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Social‐ecological systems like fisheries provide food, livelihoods and recreation. However, lack of data and its integration into governance hinders their conservation and management. Stakeholders possess site‐specific knowledge crucial for confronting these challenges. There is increasing recognition that Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) is valuable, but structural differences between ILK and quantitative archetypes have stalled the assimilation of ILK into fisheries management, despite acknowledged bias and uncertainty in scientific methods. Conducting a systematic review of fisheries‐associated ILK research (n = 397 articles), we examined how ILK is accessed, applied, distributed across space and species, and has evolved. We show that ILK has generated qualitative, semi‐quantitative and quantitative information for diverse taxa across 98 countries. Fisheries‐associated ILK research mostly targets small‐scale and artisanal fishers (70% of studies) and typically uses semi‐structured interviews (60%). We revealed large variability in sample size (n = 4–7638), predicted by the approach employed and the data generated (i.e. qualitative studies target smaller groups). Using thematic categorisation, we show that scientists are still exploring techniques, or 'validating' ILK through comparisons with quantitative scientific data (20%), and recording qualitative information of what fishers understand (40%). A few researchers are applying quantitative social science methods to derive trends in abundance, catch and effort. Such approaches facilitate recognition of local insight in fisheries management but fall short of accepting ILK as a valid complementary way of knowing about fisheries systems. This synthesis reveals that development and increased opportunities are needed to bridge ILK and quantitative scientific data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a coastal country, Vietnam relies on marine exploitation for food security and livelihoods. Training human resources to research, exploit, and manage marine resources is an important strategy to maintain rapid and sustainable economic growth and development. Official training in fishing technology at Nha Trang University (NTU) started in 1959. With 65 years of teaching, the unique program only offered at NTU, has made significant contribution to social-economic development in general and sustainable marine fisheries in particular. In this paper, we review the major achievements in teaching and scientific research in fishing technology at NTU as well as highlight the challenges and progress. Over the years, thousands of students have been trained under the fishing technology program and they then have worked all over the country, working in fisheries management, science, and services. Hundreds of research projects and peer-reviewed papers have been conducted and published. Those have supported fishing efficiency, environmentally friendly fishing methods, and effective management. However, the number of fishing technology students has decreased during the past few years because of unfavorable study and working environments where students are often exposed to commercial fishing vessels that frequently operate under rough weather conditions. Despite challenges and difficulties, NTU is determined to maintain the program to support the ocean economic development of the nation.

The article titled "Animal Minds, Social Change, and the Future of Fisheries Science" explores the debates surrounding fish sentience and its implications for fisheries science. It discusses arguments for and against the idea that fish can experience pain, highlighting evidence supporting fish sentience as well as skepticism from some scientists. The article also examines how societal values and moral circles influence the interpretation of scientific evidence and the potential impact on legal protection for animals. The text concludes that divergent positions on fish sentience are likely to continue, with societal values playing a significant role in determining legal protection for animals. The article provides a list of references and citations for further research on the topic. [Extracted from the article]

We conducted a review to summarize the settings, configurations, and capture data for an array of fisheries gear types used to capture invasive bigheaded carps (Hypophthalmichthys spp.) in North America. The goal of this paper was to synthesize patterns of bigheaded carp catch data across various gear types and capture methods. Data consisted of bigheaded carps captured among a variety of riverine habitats where their populations are well-established (e.g., lower pools of the Illinois River), as well as near the leading edge of their invasion front (e.g., Upper Mississippi, Upper Illinois, Upper Missouri, Red River). Our synthesis provides a summary of (1) capture gears and their settings/configurations, (2) catches (fish size, number captured, precision of estimates), and (3) assessment of gears that were robust (i.e., high precision, low cost, high catch, sample many habitat types) in riverine environments and impoundments. Across the 26 gear types used to target bigheaded carps, catch rates of silver carp were consistently higher than bighead carp, which may result from a combination of sampling inefficiencies, sampling biases, and spatial dynamics of their invasions. Gear performance matrices combining catch rate, precision, and labor cost indicated that DC electrofishing and herding fish into gill nets and/or trammel nets were the top-ranked capture methods. This review provides guidance for the development of detection, monitoring, and control programs that target bigheaded carp species, as well as identifies future research to fill critical data gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the significant challenges to using information and ideas generated through ecosystem models and analyses for ecosystem-based fisheries management is the disconnect between modeling and management needs. Here we present a case study from the U.S. West Coast, the stakeholder review of NOAA’s annual ecosystem status report for the California Current Ecosystem established by the Pacific Fisheries Management Council’s Fisheries Ecosystem Plan, showcasing a process to identify management priorities that require information from ecosystem models and analyses. We then assess potential ecosystem models and analyses that could help address the identified policy concerns. We screened stakeholder comments and found 17 comments highlighting the need for ecosystem-level synthesis. Policy needs for ecosystem science included: (1) assessment of how the environment affects productivity of target species to improve forecasts of biomass and reference points required for setting harvest limits, (2) assessment of shifts in the spatial distribution of target stocks and protected species to anticipate changes in availability and the potential for interactions between target and protected species, (3) identification of trophic interactions to better assess tradeoffs in the management of forage species between the diet needs of dependent predators, the resilience of fishing communities, and maintenance of the forage species themselves, and (4) synthesis of how the environment affects efficiency and profitability in fishing communities, either directly via extreme events (e.g., storms) or indirectly via climate-driven changes in target species availability. We conclude by exemplifying an existing management process established on the U.S. West Coast that could be used to enable the structured, iterative, and interactive communication between managers, stakeholders, and modelers that is key to refining existing ecosystem models and analyses for management use.

