Search

In the Mediterranean Sea, and in marine areas worldwide, for most locations, data on species presence and abundance are generally poor or non-existent. When available, these data are generally reported only at small scale and/or for short temporal series. In this study, the investigation of abundance and size trends, along with some ecological aspects of the data-poor species Scorpaena porcus, commonly known as the Black Scorpionfish, was undertaken using FEK (Fishers' Ecological Knowledge). The results clearly indicated a sharp reduction in both abundance and size over the last 21 years (2001–2021) of this species in the central Mediterranean Sea. The causes of this decline, and the importance of FEK, as well as Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK), in research and the assessment and management of biological resources are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successful conservation of endangered, migratory species requires an understanding of habitat use throughout life stages. When dedicated scientific studies are difficult to conduct, local expert knowledge can provide crucial baseline data to guide study design and aid data interpretation. In 2008, fishers in El Salvador demonstrated that eastern Pacific hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata)—a population conservation biologists considered virtually extirpated—use mangrove estuaries as nesting habitat rather than open-coast beaches used by hawksbills in other regions. We confirmed and amplified this observation by using fishers' ecological knowledge to guide biological sampling for stable isotope analysis to assess if eastern Pacific hawskbills use mangrove-dominated estuaries as developmental habitats. We found that immature hawksbills experience a pelagic stage and then recruit to estuaries at ~37 cm curved carapace length, where they increase reliance on estuarine resources until they approach adult sizes. This life history strategy makes them especially vulnerable to in-water nearshore threats, and necessitates targeted expansion of conservation efforts throughout the eastern Pacific. Our analysis also provides a model for integrating traditional scientific approaches with local knowledge—a model that could yield crucial advances in other understudied regions.

Seagrass meadows deliver key ecosystem services in coastal environments worldwide by hosting early and adult life stages of many fish stocks, improving water quality, capturing carbon dioxide (mitigating the effects of global warming), protecting against adverse events and providing leisure opportunities. Shellfishing is often carried out in seagrass meadows, causing alterations derived from harvesting and/or culture processes. While the negative impacts of shellfisheries on seagrass meadows have been well established, the effects of the meadows on shellfishing have not yet been explored. In this study we analyzed the two-way interactions between shellfishing and Zostera spp. beds in north-west Spain and identified gaps in the governance system related to seagrass management. We conducted interviews (with 154 shellfishers) and held workshops (involving 61 shellfishers) to collect and validate information on the perceptions of shellfishers regarding the ecosystem services supplied by seagrass meadows, the interactions with shellfishing activity and how to improve the management of the activity in these key habitats. In general, shellfishers viewed the presence of seagrass negatively because greater physical effort is needed to extract the shellfish from among the plants. The shellfishers also recognized that the plants are easily damaged during their work. Temporal trends were also perceived negatively, as catches have been decreasing over time, while the area occupied by seagrass meadows has increased. However, experienced shellfishers recognized the benefits of the meadows for coastal ecosystems and fisheries (including those that they exploited), such as increased recruitment of the target species, to the extent that they were open to the allocation of areas to seagrass conservation. The compatibility of traditional shellfishing and management of seagrass meadows should be fostered by developing seagrass monitoring programs to develop adaptive fisheries management strategies and ensure conservation of these complex social-ecological systems. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]