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The effects of climate change on marine ecosystems are causing cascading impacts on livelihood, food security, and culture through fisheries. Such impacts interact and exacerbate the effects of overfishing on marine social‐ecological systems, complicating the rebuilding of ecosystems to achieve desirable and sustainable ocean futures. Developing effective pathways for ecosystem rebuilding requires consideration of the co‐benefits and trade‐offs between ecological and social dimensions and between fishing sectors. However, the effects of intensifying climate change on such co‐benefits or trade‐offs are yet to be well understood, particularly in regions where ecosystem rebuilding is urgently needed. We applied a numerical optimization routine to define the scope for improvement toward the Pareto‐frontier for ecological robustness and economic benefits of the northern South China Sea (NSCS) and the East China Sea (ECS) ecosystems. These two ecosystems were used to represent over‐exploited low‐ and mid‐latitude systems, respectively, and the optimization aimed to improve their status through fisheries management. We find that the ECS ecosystem has the possibility of increasing the economic benefits generated by the fisheries it supports under climate change by 2050 while increasing the uncertainty of achieving biodiversity objectives. Nevertheless, climate change is projected to reduce the scope to restore ecosystem structures and the potential economic benefits in the NSCS ecosystem. This study highlights the contrasting impacts of climate change on the co‐benefits/trade‐offs in ecosystem rebuilding and the benefits obtainable by different fishing sectors even in neighboring ecosystems. We conclude that consideration at the nexus of climate–biodiversity‐fisheries is a key to developing effective ecosystem rebuilding plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a reflection on the author's recognition for their contributions to utilizing economics in the sustainable management of environmental resources. The author discusses the importance of breaking down disciplinary silos in fisheries science and emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, ethical engagement, and global jurisdiction in addressing environmental challenges. The author also highlights their work in interdisciplinary oceans and fisheries economics, including their role as Project Director of the OceanCanada Partnership, which aims to foster resilient and sustainable oceans along Canada's coasts. The article concludes with a call for responsible resource extraction and the preservation of the ocean's ecosystem for future generations. [Extracted from the article]

Molluscan mariculture has become increasingly common in coastal areas of China with production accounting for ∼69% of Chinese total mariculture production. In other international locations, however, a possible underutilization of molluscan mariculture may result from hesitancy based on initial environmental impacts. This study investigated the dynamic relationship between the molluscan mariculture industry (MMI) development and environmental quality (solid waste production, total wastewater emissions, and sulfur dioxide emissions) at the meso level. Their relationship trend followed that described by the environmental Kuznets curve theory in ∼78% of the areas, and ∼89% of the areas were in a coupled coordination state in most periods. This implied that the healthy development of the MMI can reduce environmental stress. These results should help to alleviate the negative perceptions of some researchers and the public regarding mariculture operation. The findings suggest that China, given its substantial contribution to global blue growth, should further support sustainable molluscan production by developing new strategies and policies and reducing potential negative impacts of mariculture on the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small-scale fisheries (SSF) play an important role in food systems, the environment, culture, the livelihoods of millions of people and sustainable development as a whole. They frequently operate on common resources and carry out their activity in a collective, traditional and more sustainable way than other forms of fishing. Moreover, many SSF communities are organised in associations, community-based organisations or even cooperatives, which fall under the object of study of the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE). SSE has been gaining relevance within the political and scientific global agenda and applying it to the fishing sector could provide new insights on its viability, resilience and sustainability. However, fisheries studies do not seem to apply SSE methodologies often, nor does SSE seem to focus on fisheries. Consequently, to find out which studies analyse small-scale fisheries from a SSE perspective and what the main trends in these multidisciplinary studies are, this paper conducts a systematic literature review. Results suggest that works focused on this area of study are limited but have grown over the last decade, with great potential for development. In this sense, this review presents the state of the art of a multidisciplinary field, while the cases analysed allow us to show the SSE as an opportunity to improve SSF management and sustainability. Specifically, we conclude that SSE can provide insights into the entrepreneurial nature of fisheries, social and environmental dynamics, and regional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective fisheries management is necessary for the long‐term sustainability of fisheries and the economic benefits that they provide, but focusing only on ecological sustainability risks disregarding ultimate goals related to well‐being that must be achieved through broader social policy. An analysis of global landings data shows that average fishing wages in 36%–67% of countries, home to 69%–95% of fishers worldwide, are likely below their nationally determined minimum living wage (which accounts for costs of food, shelter, clothing, health and education). Furthermore, even if all fisheries in every country were perfectly managed to achieve their Maximum Sustainable Yield, a common sustainability target, average incomes of fishers in up to 49 countries—70% of fishers worldwide—would still not meet minimum living wages. Access to decent work and livelihoods are fundamental human rights, including for all fisherfolk around the world, and strategies to support their well‐being must therefore integrate a much wider set of perspectives, disciplines and institutions. Key first steps for fisheries researchers are to more fully recognize and estimate fisheries benefits to households—including income from women and/or alternative employment, unreported landings, or shadow values of subsistence catch—and to help identify and learn from economic equity outcomes in rebuilt fisheries around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper surveys the current state and major trends in global fisheries; the environmental and social dimensions of fisheries; and explains how the international community has tried to meet the policy challenges associated with oceans and fisheries. The ocean and the freshwater ecosystems of the world make significant contributions to people's well-being via the many vital social and environmental services they provide (for example, food and