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Globally, small-scale fisheries are influenced by dynamic climate, governance, and market drivers, which present social and ecological challenges and opportunities. It is difficult to manage fisheries adaptively for fluctuating drivers, except to allow participants to shift effort among multiple fisheries. Adapting to changing conditions allows small-scale fishery participants to survive economic and environmental disturbances and benefit from optimal conditions. This study explores the relative influence of large-scale drivers on shifts in effort and outcomes among three closely linked fisheries in Monterey Bay since the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act of 1976. In this region, Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax), northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax), and market squid (Loligo opalescens) fisheries comprise a tightly linked system where shifting focus among fisheries is a key element to adaptive capacity and reduced social and ecological vulnerability. Using a cluster analysis of landings, we identify four modes from 1974 to 2012 that are dominated (i.e., a given species accounting for the plurality of landings) by squid, sardine, anchovy, or lack any dominance, and seven points of transition among these periods. This approach enables us to determine which drivers are associated with each mode and each transition. Overall, we show that market and climate drivers are predominantly attributed to dominance transitions. Model selection of external drivers indicates that governance phases, reflected as perceived abundance, dictate long-term outcomes. Our findings suggest that globally, small-scale fishery managers should consider enabling shifts in effort among fisheries and retaining existing flexibility, as adaptive capacity is a critical determinant for social and ecological resilience.

Olive (Sebastes serranoides), black (Sebastes melanops), and blue rockfish (Sebastes mystinus) are all common inhabitants of nearshore ecosystems on the West coast of North America and important components of the recreational fishery off California. Acoustic monitoring studies indicate that olive rockfish are highly residential and that black rockfish are capable of long migrations and have less site fidelity; yet little is known about the long-term movements of blue rockfish. External tag-recapture studies indicate that blue rockfish may have intermediate movements relative to these congener nearshore species. To better understand the site fidelity, and daily and seasonal movements of blue rockfish over long (>1-year) time scales, we placed acoustic transmitters into 21 adult blue rockfish (30–41 cm total length) in Carmel Bay, California. Blue rockfish displayed intermediate movement patterns and residency relative to other similar kelp forest rockfish species. Two-thirds of tagged blue rockfish (13 fish) exhibited high residency to the study area (>12 mo). When in residence, mean home range of blue rockfish was 0.23 km2, however as many as 30% of tagged blue rockfish shifted their core home range area during the study. Most shifts in home range occurred during upwelling season, and tagged fish moved up to 3.1 km when in residence. Blue rockfish with short residence times were last detected in the study area in late winter and early spring. Blue rockfish were observed at shallower depths during day than night, likely indicative of diurnal feeding. However, over longer time scales, blue rockfish were detected at deeper depths during upwelling periods and with increased wave heights. Daily and seasonal vertical movements of blue rockfish may be influenced by upwelling conditions and local prey abundance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]