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This perspective reflects on conservation efforts to increase the coverage of marine protected areas in Solomon Islands. We demonstrate that the current model in which international conservation NGOs provide technical and financial support to pilot projects, from which community‐based resource management will spontaneously spread, is misguided. These site‐based projects typically require substantial financial resources, ignore external threats to coastal ecosystems, and tend to bypass existing governance structures, which makes replication in other areas highly problematic. We argue that to effectively support indigenous peoples and local communities in the management of marine resources and, thereby, achieve biodiversity conservation outcomes at scale, it is necessary to move away from site‐based conservation projects and focus instead on strengthening the capability of government agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal upwelling plays a vital role in the support and maintenance of productive marine ecosystems throughout the California Current System (CCS). Here, we evaluate upwelling forecast skill using ∼30 years of seasonal reforecasts from four global climate models contributing to the North American Mulitmodel Ensemble (NMME). The models skillfully predict upwelling intensity throughout much of the CCS in boreal winter, and in the South‐Central CCS in spring/summer. The models also skillfully predict various aspects of upwelling phenology, including the timing of the spring transition, as well as the total vertical transport integrated over the course of the upwelling season. Climatic sources of forecast skill vary with season, with contributions from the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation in winter‐spring, and the North Pacific Oscillation and the North Pacific Meridional Mode in the winter‐summer. Our results highlight the potential of seasonal climate forecasts to inform management of upwelling‐sensitive marine resources. Plain Language Summary: Upwelling—the process of drawing cold, nutrient rich ocean waters toward the surface—plays a vital role in supporting vibrant and diverse biological populations throughout the California Current System (CCS). Here, we assess whether four global climate models can forecast seasonal upwelling 1–12 months in advance. We show that for much of the year (winter through summer), models can predict anomalous upwelling intensity several months in advance. We also show that the models can predict the timing of the "spring transition" (i.e., the start of the upwelling season) for much of the CCS. The model skill is related to large‐scale climate modes, including the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation, the North Pacific Oscillation, and the Pacific Meridional Mode. These climate modes alter the strength of the surface winds along the U.S. west coast from winter‐summer, giving rise to predictable patterns of upwelling. Our results highlight the potential of seasonal climate forecasts to inform management of upwelling‐sensitive marine resources. Key Points: Global climate models skillfully predict upwelling in the California Current System in winter‐summerModels also skillfully predict timing of spring transitionWinter skill is linked to the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation and North Pacific Oscillation, summer skill with the Pacific Meridional Mode [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The cobia (Rachycentron canadum) is important to fisheries in Northeastern Brazil. To restore stocks in Rio Grande do Norte, cobia were stocked and the fishery was monitored over 4 years. We evaluated effects of stocking on cobia size composition in this data‐limited fishery to understand stocking limitations and explore possibilities for future projects. Total length of cobia was significantly shorter after stocking than before stocking, with mostly small fish caught mainly by nets, an unusual pattern for cobia. Total length also varied significantly among bottom types. Most of the cobia harvested were below the size at first maturity, which suggests that stocking increased the catch, but most fish harvested were immature, thereby potentially hindering stock recovery. For future projects, we recommend against the use of plastic tags for tagging hatchery cobia and propose releases that emulate natural spawning dynamics, alongside releasing fish at older ages. Further, we recommend robust post‐stocking fishery monitoring, and management strategies, such as a release of net‐caught cobia in the initial 2 years and incorporating validated fisher knowledge into decision‐making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of vessel trajectories (VTs) holds significant benefits for marine route management and resource development. VT segmentation serves as a foundation for extracting vessel motion primitives and enables analysis of vessel manoeuvring habits and behavioural intentions. However, existing methods relying on predefined behaviour patterns face high labelling costs, which hinder accurate pattern recognition. This paper proposes a self‐supervised vessel trajectory segmentation method (SS‐VTS), which segments VTs based on their inherent spatio‐temporal semantics. SS‐VTS adaptively divides VTs into cells of optimal size. Then, it extracts split points on different semantic levels from the multi‐dimensional feature sequence of the VTs using self‐supervised learning. Finally, spatio‐temporal distance fusion module is performed on split points to determine change points and obtain VT segments with multiple semantics. Experiments on a real automatic identification system datasets show that SS‐VTS achieves state‐of‐the‐art segmentation results compared to seven baseline methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The Greenland–Scotland Ridge is a submarine mountain that rises up to 500 m below the sea surface and extends from the east coast of Greenland to the continental shelf of Iceland and across the Faroe Islands to Scotland. The ridge not only separates deeper ocean basins on either side, that is, the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, but also forms a geomorphological barrier between the cold arctic water masses of the Nordic Seas and the comparably contrastingly warmer water of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is therefore situated at a strategic geographical position in relation to the effect of climate change in the Arctic region. Both the Arctic and the Atlantic subpolar ecosystems are facing each other at the ridge, creating oceanic fronts in the Denmark Strait and in the Iceland–Faroe ridge alike. This ridge in the subarctic area forms the southern boundary of the North Atlantic Gateway to the Arctic Ocean, affecting exchanges of oceanic currents and of marine organisms between the two main ecosystems in the Nordic polar region. For example, the appearance of natural invasive species such as the Atlantic mackerel in this region mainly occurred along the ridge, with arrival through the Scotland–Faroe Islands mount with subsequent waves of colonization which eventually reached the southern tip of Greenland. With the increasing impacts of climate change, such natural colonization through the ridge is likely to happen more frequently and affect regional ecosystems. Yet, the human resources and the economy of the local nations on the ridge are rather limited compared to neighboring countries. With a total of less than half a million people inhabiting the area and a total ocean surface of circa 3 million km2 of continental shelf, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Scotland will face critical challenges in the coming years with respect to biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of marine resources. Here is a summary of what we know, what we might expect, and an opening to potential discussions for the future of research in this region. The main objective of this paper is calling attention to much needed additional research effort on the marine environment around the Greenland–Scotland Ridge, instead of presenting a comprehensive overview of research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current epoch in fisheries science has been driven by continual advances in laboratory techniques and increasingly sophisticated approaches to analysing datasets. We now have the scientific knowledge and tools to proactively identify obstacles to the sustainable management of marine resources. However, in addition to technological advances, there are predicted global environmental changes, each with inherent implications for fisheries. The 2023 symposium of the Fisheries Society of the British Isles called for "open and constructive knowledge exchange between scientists, stakeholders, managers and policymakers" (https://fsbi.org.uk/symposium-2023/), a nexus of collaborative groups best placed to identify issues and solutions. Arguably, the Centre of Environment, Aquaculture and Fisheries Science (Cefas) and their Scientific Advice for Fisheries Management (SAFM) Team sit at the centre of such a network. SAFM regularly engages with managers and stakeholders, undertakes scientific research, provides fisheries advice to the UK government, and are leading experts within the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). As such, this paper is an opinion piece, linked to individual authors specialisms, that aims to highlight emerging issues affecting fisheries and suggest where research efforts could be focused that contribute to sustainable fisheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moratorium is a common marine resource management strategy used by nation‐states that abruptly reclassifies the harvesting and trade of designated resources as 'illegal' for a defined period. Nation‐states use moratoria to help ecological stocks of