barriers and enablers of adaptation, of which many were shared across communities, while others were unique to particular localities. Barriers included fisheries specialisation and dependency, overcapitalisation, working waterfront issues, limited access to alternative fisheries, management system responsiveness, wider community perceptions, and workforce challenges. Enablers included perceived industry and community adaptability, knowledge and learning capacity, working waterfront protections, diverse shoreside services, and fisher-led conservation efforts. Barriers and enablers therefore arose not just among fishers themselves, but emerged throughout the socio-ecological system, highlighting the importance of multi-scale influences on adaptation processes. Climate adaptation planning in fisheries contexts should extend beyond approaches that consider the resource and resource user to also account for the changes, barriers and opportunities occurring shoreside and influencing the future of the fishing community as a whole. • Climate adaptation planning in fisheries requires identifying barriers and enablers. • Insights generated from interviews and workshops in four US fishing communities. • Barriers included fisheries specialisation and governance responsiveness. • Enablers included diverse shoreside services and fisher-led conservation efforts. • Results highlight importance of multi-scale influences on adaptation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hurricane Sandy was one of the most devastating hurricanes to hit US shores. The brunt of the impact was felt in New York and New Jersey, especially among coastal towns such as fishing communities. A survey of these two states assessed social and economic impacts to 958 commercial and recreational fishermen and fishing-related business owners 12 months post-storm. Many businesses and communities were still struggling, due to heavy infrastructure damages and revenue losses with low insurance coverage, but also to disrupted fishing patterns for some species. Social bonds were credited by many as a key aid to recovery. Social bonds (sometimes called bonding social capital) have been shown to be critical for evacuation and recovery in other disasters. However, few studies examine social bonds and disasters within the context of fisheries. This paper expands upon that topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changing climatic conditions are affecting the relationship between fishing communities and the marine resources they depend on. This shift will require an adaptive response on the part of policy makers and fishery managers. In the U.S., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) established, in its fisheries agency (NOAA Fisheries), a set of social indicators of fishing community vulnerability and resilience to evaluate the impacts of changes in fishery management regimes. These indicators enhance the analytical capabilities within NOAA Fisheries for conducting fisheries social impact assessments and informing ecosystem-based fishery management. Building on the existing Community Social Vulnerability Indicators (CSVIs), new measures of climate change vulnerability are defined for the U.S. Eastern and Gulf coasts. These new indicators are used to assess the impact of sea level rise on critical commercial fishing infrastructure and the dependence of communities on species identified as vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Examples are provided in this article to demonstrate the utility of these new indicators to policy makers and the NOAA strategic goal for building resilient coastal communities that are environmentally and economically sustainable. Integration of CSVIs and the new climate change vulnerability indices highlight community needs for unique solutions in order to adapt to environmental and social changes and maintain their well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current efforts at assessing the vulnerability of fishing communities center around the creation of quantitative indices. The quantification of social data, however, has several drawbacks. These include the loss of detail, removal of historical context, and obscuring of power dynamics. The Means, Meanings, and Contexts (MMC) Framework is presented as an alternative methodology, one that allows for the integration of qualitative social science into the understanding of community vulnerability, drawing upon ethnographic research techniques and theories of place-making. Place-making refers to the changing relationships between the physical support offered by a landscape (means), and the relationships among place, people, and lifestyle in a community (meanings). To adequately assess community vulnerability, researchers can collect data on both means and meanings within a community. Using these data, community vulnerability is assessed by responding to a series of 12 broad prompts. Responses to these prompts are summarized at three levels of detail: detailed textual description, tabular summary, and graphical summary. Using the Pribilof Island communities of St. George and St. Paul, Alaska as examples, this framework indicates that St. George is a highly vulnerable community, while St. Paul is moderately vulnerable. These results are in stark contrast with quantitative assessments of community vulnerability, which indicate that St. George is a low to moderately vulnerable community, while St. Paul is a highly vulnerable community. Tools like the MMC Framework, therefore, help make a place for important, but complex, qualitative social data, in fisheries