Simple Summary: The field of cell culture technology involves the cultivation of cells in a controlled environment, mimicking the natural conditions found in living organisms. This process is performed on a large scale, utilizing a specially designed culture medium. The goal is to create either undifferentiated individual cells or multicellular aggregates with minimal differentiation. The present paper offers a comprehensive overview of the advancements and applications of primary cell culture techniques in fish. It places a particular focus on revealing the physiological roles played by fish cells during their in vitro cultivation. Maintaining the functional characteristics of fish cells is of paramount importance, as it is essential for gaining a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms governing various physiological processes. To facilitate the use of fish cells in research and practical applications, it is crucial to standardize the separation techniques for these cells and optimize the conditions for their culture. This not only contributes to our knowledge of fish health, disease development, and drug discovery but also drives progress in the aquaculture industry. Fish primary cell culture has emerged as a valuable tool for investigating the physiological roles and responses of various cell types found in fish species. This review aims to provide an overview of the advancements and applications of fish primary cell culture techniques, focusing on the profiling of physiological roles exhibited by fish cells in vitro. Fish primary cell culture involves the isolation and cultivation of cells directly derived from fish tissues, maintaining their functional characteristics and enabling researchers to study their behavior and responses under controlled conditions. Over the years, significant progress has been made in optimizing the culture conditions, establishing standardized protocols, and improving the characterization techniques for fish primary cell cultures. The review highlights the diverse cell types that have been successfully cultured from different fish species, including gonad cells, pituitary cells, muscle cells, hepatocytes, kidney and immune cells, adipocyte cells and myeloid cells, brain cells, primary fin cells, gill cells, and other cells. Each cell type exhibits distinct physiological functions, contributing to vital processes such as metabolism, tissue regeneration, immune response, and toxin metabolism. Furthermore, this paper explores the pivotal role of fish primary cell culture in elucidating the mechanisms underlying various physiological processes. Researchers have utilized fish primary cell cultures to study the effects of environmental factors, toxins, pathogens, and pharmaceutical compounds on cellular functions, providing valuable insights into fish health, disease pathogenesis, and drug development. The paper also discusses the application of fish primary cell cultures in aquaculture research, particularly in investigating fish growth, nutrition, reproduction, and stress responses. By mimicking the in vivo conditions in vitro, primary cell culture has proven instrumental in identifying key factors influencing fish health and performance, thereby contributing to the development of sustainable aquaculture practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data and insights from fishers are essential sources of information to advance understanding of fishery and ecosystem dynamics. Incorporating fisher and industry knowledge holds prospects for improving marine science and fisheries management. We address cooperative research in the context of collaboration between fishers, scientists, industries, universities, and agencies to develop applied research to understand marine ecosystems, inform fishery management, enhance sustainability, govern resource use, and investigate social-economic dynamics. We leverage the insights of more than 100 research scientists, fisheries managers, industry representatives, and fishers to outline actionable recommendations for effective approaches and mechanisms to integrate industry data, perspectives, and insights in fisheries science. We also highlight opportunities and address challenges and limitations to such collaboration.

Fisheries data collection through industry-science partnerships have significant potential to support stock assessments and sustainable management, but few studies have described the steps taken en route to a successful partnership. This paper describes the development of the Scottish Pelagic Industry-Science Data Collection Programme; why and how it started, and what it has taken to develop a routine and consistent voluntary sampling regime of sufficient quality to become the main source of biological data on pelagic fish catches in Scotland. Using our experience, we emphasise the importance of establishing procedures that ensure the quality of methods and results, of working with institutions responsible for provision of national data, and of actively engaging with the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) workshops and working groups on data quality, stock assessment and stakeholder engagement. The development of the programme has been, and remains to be, a mutual learning process which is reflected upon from our different institutional perspectives. The experience gained during this work has built knowledge useful for practitioners in other situations. Specifically, we identify five transferable design principles that we believe have been essential to success so far. Finally, we look at the steps ahead in our efforts toward continuous improvements.

For future sustainable management of fisheries, we anticipate deeper and more diverse information will be needed. Future needs include not only biological data, but also information that can only come from fishers, such as real-time ‘early warning’ indicators of changes at sea, socio-economic data and fishing strategies. The fishing industry, in our experience, shows clear willingness to voluntarily contribute data and experiential knowledge, but there is little evidence that current institutional frameworks for science and management are receptive and equipped to accommodate such contributions. Current approaches to producing knowledge in support of fisheries management need critical re-evaluation, including the contributions that industry can make. Using examples from well-developed advisory systems in Europe, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, we investigate evidence for three interrelated issues inhibiting systematic integration of voluntary industry contributions to science: (1) concerns about data quality; (2) beliefs about limitations in useability of unique fishers’ knowledge; and (3) perceptions about the impact of industry contributions on the integrity of science. We show that whilst these issues are real, they can be addressed. Entrenching effective science-industry research collaboration (SIRC) calls for action in three specific areas; (i) a move towards alternative modes of knowledge production; (ii) establishing appropriate quality assurance frameworks; and (iii) transitioning to facilitating governance structures. Attention must also be paid to the science-policy-stakeholder interface. Better definition of industry’s role in contributing to science will improve credibility and legitimacy of the scientific process, and of resulting management.