overharvested marine species to recover. The Fijian state instituted a moratorium on the harvest and trade of beche‐de‐mer between 2017 and 2022 due to evidence of overfishing. Through ethnographic fieldwork with Fijian beche‐de‐mer fishers, traders and exporters, I examine how the moratorium affected relational trade flows of beche‐de‐mer. In precolonial Fiji, marine resources flowed through historically established regional socio‐cultural pathways. During the colonial period, Chinese migrants in Fiji occupied a unique relational positionality to indigenous (itaukei) communities, which allowed them bridge domestic and international resource markets. Through my ethnographic fieldwork, I detail how beche‐de‐mer continued to be traded during and post moratorium within such a relational resource geography. I argue that the relational ties between itaukei communities and Chinese‐Fijian buyers that subsequently connect to international markets undermined the moratorium restrictions, as well as the new conditionalities of trade after the moratorium was lifted. Such relationality in the marine resource trade renders moratoria an ineffective marine resource management strategy as it is inattentive to Pacific context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gulf of Carpentaria and Torres Strait in north‐eastern Australia support globally significant seagrass ecosystems that underpin fishing and cultural heritage of the region. Reliable data on seagrass distribution are critical to understanding how these ecosystems are changing, while managing for resilience. Spatial data on seagrass have been collected since the early 1980s, but the early data were poorly curated. Some was not publicly available, and some already lost. We validated and synthesized historical seagrass spatial data to create a publicly available database. We include a site layer of 48,612 geolocated data points including information on seagrass presence/absence, sediment, collection date, and data custodian. We include a polygon layer with 641 individual seagrass meadows. Thirteen seagrass species are identified in depths ranging from intertidal to 38 m below mean sea level. Our synthesis includes scientific survey data from 1983 to 2022 and provides an important evidence base for marine resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Michael F. Tillman, a respected advocate for indigenous rights and marine mammal conservation, passed away in 2023. Tillman, who was of Native Alaskan descent, had a successful career in marine science, working for the National Marine Fisheries Service and serving as a Commissioner for the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission. He played a significant role in assessing fish stocks, studying marine mammal populations, and addressing aboriginal subsistence whaling issues. Tillman's contributions to the field were recognized internationally, particularly through his involvement with the International Whaling Commission. This document provides a comprehensive overview of Mike Tillman's career and contributions to marine conservation and mammal management. [Extracted from the article]

Species distribution models (SDMs) have been widely used to project terrestrial species' responses to climate change and are increasingly being used for similar objectives in the marine realm. These projections are critically needed to develop strategies for resource management and the conservation of marine ecosystems. SDMs are a powerful and necessary tool; however, they are subject to many sources of uncertainty, both quantifiable and unquantifiable. To ensure that SDM projections are informative for management and conservation decisions, sources of uncertainty must be considered and properly addressed. Here we provide ten overarching guidelines that will aid researchers to identify, minimize, and account for uncertainty through the entire model development process, from the formation of a study question to the presentation of results. These guidelines focus on correlative models and were developed at an international workshop attended by over 50 researchers and practitioners. Although our guidelines are broadly applicable across biological realms, we provide particular focus to the challenges and uncertainties associated with projecting the impacts of climate change on marine species and ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine heatwaves (MHWs) and Cold Spells (marine cold spells (MCSs)) are events of extreme positive and negative temperature anomalies, that last 5 days or longer. These events have been diagnosed across oceans from sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and recognized to affect ecosystems' health worldwide. Some studies have focused on the extent, evolution, and drivers of specifically intense and long‐lasting regional MHW events. Although extreme temperature anomalies could lead to coral bleaching, mortality, and ecosystems' shift from healthy to barren reefs, no studies have focused on MHWs and MCSs in the Caribbean Sea. This study characterizes them in the Caribbean Sea, explores simultaneous thermal‐stress and coral response, and reveals prevailing environmental conditions during their occurrence. We use four decades of SSTs observed daily and a recently published database of worldwide coral bleaching events. We found bleaching events occurring simultaneously with both MCSs and MHWs, often with extreme events of mild intensity and typical duration. We find a positive long‐term trend in MHWs' frequency, consistent not only with global warming, but also with the Atlantic Meridional Mode. There is a clear seasonal signal with MHWs occurring more often in summer and MCSs in autumn‐winter. Our results suggest MHWs and MCSs development is related to El Niño/La Niña conditions, respectively. Finally, we identify intense extreme temperature events that span large areas as candidates for future studies on their dynamics. Our results are relevant for the development of MHWs and MCSs forecasts applied to conservation strategies and ecosystem‐based management of marine resources, particularly in reef systems. Plain Language Summary: Events of extremely warm and cold temperatures that last 5 days or longer in the ocean are denominated Marine Heatwaves (MHWs) and marine cold spells (MCSs), respectively. Analysis of sea surface temperature observed with satellites over the past decades have shown MHWs are occurring more often and have important ecological implications. This study focuses on MHWs and MCSs in the Caribbean Sea over the last four decades to: (a) determine their typical duration, intensity, and frequency; (b) explore if their occurrence coincides with recorded coral bleaching events; (c) determine their temporal variability, as well as correlation with climate indices; and (d) identify the largest and most intense MHW and MCS events. We present evidence of Caribbean MCSs and MHWs linked to widespread coral bleaching. Additionally, we reveal MHWs/MCSs occur more often during summer/winter and El Niño/La Niña conditions and show an increase in MHWs' frequency consistent with long‐term warming, and natural climate modes of variability such as the Atlantic Meridional Mode. Our findings contribute to the improvement of tools that anticipate MHWs and MCSs for the management of reefs, which are ecosystems that host large biodiversity, support societal needs, and that are under pressure due to ongoing climate change. Key Points: Caribbean marine heatwave (MHW) and marine cold spell (MCS) are simultaneous with coral bleaching eventsMHWs/MCSs have a seasonal signal, being more frequent and intense during summer/autumn‐winter and in the SE region of the CaribbeanMHWs/MCSs are longer, stronger, and more frequent during the ±phase of Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, Atlantic Meridional Mode and Caribbean, and occur more often during ±El Niño Southern Oscillation conditions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whereas rule compliance depends on various factors, an institutional analysis suggested that fishers tend to comply with rules in the arapaima management system because they trust and understand the count data: 'fishers might well question ... data derived from computer calculations showing the same trends' (Castello et al., [24]). Keywords: citizen-science; community monitoring; conservation; data-poor; developing nations; knowledge co-production; local knowledge; resource assessment; traditional ecological knowledge; tropics EN citizen-science community monitoring conservation data-poor developing nations knowledge co-production local knowledge resource assessment traditional ecological knowledge tropics 423 430 8 05/05/23 20230501 NES 230501 INTRODUCTION Conservation places much value on biological monitoring data, i.e. data collected using standardized protocols over time or space on the abundance, biomass or rates of use of taxa or resources. It found that expert fishers could differentiate subtle cues among many surfacing arapaima, and it proposed a standardized protocol to count arapaima (Castello, [19]). [Extracted from the article]

