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ABSTRACT Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) panels are powerful tools for assessing the genetic population structure and dispersal of fishes and can enhance management practices for commercial, recreational and subsistence mixed‐stock fisheries. Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus), Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) are among the most harvested and consumed fish species in Northern Indigenous communities in Canada, contributing significantly to food security, culture, tradition and economy. However, genetic resources supporting Indigenous fisheries have not been widely accessible to northern communities (e.g. Inuit, Cree, Dene). Here, we developed Genotyping‐in‐Thousands by sequencing (GT‐seq) panels for population assignment and mixed‐stock analyses of three salmonids, to support fisheries stewardship or co‐management in Northern Canada. Using low‐coverage Whole Genome Sequencing data from 418 individuals across source populations in Cambridge Bay (Nunavut), Great Slave Lake (Northwest Territories), James Bay (Québec) and Mistassini Lake (Québec), we developed a bioinformatic SNP filtering workflow to select informative SNP markers from genotype likelihoods. These markers were then used to design GT‐seq panels, thus enabling high‐throughput genotyping for these species. The three GT‐seq panels yielded an average of 413 autosomal loci and were validated using 525 individuals with an average assignment accuracy of 83%. Thus, these GT‐seq panels are powerful tools for assessing population structure and quantifying the relative contributions of populations/stocks in mixed‐stock fisheries across multiple regions. Interweaving genomic data derived from these tools with Traditional Ecological Knowledge will ensure the sustainable harvest of three culturally important salmonids in Indigenous communities, contributing to food security programmes and the economy in Northern Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Indigenous-led project aims to better understand historical and contemporary ways in which Alaska Native Peoples steward salmon and the values connected to salmon stewardship. Indigenous Peoples have stewarded Alaska lands and waters for thousands of years yet have been largely excluded from western science and management systems. In this project, we utilize a participatory approach that allows for the equitable valuing of ideas and knowledges to document the breadth and depth of Yup'ik and Athabascan knowledge and governance systems in southwestern Alaska. We reshape research methodologies by centering Indigenous frameworks and methodologies, including circle dialogues and multi-generational interviews led by Indigenous scholars and students in their home communities and regions. In this paper, we share the Yup'ik and Athabascan values, knowledge, management, and governance mechanisms that can improve the long-term sustainability and equity of Alaska salmon systems. This research elevates the voices of Alaska Native salmon stewards and experts from the Kuskokwim Bay and the Kuskokwim River. We elaborate on five key themes that emerged from this research, including traditional Indigenous ways of life, Indigenous stewardship, self-determination, food and livelihood sovereignty, and ecosystem changes, and identify a more equitable and sustainable path forward for salmon and people in Alaska.

This paper examines fish consumption advisories (FCAs) as a site of transboundary governance in the Upper St Lawrence River with the aim of identifying opportunities for enhanced coordination and power sharing to address environmental injustices. The Upper St Lawrence River is part of the Great Lakes watershed of North America and the traditional territory of multiple Indigenous Nations, as well as the present-day jurisdictions of Ontario (Canada), Quebec (Canada), and New York State (USA). Through an analysis of publicly available information on FCA programs, we examine similarities and differences in these programs across jurisdictions. We find an overall lack of coordination in fish monitoring and differences in consumption advice for a waterway in which fish may easily move between transboundary areas. We offer recommendations for improving FCAs in this transboundary waterway from the lens of environmental justice, focusing on (1) a shared and transparent approach to monitoring contaminant levels and fish species; (2) integration of cultural food practices; (3) enhanced outreach to angler populations; and (4) upholding the self-determination of Indigenous communities. We also underscore that FCAs should not be seen as a permanent solution. Preventing and reducing contaminants, including associated harm reduction in communities affected by FCAs, need to be priorities.

