Resource management and institutions in Northern Spain's fisheries. Basque fishermen guilds (18th to early 20th centuries)

the recovery of fishery resources and sustainability of the marine ecosystem functions. However, how these stressors interactively impact the ecosystems is still poorly understood. Thus, disentangling the effect of these stressors on marine fisheries and ecosystem dynamics will help us better understand the synergies and dependencies of fishery resources, diversity, nutrient cycles, ecosystem threats, and management practices. More importantly, it will provide managers and decision-makers with reliable information for management to preserve marine biodiversity and recover fishery resources.In this special issue, we collected seventeen research papers linked to this topic about marine fisheries and ecosystems. These papers covered multiple marine biomes, including fishes, zooplankton, and invertebrates, and used various algorithms to analyze the collected data, such as stable isotope, mass models, DNA-based analyses, etc. For instance, an investigation study conducted by Xu et al (2022) identified the species diversity and distribution of crustacean larvae in the Zhongsha Islands waters, South China Sea by using DNA barcoding and molecular species identification approach, revealing that the crustacean diversity in the islands had been seriously underestimated before.Fisheries management policies have received considerable critical attention for their conservation effects on resource recoveries. Compared the carbon transfer efficiency of the three large marine ecosystems around China to other ecosystems, Chen et al (2022) revealed that without proper fisheries management, the fisheries in the ecosystems were likely to collapse with an increasing carbon transfer efficiency. Indeed, effective fisheries management considering other relevant factors that may affect marine ecosystems is imminent and worth exploring. Based on two mass balance models, Xu et al ( 2022) revealed that the implementation of fisheries management policies, especially seasonal fishing moratorium, had positive effects on fishery resources recovery, especially commercial fish in the East China Sea. Thus, they suggested that fishery management in the East China Sea needs to be strengthened by extending the seasonal fishing moratorium and reducing fishing pressure afterward.Climate change is another factor significantly altering marine fisheries and ecosystems over the world. Here, three studies were conducted to explore the role of climate change in affecting specific marine fishery species. Hou et al ( 2022 Moreover, investigating the trophic niches of particularly important commercial fish is also critical to the conservation and management of fishery resources. Stable isotope analysis has been widely used in the past decades in the field. In this topic, Wang et al (2022) and Jiang et al (2022) applied the stable isotope analysis to disentangle the trophic interactions of key fisheries species (Sciaenidae and Thunnus) in the Solomon Islands and Zhoushan Islands, respectively. They both found that niche overlap existed to some extent between the focal species reflecting the similarity of resources used and prey competition between them.Nonetheless, the differentiation in habitats, migration routes, or body size allows their coexistence in an ecosystem in the same area.Nearshore species, estuaries, and bay ecosystems are more vulnerable to human disturbance than other marine species and ecosystems. Zeng et al ( 2022) investigated the impacts of human disturbances on the species and functional dynamics of the demersal fish community in the Pearl River Estuary, highlighting the complicated interactions between the demersal fish community and disturbances. Ke et al (2022) revealed that high anthropogenic nutrient loading might reduce the difference in trophic niches among zooplankton groups. They provided detailed information on the distribution of zooplankton δ13C and δ15N in Jiaozhou Bay, China, which will be useful for understanding the anthropogenic influence on the ecosystem structure and function. Du et al ( 2022) also found that long-term changes existed in zooplankton composition in the Changjiang estuary due to human disturbance and water temperature rise.Besides focusing on the taxonomic species groups, two studies assessed the functioning of marine ecosystems with artificial reefs using Ecopath models. Wang et al ( 2022) provided a dynamic model framework to alternatively estimate the ecological carrying capacity for stock enhancement practices in the development of marine ranching ecosystems. In contrast, Zhang et al (2022) revealed that the current artificial system had formed complicated interspecies relations and high-level stability, which could be a way to alleviate the current natural coral reef crisis. These two studies used a similar approach to illustrate the functioning evolvement of established artificial reefs and provide the scientific basis for the improvement of marine fishery production and management.