The management of natural resources is currently more challenging than ever before. Climate change and human population growth pose a threat to marine ecosystems as we know them. In order to preserve ecosystems, biodiversity and ecosystem services, management of biological resources must adopt a holistic strategy. Ecosystem‐Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) enables this by managing natural resources at the ecosystem level. However, EBFM objectives and implementation can be unclear at times, particularly when framed in the context of shifting conditions. In this research, the strategies available for managing marine biological resources within the EBFM framework and in a changing environment are reviewed. The purpose of this publication is to guide the decision on whether and how to change current management strategies in order to achieve policy goals. The manuscript starts with a revision of ecosystem indicators and ecosystem models used to detect and describe changes in ecosystem dynamics and stocks productivities under present and future conditions. Then, the different frameworks and methods available for integrating this information into the decision‐making process are summarised. Currently, some of the options available to include ecosystem realism into the fisheries advice include using ecosystem models in the Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) process, adjusting single species reference points with ecosystem information and implementing risk‐equivalent empirical approaches. However, barriers that are impeding the adoption of these techniques exist. I concluded the study by identifying them and providing literature‐based solutions to overcome them from an interdisciplinary perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subseasonal to decadal ocean forecasting can make significant contributions to achieving effective management of living marine resources in a changing ocean. Most applications rely on indirect proxies, however, often measured at the ocean surface and lacking a direct mechanistic link to the dynamics of marine populations.Here, we take advantage of three‐dimensional, dynamical reconstructions and forecasts of ocean biogeochemistry based on a global Earth system model to hindcast and assess the capacity to anticipate fluctuations in the dynamics of bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus Lowe) in the Pacific Ocean during the last six decades. We reconstructed spatial patterns in catch per unit effort (CPUE) through the combination of physiological indices capturing both habitat preferences and physiological tolerance limits in bigeye tuna.Our analyses revealed a sequence of four distinct regimes characterized by changes in the zonal distribution and average CPUE of bigeye tuna in the Pacific Ocean. Habitat models accounting for basin‐wide fluctuations in the thermal structure and oxygen concentration throughout the water column captured interannual fluctuations in CPUE and regime switches that models based solely on surface information were unable to reproduce. Decade‐long forecast experiments further suggested that forecasts of three‐dimensional biogeochemical information might enable anticipation of fluctuations in bigeye tuna several years ahead.Synthesis and applications. Together, our results reveal the impact of variability of biogeochemical conditions in the ocean interior on the dynamics of bigeye tuna on the Pacific Ocean, raising concerns about the future impact of ocean warming and deoxygenation. The results also lend support to incorporating subsurface biogeochemical information into ecological forecasts to implement efficient dynamic management strategies and promote the sustainable use of marine living resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beyond fortress conservation: The long-term integration of natural and social science research for an inclusive conservation practice in India. Why local people do not support conservation: Community perceptions of marine protected area livelihood impacts, governance and management in Thailand. Footnotes 1 B Article impact statement b : Five Palau proverbs guide a more just and rigorous alternative to parachute science in international conservation research. Conservation science is having a reckoning with "parachute science" (Belhabib, [3]; de Vos, [9]; Naepi, [15]; Stefanoudis et al., [20]; Trisos et al., [22]). [Extracted from the article]

As marine resource management fields continue to move toward more inclusive and collaborative processes, it is important to also examine the value of promoting the diverse perspectives of scientists and managers from different backgrounds throughout the decision‐making process. An important objective of diversity initiatives is to acknowledge the value of diversity while providing opportunities to increase the representation of diverse communities in professional settings. However, focusing on diversity only at the surface can potentially overshadow benefits existing at a deeper level. This study used a mental model approach to explore the potential value of racial/ethnic and gender diversity in marine and fisheries science professions from a cognitive deep‐level diversity perspective. The study included 112 participants across gender, who self‐identified as one of the following racial/ethnic social identity groups: Black/African American, Latino/Hispanic, Multiracial, White, Asian/Asian American or /Pacific Islander, American Indian or/ Alaska Natives. Results revealed differences in how members of underrepresented groups and white men incorporated concepts associated with diversity into their mental models and distinctions in how racial/ethnic and gender social identity groups organized similar concepts within their mental model structures. These findings on diverse perspectives related to marine resources management across social identity groups, highlight the value of understanding diversity beyond just a numerical or surface level and the utility of incorporating deep‐level diversity in the management and decision‐making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cabo Verde's economic update reveals the need for investment in the blue economy to ensure growth and sustainability. The country has shown resilience in recovering from the post-Covid-19 pandemic, but vulnerabilities such as dependence on tourism and underperforming State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) have been highlighted. Economic growth in 2023 was 5.1%, with tourism returning to pre-pandemic levels, but poverty remains high. The fiscal position has improved, but concerns about SOE performance persist. Cabo Verde faces unique challenges as a Small Island Developing State, but also has opportunities in its Exclusive Economic Zone. The development of the blue economy, including artisanal fishing and aquaculture, is seen as crucial for diversifying the economy and improving livelihoods. Responsible management of marine resources and the implementation of integrated policies are needed for sustainable development. [Extracted from the article]

The fluctuation in sea level induced by tides generates an upper saline plume (USP) in the intertidal region, which is closely related to groundwater flow and solute transport processes in coastal aquifers. Thus, a clearer understanding of the USP configuration is needed to accurately predict the extent of seawater intrusion and water chemical fluxes to the ocean. This study experimentally and numerically examined the effect of transient external forcing conditions on the stability of tide‐induced USP, represented as seasonal subsurface inflow. In contrast to earlier studies, the USP was not always stable or unstable, but experienced a dynamic transformation of stability‐instability as the seasonal subsurface inflow fluctuated. The same intensity of subsurface inflow caused a stable USP in the fixed cases but a dynamic USP state in the seasonal cases. The USP responded rapidly to the fluctuation of seasonal subsurface inflow and was drawn to expand into the intertidal zone. These features of the USP contributed to the increased potential for the onset of an unstable flow when the subsurface inflow varied seasonally. Therefore, ignoring the timescale changes on external forcing conditions may underestimate the generation of unstable USPs. The frequency contrast between seasonal subsurface inflow and tide also influenced the dynamic transformation process occurring in the intertidal region. There was an inverse relationship between the frequency contrast and the duration of the unstable flow. These findings provide a new understanding of the complex intertidal environment in coastal aquifers. Plain Language Summary: The fluctuation in sea level induced by tides generates an upper saline plume (USP) in the seaward upper end of coastal aquifers. Inland fresh groundwater flows seaward and mixes with the saltwater within the USP, forming a saltwater‐freshwater mixing zone at the edge of the USP. This zone influences the fate of land‐sourced pollutants prior to their ocean discharge and eventually affects the coastal water quality and ecosystems. Therefore, it is important to study the USP configuration and its influencing factors for the sustainable management of marine and groundwater resources in coastal areas. The USP observed in the previous research maintains a stable or unstable structure, thus ignoring the effect of the timescale changes on external forcing conditions, such as tidal stage, spring‐neap variability in tidal amplitude, and seasonality in subsurface inflow. In this study, we investigated the stability of the USP over the timescale of external forcing conditions in coastal aquifers. In contrast to earlier studies, the USP was not found to be always stable or unstable, but experienced a dynamic transformation of stability over time. These results provide new insights into the complex intertidal environment in coastal aquifers. Key Points: Dynamic transformation of stable‐unstable tide‐induced upper saline plume is identified in coastal aquifersIgnoring the timescale changes in external forcing conditions may underestimate the generation of an unstable flowThere is an inverse relationship between the frequency contrast of inland and seaward fluctuations and the duration of the unstable flow [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal movement and resource use are essential considerations for effective environmental management, but they are challenging to quantify in expansive natural ecosystems such as oceans.We used a novel combination of fish tracking with expansive acoustic telemetry networks, stable isotope analysis and integrated modelling