In this study we explore the unique tripartite collaboration involving the Syilx Okanagan Nation Alliance and the provincial and federal governments, which has been pivotal in restoring Okanagan sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka in British Columbia, Canada. Using qualitative research methods, we analyze the multidimensional challenges the tripartite partnership has faced over its 25-year history, emphasizing the role of traditional ecological knowledge, adaptive co-management, and social learning. We find that a conducive authorizing environment, shared goals, and an unexpected source of financing allowed the Okanagan Sockeye Program to launch. Once underway, the partnership relied on adaptive co-management strategies to navigate inherent complexities and uncertainties. Over time, the attainment of shared objectives and capacity bridging among the partners fostered trust and confidence, enhancing the sustainability of the alliance. Acknowledging the Okanagan Nation Alliance as a legitimate government and maintaining equal decision-making powers were also critical factors; however, Syilx traditional ecological knowledge, as a holistic knowledgepractice-belief system, has been the sustained driving force behind the partnership. Over the multi-decade trajectory, the alliance grappled with institutional complexities surrounding jurisdictional conflicts, power imbalances, and systemic inequities. At a time when Indigenous co-management in Canada is at a crossroads, and demands for Indigenous environmental governance are only increasing, this study offers some insights. Our research invites further exploration into the successes and failures of Indigenous environmental governance and co-management schemes, with a view to informing future policy and programming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For millennia, Indigenous people across the globe have relied on fisheries and coastal environments as a part of their sustenance, well-being, livelihoods, culture, and spirituality. Despite the ongoing exclusions they face from settler colonial management systems, Indigenous communities continue to exercise their rights to fish and practice their traditional systems of governance. This paper presents insights from a setter–Indigenous research partnership project to document the efforts of Batchewana First Nation (BFN) on Lake Superior to exercise self-determination and jurisdiction over their fisheries. In 2019, twelve in-depth interviews were conducted with fish harvesters, elders, Knowledge Keepers, and community leaders to document their experiences, knowledge, and struggles of fishing and fishing rights in relation to the state and in support of cultural continuity. This paper explores the social, political, and ecological relationships surrounding BFN’s fisheries and their governance, as shared by the interview participants. Written by two settler academics in collaboration with the Chief of BFN, we consider how resurgence is expressed in BFN fisheries and opportunities for political mobilization, including links to movements for Indigenous resurgence, nationhood, and food sovereignty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to colonial research paradigms that have subjugated Indigenous Peoples, knowledges, lands, and waters, Indigenous research methodologies have emerged to center Indigenous visions and voices in research practice. Here, we employ such methodologies to improve collective understanding of the state and future of wild Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) and fish–people–place relationships across British Columbia’s three largest salmon-producing rivers: the Fraser, Skeena, and Nass. Through partnerships with 18 communities of “Salmon People” and semi-structured interviews with 48 knowledge holders (i.e., Elders), we learned that, on average, Elders spent more than half of a century actively engaged in salmon fishing and processing. Modern salmon catches are reported to be approximately one-sixth of what they were estimated to be five to seven decades ago, and the top five threats to salmon identified by Elders included (i) aquaculture, (ii) climate change, (iii) contaminants, (iv) industrial development, and (v) infectious diseases. Threat priorities varied regionally, reflecting distinct lived experiences and regional variation in the prevalence and impact of different threats. Elders perceived threats to salmon equally as threats to aquatic health and human well-being, with evidence that the relationships between people and water, and salmon and people, are being profoundly transformed.

A seminal report by Peter H. Pearse (1988; Rising to the Challenge: A New Policy for Canada’s Freshwater Fisheries, Canadian Wildlife Federation, Ottawa) outlined 62 policy recommendations focused on the management of Canada’s inland fisheries. Over three decades later, freshwater ecosystems and inland fisheries in Canada are still facing similar challenges with many emerging ones that could not have been foreseen. Here, we reflect on the contemporary relevance of the Pearse Report and propose recommendations that policy makers should consider. Broadly, our recommendations are: (1) manage fishes, fisheries, and habitat using a holistic co-management framework, with clearly defined fishery jurisdictions and partnerships with Indigenous governments; (2) engage in transparent, inclusive, and agile research to support decision-making; (3) facilitate knowledge co-production, involving interdisciplinary projects with diverse groups of actors and sectors including Indigenous Peoples, anglers, policy makers, scientists/researchers, governments, and the public; (4) embrace technological advances to support freshwater fisheries stock assessment and management; and (5) align policy and management activities in Canada with global initiatives related to increasing the sustainability of inland fisheries. We advocate for an updated comprehensive report such as the Pearse Report to ensure that we embrace robust, inclusive, and sustainable management strategies and policies for Canada’s inland fisheries for the next 30 years. It is time to again rise to the challenge.