Imposex and butyltin body burden were assessed in 2011 along the Basque coast (northern Spain) in two gastropod species (Nassarius reticulatus and Nassarius nitidus) four years after an initial survey in 2007. The aim of this re-survey was to monitor the effectiveness of the European ban on the use of tributyltin (TBT) based antifouling paints on ships’ hulls (EC 782/2003). Imposex levels in 2011 were lower than those determined in 2007 at most of the sampling sites. Accordingly, TBT concentrations in the female body burden of Nassarius reticulatus varied from 43 to 250 ng Sn/g in dry weight in 2011, which was a lower maximum than in 2007. Nevertheless, the results for the butyltin degradation index suggest that there have been recent inputs of TBT within the two main Basque harbours. Overall, the legislative measure is contributing to the reduction of TBT effects on the Basque coast although its presence is still evident.

Antibiotics in the Basque coast (N Spain): Occurrence in waste and receiving waters, and risk assessment (2017–2020)

The idea that we should adopt an ecosystem approach to the sustainable use of natural resources underpins many of the resolutions passed by the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg.In particular, the WSSD Plan of Implementation requires signatory nations to develop and implement an ecosystem approach to fisheries by 2012 (Garcia and Cochrane, 2005).This sounds like good } and rather unexpected } news for ecologists, but, like Alverson (2004), I have found widespread 'confusion and uncertainty about terms and concerns about promoted concepts' amongst my colleagues in relation to the ecosystem approach.However, the scientific community has responded magnificently to this challenge.Since 2002, at least three special issues of marine journals (Browman and Stergiou, 2004, 2005;Daan et al., 2005) and a book (Sinclair and Valdimarsson, 2003) have addressed the ecosystem approach to fisheries.There have been numerous reviews, and it was the central topic of many of the contributions to a recent Royal Society Theme Issue on 'Fisheries: a future?' (Beddington and Kirkwood, 2005).Why, then, did Steele (2006) conclude that 'science is unable to measure and relate the fundamental concepts of diversity, productivity and resilience required for management decisions'?And why did the US National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis launch a major research programme on ecosystem-based management of marine systems (http://ebm.nceas.ucsb.edu/program/)with the justification that 'there is no scientific consensus on (1) the basic elements or processes involved in ecosystem-based management; (2) the scientific understanding of coastal-marine systems that it will require; or (3) how best to integrate that scientific understanding into decision-making processes'?The concept of ecosystem-based management is spelled out most clearly in the report of the Ecological Society of America Committee on the scientific basis for ecosystem management (Christensen et al., 1996).The ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) 1 is summarised in Pikitch et al. (2004a) and described in more

Assessment of the phytoplankton ecological status in the Basque coast (northern Spain) according to the European Water Framework Directive

Relative sea-level changes in the Basque coast (northern Spain, Bay of Biscay) during the Holocene and Anthropocene: The Urdaibai estuary case

Achieving Coherent Policies for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Ecosystems

Local community based institutions that coordinate the management of natural resources have been linked to socioecological resilience, adaptation and sustainability within rural livelihood systems throughout the developing world. The resilience and sustainability of related local institutions, however, is influenced by their relationship with external actors and institutions, particularly in facilitating, supporting or hindering local institutional arrangements. From this standpoint, this paper examines the case of local community based institutions involved in wetland management in western Ethiopia. Drawing upon the findings of participatory fieldwork undertaken in eight wetland‐using communities of Illubabor and Western Wellega zones in Oromia Region it is argued that although local institutions do play a key role in coordinating wetland management and sustaining the benefits from wetlands, the sustainability and resilience of the institutions themselves is threatened by a range of factors. Despite their grassroots nature, their effectiveness is influenced by their reliance on local government backstopping that appears to have diminished in recent years, as well as a perceived lack of local government support for collective action over individual rights.

