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Rights‐based fisheries management (RBFM) seeks to create market incentives to reduce competition, avoid overexploitation, and increase economic efficiency. Particularly for artisanal fisheries, however, assumptions of RBFM may not be met and its use needs to be carefully considered. This study applies an existing tool (SEASALT) to evaluate the strength of RBFM based on attributes of security, exclusivity, fish mortality, scale, responsibility, limitations, and transferability. Results for 17 fisheries in Mexico show a positive (nonsignificant) relationship between the strength of RBFM and stock status, and no effect on prices or landed value. Real‐world fisheries governance systems are much more complex than the simple linkages between attributes implied in SEASALT, but results highlight pre‐existing monitoring and enforcement capacity as essential for successful RBFM. Transitions to RBFM may strengthen this capacity, but likely cannot create it where it does not already exist. Based on our findings, RBFM strategies may benefit from group quotas with limited transferability to avoid negative social outcomes from consolidation or rent capture by intermediaries; this could potentially build on the latent capacity of traditional community associations common in many artisanal fisheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the scientific literature on fisheries, the concept of community is often used broadly to indicate a place-based group whose members are dedicated to fisheries and have relatively homogeneous economic, social, and cultural interests. However, this categorical perspective to scope a "fishing community" is not necessarily an insightful approach to explore diverse social relationships with the marine environment, fishwork, and management in a practical context, and risks mismatches with science-based recommendations for management and policy. Drawing from ethnographic work, we highlight different historical and cultural dynamics from four case studies from fisheries in northwest Mexico. We identify key factors that help contextualize fishwork relationships, related to the importance of fishing practices on worldviews, daily routines, and income. These are used to derive three configurations (livelihood, way of life, and job) that describe and give analytical content to the notion of these fishing communities. Our use of a typology is not intended to generalize them or provide universal categories, but rather to convey to a broad range of fisheries scientists the importance of considering social contexts in the places in which we work and learn, and a set of guiding questions that may help in this regard. Contextualizing the importance of historical and cultural factors in scoping community units beyond occupational or geographical characteristics is essential for identifying and addressing (in)equitable processes and outcomes in fisheries sectors, research, and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co‐operation in the management of shared fish stocks is often necessary to achieve sustainability and reduce uncertainty. The United States of America (USA) and Mexico share a number of fish stocks and marine ecosystems, while there is some binational co‐operation in scientific research, unilateral management decisions are generally the rule. We present a case study using the giant sea bass (Stereolepis gigas, Polyprionidae) to highlight how these management and research asymmetries can skew national perceptions of population status for a fully transboundary species. Scientific publications and annual funding related to giant sea bass are 7x and 25x higher in the USA, respectively, despite the fact that 73% of the species' range occurs in Mexico. Conversely, annual fishery production and consumptive value of giant sea bass in Mexico are 19x and 3.5x higher than in the USA, respectively, while the non‐consumptive value related to dive ecotourism is 76x higher in the USA. These asymmetries have generated a distorted view of the population status of the giant sea bass across its entire range. This and other factors related to historical fishery dynamics and policy must be accounted for when assessing population status, and subsequent appropriate management responses, across geopolitical boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fishers' economic status is hard to assess because fisheries socio‐economic data, including earnings, are often not centrally available, standardized or accessible in a form that allows scaled‐up or comparative analyses. The lack of fishing income data impedes sound management and allows biased perceptions about fishers' status to persist. We compile data from intergovernmental and regional data sets, as well as case‐studies, on income earned from marine wild‐capture fisheries. We explore the level and distribution of fishers' income across fisheries sectors and geographical regions, and highlight challenges in data collection and reporting. We find that fishers generally are not the poorest of the poor based on average fishing income from 89 countries, but income levels vary widely. Fishing income in the large‐scale sector is higher than the small‐scale sector by about 2.2 times, and in high‐income versus low‐income countries by almost 9 times. Boat owners and captains earned more than double that of crew and owner‐operators, while income from fisheries is greater than that from agricultural work in 63% of countries in this study. Nonetheless, incomes are below national poverty lines in 34% of the countries with data. More detailed fishing income statistics is needed for quantitative scientific research and for supporting socio‐economic policies. Key gaps to address include the lack of a centralized database for fisheries income statistics and the coarse resolution at which economic