Developing fisheries policies based on the best available science (BAS) has been generally required in international agreements and national legal documents in many countries. However, it is difficult to comply with BAS when lacking a uniformly agreed‐upon operational framework. In this study, we conducted an exhaustive literature review and developed a framework that includes a comprehensive set of criteria and a basic operational structure for science‐based fisheries management (SBFM) to better integrate BAS in fisheries policies. We proposed that SBFM consists of four components: objective‐setting, data input (implementation and enforcement process), data production (scientific research process), and data use (management strategy development). The capacity of a fisheries system to produce and use BAS is mainly reflected in the following areas: (a) efficient informational feedback among these components; (b) collecting a good range of quality‐assured data that meet the needs of scientific research and fishery policy formulation; (c) analyzing the collected data; and (d) selecting and using the best data from different sources. The framework developed provides a set of new patterns for the use of fisheries science, which is applied for management purposes. It can inform the creation, evaluation, and improvement of management systems rooted in SBFM and strengthen SBFM‐related research, communication, and cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the availability and usage of Fisheries Science online Resources like Databases, Repository and other resources available in Web. The main objectives of this study is to find out fisheries open access and closed accessed sources and also this study evaluated the websites in national and International Fisheries Organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the significant challenges to using information and ideas generated through ecosystem models and analyses for ecosystem-based fisheries management is the disconnect between modeling and management needs. Here we present a case study from the U.S. West Coast, the stakeholder review of NOAA’s annual ecosystem status report for the California Current Ecosystem established by the Pacific Fisheries Management Council’s Fisheries Ecosystem Plan, showcasing a process to identify management priorities that require information from ecosystem models and analyses. We then assess potential ecosystem models and analyses that could help address the identified policy concerns. We screened stakeholder comments and found 17 comments highlighting the need for ecosystem-level synthesis. Policy needs for ecosystem science included: (1) assessment of how the environment affects productivity of target species to improve forecasts of biomass and reference points required for setting harvest limits, (2) assessment of shifts in the spatial distribution of target stocks and protected species to anticipate changes in availability and the potential for interactions between target and protected species, (3) identification of trophic interactions to better assess tradeoffs in the management of forage species between the diet needs of dependent predators, the resilience of fishing communities, and maintenance of the forage species themselves, and (4) synthesis of how the environment affects efficiency and profitability in fishing communities, either directly via extreme events (e.g., storms) or indirectly via climate-driven changes in target species availability. We conclude by exemplifying an existing management process established on the U.S. West Coast that could be used to enable the structured, iterative, and interactive communication between managers, stakeholders, and modelers that is key to refining existing ecosystem models and analyses for management use.

The Yukon River delta is home to many subsistence Tribal communities that rely heavily on salmon as a food source. These communities structure resource use and management around Local/Traditional Ecological Knowledge (LTEK). LTEK is a rich source of data built on observations and natural indicators throughout generations. The use of LTEK is growing in interest across the world, as governments, scientists, and local people struggle with declining resources, climate change and environmental changes. Recently, the Yukon River salmon runs have been declining, jeopardizing the well being of subsistence communities. Additionally, climate change may be impacting these communities’ food security. This paper will assess the concerns and observations of the Alakanuk Tribal community in relation to food security in order to explore the potential use of participatory methodologies, generated from a combination s of LTEK, western science and resource management. Approaching concerns of food security, salmon health, climate change, and impacts of large-scale fisheries through the human dimension and a participatory approach, may bring fisheries science and management to the level of ecosystem-based management, further incorporating a holistic approach to fisheries management.