Climate change is altering the distribution and composition of marine fish populations globally, which presents substantial risks to the social and economic well-being of humanity. While deriving long-term climatic baselines is an essential step for detecting and attributing the magnitude of climate change and its impacts, these baselines tend to be limited to historical datasets and palaeoecological sediment records. Here, we develop a method for estimating the 'ancient Mean Temperature of the Catch' (aMTC) using Indigenous fisheries catch records from two archaeological sites in the northeast Pacific. Despite different catch compositions, we observe an increase in aMTC over a 5,000-year period at two contemporaneously occupied archaeological sites in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. We document cooler catches from 5,000 to 3,000 cal yr BP and comparatively warmer catches from 1,800 to 250 cal yr BP. These warmer temperatures are broadly consistent with palaeoceanographic sea surface temperature proxies from British Columbia and Alaska. Because this method requires converting measures of fish bones into estimates of fish size structure, abundance, biomass, and finally aMTC, opportunities exist to account for both variation and uncertainty at every step. Nevertheless, given that preindustrial fisheries data are ubiquitous in coastal archaeological sites, this method has the potential to be applied globally to broaden the temporal and geographic scale of ocean temperature baselines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild salmon are central to food security, cultural identity, and livelihoods of coastal Indigenous communities. Yet ongoing inequities in governance, declining fish populations, and mixed-stock ocean fisheries may pose challenges for equitable access between Indigenous fishers and other non-Indigenous fishers. We sought to understand current perceptions among Haíłzaqv (Heiltsuk) fishers towards salmon fisheries and their management. We conducted dockside surveys with both Haíłzaqv fishers and sport fishers, and in-depth interviews with Haíłzaqv fishers, community members, and natural resource managers. From these surveys and interviews we quantified satisfaction among both food, social, and ceremonial fishers and visiting recreational fishers with the current salmon fishery and associated social-ecological drivers, and characterized perceptions among Haíłzaqv people of salmon fisheries and management. Second, we synthesized community perceptions of the revitalization of terminal, communally run salmon fisheries within Haíłzaqv territory as a tool for their future salmon management. Finally, we elicited information from Haíłzaqv fishers about the barriers people in their community currently face in accessing salmon fisheries. Our findings suggest that low salmon abundance, increased fishing competition, and high costs associated with participation in marine mixed-stock fisheries currently hinder access and equity for Haíłzaqv fishers. This community-based research can help strengthen local, Indigenous-led management of salmon into the future.