statistics are reported internationally. A first step to close the gap is to integrate socio‐economic monitoring and reporting in fisheries management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) is a common target for fisheries aiming to achieve long‐term ecological sustainability. Although achieving MSY may ensure the long‐term sustainability of fish populations, we ask whether it will provide economic security for fishers. Here we use 16 years of daily landing records to estimate potential catches and revenues per capita if fisheries were exploited at MSY in 11 subregions across Mexico. We then compare fishers' estimated revenues per capita against national poverty limits at the household level. Our results show that even if MSY is reached in artisanal fisheries, the overcapacity of fleets and the dissipation of rents threatens the economic well‐being of fishers and their families, pushing revenues per capita below poverty levels. Our work demonstrates the importance of resolving the trade‐offs between achieving economic, social and environmental objectives when managing for the long‐term sustainable use of natural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artisanal fisheries for relatively sessile benthic organisms have become key test cases for developing and testing sustainability policies, as they can address challenges, such as limited enforcement capacity or uncertainty in biological information, by applying area and economics-based management and research methods that are difficult for highly mobile species. We use results from a Participatory Rural Appraisal to analyze the evolution of governance of oyster fisheries along the coast of Nayarit, Mexico, within a community management effort led by local fishers, and highlight key factors in success (and challenges) that are relevant for similar contexts in other regions. We particularly focus on the dynamics of local management, the identification of problems and solutions by fishers, and the integration of community management with the various stakeholders and institutions that participate in formal governance frameworks. These actions have led to self-imposed area and seasonal rotation of harvest to maximize per-unit value, with independent information showing concurrent increases in local oyster abundance and size. Fishers identified lack of enforcement capacity as a main barrier to sustainability, yet were eager to engage with relevant institutions to fill these gaps and continue community-led management that leverages their social cohesion, low production costs, and empirical knowledge of local markets to increase landed value while minimizing overfishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine ecosystems play a central role in economic and social life in the Republic of Palau, a Small Island Developing State in the Western Pacific. Marine resources underpin subsistence and commercial fisheries, as well as tourism activities, contributing substantially to Palau's GDP and employment. Since 1992, Palau has been actively developing conservation initiatives to protect marine resources, promote ecotourism, and ensure revenue generation. Marine reserves represent a particularly important tool in the country's sustainable development strategy. In 2015, Palau designated 80% of its marine EEZ as a National Marine Sanctuary, with the remaining 20% slated for domestic fisheries. That same year, Palau received 160 thousand tourists, over 9 times the country's population. In early 2017, the President proposed a bill effectively limiting budget travel and actively promoting high-end tourism. This study uses a quantitative social-ecological model to explore policy scenarios involving tourism, marine conservation and local food security. While climate change had the largest expected impact on local ecosystems, reef fish consumption contributes considerably to future projected declines in marine resources. Therefore, for Palau to achieve its goals of boosting revenues while sustainably stewarding marine resources, it will be necessary to transfer some level of consumption from reef fish on to tuna and other pelagics. Such changes, which align with the current proposal of developing an offshore national fishery as part of the Sanctuary's management plan, may allow Palau to meet future seafood demand, while protecting reef systems and the industries that rely on them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harmful fisheries subsidies have historically contributed to fleet overcapacity and continue to be allocated to the fishing industry to artificially maintain its profitability. However, in this contribution we show that removing harmful subsidies and reducing overfishing will help to recover the resource biomass, subsequently leading to increased levels of sustainable catches, income and well-being of fishers, and reduces inequities in income and consumption when fish stocks are not effectively managed. Maintaining harmful fisheries subsidies is socially and economically inefficient. Taking the example of the EU fishing fleet, one of the largest fishing fleets in the world, we use the total factor productivity to show that small-scale fishing fleet's productivity is almost two-fold in the North Atlantic and 16% higher in the Mediterranean and Black seas compared to large-scale vessels. This result is explained because the harmful fisheries subsidies disproportionately allocated to large-scale vessels introduce distortions in the efficient allocation of inputs. With critical WTO negotiations ongoing regarding the global rules on fisheries subsidies, the EU must take advantage of the opportunity to lead a desirable transformative change while also supporting developing nations to truly achieve global sustainable and equitable fisheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trajectory of the cannonball jellyfish (Stomolophus sp. 2) fishery in the central portion of Mexico's Gulf of California is an all too familiar one, consisting of exploration, rapid development, and, as of now, subsequent collapse. As all of the product is exported to markets overseas, buyers have little incentive to conserve local stocks, with jellyfish now exhibiting a global-scale sequential exploitation experienced by many other marine resources. While historical data gaps are often used as excuses for overexploitation after the fact, the emergence of this modern fishery was accompanied by relatively broad research interest; however, recommendations based on sound science were not followed. The resultant paucity of policy goals, regulation, cooperation, compliance, and enforcement has resulted in the mismanagement of a potentially lucrative fishery for future generations. There are always myriad challenges when attempting to manage a nascent fishery with high uncertainty, particularly in a developing country, and this case further highlights the importance of taking a precautionary approach to emerging resource extraction. Multiple prior experiences with similar outcomes should behoove regulators and managers to exhibit extra caution, and yet, sustainability and forethought still appear to be secondary to short-term profits and employment support. Nonetheless, it is perhaps not too late for cannonball jellyfish fisheries in the Gulf of California, and there are opportunities to implement management strategies that promote collaboration, research, and sustainability. This fishery requires a new management regime that embraces adaptive co-management in order to provide benefits to locals, both now and in the future. • Jellyfish are targeted for food exports in Mexico's Gulf of California. • Catches for one of the targeted species have declined, possibly due to overfishing. • Management challenges are complex due to natural and social factors. • Future strategies should include stakeholder collaboration and adaptive co-management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is in the final stages of negotiating an agreement to prohibit harmful fisheries subsidies, thereby achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.6. An effective agreement should be viewed as an opportunity for nations to proactively transition towards sustainable and equitable fisheries and pave the path for other SDGs. Supporting fishers does not require harmful subsidies, and we provide evidence-based options for reform that highlight equity needs while reducing environmental harm. Subsidy reforms need clear goals, co-design, transparency, and fair implementation. An agreement on SDG 14.6 could be a turning point for the oceans and for the well-being of those that depend on the oceans for livelihoods and nutrition. Responsible seafood production will require international cooperation not only at WTO, but among governments, fisher organizations, civil society, and the wider public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Trade Organization's (WTO) has committed to achieving a multilateral and legally binding agreement to eliminate fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfished stocks, and to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fisheries. This agreement is due in December of 2019 and also represents UN Sustainable Development Goal 14.6. A strong agreement would benefit fishers and marine environments, represent a milestone for multilateralism and both international and national fisheries policy, and become the first global achievement of a SDG target. To help discussions and negotiations focus on real challenges, we briefly dispel five myths related to harmful fisheries subsidies. Harmful fisheries subsidies are not effective at competing with large fishing nations and worsen poverty in the long-term. The worst effects of harmful subsidies occur when management capacity is limited, and overexploitation and overcapacity in one region can impact others. Because most global stocks are already exploited at least at maximum sustainable levels, more fishing capacity is unnecessary. Turning away from harmful subsidies can enable new investments to benefit fishing communities, national economies, and marine ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite worldwide demand for tuna products and considerable conservation interest by civil society, no single global dataset exists capturing the spatial extent of all catches from fisheries for large pelagic species across all ocean basins. Efforts to spatially quantify the historical catch of global tuna fisheries have been restricted to the few taxa of major economic interest, creating a truncated view of the true extent of the fisheries for tuna and other large pelagic fishes. Individual Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) have given varying degrees of attention to minor taxa and non-target species only in more recent years. Here, we compiled and harmonized public datasets of nominal landed catches, as well as spatial data on reported catches of large pelagic taxa reported for the industrial tuna and large pelagic fisheries by tuna RFMOs for the last 60+ years. Furthermore, we provide a preliminary estimate of marine finfishes discarded by these fisheries. We spatialized these data to create a publicly available, comprehensive dataset presenting the historical reported landed catches plus preliminary discards of these species in space for 1950–2016. Our findings suggest that current public reporting efforts are insufficient to fully and transparently document the global historical extent of fisheries for tuna and other large pelagic fishes. Further harmonization of our findings with data from small-scale tuna fisheries could contribute to a fuller picture of global tuna and large pelagic fisheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]