Expert assessments are routinely used to inform management and other decision making. However, often these assessments contain considerable biases and uncertainties for which reason they should be calibrated if possible. Moreover, coherently combining multiple expert assessments into one estimate poses a long-standing problem in statistics since modeling expert knowledge is often difficult. Here, we present a hierarchical Bayesian model for expert calibration in a task of estimating a continuous univariate parameter. The model allows experts' biases to vary as a function of the true value of the parameter and according to the expert's background. We follow the fully Bayesian approach (the so-called supra-Bayesian approach) and model experts' bias functions explicitly using hierarchical Gaussian processes. We show how to use calibration data to infer the experts' observation models with the use of bias functions and to calculate the bias corrected posterior distributions for an unknown system parameter of interest. We demonstrate and test our model and methods with simulated data and a real case study on data-limited fisheries stock assessment. The case study results show that experts' biases vary with respect to the true system parameter value and that the calibration of the expert assessments improves the inference compared to using uncalibrated expert assessments or a vague uniform guess. Moreover, the bias functions in the real case study show important differences between the reliability of alternative experts. The model and methods presented here can be also straightforwardly applied to other applications than our case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After 20+ years as a research scientist, I recently made a career change to a scientific administrator in NOAA Fisheries. Part of the NOAA Fisheries mission is to provide scientific advice for fisheries using ecosystem based approaches to management. Where I used to see fisheries science as a relatively straightforward discipline, I now recognize fisheries as a complex socio-ecological system that spans natural and social sciences. With this recognition has come an appreciation for the concept of wicked problems and for the incremental approach to policy-making. Here I describe my perspectives before and after this recognition and present 10 lessons for myself as a guide to providing science in support of fisheries management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The massive destruction of fish stocks during the last 100 years has created an enormous environmental problem with consequences that are poorly understood, both for the fish and for the human populations that depend upon them. Many think of the oceans as the ultimate commons, and believe that fish stocks collapsed because individual fishermen did not restrain their behavior. However, the collapse of world fisheries was not caused by individual fishermen rushing to harvest but was the result of conscious policies adopted by the distant water fishing nations in general, and the U.S., in particular, to promote and expand global fisheries, not only for the fish, but for territorial reasons that were bound with foreign policy concerns during the Cold War. The distant water nations pushed for a policy of taking fish without restrictions, until critical biological points were estimated, then applying measures to slow or restrict the catch. The practical effect of this policy, known as Maximum Sustained Yield (MSY) was that distant water nations fished unhindered until countries began expanding their territorial limits to 200 miles during the 1970s. The policy greatly facilitated the rise of an industrial, global fishing system, creating fishing capacity that far exceeded the ability of stocks to reproduce. MSY was promoted as being grounded in conservation and sound science, but its adoption was greatly influenced by American foreign policy during this period. MSY also focused fisheries science on the narrow objective of determining harvest points, thus allowing the world’s distant water nations, including the U.S., to forestall attempts by smaller and poorer nations to enclose their fishing stocks to protect them from foreign exploitation.

The European Parliament is concerned about the lack of information on the relevance of nine million Europeans engaged in marine recreational fishing (MRF), committing Member States to encourage environmental and socioeconomic sustainability of the sector. The objective of this paper is to provide recommendations to guide research actions and management policies, based on the case of Spain, a key country because its complex administrative regimen and the intensive use of its coasts, including 900,000 recreational fishers. A review of the state of the knowledge was performed to identify research gaps, while governance challenges were identified in an International Symposium on MRF. In the last two decades research on MRF was remarkable (139 publications). However, public investment in research (€2.44 million in the same period) should be improved to cover knowledge gaps on socioeconomic relevance, on impacts on vulnerable species and on implications of global warming. The license system should be standardized to allow estimation of effort, catch and expenditure. Social networks, mobile applications, fisher ecological knowledge, and citizen science programs could help to develop cost-effective research and management. Science-based, adaptive policies should improve the allocation of resources between MRF and other stakeholders, introducing co-management to reduce conflicts.

Worldwide fisheries management has been undergoing a paradigm shift from a single-species approach to ecosystem approaches. In the United States, NOAA has adopted a policy statement and Road Map to guide the development and implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM). NOAA’s EBFM policy supports addressing the ecosystem interconnections to help maintain resilient and productive ecosystems, even as they respond to climate, habitat, ecological, and social and economic changes. Managing natural marine resources while taking into account their interactions with their environment and our human interactions with our resources and environment requires the support of ecosystem science, modeling, and analysis. Implementing EBFM will require using existing mandates and approaches that fit regional management structures and cultures. The primary mandate for managing marine fisheries in the United States is the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Many tenets of the Act align well with the EBFM policy, however, incorporating ecosystem analysis and models into fisheries management processes has faced procedural challenges in many jurisdictions. In this paper, we review example cases where scientists have had success in using ecosystem analysis and modeling to inform management priorities, and identify practices that help bring new ecosystem science information into existing policy processes. A key to these successes is regular communication and collaborative discourse among modelers, stakeholders, and resource managers to tailor models and ensure they addressed the management needs as directly as possible.

Small-scale fisheries (SSF) have long been overshadowed by the concerns and perceived importance of the industrial sector in fisheries science and policy. Yet in recent decades, attention to SSF is on the rise, marked by a proliferation of scientific publications, the emergence of new global policy tools devoted to the small-scale sector, and concerted efforts to tally the size and impacts of SSF on a global scale. Given the rising tide of interest buoying SSF, it's pertinent to consider how the underlying definition shapes efforts to enumerate and scale up knowledge on the sector—indicating what dimensions of SSF count and consequently what gets counted. Existing studies assess how national fisheries policies define SSF, but to date, no studies systematically and empirically examine how the definition of SSF has been articulated in science, including whether and how definitions have changed over time. We systematically analyzed how SSF were defined in the peer-reviewed scientific literature drawing on a database of 1,723 articles published between 1960 and 2015. We coded a 25% random sample of articles (n = 434) from our database and found that nearly one-quarter did not define SSF. Among those that did proffer a definition, harvest technologies such as fishing boats and gear were the most common characteristics used. Comparing definitions over time, we identified two notable trends over the 65-year time period studied: a decreasing proportion of articles that defined SSF and an increasing reliance on technological dimensions like boats relative to sociocultural characteristics. Our results resonate with findings from similar research on the definition of SSF in national fisheries policies that also heavily rely on boat length. We call attention to several salient issues that are obscured by an overreliance on harvest technologies in definitions of SSF, including dynamics along the wider fisheries value chain and social relations such as gender. We discuss our findings considering new policies and emerging tools that could steer scientists and practitioners toward more encompassing, consistent, and relational means of defining SSF that circumvent some of the limitations of longstanding patterns in science and policy that impinge upon sustainable and just fisheries governance.