Shell midden sites along the upper Gulf coast of Baja California contain abundant evidence of Indigenous subsistence practices and land use strategies reflecting the long history of local fisheries. Many of these sites contain well preserved faunal remains indicating people utilized a variety of littoral and marine habitats and exploited seasonal runs of the now endangered totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi). We analyze totoaba otoliths recovered from eight archaeological sites along the upper Gulf coast with adjusted accelerated mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon date ranges spanning ~5700 to 125 cal BP. Integrating geochemical, biological, oceanographic, and archaeological datasets, this study investigates ~5700 years of Indigenous fishing practices and past marine environments by examining totoaba biogeography, population dynamics, season of harvest, and changes in water chemistry. Otolith morphometrics indicate that most (~78%) of the Indigenous catch consisted of yearlings and juveniles, reflecting more sustainable practices than commercial fisheries, which target larger, older, and more reproductively viable fish. Stable isotope results reveal slight oscillations in water chemistry between the Middle and Late Holocene and suggest shifts in salinity due to the extensive damming of the Colorado River in the past century. Our results contribute to regional paleoenvironmental reconstructions, the natural history of totoaba, and the growing body of data that suggest many Indigenous people engaged in localized sustainable fishing practices over thousands of years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines vernacular weather observations amongst rural people on Sakhalin, Russia's largest island on the Pacific Coast, and their relationship to the ice. It is based on a weather diary (2000–2016) of one of the local inhabitants and fieldwork that the author conducted in the settlement of Trambaus in 2016. The diary as a community-based weather monitoring allows us to examine how people understand, perceive and deal with the weather both daily and in the long-term perspective. Research argues that amongst all natural phenomena, the ice is the most crucial for the local inhabitants as it determines human subsistence activities, navigation and relations with other environmental forces and beings. People perceive the ice as having an agency, engage in a dialogue with it, learn and adjust themselves to its drifting patterns. Over the past decade, the inability to predict the ice's behaviour has become a major problem affecting people's well-being in the settlement. The paper advocates further integrating vernacular weather observations and their relations with natural forces into research on climate change and local fisheries management policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the resilience of social-ecological systems can advance our ability to transform environmental governance and achieve ecologically sustainable and socially just outcomes. However, measuring this multidimensional emergent system property has been elusive. We translated theoretical principles of resilience into ecological and social metrics and used expert knowledge to assess how they have changed through three sequential governance regimes of the Pacific herring fishery in northwestern Canada. We showed a significant reduction in system-wide resilience between previous Indigenous and historical colonial governance regimes, and limited change with the onset of the latest environmental justice era. We also detected recent signs of recovery among several metrics of resilience, thereby signaling that this system exhibits the preconditions for governance transformation. Pinpointing the erosion and recovery of attributes that confer social-ecological resilience can reveal leverage points and highlight strategic pathways to enable deliberate transformation toward a more ecologically sustainable and socially just future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fisheries management in northwestern Mexico must fully recognize fisheries as part of socio-ecological systems. This study describes the evolution and status of fisheries management, including the interaction dynamics of management institutions with conservation organizations, and highlights the opportunities and challenges involved in achieving ecological and social sustainability. In this context, recognizing artisanal fisheries as a social, as well as economic, activity would facilitate the evolution of governance and management systems towards greater alignment with social objectives. This approach allows us to fully address key issues, including the challenges that indigenous fishing communities face and the expected impacts of climate change. The scientific knowledge and experience accumulated over five decades provides a significant capacity to develop new strategies for transitioning towards greater system sustainability. The success of this process will depend on the ability to consolidate a unified vision of desired benefits, particularly for fishing communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key aspect of equitable management of the world's fishery resources is the provision of traditional fishing access for Indigenous peoples. In Australia, increased recognition of the importance of fisheries to Indigenous culture and livelihoods over recent years has created a need for information on