techniques to characterize the spatial and trophic ecology of a marine fish species, permit Trachinotus falcatus, and to address specific resource management needs in the Florida Keys.Tracking‐based movement patterns indicated that permit remained primarily within the designated fisheries management unit (92% of individuals), but they moved frequently among distinct habitat types and fisheries. Movement metrics from 109 individuals were integrated into Bayesian isotope mixing models, revealing variable reliance on seagrass‐ versus offshore/pelagic‐based energy channels amongst individuals. Variance was driven mainly by fish habitat use and home range size (km2).A telemetry‐based regional isoscape, informed by individual‐level estimates of resource use (% seagrass reliance; median = 70%, 29%–100% range), illustrated connectivity among habitats and fisheries. Specifically, seagrass flats were highly connected with the Florida reef tract, with frequent movements between these habitat types and a high reliance on seagrass‐based prey. There was a distinction between these fish and those occupying artificial reefs, with the latter showing high use of pelagic/offshore (i.e. planktonic) energy channels.Synthesis and applications. This study used a novel combination of telemetry, stable isotope analysis and integrated modelling techniques to identify two distinct ecotypes of a nearshore fish species, permit, in the Florida Keys. Of the two ecotypes, nearshore Florida Keys permit support multiple valuable fisheries; for these fish management should prioritize conservation of seagrass flats as a key permit food source, as well as fisheries protection measures at spawning sites on the Florida reef tract. This study highlights the capacity for integrated telemetry‐isotope models to provide key insights into animal ecology that has direct implications for applied environmental management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to climate change, global oceanic dissolved oxygen (DO) has been decreasing, and oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) have been expanding. Here, we estimate the annual global and regional OMZ areas using geostatistical regression combined with Monte Carlo. From 1960 to 2019, annual global OMZ20 (DO < 20 μmol/kg) and OMZ60 (DO < 60 μmol/kg) areas cover 5%–14% and 15%–32% of the global ocean, respectively. The global and most regional OMZ areas after the late 2000s were all significantly larger than those in previous years. Most oceanic regions likely experienced significant expansions in OMZ areas, especially the North Pacific. However, the equatorial Pacific with the largest OMZ area showed insignificant horizontal expansion. The expanding OMZ areas of most oceans responded more quickly and effectively to the surrounding sea temperatures than to the sea surface temperatures. Our research highlights the need for marine resource management to account for the challenges from OMZs. Plain Language Summary: Expanding oxygen minimum zones (OMZs, low dissolved oxygen [DO] zones) in the open ocean have been the topic of intense interest. However, annual OMZ areas, trends in OMZ areas, and causes of OMZ expansions remain unclear. Our paper explores the locations and annual areas of global and regional OMZ areas based on observations from 1960 to 2019. Over the last six decades, annual global OMZ20 (DO < 20 μmol/kg) and OMZ60 (DO < 60 μmol/kg) areas cover 5%–14% and 15%–32% of the global ocean, respectively. The global OMZ areas show great interannual variability but remain stably large after the late 2000s. Most oceanic regions have experienced significant OMZ expansion, especially the North Pacific. The equatorial Pacific Ocean has the largest OMZ area, but shows insignificant expansion. Subsurface sea temperatures are more associated with the expanding OMZ areas than sea surface temperatures. Increasing sea temperature would substantially increase OMZ areas by the end of the century for the future societal development pathway (SSP585) scenario. Understanding how OMZs will change over the long‐term due to climate change is beneficial for the protection of marine resources. Key Points: From 1960 to 2019, most oceanic regions experienced significant horizontal expansions in oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) areas, especially the North PacificThe equatorial Pacific has the largest OMZ area but shows an insignificant increasing trendThe OMZ areas of most oceans respond more quickly and effectively to surrounding sea temperatures than to sea surface temperatures [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We characterize long‐term trends of sea surface temperature (SST), absolute dynamic topography, and chlorophyll‐a (CHL) in the Patagonian shelf break front (SBF) using 27 years (1993–2019) of satellite data. Warming of the Argentinean shelf waters and the southwestward displacement of the Brazil‐Malvinas Confluence (BMC) impact the northernmost extension of the SBF. Cooling of the Malvinas Current (MC) and the concurrent warming of the adjacent shelf waters lead to a significant increase of SST gradients along the outer shelf. The southwestward displacement of the BMC implies a similar shift of the SBF. An increase in CHL trend appears to be associated with southerly wind anomalies along the shelf break. We estimate a southward shift of the northernmost penetration of the MC of −0.11 ± 0.076°/decade. Plain Language Summary: Climate change is drastically affecting global fisheries, impacting marine resources, economic revenues and the livelihood of local communities. This manuscript describes the impact of climate change on one of the largest chlorophyll‐a hotspots of the world ocean: The frontal system of the Patagonian shelf break, which is located in the southwestern portion of the South Atlantic Ocean. The urgency to study this highly productive but scarcely sampled region is predicated upon the necessity to bring it to the attention of scientific and political stakeholders, who are largely unaware of the climate related changes of the regional oceanic conditions and their impact on the marine ecosystems. We report that as a consequence of climate change there has been a warming of the Argentine shelf waters, a southwestward displacement of the Shelf Break Front, a change of speed of major currents, and a positive trend of chlorophyll‐a concentration associated with southerly wind anomalies along the shelf break. The rate of southward shift of the Shelf Break Front is −0.11 ± 0.076° decade. Key Points: Warming of continental shelf waters strengthens the cross‐shelf break temperature gradientsObservations indicate a long‐term southward and westward displacements of the Brazil Current and Brazil‐Malvinas ConfluenceWe present a new methodology to determine the northernmost latitude of the Malvinas Current [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document titled "Amplified Voices: A Collection of Discussions from Women of Fisheries" highlights the work of Women of Fisheries, a nonprofit organization that provides a platform for women in fisheries science to connect, share stories, and address issues in the field. The organization represents over 1,000 women globally. The document discusses the initiatives and accomplishments of Women of Fisheries in 2023, including the addition of new members, awards, workshops, meetups, book club meetings, blog posts, and financial updates. It also announces the winner of the 2024 Women of Fisheries Gives Back! Award, Maité Duquela, and provides information about her background and career aspirations. [Extracted from the article]

Evaluating outcomes of conservation with multidimensional indicators of well-being Conservation organizations and development agencies often try to promote mutually beneficial interventions (i.e., both people and ecosystems benefit from conservation interventions) (McShane et al., 2010). Despite an emerging recognition of the need to use multidimensional indicators of well-being in evaluating conservation outcomes, no impact evaluation has compared changes in multidimensional well-being of actors involved and those not involved in a conservation initiative (but see Gurney et al. [2014] who used impact evaluation to examine the impacts of community-based conservation on multidimensional poverty). Keywords: fisheries; human dimensions; human well-being; impact evaluation; social network; bienestar humano; dimensiones sociales; evaluación de impacto; pesquerías; redes sociales EN fisheries human dimensions human well-being impact evaluation social network bienestar humano dimensiones sociales evaluación de impacto pesquerías redes sociales 1417 1425 9 10/05/21 20211001 NES 211001 INTRODUCTION Biodiversity is in decline globally, particularly in the tropics (Barlow et al., 2016). [Extracted from the article]

Keywords: Africa; distant-water fleet; governance; illegal fishing; industrial fisheries; monitoring control and surveillance; policy; vessel monitoring system; África; flota de altura; gestión; monitoreo del control y la vigilancia; pesca ilegal; pesquería industrial; política; sistema de monitoreo de navíos EN Africa distant-water fleet governance illegal fishing industrial fisheries monitoring control and surveillance policy vessel monitoring system África flota de altura gestión monitoreo del control y la vigilancia pesca ilegal pesquería industrial política sistema de monitoreo de navíos 1463 1472 10 10/05/21 20211001 NES 211001 Introduction Globally, industrial fisheries have expanded their fishing grounds and effort to meet the demands of increasing populations (Berkes et al. 2006), leading to approximately 34% of the world's fishing stocks considered overexploited or depleted (FAO 2020). Much of the fishing by distant-water fleets in the Republic of the Congo (and across Africa) is facilitated by, and only possible as a result of, fisheries subsidies, without which fishing in waters far from port of origin would likely become unprofitable (Belhabib et al. 2019; Okafor-Yarwood & Belhabib 2019; Sumaila et al. 2016). The industrial zone (31,248 km SP 2 sp ; 93% of EEZ) extends from 6 nautical miles out to 200 nautical miles from the coastline, within which industrial fishing vessels registered in the Republic of the Congo and states with which the Republic of the Congo has entered into a fishing agreement can operate legally. Mean number of VMS locations per year categorized as fishing for (A) all fishing activity (n = 3 years), (B) time of day (day; night, n = 3 years), and (C) flag state of fishing vessels (distant-water fleet [DWF]; domestic fleet, n = 2 years). [Extracted from the article]