Inspired by the growing cries from young climate crisis activists, and noting that net-zero emission legislation is growing in frequency across Europe and globally, this paper briefly discuses some ways in which marine science might respond. Marine science can provide governments support and advice for emission-reducing policies and actions, as well as tackling our own emissions. Supporting government actions will require new and innovative science. While implementing this science, as a community, we can lead by example in bringing about change in the way professionals do business and hence reducing business's overall carbon footprint. After all, if environmental science cannot change, why should the rest of society? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) are a form of private governance using seafood supply chains to reduce environmental impacts of fishing in some of the most challenged fisheries. Some FIPs are industry-led, others are championed by NGOs. They range across many different fishery types, in both high- and low-income settings. Their diversity is notable, and their proliferation remarkable. This rapid growth suggests FIPs are becoming a key feature of the fisheries governance landscape globally. Based on a global sample of 107 FIPs, we systematically examined their reported actions, the actors involved, and their achievements in terms of policy and practice outputs. The most common actions were dialogues with policy stakeholders, data collection, and educational efforts directed at fishers. Common policy outputs included development of management plans and/or a management body, and rules for limiting entry and increasing compliance. Practice related outputs were dominated by gear changes, and observer and traceability programs. Only crab and lobster FIPs engaged in sustained policy conversations as one of the most common actions. Shrimp and tuna fisheries report more engagement in testing and implementing changes to fishery practices. While supply chain actors are involved in all FIPs, retailers and 1st tier suppliers are relatively absent from FIP activities, and are primarily involved in rallying financial support or some policy engagement. Based on our analysis we discuss the opportunities and challenges FIPs will likely need to engage with to contribute to a global transition to more socially and environmentally sustainable fisheries. We outline key areas where further work is needed to understand how FIPs can improve their contribution to global fisheries governance in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recreational fishing practices can have significant impacts on marine ecosystems but their catch dynamics are often difficult to quantify, particularly for spearfishing. On coral reefs, the impacts of recreational spearfishing are often considered to be negligible compared to other practices, but the highly selective method adopted by spearfishers can result in locally distinct ecological consequences. Here we investigated the spatial patterns and catch composition of recreational spearfishers on the Great Barrier Reef using an online survey (n = 141 participants) targeted at spearfishers active along the coastline of Queensland. Observations from within the Queensland spearfishing community were also used to explore perceived changes in catches of three functionally distinct spearing targets. Preferred reef regions (coastal, inshore, offshore) differed among spearfishers from Bundaberg (south) to Cooktown (north). The piscivorous coral trout, Plectropomus leopardus, was suggested to be the preferred target comprising 34% (±1.5 SE) of spearfishers’ reported catch composition. Spearfishers also noted a variety of changes in their catch composition over time, particularly regarding parrotfishes (decreased landings) and tuskfishes (increased landings). How this relates to the relative abundance and population biology of these taxa on the Great Barrier Reef requires attention. Spearfishers can provide important information regarding the status of their fishery through direct observations, which can inform legislation when acknowledged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As socio‐environmental problems have proliferated over the past decades, one narrative which has captured the attention of policymakers and scientists has been the need for collaborative research that spans traditional boundaries. Collaboration, it is argued, is imperative for solving these problems. Understanding how collaboration is occurring in practice is important, however, and may help explain the idea space across a field. In an effort to make sense of the shape of fisheries science, here we construct a co‐authorship network of the field, from a data set comprising 73,240 scientific articles, drawn from 50 journals and published between 2000 and 2017. Using a combination of social network analysis and machine learning, the work first maps the global structure of scientific collaboration amongst fisheries scientists at the author, country and institutional levels. Second, it uncovers the hidden subgroups—here country clusters and communities of authors—within the network, detailing also the topical focus, publication outlets and relative impact of the largest fisheries science communities. We find that whilst the fisheries science network is becoming more geographically extensive, it is simultaneously becoming more intensive. The uncovered network exhibits characteristics suggestive of a thin style of collaboration, and groupings that are more regional than they are global. Although likely shaped by an array of overlapping micro‐ and macro‐level factors, the analysis reveals a number of political–economic patterns that merit reflection by both fisheries scientists and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change can severely impact artisanal fisheries and affect the role they play in food security. We study climate change effects on the triple bottom line of ecological productivity, fishers’ incomes, and fish consumption for an artisanal open-access fishery. We develop and apply an empirical, stochastic bio-economic model for the Senegalese artisanal purse seine fishery on small pelagic fish and compare the simulated fishery’s development using four climate projections and two policy scenarios. We find that economic processes of adaptation may amplify the effects of climate variations. The regions’ catch potential increases with climate change, induced by stock distribution changes. However, this outcome escalates over-fishing, whose effects outpace the incipiently favorable climate change effects under three of the four climate projections. Without policy action, the fishery is estimated to collapse in 2030–2035 on average over 1000 runs. We propose an easily implementable and overall welfare-increasing intervention: reduction of fuel subsidies. If fuel subsidies were abolished, ecological