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Recreational fisheries catches are increasingly considered in the assessment and management of mixed recreational‐commercial marine fisheries, while the contribution of recreational fisheries to the economy is often overlooked. Using a telephone diary survey targeting marine recreational anglers in Germany, we estimated the number of anglers and their expenditures over the course of 1 year (2014–2015). About 197,000 marine anglers spent €248 million in Germany. We then constructed regional input–output models and contrasted the economic impacts of resident and nonresident anglers fishing in coastal and transitional brackish waters of the state of Mecklenburg‐Western Pomerania in north‐eastern Germany. On a regional scale, the total economic impact was €210 million supporting 2044 jobs, nonresident anglers were responsible for eight times greater economic impact than resident anglers. Maintaining attractive fishing opportunities for the recreational fishing sector, specifically angling tourism, is critical for maintaining resource flows to local and regional economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human dimension is one major source of uncertainty in the management of social-ecological systems such as fisheries. Agent-based models (ABMs) can help to reduce these uncertainties by making it possible to model and simulate human behavior. To understand how ABMs can be applied in fisheries science, a classification scheme was developed based on reviews in other social-ecological domains, theoretical frameworks, and documentation standards. This classification scheme was subsequently used to review agent-based simulation studies that modeled human decision-making in a fisheries context to identify trends and knowledge gaps. Applying the classification scheme revealed that the existing fisheries-related ABMs employ a variety of decision theories, policies, social interactions, agent memories, and data sources, and revealed a wide potential for applications of ABMs to a broad range of research questions and management recommendations. Nevertheless, it turned out that it is, so far, virtually unexplored how environmental factors influence fishing decisions or how social norms and learning influence fishing behavior. It also became clear that the documentation and provenance information of ABMs need to be improved – e.g., by applying standardized documentation procedures, such as ODD + D and TRACE – to enhance the credibility, transparency, and reusability of ABMs in fisheries science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recreational fishing is increasingly included in fish stock assessments globally. Nonetheless, the extent and precision of recreational fisheries data are often limited. Common methods to collect those data are on-site and off-site surveys, both of which are prone to specific biases, whose magnitude is widely unknown. The present study compares data from an on-site access point intercept and a simultaneously conducted off-site diary survey, separately targeting charter boat, boat, and shore anglers in the German Baltic Sea recreational cod fishery to identify specific biases in the data sets. The analyses revealed indications of avidity and recall bias that might influence catch and release estimates. Catch rates and release rates differed substantially between the angling platforms. The catch and release rates of diarists and on-site anglers were in a similar range for every platform, and reasonably precise with standard errors between 0.1 and 0.4 fish per angler and day. Recreational fishing monitoring approaches should include complementary on-site surveys from time to time to control for biases whereby the angling platform should be taken into account. The low explanatory power of commonly collected socio-demographic variables indicated that variables capturing the heterogeneity of angler behaviour should additionally be included in future surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite regular reforms, problems under the EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) persist. In order to identify priorities for future reforms of the policy, we developed an analytical framework consisting of 17 criteria and specifying indicators, derived from scientific, wider fisheries, and common resources literature. We applied the framework to the CFP governance system, its regulations, institutions, and processes at EU as well as member state level. The results show that the CFP does not fully meet any of the 17 criteria for an effective resource policy. Its performance was assessed as "neutral" regarding 10 criteria and "negative" regarding seven criteria. Trend analysis shows that there is a slightly positive trend regarding the CFP's performance, with five criteria trending positively, 11 showing a neutral trend and only one criterion trending negatively (simplicity of rules). The analysis identified five criteria which are performing badly and have not improved over time: simplicity of rules, user‐pays principle, resource efficiency, accountability, and compliance mechanisms. Future reforms of the CFP should first and foremost address these criteria while continuing efforts to improve the CFP's performance regarding other criteria. The evaluation of the CFP demonstrates the applicability of the analytical framework which can also be applied to other multilevel fisheries governance systems. Moreover, the results can inform reforms of Regional Fisheries Management Organisations. Like the CFP, these institutions manage transboundary fisheries and have not effectively addressed the issues of resource rent capture and resource efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract European policy-makers are increasingly aware of the ecological and socioeconomic relevance of marine recreational fisheries (MRF), but there are still gaps in the information needed to achieve sustainable management. How is the current management of European MRF performed? Is it promoting the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF)? The management of MRF in Europe was reviewed by analyzing how different European regulations align with the EAF in different geographic and administrative scales. Text mining tools were used to identify key concepts and analyze the text of legal regulations on MRF in the European Union (EU), Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom (UK). Also, the Ecosystem Fisheries Legal Assessment (EFLA) framework was used to assess the alignment of the regulations with the EAF. The number of regulations about MRF in Spain and Portugal is higher than in the UK and the EU, probably because the relative higher importance of regional regulations in Spain and Portugal, and the limitations imposed to recreational fishers in marine protected areas (MPAs). The lack of specific regulations on MRF in the EU, and open-access in the UK for recreational fishers, except for Atlantic salmon Salmo salar , explain their lower number of regulations. The EFLA framework showed that the European public policies on MRF follow the EAF principles. Enough attention is payed to ecological components, but socio-economic sustainability could be improved. However, policy efficiency could be lower than expected because potential institutional misfits derived from the eventual confluence of different spatial scales. Highlights • The management of marine recreational fisheries (MRF) in Europe was analyzed. • There are not specific regulations on MRF in the EU. • Legal frameworks are bigger in southern countries, like Spain and Portugal. • European public policies on MRF follow Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries principles. • Socio-economic sustainability of MRF could be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, commercial small-scale fisheries are under increasing pressure. The study examines trends in a commercial Baltic Sea fishery with a special focus on the German small-scale fishery (both part-time and full-time fishery) over a period of 21 years (2000–2021) against the background of the declines in the two main target species of the fishery, namely western Baltic spring-spawning herring (Clupea harengus) and western Baltic cod (Gadus morhua). Landings, revenues, and the number of fishing businesses and vessels of the commercial fishery decreased over the past 21 years although the decline of the number of vessels was less pronounced for the small-scale fishery. The proportion of part-time fishers slightly increased locally. Fishers less dependent on cod and herring responded to declining revenues by diversifying their catches, and the proportion of revenues from flatfish, freshwater and diadromous fish species increased. The study was supplemented by a questionnaire sent to part-time fishers and excerpts from in-depth interviews with full-time fishers to add context to the study. The interviews indicated that family tradition, self-actualization, and nature experience but also a lack of alternatives due to the old age of fishers caused them to continue fishing despite poor economic prospects. A realistic assessment of the challenges and opportunities facing small-scale fisheries and the inclusion of social dimensions in fisheries policies are necessary, not least to develop incentives for small-scale fishers at the regional and local level to promote sustainable fisheries and facilitate fisher's diversification. • Landings, revenues and the number of fishing vessels and businesses of the German Baltic Sea small-scale fishery declined over the past 21 years. • Diversification of catches and income sources have partly compensated income losses from fisheries. • Non-monetary motives and the old age of fishers may have contributed to the fact that fishers continue fishing despite bad economic prospects. • Objectives such as ensuring fishers' livelihood diversification within fisheries policy are crucial for sustainable fisheries management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bycatch of seabirds and marine mammals in gillnet fisheries is a major hazard for conservation globally. Measures for bycatch mitigation in fisheries management mostly base on technological and ecological findings and they generally assume fishers as a homogenous group that is supposed to apply new technology or act according to the latest ecological insights. There is often a lack of knowledge about the heterogeneity of fishers′ actions and drivers, despite its importance for effective fisheries management. For the specific case of the German gillnet fleet in the Baltic Sea a qualitative social-science research approach was chosen to generate knowledge that can inform management. In applying the concept of agency , three types of fishers′ actions are distinguished: projective (future-oriented), evaluative (present-oriented) and iterational (past-oriented). Fishers′ attitude towards incidental bycatch differed between viewing bycatch as a normal part of the daily routine or as a disturbing event. These findings are discussed in the context of management instruments, such as closed fishing zones and seasons, brought up during an expert workshop. It is concluded that considering fishers′ agency may be an important contribution to design effective management instruments to mitigate bycatch of seabirds and marine mammals in gillnet fisheries. • The documentary method is used to identify different types of fishers′ agency. • German gillnet fishers can act projective, evaluative or iterational. • Fishers′ discourse on bycatch differed between normalizing and non-normalizing. • This can help develop informed management instruments to mitigate bycatch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]