Aim: With climate change challenging marine biodiversity and resource management, it is crucial to anticipate future latitudinal and depth shifts under contrasting global change scenarios to support policy‐relevant biodiversity impact assessments [e.g., Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)]. We aim to demonstrate the benefits of complying with the Paris Agreement (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) and limiting environmental changes, by assessing future distributional shifts of 10 commercially important demersal fish species. Location: Northern Atlantic Ocean. Time period: Analyses of distributional shifts compared near present‐day conditions (2000–2017) with two Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios of future climate changes (2090–2100): one following the Paris Agreement climate forcing (RCP2.6) and another without stringent mitigation measures (RCP8.5). Major taxa studied: Demersal fish. Methods: We use machine learning distribution models coupled with biologically meaningful predictors to project future latitudinal and depth shifts. Structuring projections with information beyond temperature‐based predictors allowed us to encompass the physiological limitations of species better. Results: Our models highlighted the additional roles of temperature, primary productivity and dissolved oxygen in shaping fish distributions (average relative contribution to the models of 32.12 ± 10.24, 15.6 ± 7.5 and 12.1 ± 6.1%, respectively). We anticipated a generalized trend of poleward shifts in both future scenarios, with aggravated changes in suitable area with RCP8.5 (average area loss with RCP2.6 = 13.3 ± 4.1%; RCP8.5 = 40.9 ± 13.3%). Shifts to deeper waters were also predicted to be of greater magnitude with RCP8.5 (average depth gain = 25.4 ± 21.5 m) than with RCP2.6 (average depth gain = 10.4 ± 7.9 m). Habitat losses were projected mostly in the Mediterranean, Celtic and Irish Seas, the southern areas of the North Sea and along the NE coast of North America. Main conclusions: Inclusion of biologically meaningful predictors beyond temperature in species distribution modelling can improve predictive performances. Limiting future climate changes by complying with the Paris Agreement can translate into reduced distributional shifts, supporting biodiversity conservation and resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

External auditory exostoses (EAEs) are dense osseous hyperostoses that protrude into the external auditory canal and are associated with repetitive aquatic activity. Clinically, the aetiology of EAEs is attributed to prolonged exposure to cold water through activities including swimming, surfing, diving, kayaking and sailing. The prevalence and distribution of EAEs within a particular archaeological context informs on human–environment interactions, activity and behavioural differences between the sexes, habitual aquatic activity (e.g., fishing, diving, swimming, bathing, seafaring, littoral zone resource procurement), marine and aquatic resource exploitation and subsistence patterns. This study aims to assess the prevalence of EAEs within a prominent Chalcolithic skeletal assemblage from Souskiou‐Laona, in southwestern Cyprus. Sixty‐five auditory canals were examined macroscopically and microscopically to confirm the presence or absence of EAEs. Five adult individuals present EAEs (right auditory canals; left ear canals not sufficiently preserved) with a prevalence of 15.1% of all sufficiently preserved right ear canals (33). EAE prevalence is 25% in males and 14.2% in females. Earlier burials on the site, represented by bonestack (commingled) crania, display EAEs at 14.8% prevalence, whereas the last burials (articulated skeletons) show a prevalence of 16.7%. Malacological evidence from Souskiou‐Laona cemetery attests marine resource procurement, including activity at the littoral zone. The EAEs at Souskiou‐Laona likely reflect the diachronic exploitation of marine resources at the south coast of Cyprus from the foundation of the cemetery to the latest burials before abandonment of the site. Both males and females participated in these repetitive aquatic activities. The differential expression of EAEs in the population as a whole, and the different prevalences between males and females, may be interpreted in the context of increasing specialisation and social complexity during the Chalcolithic, consistent with the development of other specialised, standardised and gender‐differential activities during this time period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Linear Inverse Model (LIM) is constructed to evaluate predictability of seasonal sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface height (SSH) anomalies over the ice‐free global ocean. Its ensemble‐mean hindcast skill is also compared to that of the North American Multi‐Model Ensemble (NMME) for 1982–2010. Both have similar skill for dominant modes of SST variability, but regional NMME SST skill is somewhat higher in many locations. However, the LIM has considerably more Atlantic and Southern Ocean SSH skill. Skill is generally comparable along the North American coastline, but LIM skill is greater for several highly productive coastal zones and East Coast tide gauge stations. Diverse, often predictable ENSO events drive teleconnections providing predictability in the North Pacific and along the US West Coast. Predictability in the Atlantic and along the US East Coast is associated with Gulf Stream strength modulation. Overall, the LIM shows potential for seasonal prediction of coastal ocean conditions. Plain Language Summary: Marine resource management requires a skillful forecast of coastal ocean conditions. Here, we developed and used an empirical prediction system to benchmark the operational system's seasonal prediction skill and understand the source(s) of predictability over the North American Coast. Both systems' skills are generally comparable, but the empirical system's skill is greater for several highly productive coastal zones and East Coast tide gauge stations. The results indicate that the remote impacts of ENSO provide predictability along the US West Coast. Predictability along the US East Coast is associated with Gulf Stream modulation. Overall, our empirical system shows potential for seasonal prediction of coastal ocean conditions. Key Points: A Linear Inverse Model (LIM) is constructed that can predict monthly mean global sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface height (SSH) anomaliesThe LIM outperforms operational numerical models for SSH skill in the Atlantic and US East Coast tide gauge stationsLIM coastal skill is largely due to capturing ENSO teleconnections impacting the West Coast, and Gulf Stream modulation for the East Coast [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the health of coastal and open sea marine ecosystems represents a substantial challenge for sustainable marine resource management, since it requires balancing human benefits and impacts on the ocean. This challenge is often exacerbated by incomplete knowledge and lack of tools that measure ocean and coastal ecosystem health in a way that allows consistent monitoring of progress towards predefined management targets. The lack of such tools often limits capabilities to enact and enforce effective governance.We introduce the Baltic Health Index (BHI) as a transparent, collaborative and repeatable assessment tool. The Index complements existing, more ecological‐oriented, approaches by including a human dimension on the status of the Baltic Sea, an ecosystem impacted by multiple anthropogenic pressures and governed by a multitude of comprehensive national and international policies. Using a large amount of social–ecological data available, we assessed the health of the Baltic Sea for nine goals that represent the status towards set targets, for example, clean waters, biodiversity, food provision, natural products extraction and tourism.Our results indicate that the overall health of the Baltic Sea is suboptimal (a score of 76 out of 100), and a substantial effort is required to reach the management objectives and associated targets. Subregionally, the lowest BHI scores were measured for carbon storage, contaminants and lasting special places (i.e. marine protected areas), albeit with large spatial variation.Overall, the likely future status of all goals in the BHI averaged for the entire Baltic Sea is better than the present status, indicating a positive trend towards a healthier Baltic Sea. However, in some Baltic Sea basins, the trend for specific goals was decreasing, highlighting locations and issues that should be the focus of management priorities.The BHI outcomes can be used to identify both pan‐Baltic and subregional scale management priorities and to illustrate the interconnectedness between goals linked by cumulative pressures. Hence, the information provided by the BHI tool and its further development will contribute towards the fulfilment of the UN Agenda 2030 and its Sustainability Development Goals. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conflicts of interest between resource extraction and conservation are widespread, and negotiating such conflicts, or trade‐offs, is a key issue for ecosystem managers. One such trade‐off is resource competition between fisheries and marine top predators. Managing this trade‐off has so far been difficult due to a lack of knowledge regarding the amount and distribution of prey required by top predators.Here, we develop a framework that can be used to address this gap: a bio‐energetic model linking top predator breeding biology and foraging ecology with forage fish ecology and fisheries management.We apply the framework to a Baltic Sea colony of common guillemots Uria aalge and razorbills Alca torda, two seabird species sensitive to local prey depletion, and show that densities of forage fish (sprat Sprattus sprattus and herring Clupea harengus) corresponding to the current fisheries management target BMSY are sufficient for successful breeding. A previously proposed fisheries management target for conserving seabirds, 1/3 of historical maximum prey biomass (B1/3), was also sufficient.However, the results highlight the importance of maintaining sufficient prey densities in the vicinity of the colony, suggesting that fine‐scale spatial fisheries management is necessary to maintain high seabird breeding success.Despite foraging on the same prey, razorbills could breed successfully at lower prey densities than guillemots but needed higher densities for self‐maintenance, emphasizing the importance of considering species‐specific traits when determining sustainable forage fish densities for top predators.Synthesis and applications. Our bio‐energetic modelling framework provides spatially explicit top predator conservation targets that can be readily integrated with current fisheries management. The framework can be combined with existing management approaches such as dynamic ocean management, marine spatial planning and management strategy evaluation to inform ecosystem‐based management of marine resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Project shifts in the habitat suitability of 505 fish and invertebrate species in the Eastern Tropical Pacific that are likely to occur by the mid‐21st century under "high greenhouse gas emissions" (RCP 8.5) and "strong mitigation" (RCP 2.6) scenarios. Location: The Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean, a discrete biogeographic region from the Gulf of California to northern Peru. Methods: Ensemble simulations of climate change effects on fish and invertebrate species caught by four major fisheries in the region, based on four species distribution models and three Earth system models. Results: Simulation results indicated that species' habitat suitability increased or remained the same in the northern and southern margins of the Eastern Tropical Pacific but decreased by up to 14% in some fisheries along Central America. The largest declines in the average species habitat suitability index were projected for small pelagic fisheries (up to −46%), while the highest local species turnover was projected for coastal small‐scale fisheries (up to 80%). Under RCP 8.5, species in the southern half and northern equatorial region of the Eastern Tropical Pacific were projected to shift south‐east at a rate of approximately 30–60 km decade‐1, respectively. Demersal species were projected to move into shallower, inshore waters with a shift in depth centroids estimated at a rate of around 1 to 13 m decade−1. Range shifts towards the equator reflect movements to cooler habitats that are characteristic of equatorial upwelling systems. Range shifts towards shallower, inshore waters reflect habitat compression associated with the expansion of oxygen minimum zones. Main conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of local‐scale oceanographic and biological data to elucidate the multidimensional biogeographic shifts of key species, their potential impacts on fisheries in the region and the need to consider such shifts in the design of effective conservation and marine resource management measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regime shifts of climatic and environmental conditions potentially affect the productivity of fishery resources, posing challenges in stock management. The stocks of the Japanese flying squid (Todarodes pacificus) are suspected to suffer from regime shifts, but detecting the occurrence of regime shifts in this species is generally difficult and unreliable because the short-lived nature of this species inherently confounds the effect of regime shifts with observation and process errors. Here we developed a new state-space assessment model to evaluate the influence of regime shifts on the spawner-recruit relationship of the Japanese flying squid. The model simultaneously estimates the population dynamics of multiple stocks that could share some life history parameters, thereby stabilizing parameter inference. We demonstrate that two regime shifts in productivity around 1991 and 2015 caused two- to threefold changes of maximum sustainable yields. The model with regime shifts clarifies the relationship between fishing pressure and spawner abundance that is difficult to detect in a model with no regime shift. The state-space approach is a promising tool for accurately assessing stock status by separating the recruitment process from observation errors and is expected to contribute to the effective management of marine biological resources sensitive to regime shifts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine resources are integral to the subsistence of coastal populations in Oceania and have been since the islands were first settled. While items of fishing gear, most notably fishhooks, are found throughout the Pacific, they are not as common as one might think. Fishhooks are in fact noticeably uncommon in the Central Pacific, for example. Consequently, the various types of analyses of fishhook morphology, particularly the types of line attachment devices, that have been carried out on East Polynesian assemblages have not been possible for West Polynesian sites. Using a large collection of fishhooks from three sites on Ofu and Olosega islands in the Manu'a Group of American Samoa, we present a detailed analysis of a large combined assemblage and compare the data collected to those from other islands and island groups in the region. We show that the hooks reflect exploitation emphasising inshore environments, and that angling as a fish capture method is likely to vary in intensity based on local environmental variability. Moreover, we illustrate how these fishhooks constitute a means of assessing both early cultural contacts and cultural variability in the Central Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine food webs are highly compartmentalized, and characterizing the trophic niches among consumers is important for predicting how impact from human activities affects the structuring and functioning of marine food webs. Biomarkers such as bulk stable isotopes have proven to be powerful tools to elucidate trophic niches, but they may lack in resolution, particularly when spatiotemporal variability in a system is high. To close this gap, we investigated whether carbon isotope (δ13C) patterns of essential amino acids (EAAs), also termed δ13CAA fingerprints, can characterize niche differentiation in a highly dynamic marine system. Specifically, we tested the ability of δ13CAA fingerprints to differentiate trophic niches among six functional groups and ten individual species in the Baltic Sea. We also tested whether fingerprints of the common zooplanktivorous fishes, herring and sprat, differ among four Baltic Sea regions with different biochemical conditions and phytoplankton assemblages. Additionally, we investigated how these results compared to bulk C and N isotope data for the same sample set. We found significantly different δ13CAA fingerprints among all six functional groups. Species differentiation was in comparison less distinct, due to partial convergence of the species' fingerprints within functional groups. Herring and sprat displayed region‐specific δ13CAA fingerprints indicating that this approach could be used as a migratory marker. Niche metrics analyses showed that bulk isotope data had a lower power to differentiate between trophic niches than δ13CAA fingerprinting. We conclude that δ13CAA fingerprinting has a strong potential to advance our understanding of ecological niches, and trophic linkages from producers to higher trophic levels in dynamic marine systems. Given how management practices of marine resources and habitats are reshaping the structure and function of marine food webs, implementing new and powerful tracer methods are urgently needed to improve the knowledge base for policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interannual variations in marine net primary production (NPP) contribute to the variability of available living marine resources, as well as influence critical carbon cycle processes. Here we provide a global overview of near‐term (1 to 10 years) potential predictability of marine NPP using a novel set of initialized retrospective decadal forecasts from an Earth System Model. Interannual variations in marine NPP are potentially predictable in many areas of the ocean 1 to 3 years in advance, from temperate waters to the tropics, showing a substantial improvement over a simple persistence forecast. However, some regions, such as the subpolar Southern Ocean, show low potential predictability. We analyze how bottom‐up drivers of marine NPP (nutrients, light, and temperature) contribute to its predictability. Regions where NPP is primarily driven by the physical supply of nutrients (e.g., subtropics) retain higher potential predictability than high‐latitude regions where NPP is controlled by light and/or temperature (e.g., the Southern Ocean). We further examine NPP predictability in the world's Large Marine Ecosystems. With