sustainability as well as the fishery’s welfare contribution would increase regardless of the climate projection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the eastern Pacific Ocean, the tropical tuna purse-seine fishery incidentally captures high numbers of five mobulid bycatch species; all of which are classified as mortalities by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission due to uncertainties in post-release mortality rates. To date, the factors (operational or environmental) leading to the capture of these species by the fishery have not been well studied. Here, we developed Generalized Additive Models for fisheries observer data to analyze the relationships between the presence/absence of Mobula mobular bycatch and oceanographic conditions, the spatial and temporal variability in fishing location, and the set type (associated with dolphins, free-swimming tuna schools or floating objects). Our results suggest that chlorophyll concentration and sea surface height are the most important variables to describe the presence of M. mobular in conjunction with geographic location (latitude and longitude) and set type. Presence of the species was predicted in waters with chlorophyll concentrations between 0.5–1 mg·m-3 and with sea surface height values close to 0; which indicates direct relationships with productive upwelling systems. Seasonally, M. mobular was observed more frequently during December-January and August-September. We also found the highest probability of presence observed in School sets, followed by Dolphin sets. Three areas were observed as important hotspots: the area close to the coastal upwelling of northern Peru, the area west to Islands Colon Archipelago (Galapagos) and the area close to the Costa Rica Dome. This information is crucial to identify the mobulids habitat and hotspots that could be managed and protected under dynamic spatial management measures to reduce the mortality of mobulid rays in the eastern Pacific purse-seine fishery and, hence, ensure the sustainability of the populations of these iconic species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The snow crab (Chioneocetes opilio) fishery in the Barents Sea is carried out by large offshore vessels, as the fishing grounds are located far from shore and the gear must be transported back and forth over long distances. Therefore, fishers use stackable conical pots that allow large numbers of pots to be carried on deck for each trip. One of the drawbacks of using stackable pots is that the entrance is at the vertex of the conical pot, which fishers claim does not provide the desired fishing efficiency. Thus, the goal of this study was to determine whether a different pot design would improve the catch efficiency of snow crabs. We investigated the efficiency of a new type of pot called the moon pot, which provides continuous increased bait odour intensity as snow crabs make their way towards the entrance of the pot. This alteration was expected to increase catch efficiency compared to that of the conical pots used by the fleet today. However, experimental fishing results showed that the modified pots had significantly lower catch efficiency than the standard conical pots, as only ~66% of the number of crabs caught by the conical pots were caught in the moon pots. The main reason for this reduced catch efficiency likely was the initial steepness of the moon pot, which may have made it difficult for crabs to reach the pot entrance. These results demonstrated that pot design can dramatically affect catch efficiency of snow crabs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human beings are the dominant top predator in the marine ecosystem. Throughout most of the global ocean this predation is carried out by industrial fishing vessels, that can now be observed in unprecedented detail via satellite monitoring of Automatic Identification System (AIS) messages. The spatial and temporal distribution of this fishing effort emerges from the coupled interaction of ecological and socio-economic drivers and can therefore yield insights on the dynamics of both the ecosystem and fishers. Here we analyze temporal variability of industrial fishing effort from 2015-2017 as recorded by global AIS coverage, and differentiated by fishing gear type. The strongest seasonal signal is a reduction of total deployed effort during the annual fishing moratorium on the numerically-dominant Chinese fleet, which occurs during boreal summer. An additional societally-controlled reduction of effort occurs during boreal winter holidays. After accounting for these societal controls, the total deployed effort is relatively invariant throughout the year for all gear types except squid jiggers and coastal purse seiners. Despite constant deployment levels, strong seasonal variability occurs in the spatial pattern of fishing effort for gears targeting motile pelagic species, including purse seiners, squid jiggers and longliners. Trawlers and fixed gears target bottom-associated coastal prey and show very little overall seasonality, although they exhibit more seasonal variation at locations that are further from port. Our results suggest that societal controls dominate the total deployment of fishing effort, while the behavior of pelagic fish, including seasonal migration and aggregation, is likely the most prominent driver of the spatial seasonal variations in global fishing effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pelagic ecosystems of the Western Antarctic Peninsula are dynamic and changing rapidly in the face of sustained warming. There is already evidence that warming may be impacting the food web. Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, is an ice-associated species that is both an important prey item and the target of the only commercial fishery operating in the region. The goal of this study is to develop a dynamic trophic model for the region that includes the impact of the sea-ice regime on krill and krill predators. Such a model may be helpful to fisheries managers as they develop new management strategies in the face of continued sea-ice loss. A mass balanced food-web model (Ecopath) and time dynamic simulations (Ecosim) were created. The Ecopath model includes eight currently monitored species as single species to facilitate its future development into a model that could be used for marine protected area planning in the region. The Ecosim model is calibrated for the years 1996–2012. The successful calibration represents an improvement over existing Ecopath models for the region. Simulations indicate that the role of sea ice is both central and complex. The simulations are only able to recreate observed biomass trends for the monitored species when metrics describing the sea-ice regime are used to force key predator-prey interactions, and to drive the biomasses of Antarctic krill and the fish species Gobionotothen