nutrition, employment and incomes, carbon cycling and sequestration). The impact that the increase in fishing since the 1950s has had on wild fish stocks, and the significant increase in aquaculture production in the 20th century, have resulted in severe environmental impacts. This has significant effects on marine ecosystems and the health of oceans. The erosion of the resource undermines communities' long-term interests, including food security, employment, and income. Attempts by the global community to address challenges of sustainable production by improving the governance and management of fisheries resources range from national management of fisheries resources, to regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs) for international fisheries stocks. These attempts have not always successfully met the challenge of balancing current and future use of fisheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, over 90% of all fishing vessels and about 22 million fishers are considered small-scale. Despite their high numbers, small-scale fisheries are often understudied. They are usually economically and politically marginalized, and therefore vulnerable to large-scale threats (e.g., globalized markets). To support this sector and contribute to its sustainability, we argue that it is fundamental to understand how economically viable small-scale fisheries are. Hence, the main objective of this article is to critically review and describe the current discourse on the economic viability of small-scale fisheries. We find that currently, economic viability is mainly equated with financial viability, where profitability is the goal. In consideration of socio-economic aspects, the maintenance of nonnegative net benefits to society is often not considered in current notions of economic viability. While these shortcomings have been acknowledged in some of the existing literature, our review shows that they have not yet been addressed comprehensively. We therefore conclude that it is necessary to develop or expand current methods to better take into account social aspects when assessing the economic viability of small-scale fisheries. This would help find solutions to make these fisheries less vulnerable and better equipped to face large-scale processes of change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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• Family planning services provided by an environmental NGO can support women's reproductive rights. • Programme benefits include the option of smaller families, more time to work, increased income and better health. • Benefits do not translate into increased support for/ participation in marine management. Most women who are able to work more are fishing more. • Cultural norms, especially entrenched gender inequality, prevent the family planning programme from manifesting in improved resource stewardship. • Successful human rights-based approaches must target multiple rights and challenge existing institutions and power structures. Environmental NGOs are increasingly called upon to respect human rights when undertaking conservation programs. Evaluating a family planning program running alongside marine management measures in Madagascar, we find that family planning services provided by an environmental NGO can support women's reproductive rights. Family planning services allow the option of smaller families, and give more time to work, increased income and better health. These benefits do not translate into increased support for, or participation in, marine management, however, and women who are able to work more are typically fishing more. We identify patriarchal norms as a key factor preventing the family planning programme from manifesting in improved resource stewardship, limiting opportunities for women to participate fully in resource management meetings and diversify their livelihood outside traditional tasks, including fishing. We propose that a successful human rights-based approach must be more comprehensive, targeting multiple rights and challenging existing institutions and power structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Our study objective is to quantify the present and historical contribution of small-scale fisheries to national economies. We focus on the small-scale fishing sector in Sabah, Malaysia, and use a previously reconstructed time series of Sabah''s small-scale catches as the basis for estimating the economic value of these fisheries. Our findings suggest that since the early 1990s, small-scale fish catches in Sabah may have been undervalued by up to 225%. Presently, small-scale fisheries may be supporting up to an additional 3.5% of Sabah''s population. Further, accounting for the economic impact of unaccounted small-scale fisheries value could have potentially tripled the reported contribution that commercial and small-scale fisheries combined made to GDP in 2009. Overall, our results show that the socio-economic contribution of small-scale fisheries to Sabah society have been substantially undervalued or even unaccounted for historically and in present fisheries statistics. This undervaluation also implies that fishing pressure on Sabah''s inshore marine resources is probably a lot higher than presently perceived, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of these fisheries resources, and the capacity for Sabah''s inshore fisheries to support coastal livelihoods into the future. Our study strongly suggests the need for more encompassing fisheries monitoring and data collection methods which target the large population of small-scale fishers whose catch is largely unreported. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are globally underfunded. We present a five-step framework that can help practitioners prioritize actions that may improve financial sustainability, which was applied to six MPAs in Colombia, Bonaire, and Belize. Limited funds were found to directly undermine effectiveness towards conservation goals for five sites, with these impacts particularly significant for four. Annual budgets required increases from 6 % to 141 % to meet financial needs. Two sites had significant underlying weaknesses in their financial strategies that could lead to direct impacts if not addressed, with an additional three sites having more minor, but still observable, weaknesses in this manner. Staff salaries were the largest expense for all MPAs examined and also most frequently in need of additional funds. Opportunities to potentially eliminate these funding gaps were identified for all six MPAs through reallocating existing resources (n = 2), improving in-place mechanisms (n = 6), or implementing one or more alternative mechanisms (n = 6). Among several findings, some MPAs had the potential to increase tourism-based income by several million dollars per year, which would well exceed local financial requirements and could have substantial financial benefits on a network-wide scale. Some MPAs, including those with lower budgets, effectively leveraged partnerships and inter-institutional coordination to expand management capacity. Among alternative mechanisms that could be implemented, opportunities to leverage private-sector investments were especially common. Other MPAs around the world could likewise improve financial sustainability through analysis, evaluation, and execution of the full suite of options described herein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]