the species targeted to support policy and management. In the State of New South Wales (NSW), research on Indigenous fisheries catch composition is limited to two major studies. Here, we compare and combine data on Indigenous catch composition from these two studies to produce a comprehensive synthesis of current knowledge of Indigenous fisheries in NSW. The species harvested include more than 150 species of finfish and invertebrates, over 90 % of which are also harvested by commercial and recreational fishers. Our findings provide an empirical basis for future development of policy and management initiatives to meet the needs of Indigenous fishers and other stakeholders, as well as the principles of sustainable fisheries harvest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aimed to describe the subsistence fisheries of traditional populations of three ethnic groups, one Ashaninka and two Kaxinawá, lying on the banks of the River Breu. Initially, monitors were trained to fill logbooks with data from fisheries of the villages during an annual cycle (august/1995 august/1996). Based on these data, it was realized an inventory of the most common fish species caught as well as one about the fishing environment. The following results were obtained: i) Indians prefer to use pools, locally known as "poços", for fishing; ii) the most common caught species are the "mandis" (35%, Pimelodidae), armored catfishes (Loricariidae), specially Hypostomus sp. (25%), the "curimatá" (9%, Prochilodus sp.) and the "saburus" (8%, Curimatidae), among others; iii) the fishing gears that lead to a high rate of fishing are the native "tingui", nets and bow and arrows; iv) fisheries are more intensive during summer; v) the fishing effort and their associated factors statistically significant in predicting the catches in the Indian Reserve were f1 = number of fishermen, f2 = (number of fishermen*total time devoted to fishing), f3 = [(number of fishermen)*(total time devoted to fishing)-(the time displacement)] and the factor villages and fishing gears; vi) although almost all the fisheries are done by walking to the fishing places, catches increase when paddle boats are used; and vii) the most active fishermen belong to Kaxinawá tribe.Este artigo tem o objetivo de descrever a pesca de subsistência das populações tradicionais de uma aldeia Ashaninka e duas Kaxinawá vivendo à beira do rio Breu. Inicialmente, foram treinados monitores para preencher fichas de coleta de dados das pescarias nas aldeias durante um ciclo anual (agosto/1995 agosto/1996). A partir desses dados realizaram-se os inventários das espécies de peixes capturadas e dos ambientes pesqueiros. A análise dos dados foi efetuada por meio de estatística descritiva e exploratória. Os resultados obtidos foram os seguintes: i) os ambientes mais procurados pelos índios foram os poços; ii) as espécies mais capturadas os mandis (35%, Pimelodidae), os bodes ou cascudos (Loricariidae), com destaque para o bode praiano (25%, Hypostomus sp.), o curimatã (9%, Prochilodus sp.) e os saburus (8%, Curimatidae), entre outros; iii) constatou-se que os arreios ou apetrechos de pesca que mais capturam peixes são o tingui (veneno), a tarrafa e o arco/flecha, respectivamente; iv) durante o verão a atividade de pesca é mais intensa; v) as medidas de esforço de pesca e os fatores associados que foram estatisticamente significativos nas predições das capturas na Reserva Indígena foram: f1 = o (número de pescadores), f2 = o (número de pescadores*tempo total das pescarias) e f3 = o [(número de pescadores*tempo total das pescarias)-(o tempo de deslocamento)] e os fatores aldeias e arreios; vi) apesar da maioria das pescarias serem realizadas a pé até os pesqueiros, as capturas são maiores quando a locomoção se dá através de canoa a remo; e vii) os pescadores mais ativos nas pescarias na Reserva Indígena foram os Kaxinawá.

This study describes the diversity and the subsistence fishing territoriality of traditional populations of a village Ashaninka and two Kaxinawá living at the margins of Breu River (Brasil/Peru). In general, samplings in the dwellings were carried out late in the afternoon, as the fishermen arrived in the village. The data were analysed in an exploratory way through the index of pondered dominance (ID%), by analysis of variance and by a correspondence analysis in order to determine the associations of the fish species and the fishing spots between the villages of the Indigenous Reserve. The results of the analysis of variance demonstrated that differences exist between the fish diversities of the catches. However, post-hoc tests only detected differences in diversities between the hand fishhook and the other fishing gears (bow and arrow, castnets and rotenone tingui). Although the use of bow and arrow resulted in a low capture (Kg), this fishing strategy is associated with a high fishing diversity, in terms of number of species. These results demonstrate that there is no overlap in the frequency of the visits to the fishing spots between the Ashaninka and Kaxinawá populations. This pattern is the same found for the correspondence analysis for the fish species, which describes the relationship between the deep pools environments exploited by the fishermen Ashaninka and Kaxinawá of Mourão. These ethnic populations still continue to maintain a strong cultural and cosmological tradition, with their territories defined in an informal way of the upper Juruá area.Este estudo tem o objetivo