gibberifrons. This model is ready to be used for exploring results from sea-ice scenarios or to be developed into a spatial model that informs discussions regarding the design of marine protected areas in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In fisheries management, ex-ante analysis of fishermen’s preferences can provide reliable insights into specific characteristics of regulatory alternatives that are desirable, objectionable, or important, in the judgement of fishermen. This knowledge could facilitate consideration by fishery managers of additional regulatory alternatives with high likelihoods of meeting program objectives, minimal disruption to fishing operations and lifestyles, and high levels of acceptance and compliance from the fishing fleet. In this case study, we interviewed Pacific halibut fishermen (n = 76) in four communities across Southeast Alaska, to document their preferences about different types of data collection methods on their vessels. We demonstrate how to use interviewing to gather preference data from a relatively small group of fishermen and get a reliable snapshot of preferences across an entire region. Pairwise comparisons from interviews were analyzed using a three-stage analytic hierarchy process model. Results characterize the variability of fishermen’s preferences about data collection methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Juan Fernández Ridge (JFRE) is a vulnerable marine ecosystem (VME) located off the coast of central Chile formed by the Juan Fernández Archipelago and a group of seamounts. This ecosystem has unique biological and oceanographic features, characterized by: small geographical units, high degree of endemism with a high degree of connectivity within the system. Two fleets have historically operated in this system: a long term coastal artisanal fishery associated with the Islands, focused mainly on lobster, and a mainland based industrial demersal finfish fishery operating on the seamounts which is currently considered overexploited. The management of these fisheries has been based on a classical single-species approach to determine output controls (industrial fleet) and a mixed management system with formal and informal components (artisanal fleet). There has been growing interest in increasing the exploitation of fisheries, and modernization of the fishing fleet already operating in the JFRE. Under this scenario of increased levels of fishing exploitation and the high level of interrelation of species it might be necessary to understand the impact of these fisheries from a holistic perspective based on a ecosystem-based modeling approach. To address these challenges we developed an Atlantis end-to-end model was configured for this ecosystem. The implemented model has a high degree of skill in representing the observed trends and fluctuations of the JFRE. The model shows that the industrial fishing has a localized impact and the artisanal fisheries have a relatively low impact on the ecosystem, mainly via the lobster fishery. The model indicates that the depletion of large sized lobster has leads to an increase in the population of sea urchins. Although this increase is not sufficient, as yet, to cause substantial flow-on effects to other groups, caution is advised in case extra pressure leads the ecosystem towards a regime shift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gulf of Mexico is an ecologically and economically important marine ecosystem that is affected by a variety of natural and anthropogenic pressures. These complex and interacting pressures, together with the dynamic environment of the Gulf, present challenges for the effective management of its resources. The recent adoption of Bayesian networks to ecology allows for the discovery and quantification of complex interactions from data after making only a few assumptions about observations of the system. In this study, we apply Bayesian network models, with different levels of structural complexity and a varying number of hidden variables to account for uncertainty when modeling ecosystem dynamics. From these models, we predict focal ecosystem components within the Gulf of Mexico. The predictive ability of the models varied with their structure. The model that performed best was parameterized through data-driven learning techniques and accounted for multiple ecosystem components’ associations and their interactions with human and natural pressures over time. Then, we altered sea surface temperature in the best performing model to explore the response of different ecosystem components to increased temperature. The magnitude and even direction of predicted responses varied by ecosystem components due to heterogeneity in driving factors and their spatial overlap. Our findings suggest that due to varying components’ sensitivity to drivers, changes in temperature will potentially lead to trade-offs in terms of population productivity. We were able to discover meaningful interactions between ecosystem components and their environment and show how sensitive these relationships are to climate perturbations, which increases our understanding of the potential future response of the system to increasing temperature. Our findings demonstrate that accounting for additional sources of variation, by incorporating multiple interactions and pressures in the model layout, has the potential for gaining deeper insights into the structure and dynamics of ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collective action of resource users is essential for sustainability. Yet, often user groups are socioculturally heterogeneous, which requires cooperation to be established across salient group boundaries. We explore the effect of this type of heterogeneity on resource extraction in lab-in-the-field Common Pool Resource (CPR) experiments in Zanzibar, Tanzania. We create heterogeneous groups by mixing fishers from two neighbouring fishing villages which have distinct social identities, a history of conflict and diverging resource use practices and institutions. Additionally, we analyse between-village differences in extraction behaviour in the heterogeneous setting to assess if out-group cooperation in a CPR dilemma is associated with a community’s institutional scope in the economic realm (e.g., degree of market integration). We find no aggregate effect of heterogeneity on extraction. However, this is because fishers from the two villages behave differently in the heterogeneity treatment. We find support for the hypothesis that cooperation under sociocultural heterogeneity is higher for fishers from the village with larger institutional scope. In line with this explanation, cooperation under heterogeneity also correlates with a survey measure of individual fishers’ radius of trust. We discuss implications for resource governance and collective action research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nordmøre