The author argues yhat management of fisheries and marine resources to day is more on ecological and economic goals than indirect use value, while direct use value is often used regardless of is sustainability. So far, direct benefits for improving the welfare of coastal communitiies have only been limited to a local scale with limited equipment. This condition is the responsibility of all parties, including policy makers, in increasing the economic value of fisheries and marine resources. This type of research is descriptive qualitative. Obervation data collection methods, indepth interviews, FGD and documentation studies. Data were collected from informants, government (Camat, Raja Nusaniwe), people who carry aut activities to maintain and preserve coastal and marine ecosystems that are in critical condition such as coral reefs, seagrass beds, estuaries and mangrove forests. The economic value of fisheries and marine resources can be increased by managing them sustainably. To increase the useful value of these resources, various efforts are made with the right methods, so that the management of fisheries and marine resources can be optimized for the welfare of coastal communities.The result of this study indicate that the result of fisheries and marine resourece management efforts are still felt by people who are far from coastal areas. Meaning that entrepreneurs and middlemen who have tasted the results of fishery and marine resources have been strived for by coastal communities. That efforts to improve the welfare of the peisir people also depend on the management of fisheries and marine resources, which means that if fisheries and marine resources are not conserved, there will be massive exploitation by foreign ships and fish companies that are only looking for profit.

Training the Future: Protecting the Scope and Diversity of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Risk management in Islamic financial institutions presents a unique challenge due to the dual necessity of aligning with conventional management practices and the legal-ethical framework of Sharia. The central problem of this research is the lack of integration between evolving risk management practices and the foundational principles of Sharia Economic Law, which often leads to either operational inefficiency or potential non-compliance with Islamic legal norms. This disconnect becomes more critical due to increasing financial complexity, technological innovation, and regulatory demands. Therefore, this study addresses the following research question: How is risk management transforming within Islamic financial institutions, and to what extent does this transformation comply with the principles of Sharia Economic Law? The study also explores whether such transformation strengthens the Islamic finance sector's legal certainty, stakeholder trust, and institutional resilience. This research adopts a qualitative-descriptive method with a normative legal approach. Data were collected through document analysis of legal provisions, fatwas, and risk management frameworks used in selected Islamic financial institutions. In-depth interviews with Sharia board members and risk officers from Islamic banks were also conducted to capture practical insights and legal reasoning. The findings show that the transformation of risk management in Islamic financial institutions is occurring on three fronts: technological adoption (e.g., AI and big data for risk analysis), regulatory compliance alignment (integration of OJK and DSN-MUI standards), and internal policy development grounded in maqashid al-shariah. However, the study finds inconsistencies between implementation and Sharia legal standards, particularly in credit and liquidity risks, where conventional models are still dominant. The research concludes that a robust Sharia Economic Law framework and ethical managerial reform is essential to ensuring that risk management practices in Islamic financial institutions mitigate risk and uphold Islamic legal and moral obligations