de descrever a diversidade e a territorialidade pesqueira de subsistência das populações tradicionais de uma aldeia Ashaninka e duas Kaxinawá vivendo à beira do rio Breu. Elas se situam no alto rio Juruá acima de Marechal Taumaturgo (AC, Brasil/Peru) num complexo de unidades de conservação e territórios de diversas populações étnicas. As casas dos moradores das aldeias e as pescarias coletivas são as unidades amostrais nesse estudo. De modo geral, as amostragens nas casas foram realizadas nos fins de tarde, conforme a chegada dos pescadores à aldeia. O monitor de pesca fez a coleta das informações sobre a pescaria e a pesagem do pescado capturado. Os dados foram analisados de maneira exploratória através do índice ponderal de dominância (ID%), pela análise de variância para as diversidades das capturas nas aldeias e pela análise de correspondência para determinar as associações das espécies de pescado e os pontos pesqueiros entre as aldeias da Reserva Indígena. Os resultados das análises de variância demonstraram que existem diferenças entre as diversidades das capturas. No entanto, os testes a posteriori de comparações somente detectaram diferenças de diversidades entre o anzol de mão e os outros aparelhos (arco/flecha, tarrafa e tingui). Apesar do arco/flecha apresentar baixa captura (kg), sua estratégia de pesca gera alta diversidade de espécies. Os resultados demonstram que não há freqüência de sobreposição das visitas aos pontos pesqueiros entre as etnias Ashaninka e Kaxinawá. Esse padrão é o mesmo encontrado para a análise de correspondência para as espécies de pescado, que descreve a semelhança entre os ambientes de poços explorados entre os pescadores Ashaninka e Kaxinawá do Mourão devido a sua proximidade de localização na Reserva Indígena, mas não há sobreposição na exploração dos recursos pesqueiros. Essas populações étnicas ainda continuam a manter uma forte tradição cultural e cosmológica, com seus territórios definidos de maneira informal e com respeito aos que habitam a região do Alto Juruá.

Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) is foundational to many social-ecological systems of the North American coast. The indigenous people of Heiltsuk First Nation on the central coast of British Columbia, Canada have depended on this forage fish for food, social, ceremonial, and economic purposes for millennia. Our research documents social, ecological, and cultural aspects of Heiltsuk First Nation's relationship with Pacific herring and how this relationship has changed over time. We describe and discuss (1) how Heiltsuk social institutions, local and traditional ecological knowledge, and worldview have informed herring management strategies from pre-contact times until present, and (2) how post-contact changes in state-led herring management and other social and institutional developments in British Columbia have affected the role and transmission of Heiltsuk local knowledge and management of herring. By working in close partnership with Heiltsuk decision-makers, and by conducting interviews with Heiltsuk knowledge holders, we ensured that the data gathered would be relevant, applicable, and valuable to the Heiltsuk community. Our research therefore serves as an example of how state fisheries agencies could improve relationships with indigenous communities by engaging in more collaborative data collection, and our results suggest the potential for joint learning and improvement in fisheries management through collaboration during the design of management and harvesting plans. Our research has relevance at the global level because we identify some of the steps that may be taken to help overcome institutionalized inertia and attain more equitable power relationships for sustainable fisheries management.

The endemic scallop ( Pecten novaezealandiae ) is patchily distributed around New Zealand’s coastline and supports customary, recreational and commercial harvest. Little information exists on post-settlement movement patterns of this species, which if significant, could impact their distribution, thus influencing the effectiveness of spatial refuges to fishing such as rāhui (fisheries closure). The movements of P. novaezealandiae were examined within adult scallop habitat in a customary fisheries reserve, Te Whaka ā Te Wera (Paterson Inlet) Mātaitai, Rakiura (Stewart Island), New Zealand, by tracking the dispersal of tagged scallops from a central release point over two months. The average distance moved, calculated from recovered scallops, was 1.82 m per month, and these movement rates did not differ between the five sites or the two size classes examined. No significant directional movement was observed. The distribution of adult scallops is unlikely to be significantly affected by the scale of random movement observed. Once P. novaezealandiae are settled in appropriate habitat they are likely to only move in response to potential predators. Any spatial refuge created through management intervention, is likely to have positive effects through enhanced larval recruitment due to protection of breeding aggregations, not through movement of adults. The proposed reopening of the scallop fishery to hand collection with a prohibition on underwater breathing apparatus would maintain a deep water refuge for adult scallops, with potential benefits for adjacent fished shallow habitats through larval export. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem-based approaches towards fisheries management, incorporating spatial management, have recently been advocated as the most appropriate pathway towards sustainable fisheries. Customary fisheries management, which often incorporates forms of spatial management, could be an important tool for engaging ecosystem fisheries approaches in practice. This study measured habitat characteristics and the density of the scallop Pecten novaezealandiae across a range of management regimes in Te Whaka ā Te Wera (Paterson Inlet), Rakiura (Stewart Island), New Zealand. These regimes included (i) a customary fisheries area (Te Whaka ā Te Wera Mātaitai) managed locally under a traditional closure to scallop harvest (rāhui), (ii) a complete closure to all harvest and anthropogenic disturbances (Te Wharawhara/Ulva Island Marine Reserve), and (iii) an area open to recreational harvest of scallops by hand gathering over a limited season. Habitat characteristics and scallop numbers were measured using strip-transect and photoquadrat surveys at 20 sites within TeWhaka ā TeWera in June 2013. Negative binomial regression modelling was used to relate the counts of scallops to management regime and habitat characteristics. Scallops were likely to be at a higher density in the customary fisheries management area than in the marine reserve and the recreational harvest area. Pecten novaezealandiae were likely to be at a higher density with increasing distance from the inlet entrance, which is likely to be a proxy for a gradient of habitat or environment variables. Scallops were also likely to be at lower densities in areas of high macroalgal cover, perhaps reflective of adult scallops avoiding areas with significant algal cover. Our study showed that customary fisheries areas can provide effective refugia for scallops, provided they protect appropriate habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The right to fish is intrinsic to the culture of indigenous peoples, including the Sami of Norway and Maori of New Zealand. The Sami currently still seek recognition of their cultural right to fish. Despite recent recommendations by the Smith Commission that Sami rights within the coastal area be recognized, this is yet to be realised. The Attorney General’s scathing criticisms have impeded the implementation of Sami rights within the coastal area. This paper offers a comparative perspective between Sami rights and Maori rights with regard to their respective fisheries. It is suggested that a claim based on a combination of indigenous rights, domestic legislation and international law may provide grounds for legislative recognition and implementation of coastal rights for Sami peoples. Keywords: Indigenous Fisheries, Maori, Sami, legislative recognition Citation: Arctic Review on Law and Politics, vol. 1, 1/2010 p. 54–81. ISSN 1891-6252

Islanders, commercial non-indigenous fishers and Papua New Guinea fishers share the tropical rock lobster fishery, Panulirus ornatus ( Fabricius) in Torres Strait. As the fishery is in the process of moving from input to output controls, a pre-implementation understanding of indigenous fishers' perceptions of the potential impact of different quota management systems is gained. This study, based on workshops and interviews, considers the impact of competitive quota, community quota and a hybrid system with individually tradeable quota ( ITQ), and broadens the current biological focus of fisheries management through consideration of economic, social and cultural aspects. The perceived quota system impact on indigenous lobster fishers largely mirrors the experience internationally, with unlimited access and self-determination considered most important. The heterogeneity of the indigenous sector increases the management complexity for this fishery, but needs to be taken into consideration if unexpected consequences of the chosen quota management system are to be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of aggressive overfishing of bilhaa (abalone) by non-Indigenous commercial fishermen, the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans closed all forms of harvesting of bilhaa. This paper describes the longstanding ecologically appropriate harvesting practices of Gitxaała, an indigenous nation on the northwest coast of North America. The paper documents the antiquity of Gitxaała fisheries practices. The paper concludes by arguing for a return to a Gitxaała controlled bilhaa fishery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the management of inland fisheries on common lands ( ejidos) within the Mayan Zone of Quintana Roo, Mexico. Qualitative survey data are used to examine whether there are (a) ongoing fishery conservation activities; (b) local caretakers of fishing sites; (c) restrictions on where fishing can take place; and (d) particular groups of individuals who lack the right to fish within the ejidos. Results indicate that in contrast to other local resources, fisheries in the ejidos have less defined use rights, being viewed as largely “open access”. In particular, most feel that outsiders can fish in an ejido if they abide by local rules (notably not damaging the local water bodies, asking consent to fish, and having a friend or relative in the community). However, there are within-community differences in views concerning management and conservation, with those more dependent on fishing being more likely to support exclusion of outsiders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The reef line fishery (RLF) in eastern Torres Strait (ETS) is unique in that it has both a commercial indigenous sector and a commercial non-indigenous sector. Recently, concerns have been expressed by all stakeholders about the long-term sustainability of the fishery. These concerns have been exacerbated by the lack of detailed catch and effort information from both sectors, which has precluded any formal assessment of the fishery. In this paper, we characterise the harvest patterns and effort dynamics of the indigenous and non-indigenous commercial sectors of the ETS RLF using a range of data sources including commercial logbooks, community freezer records, voluntary logbooks and observer surveys. We demonstrate that bycatch is a significant component of the catch for both sectors and identify substantial differences in harvest patterns and effort dynamics between the sectors. Differences between sectors were observed in species composition and spatial and temporal patterns in catch, effort and catch per unit effort. These results highlight the inherent variation in catch and effort dynamics between the two commercial sectors of the ETS RLF and provide valuable information for the development of future assessments and appropriate management strategies for the fishery. The more reliable estimates of harvest patterns and effort dynamics for both sectors obtained from observer surveys will also assist in resolving issues relating to allocation of reef fish resources in Torres Strait. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In fisheries management, decisions regarding access (which users can fish) and allocation (what share of the resource they can use) often raise issues of justice, fairness and equity. In Australia, ecologically sustainable development (ESD) has been prioritised in fisheries legislation, policy, and management. However, the desired optimal community outcomes arising from determination of access and allocation are difficult to ascertain as few metrics of economic or social benefits are available. Here, we interviewed fishery managers and other prominent stakeholders responsible for advising Australian state, territory, and Commonwealth governments on access and allocation. This information was augmented with reviews of available information and case study analyses. Whereas access and allocation are highly constrained for commercial fishers, this is much less so for recreational and Indigenous fishers. Relatively high participation rates for recreational fishers command high implicit social value reflected in political power and commercial fishing is prohibited near major population centres in most Australian jurisdictions. Some jurisdictions, such as South and Western Australia, have explicit access and allocation policies, with shares of popular species such as rock lobster, abalone, and snapper allocated to the recreational and Indigenous sectors. Allocations to the commercial sector and, when applicable to the recreational sector, generally reflect estimates of their catch history rather than an evaluation of optimal benefits. Furthermore, allocation among jurisdictions is inconsistent and seemingly reflective of political rather than economic decision making. Strategic intent exists in many jurisdictions to incorporate social value into allocation decision making. However, few social metrics exist in management plans and these factors are rarely considered in formal access and allocation decisions. Thus, determining the best use of fisheries resources remains elusive in Australia and the utility of ESD and its application to sustainable fishery management and optimal community benefit remains unresolved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding why institutions fail is a major concern for natural resource governance. In systems where resources are managed locally, failure is often attributed to the rules poorly fitting the social-ecological system. But what might also bring failure is the manner with which the rules are 'fitted' to the system. This paper argues that the conceptual development of institutional failure could be made more tenable with cybernetics – the science of control and feedback. In our case study and process tracing of a 'market' institution (an open-air fish market in Greenland), we show how recently implemented European food safety regulations have generated unintended negative consequences, limiting Inuit access to marine foodstuffs, altering the social characteristics of food exchange, and giving rise to underground markets for marine foods. These outcomes signal the failure of reforms to this market institution, but not necessarily why it failed. We show how cybernetic orders explain institutional failure, focusing on how command-and-control-style decisions to intervene in marine food trading and handling (considered as the first-order cybernetics) fostered public doubt for the scientific expertise underpinning the reforms, and ultimately led to a public rejection and closure of a new, hygienic, multi-million-dollar marketplace for marine foods. We clarify how second-order cybernetic elements — such as legitimacy, reflexivity, co-design, and interaction among governance actors — could have prevented the observed outcome. Our case expands the conceptual development of institutional failure and clarifies how the lens of cybernetics can inform the study and practice of institutional change in fisheries governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]