a few exceptions, we show that initialized forecasts improve potential predictability of NPP in Large Marine Ecosystems over a persistence forecast and may aid to manage living marine resources. Plain Language Summary: Marine net primary production (NPP) is the base of the marine food web, as well as an important component of the ocean carbon cycle. Year‐to‐year variations in NPP can influence the availability of living marine resources, such as fish. In this study, we show that an Earth System Model can be used to generate near‐term (1 to 10 years) forecasts of marine NPP. Earth System Model‐based forecasts of NPP show an improvement over a persistence forecast, where NPP the following year is assumed to be the same as the current year's NPP. Annual NPP variations can be predicted for 1 to 3 years in advance in many oceanic regions, from temperate waters to the tropics. NPP in colder regions, however, is harder to predict. The main drivers of NPP influence its predictability. Places where nutrient availability primarily drives variations in NPP are more predictable than regions of the ocean where light and temperature are the main drivers (primarily high latitude regions). We further demonstrate NPP predictability in coastal regions, the world's Large Marine Ecosystems. We show that NPP predictions could be potentially useful in many Large Marine Ecosystems, and this may help to sustainably manage coastal marine ecosystems. Key Points: Marine net primary production is potentially predictable for at least 1 year in advance for many oceanic regionsRegions where nutrients are the primary driver of net primary production are more predictable than light‐ or temperature‐driven regionsThe dynamic prediction system improves predictability of net primary production in some Large Marine Ecosystems over a persistence forecast [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecotourism can incentivize social and environmental benefits through marine conservation, in parallel with efforts to better manage fisheries, coastal development, and other human pressures. In Mexico's Gulf of California and Baja California Peninsula (GCBP), marine ecosystems support tourism activities in many communities, but to date there have been no region‐wide studies to estimate their benefits or identify key species. Based on data collected in this study, each year nature‐based marine tourism in the GCBP results in 896,000 visits, US$518 million in expenditures and at least 3,575 direct jobs from formal operations. In interviews with operators, over 40 species groups were named as important; sea lions, whale sharks, whales, and marlin were the highest ranked, highlighting the importance of ecosystem‐wide health for nature‐based tourism sustainability. Local employment and the ability to make economic and conservation goals compatible were noted by operators as significant opportunities provided by nature‐based marine tourism; challenges included pollution and declines in ecosystem health, a lack of infrastructure, poor resource management policies, and high operating costs. As nature‐based marine tourism expands, a wider transition to true ecotourism, a focus on equitable benefits and collaboration between stakeholders and a cross‐scale and ecosystem approach to management will be vital for achieving potential sustainable social, ecological and economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective management of marine resources requires an understanding of the spatial distribution of biologically important communities.The north‐western Gulf of Mexico contains diverse marine ecosystems at a large range of depths and geographic settings. To better understand the distribution of these marine habitats across large geographic areas under consideration for marine sanctuary status, presence‐only predictive modelling was used.Results confirmed that local geographic characteristics can accurately predict the probability of occurrence for marine habitat types, and include a novel technique for assigning a single, most likely habitat in areas where multiple habitats are predicted.The highest resolution bathymetric data (10 m) available for the region was used to develop raster layers that represent characteristics that have been shown to influence species occurrence in other settings.A georeferenced historical photo record collected via remotely operated vehicle was classified according to six commonly found mesophotic habitats across the 18 reefs and banks under consideration for Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary boundary expansion.Using maximum entropy modelling, the influence of local geographic characteristics on the presence of these habitats was measured and a spatial probability distribution was developed for each habitat type across the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, there is a growing number of partnerships between conventional regulators and local groups/communities that are actively working together towards collaborative management of social-ecological systems (e.g., Conrad and Daoust [15]; Berkes [9]; Trimble and Berkes [61]; d'Armengol et al. [17]). In the context of natural resource management, the use of geospatial tools (e.g., for mapping) can be an important way to increase spatial understanding of relationships between people and the physical world - for instance, by identifying areas of conflict between stakeholders or priorities for conservation (De Freitas and Tagliani [19]). Use of tools such as these provide information about locations on the Earth's surface and have been increasingly common in natural resources management, environmental evaluation, and to measure management outcomes (Close and Hall [14]; Gauvain [27]; Levine et al. [38]; Martinez del Castillo et al. [41]). Findings suggest that the use of geospatial tools is often embedded in the co-management process (e.g., to collect data to inform management decisions or revise existing management plans); they are also frequently used by researchers to assess the impacts of co-management or its efficacy. [Extracted from the article]

Throughout human history, the ocean has occupied myriad cultural meanings, mythologies and practices, which were often founded on a notion of the sea as being so large and 'powerful' as to be immune to human impacts. These conceptions were grounded in observations from the surface or shoreline, and in periods when human activities in the ocean were more technologically and spatially limited than they are today.Advancements in science and technology have significantly altered how humans interact with and access the ocean, allowing exploration and exploitation of ocean areas and processes that were previously incomprehensible. This new capacity to understand and extract from the ocean might be expected to profoundly alter human relationships to it and conceptions of it.As public support and engagement with marine conservation and 'blue economies' stem from value and belief systems, future marine management will benefit from recognizing our historical marine relationships as context for changes in understanding, use, and the increasing environmental degradation faced by the ocean. This review focuses on perspectives of the ocean that have been held historically and queries their future persistence at this potential turning point in our relationship with the ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine protected areas (MPAs) can be effective tools for marine resource management. However, despite evidence of the positive effects of MPAs, such as increases in body sizes of organisms targeted by fisheries, there is often heterogeneity in biological outcomes among them.Because fishing can drastically impact fish populations, the goal of this study was to determine if the levels of exploitation prior to protection could predict variation in the magnitude of MPA effects.Using a diver‐operated stereo–video camera system, we compared sizes of fishes targeted by anglers within seven MPAs spanning the Southern California Bight to nearby comparison areas (non‐MPAs). We used fine‐scale data on pre‐closure fishing pressure to test responses of fishes to protection along a gradient of exploitation.Fish size responded to protection in proportion to pre‐closure fishing pressure, with MPAs in areas with high pre‐closure fishing having greater responses in average lengths and size distributions than those in areas with low fishing pressure.This response was evident in species heavily targeted by recreational fishing, but not in species that were not targeted in fisheries.Synthesis and applications. Pre‐closure fishing pressure of an area can impact the efficacy of MPAs, and, when available, should be considered when predicting and evaluating MPA performance. Prioritizing heavily exploited areas for protection when implementing spatial management tools could maximize ecological outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planktonic animals drifting or floating in the sea have small body sizes and weights from hundreds to thousands of milligrams, and are primarily the food for other zooplankton and macrofauna: fish, cephalopods, seabirds and marine mammals, and also the larval pool of many benthic invertebrates. This paper describes a unique dataset of zooplankton collected from 1984 to 2013 in the North Pacific (the Bering Sea, Sea of Okhotsk, Sea of Japan and adjacent Pacific Ocean waters), one of the most productive and economically important regions of the world's oceans using a Juday net made of kapron sieve No. 49 (0.168 mm mesh) with a 0.1 m2 opening. The information in this dataset has already been used to quantify the inventory of marine biological resources and assess the waters of the Russian Far Eastern seas and adjacent Pacific Ocean. In 2016, five tabular reference books were printed in Russian in limited numbers containing the species composition, occurrence (number