One Fish or Two Fish, Red Fish or Blue Fish

Although there have been significant efforts recently to improve fishery management laws and eliminate overfishing in the United States (e.g., Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Reauthorization in 2006), many of our stocks remain overfished or have not been assessed. New collaborative partnerships and innovative business models are sorely needed to bridge the divide among stakeholders and to reform our ailing fisheries. Fishers are subject to increasing regulatory measures and face dwindling revenues. There are still many examples of destructive fishing practices that have significant impacts on marine ecosystems, and our fisheries are not yet managed in a broader ecosystem context. The perceived lack of common ground between the fishing industry and environmental organizations impedes progress in moving toward more sustainable fisheries. This does not have to be our reality. This situation results from two key problems. First, our system of fisheries management relies principally on top-down management that is too complex, relies too little on the best available science, and is too often at the mercy of increasingly constrained state and federal budgets. Second, the high degree of polarization among fishery stakeholders impedes collaborative solutions. Competing interests weaken incentives for improved economic and biological stewardship, which has, in turn, led fishers to overcapitalize and overexploit the resource in a race for fish. Relationships among stakeholders, especially fishers and environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), are bitterly adversarial, and fishery managers find themselves paralyzed by their constituents’ extreme polarization. Entrenched positions taken by special interest groups and the threat of lawsuits often provide political cover for regulators to avoid hard decisions. The resulting mess can be termed “fish wars.” The casualties of the fish wars have been the consumer, the environment, coastal communities, and small-scale fishers. Although seafood demand in North America has increased in recent decades, many of our fisheries have experienced significant declines in landings. Americans are increasingly relying on imported fish (with unknown associated environmental and health impacts) and are unable to purchase local, sustainably caught seafood. As a result, we are exporting many of our fisheries management problems to other countries that have even less capacity to address them. Fishery managers have sought to solve the problem of too many boats chasing too few fish by trying to reduce fishing pressure through limiting the number of permit-holding fishers and, sometimes, by buying and retiring some permits to reduce effort. Nevertheless, the pendulum has swung hard in the other direction, fueling consolidation in the industry that favors large fishing corporations and pushes out small-scale fishers. Some fishers, strained by years of difficulty, leave the fishery permanently (and sometimes en masse), and barriers for small-boat fishers—such as the cost to purchase a permit to gain access to the fishery—make it difficult for new entrants to participate. Fishing communities are losing fishing-related jobs, access to the local resource, and infrastructure, and we all are losing a part of our maritime heritage that has existed for generations and helps to fuel coastal tourism. Furthermore, we are losing the knowledge held by those who have spent their lives on the water, as well as the energy and innovation new entrants and small businesses could bring to addressing our ailing fisheries. Many small-scale fishers are outcompeted by larger fishing operations, which is unfortunate because small businesses are likely a more sustainable scale of operation, are more nimble and adaptive, and are more likely to try innovative approaches to gain an edge. The lack of good working relationships among stakeholders represents one of the greatest challenges to effecting change in fisheries management. It often appears that managers and fishers have become insular and resistant to change, while environmental groups have become adept at pointing out problems and assigning blame. Fishing industries are often intransigent and incentivized for short-term profitability, not long-term stewardship of the public resource. If a fishery is depleted, the industry often moves on to the next profitable target. In addition, small-scale fishers and their communities are generally insufficiently organized or unified to influence the regulatory and political process necessary to protect local access to and stewardship of resources. Fishery managers have been hampered by lack of funding, capacity, innovation, and political will and instead have resorted to increasingly rigid and complicated regulation in reaction to lawsuits and stock declines. Fishery scientists struggle to assess even a small portion of the stocks and monitor some of the fishing effort, much less consider cumulative impacts of fishing or ecosystem-scale management of fisheries. Environmental NGOs—driven by concern about the threats fishing can pose, scientific uncertainties in fishery management, and the precautionary approach—have traditionally focused on gaining ecosystem protection and restricting fisheries through lawsuits, closed areas, or adversarial means rather than true collaboration. Each faction is focused only on their issues and lacks the resources or the will to consider the whole. In most fisheries long-term economic viability relies on healthy stocks and healthy marine habitats, which sets the stage for environmental NGOs and fishers to become natural partners in the design of truly innovative solutions around which all parties can rally. Together we must develop and test new fishery management models that will protect ecosystem benefits and preserve fishing opportunities. Fortunately, there are some emerging examples of new on-the-water partnerships and demonstration projects in which NGOs, managers, and fishers are stretching beyond their comfort zones to bridge the divide. Some NGOs are starting to get some “skin in the game” by acquiring fishing permits and, together with partners and the community, using those assets as platforms to test new approaches. These partnerships are accelerating the development of new and innovative fishing business models. In some cases NGOs and fishers are collaborating to create permit, license, or quota banks, which can secure access to adjacent fishing grounds and stocks, foster collaborative research and monitoring, and enable sharing of fishing assets and resources. Another approach involves cooperatives or community-based fishing associations, which would operate according to mutually agreed upon environmental and economic performance standards. These entities could hold fishing permits or quotas and provide medical