management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bluefin tuna fishery has undergone a major shift in Malta, moving from an open access artisanal nature to a privatized and industrialized activity dominated by the purse seining fleet and the BFT ranching industry. The shift has been exacerbated by the national implementation of an individual transferable quota system, which has enabled the concertation of quotas into fewer hands. The main objective of this article is to understand how privatization has evolved within the sector and the way the Maltese artisanal fishermen are experiencing the shift. This study takes an exploratory mixed-method approach to quantitatively and qualitatively understand how policy underpinnings interplay with the sustainability dimension of the small-scale fishing sector. Results show that the transition of the bluefin tuna fishery from artisanal to industrial has generated a legitimacy crisis over fishing rights, decreased profitability amongst most of the artisanal fleet, and led to a series of socio-ecological impacts on the artisanal fisheries system at large. It is concluded that the neo-liberal trajectories of industrialization have directly undermined the continued sustainability of artisanal fishing communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is estimated that more than 200 million people worldwide depend on small-scale fisheries for their livelihood, driving the need for fisheries reform to develop effective, local-level governance systems to protect food security and lessen reliance on common resources. However, our ability to impose new management relies on the assessment of vulnerability and adaptive capacity, and the lack of social-ecological data often stifles decision making. Here we test the use of simple fisheries attributes from 33 fishing communities in an understudied, and chronically poor region of the Colombian Pacific, to generate indicators of relative fisheries adaptive capacity, as a proxy for vulnerability to planned management changes. We demonstrate the strengths of this approach using four variables (species assemblage, spatial dependence, gear dependence and compliance), and illustrate how potential threats to livelihoods can be identified early, and with limited data, allowing for management to adapt decision-making accordingly. We show that in the absence of detailed socio-economic information, relatively basic fisheries data recorded by community observers can be applied to decrease uncertainty by providing a rapid characterisation of community vulnerability to management decision-making, in a range of management intervention options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving small-scale fishers' wellbeing is a core policy objective in efforts to achieve just, equitable and sustainable futures. Nonetheless, fishers' wellbeing is rarely assessed or monitored over time using quantitative indicators. We evaluated the socio-economic performance and evolution of two small-scale fishing communities of northern Peru using the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach. Quantitative indicators were used to characterize fishers financial, human, natural, physical, and social capitals. We also developed a simple, yet novel, composite index to quantify fishers' Unsatisfied Basic Needs. This approach allowed us to grasp changes in the material and relational dimensions of fishers' wellbeing over time. Fishers in these communities had: (i) low human and financial capital assets, (ii) strong social capital assets, and (iii) experienced improvements in their physical capital assets whilst reporting declines in their natural capital assets. Although fishers mainly use highly selective, low-impact fishing methods, their target stocks and incomes are declining. People's wellbeing in these communities was highly vulnerable to external environmental (e.g., El Niño) and economic (e.g., access to markets) drivers as well as poor governance (e.g., weak rule of law, low institutional fit, corruption). Our results suggest that small-scale fishers of these two sites are currently in a social-ecological trap, with many points of entry and few ways out. We discuss potential avenues for escaping the trap and improving their wellbeing based on commonly suggested livelihoods strategies found in the literature. • The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach was used to assess fisher's wellbeing in Peru. • Novel indicators were developed to characterize fishers' capital assets. • Small-scale fishers in Peru are caught in a social-ecological trap. • Fishers' livelihoods are not sustainable, yet they mostly use selective fishing gears. • Improving fishers' wellbeing requires broadening the scope of fisheries research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation and sustainable use of coastal resources is essential to sustain people's lives, all the more so with small-scale fishermen whose livelihoods depend on those resources. In the course of pursuing conservation and sustainable use of coastal resources, participation of stakeholders is vital. This study aims at exploring any potential signals which might influence the pro-environmental behavior of residents, especially regarding marine and coastal conservation, taking small-scale fishing communities in the Philippines as a case study. Face-to-face questionnaires were conducted in two communities, which resulted in a total of 267 responses valid for analysis. Principal component analysis and multiple regression analysis were conducted to explore relationships between the potential signals and