and percentage of samples), abundance and biomass (in individuals per cubic meter, milligrams per cubic meter) of zooplankton in the surveyed area. The data are grouped by species, developmental stages, size fractions (animal length of 0.6-1.2 mm "fine/small," 1.2-3.2 mm "medium" and >3.2 mm "large"), standard regions (their total area is more than 6 million km2), vertical layers of water, light and dark time of the day, four seasons of the year and multiyear periods, in which there were considerable changes in the biota of the region caused by global climate and oceanographic factors. This information has recently been verified, corrected, translated into English, transformed from text to digital format, and supplemented by GIS with maps of the standard regions by which data were aggregated using morphometric parameters (volume of water in cubic kilometers in the region, in its epipelagic 0-200 m, and upper epipelagic 0-50 m water layers, occupied area in square kilometers, longitude and latitude of their centroids in decimal degrees) to increase their availability to the scientific community worldwide. The data enable the evaluation of the total plankton stock of the Russian Far Eastern seas in the North Pacific (in trillions of specimens and thousands of tons), recalculate the volumetric characteristics of density into areal characteristics (in billions of specimens per square kilometer or tons per square kilometer), and, using previously published tables on calorific value and chemical composition of zooplankton, obtain their energy characteristics. Such data are crucial for the proper management of marine resources, aquaculture development, nature conservation, and the assessment of the anthropogenic impact on nature. The presented metadata provide a detailed description of how this unique dataset was created, sources and volume of gathered information, its benefits and drawbacks, some results on the quantitative inventory of marine biological resources and assessment of waters in the North Pacific, and future prospects for the use of this type of dataset in applied and fundamental research. There are no copyright restrictions on the data; please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasingly complex nature of marine resource management calls for stronger stakeholder participation in advancing knowledge and developing management approaches. Studies on stakeholder involvement in marine resource management have primarily focussed on participation in resource use negotiation and not on participation in science. Using fishers' knowledge research frameworks, we evaluate over 15 years of science‐industry research collaboration (SIRC) in Dutch demersal fisheries. Four key lessons emerge: (a) Capacity building in SIRC works multiple ways and triggers shifts in the fishers' knowledge research spectrum; (b) Successful SIRC depends on acceptance of industry collected data for scientific advice, which necessitates close involvement of end‐users from the outset to provide feedback and obtain support; (c) (Fisher) participation raises often‐overlooked equity questions and may result in selection bias; and (d) The governance context strongly influences structure of SIRC and integration of SIRC knowledge. To ensure a sustainable, continuous process of stakeholder participation and use of their knowledge in marine resources research, collaborative research should be embedded in the institutional frameworks for science and management. It demands continuous maintenance of the relationship between scientists and stakeholders in the context of management developments, calls for reflection about selection and equity considerations, and requires continuous attention for communication with all parties involved at different levels. The lessons learnt in science‐industry research collaboration in fisheries are also relevant for the wider field of marine science, where stakeholder participation is necessary but not yet common. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recreational fishing is increasingly recognised as an important source of mortality for marine fish populations. In the United States, estimates of marine recreational catch and effort were recently revised for the time period 1981 and beyond, and for many species, the revised estimates were substantially higher than the original values. Here, the proportion of total landings that came from the recreational sector in the Southeast US Atlantic was quantified. The proportions for 22 oceanic species and for all species combined were computed, using a full time series of landings (1981–2016) and a more recent time series (1999–2016). For the full and recent time series, landings of most species (15/22 and 17/22, respectively) were dominated by the recreational sector. For all species combined, 71% of landings in the full time series were from the recreational sector, and 76% in the recent time series. Trend analysis indicated that most species had a stable or increasing proportion of landings from the recreational sector. In addition, stock assessments were conducted on four species, and the catch revisions increased the estimated scale of abundance and, in some cases, affected stock or fishery status. This work underscores the importance of recreational fishing for marine resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Government of Canada has committed to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, which includes the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.Aichi Target 11 indicates that countries are to conserve at least 10% of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, by 2020.In 2015 Canada affirmed its commitment to the 10% target, and also committed to an interim target to protect 5% of coastal and marine areas by the end of 2017. The interim target was met in October 2017 through a combination of federal and provincial marine protected areas (MPAs) and fisheries area closures that qualify as other effective area‐based conservation measures (OECMs), which are referred to domestically as marine refuges.In 2016 the Government of Canada set out a five‐point plan for achieving its marine conservation targets, which includes finishing what was started, protecting large offshore areas, protecting areas under pressure, advancing OECMs and establishing MPAs faster.Key challenges that the Government of Canada faces in meeting its 2020 marine conservation target include balancing socio‐economic impacts with the need to conserve biodiversity and sustain ecosystem health and ensuring meaningful engagement with partners and stakeholders in a short period of time.Once Canada has met its 2020 marine conservation target it will continue to advance ongoing marine conservation initiatives, most notably the development of a national conservation network, and seek to ensure effective long‐term conservation through the management, monitoring and enforcement of established MPAs and OECMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence from DNA‐analysis is commonplace in human criminal investigations, and while it is increasingly being used in wildlife crime, to date, its application to control and enforcement activities in fisheries and aquaculture has only been sporadic. Contemporary DNA‐analysis tools are capable of addressing a broad range of compliance issues, species identification, mislabelling of fish products, determining the origin of catches and the farm of origin of aquaculture escapees. Such applications have the potential to ensure traceability along the fish product supply chain and to combat consumer fraud and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing. Nevertheless, DNA‐analysis is not yet used routinely in investigations into compliance with fisheries and aquaculture legislation. One potential reason for this is that DNA‐analysis techniques may have been regarded as too expensive. However, costs have plummeted over the past decade prompting us to objectively assess whether the costs associated with routine use of DNA‐analysis techniques for fisheries and aquaculture control and enforcement activities do constitute an impediment. Based on a number of recent fisheries and aquaculture compliance investigations that incorporated DNA‐analysis, our results indicate that the use of genetic analysis was justified and worthwhile in all cases examined. We therefore conclude that the costs associated with DNA‐analysis do not represent a barrier to the routine adoption of DNA‐analysis techniques in fisheries and aquaculture compliance investigations. Thus, control and enforcement agencies should be encouraged to use such techniques routinely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world's oceans are highly impacted by climate change and other human pressures, with significant implications for marine ecosystems and the livelihoods that they support. Adaptation for both natural and human systems is increasingly important as a coping strategy due to the rate and scale of ongoing and potential future change. Here, we conduct a review of literature concerning specific case studies of adaptation in marine systems, and discuss associated characteristics and influencing factors, including drivers, strategy, timeline, costs, and limitations. We found ample evidence in the literature that shows that marine species are adapting to climate change through shifting distributions and timing of biological events, while evidence for adaptation through evolutionary processes is limited. For human systems, existing studies focus on frameworks and principles of adaptation planning, but examples of implemented adaptation actions and evaluation of outcomes are scarce. These findings highlight potentially useful strategies given specific social-ecological contexts, as well as key barriers and specific information gaps requiring further research and actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]