benefits and other economies of scale for small-scale fishers. These ideas, and others, are being pioneered around North America and serve as crucial learning opportunities for both the industry and the environmental community. In New England the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fisherman's Association is a groundbreaking partnership between commercial fishers and coastal residents that is promoting healthier fish stocks and revitalizing the industry through more sustainable fishing practices. Local fishers, concerned about the issues outlined here, initiated outreach to the community to develop a solution. Together, they now play a key role in fishery reform. In addition to using less-damaging gear, such as hook and line and fish weirs, the association is pioneering the allocation of groundfish to sectors; acquiring groundfish, scallop, and lobster quotas for member fishermen; conducting collaborative research; and engaging in community-based management. On the western coast of British Columbia local groundfishers and Ecotrust Canada have designed and implemented a novel business model that not only seeks to improve the economic viability and sustainability of local fishermen, but also strives to make ownership of permits and quotas affordable to rural fishing communities. Ecotrust and others secured private financing and established a license bank—a corporation owned by the fishers that purchases and holds fishing assets in partnership with outside investors. The collaboration allows fishers with smaller operations to have a more substantive stake in the fishery and, by encouraging them to operate and deliver their products closer to home, helps keep the economic benefits within the community. On California's central coast The Nature Conservancy is collaborating with fishers and regulatory agencies to improve the economic performance of the groundfish fishery, rebuild fish stocks, and protect seafloor habitat. Together they are exploring the potential of transitioning some of the fishery's harvest effort away from bottom trawling, which has created significant environmental and regulatory problems for the fishery. On the basis of recommendations from the National Research Council on abating bottom trawling impacts to seafloor habitats, the Conservancy used private buyouts of trawl permits to leverage habitat protection, reduce trawl effort, and convert traditional trawl effort to more selective, less-damaging gear. By acquiring and assembling a trawl permit bank, the Conservancy is now able to lease its trawl permits to local fishers with legal conservation restrictions, transition trawl effort to hook and line, and test collective harvesting and monitoring approaches. Together the Conservancy and partners are also testing a prototype community-fishing association that could hold and manage permits or quotas and build a foundation for a more-sustainable local fishery. One of the greatest benefits of this project has been the new partnership among NGOs, fishers, and managers, who have agreed to work closely together to test new approaches and to learn from each other. Partnerships like these will also strengthen scientific understanding of fisheries in the broader context of marine ecosystem protection and better inform management approaches at ecologically relevant scales. Fishers crave better science to support fisheries management, and NGOs have the resources and expertise to help fill this gap. Although collaborative fisheries research is not new, it needs to be more strategic in bringing together the right partners to address the most important questions to promote more sustainable management. The Northeast Consortium (at the University of New Hampshire) in partnership with the Northeast Fisheries Science Center of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is one example of an effort to bring local input and strategic vision to collaborative research programs. The partnership is also assessing the effectiveness of that research in informing management decisions, building trust and communication between fishers and scientists, and enhancing economic values. Although they may appear to be unlikely partners, fishers and conservationists have started to realize the potential of collaboration. In some cases it may behoove federal managers to step back and allow fishers, NGOs, and scientists to redesign and restructure a pilot fishery and then support these efforts via the regulatory process. When fishers are empowered and incentivized to better steward their local resources, it may well ease the regulatory burden. Creating opportunities to test collaborative management approaches is key to ultimately bringing about fisheries reform in the United States. To be successful we must look to our shared values—in healthy oceans, economic stability in coastal communities, and supplies of fresh local seafood—and actively encourage all stakeholders to work together. Fishery managers can foster and leverage uncommon partnerships to develop new approaches to fishery management. And NGOs can be more effective partners by admitting that they still have a lot to learn about fishery socioeconomics. In the end it may not be a lack of new ideas and resources that block our road toward fishery reform, but rather the unwillingness of key fishery stakeholders to work together. We must take real steps to avoid this outcome. We must stop the fish wars, stop assigning blame, meet each other halfway, and be willing to learn from each other. Only then will we be able to create a brighter future for our oceans, our coastal communities, and our seafood supply.

Improving fisheries management in New Zealand: Developing dialogue between fisheries science and management (FSM) and ecosystem science and management (ESM)

The variability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) measured in the soft tissues of Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) are investigated. Samples were collected from estuarine waters within the Basque Country (Bay of Biscay), between 2003 and 2011. PAH bioaccumulation showed some seasonality and significant differences were observed between cold (autumn–winter) and warm (spring–summer) seasons. Sites located within the ports of Bilbao and Pasaia showed the highest PAH concentrations in molluscs, and the highest percentages of samples above the established Environmental Quality Standards and Environmental Assessment Criteria. Probably due to human activities carried out in the area, no clear trends were observed, between 2003 and 2011, for the autumn data. Since the Basque coast is an area with high population density and industrial activity, the congener profiles (which reveal the predominance of tetra-aromatics) and the diagnostic ratios identified urban/industrial combustion processes as the main PAH sources. However, natural and petrogenic sources cannot be disregarded.