pro-environmental behavior regarding conservation of the coastal environment. This study found potentials that: i) the higher the conformity of residents to the communities, the more frequent their joining activities for coastal conservation might be, ii) positive perception of the current coastal environment and willingness to join coastal conservation activities tend to coexist, and iii) non-conformity could work on either side, i.e., not joining or regularly joining in coastal conservation activities. The importance of this study lies in having found that conformity exists and it might promote behavior for coastal conservation, though not strongly. An insight gained from this research, was that to promote residents' joining activities for coastal conservation in fishing-communities, conformity of the residents to the communities might be utilized. At the same time, it should be noted that some residents with high non-conformity could be core actors for coastal conservation. • Factors promoting behavior for coastal conservation was explored in the Philippines. • The conformity exists having potentials promoting coastal conservation activities. • Positive environmental perception and intention of conservation tend to coexist. • Some residents with high non-conformity could be central for coastal conservation. • Effective coastal conservation policy might benefit from residents' conformity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many shark populations have experienced severe declines in the past few decades due to increased demand for their products. As fisheries managers, conservation biologists, and other invested groups move to develop new conservation measures to better protect sharks it will be important to understand the potential reactions (behaviors) local fishermen will have to new regulations. To determine the potential behaviors local artisanal fishermen in Costa Rica would have toward new conservation measures for sharks a structured survey (n=72) was distributed to several fishing communities along Costa Rica's Pacific coast. Overall, 89% of fishermen felt that protecting sharks was important with 97% stating a willingness to support shark conservation. However, support dropped to 67% if they would have to change some of their fishing practices. Almost all fishermen surveyed (93%) were in support of the formation of marine protected areas (MPAs). Although, if MPAs restricted their current fishing practices support dropped to between 6% and 65% depending on the restrictiveness of regulations implemented in the MPA. The majority (86%) of the fishermen surveyed also indicated they would be more likely to support new legislative measures to protect sharks if they were included in the decision making process. The results suggest that artisanal fishermen in Costa Rica are willing to protect sharks, but only if their current fishing practices are minimally impacted. It is therefore important that mangers work with these communities to develop management plans that will provide the best protection possible for sharks while also garnering local support to ensure continued compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper revisits the 1979 seminal work of Ian Smith and the research agenda for small-scale fisheries which identified areas of research which would have the greatest potential for contributing to the solution of problems facing small-scale fisheries and their communities. The paper provides an historical perspective on the changing issues and research and development agendas for small-scale fisheries over the last fifty years. Several suggested research priorities on small-scale fisheries for the next decade are identified including overcapacity, livelihoods, markets and secure and resilient communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research develops a methodology to evaluate public support for fishing regulations, comparing existing regulations designed without much public input, to possible alternative regulations based fishers' ecological knowledge (FEK) and preferences. First, a survey and open-ended interview was completed with 42 fishers in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (33% of the total number of currently registered commercial fishers on island) regarding general matters of fishery health and productivity, with heightened focus on the management of a mutton snapper ( Lutjanus analis ) spawning aggregation. The interview results suggest that fishers view management tools in terms of spatial and temporal parameters, and how much those regulations influence gear selection. Fishers respond primarily to socioeconomic pressures, but recognize and support ecological goals of regulations, particularly those that provide protections to important stocks throughout their spawning season. A Discrete Choice Model (DCM) was developed based on the results of the fisher surveys and was administered to 182 individuals, including 54 residents of St. Croix and all 42 fishers interviewed. Eight DCM options were presented to respondents who selected their regulatory preference in a pair-wise fashion. In seven of eight pairs, public respondents selected fisher-preferred, FEK-based regulatory frameworks. These results suggest FEK can be used to develop fishery regulations that will meet management goals, and be broadly supported by both members of the fishing community and the general public. In this manner, ecosystem-based management frameworks can be improved by incorporating fishers and their FEK, particularly for small-scale fisheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]