grid and the sieve panel are two of the main devices used to reduce fish bycatch in trawl fisheries targeting shrimp species. However, even when using such devices, some small-sized fish enter the codend of the trawl together with the targeted shrimp. Therefore, bycatch reduction remains a problem in some shrimp fisheries. One such fishery is the Northeast Atlantic deep-water shrimp (Pandalus borealis) fishery where it is mandatory to use a Nordmøre grid. In this study, the bycatch reduction efficiencies and patterns for several fish species using the standard Nordmøre grid and an experimental sieve panel were investigated and compared. The effect of combining these devices was also explored. The bycatch reduction patterns differed significantly between the two devices and a more efficient bycatch reduction was obtained by combining them. However, while the loss of commercial-sized shrimp was only between 0 and 2% for the Nordmøre grid, it was between 37 and 56% for the tested sieve panel, making this completely unacceptable for commercial fishing. Therefore, before a sieve panel can be considered as an option for the fishery, other sieve panel designs that have a significantly lower loss of shrimp catches need to be identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small-scale fisheries are large contributors to regional economies and livelihoods in coastal communities of Latin America. While Mexico is one of the cases where small-scale fisheries play an important role, overfishing and poor management strategies have led to the collapse of many of its fisheries. The callo de hacha scallop fishery of the Ensenada de La Paz in Baja California Sur is an example of such a fishery which, after years of mismanagement, was closed by the Mexican authorities in 2009. The present study evaluated the recovery efforts in the cove and the potential outcomes of a collaboration between a non-governmental organization and a fishing community working towards the restoration of this pen-shell fishery. After more than four years of closure and active monitoring of the recovering process, the callo de hacha population has shown a significant population recovery, with potential solvency for reopening fishing activities. Four scenarios of uncertainty are evaluated with two of them providing positive net present values from reopening the fishery. We also document the involvement of a non-governmental organization with a fishing community, which created social capital and, in our opinion, was essential for a successful restoration. Having an actively involved community helped raise funds for the fishing closure so fishers were able to comply with Mexican legislation; it also fostered community building and self-organization that will be crucial to maintaining the sustainability of the fishery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation to improve commercial fishing technology is changing from ‘how can we catch more fish’ to ‘how can we reduce the impact of fishing on the environment’. To implement new fisheries technologies and innovations, it is important to have sources of innovative ideas for improvement, and processes to allow the uptake and transition from old to new technologies. One fishery that is undergoing a technology transition is the New Zealand scampi (Metanephrops challengeri) fishery. Here we report on a research programme aimed at improving the cultural and environmental performance of scampi fishing practices, initiated by the Māori-owned Waikawa Fishing Company, and underpinned by Mātauranga Māori and values inherent in kaitiakitanga. This paper provides a case study for how Mātauranga Māori and western science can engage in a fisheries technology transition through a transdisciplinary research programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incremental refinements were made to a generic Nordmøre-grid to minimise bycatches of blue swimmer crabs Portunus armatus and giant cuttlefish Sepia apama, while maintaining catches of western king prawns Melicertus latisulcatus in the Spencer Gulf penaeid-trawl fishery. These refinements involved varying bar spaces, escape-exit areas and guiding-panel lengths, and were compared against a conventional trawl. Catches of teleosts and M. latisulcatus largely remained unaffected by the changes. Maximum reductions in P. armatus and S. apama bycatches (both ~90%) were achieved with a Nordmøre-grid comprising 38-mm bar spaces, 0.81- or 1.05-m2 escape exits and a 2.7-m guiding panel. Catching fewer P. armatus should reduce abrasion and crushing of M. latisulcatus in the codend and so increase the value of this targeted species. While noting some unresolved operational concerns, these results demonstrate the potential improvements in selectivity in this fishery using a Nordmøre-grid, primarily by mechanical separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peru is one of the world’s leading fishing nations and its seafood industry relies on the trade of a vast variety of aquatic resources, playing a key role in the country’s socio-economic development. DNA barcoding has become of paramount importance for systematics, conservation, and seafood traceability, complementing or even surpassing conventional identification methods when target organisms show similar morphology during the early life stages, have recently diverged, or have undergone processing. Aiming to increase our knowledge of the species diversity available across the Peruvian supply chain (from fish landing sites to markets and restaurants), we applied full and mini-barcoding approaches targeting three mitochondrial genes (COI, 16S, and 12S) and the control region to identify samples purchased at retailers from six departments along the north-central Peruvian coast. DNA barcodes from 131 samples were assigned to 55 species (plus five genus-level taxa) comprising 47 families, 24 orders, and six classes including Actinopterygii (45.03%), Chondrichthyes (36.64%), Bivalvia (6.87%), Cephalopoda (6.11%), Malacostraca (3.82%), and Gastropoda (1.53%). The identified samples included commercially important pelagic (anchovy, bonito, dolphinfish) and demersal (hake, smooth-hound, Peruvian rock seabass, croaker) fish species. Our results unveiled the marketing of protected and threatened species such as whale shark, Atlantic white marlin, smooth hammerhead (some specimens collected during closed season), shortfin mako, and pelagic thresher sharks. A total of 35 samples (26.72%) were mislabeled, including tilapia labeled as wild marine fish, dolphinfish and hake labeled as grouper, and different shark species sold as “smooth-hounds”. The present study highlights the necessity of implementing traceability and monitoring programs along the entire seafood supply chain using molecular tools to enhance sustainability efforts and ensure consumer choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]