Community Fisheries Research Articles

Pendampingan Teknis Teknologi Tepat Guna Budidaya Udang Vaname Skala Kecil di Desa Pengambengan, Jembrana, Bali

Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) is one of Indonesia's fishery commodities with high economic value in the domestic and foreign markets. They are applying appropriate technology through small-scale shrimp farming aimed to transfer technology in partner villages from traditional to intensive systems. This program was an effort to improve the welfare of the fishery community in Desa Pengambengan, Jembrana, Bali. This program was carried out in May‒July 2022, and it involved the Mina Jaya Fish Cultivator Group as the target community. The activity program was carried out through several stages, including audience activity, counseling, technical assistance, and monitoring and evaluation. The activity succeeded in increasing the knowledge and skills of the target community regarding vaname shrimp cultivation in detail. Technical assistance for cultivation activities has increased community understanding of small-scale intensive shrimp cultivation, minimizing errors and increasing program success. Monitoring and evaluation are carried out to determine the sustainability of activities in the target community. This community service activity has succeeded in increasing the productivity of Pacific white shrimp cultivation and technology transfer from the traditional system to a small-scale intensive system.

Exploring fisherfolk community readiness for cooperative engagement in the Global South

Cooperatives have become significant contributors to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals No. 1: No Poverty. Transitioning associations to cooperatives is crucial for promoting sustainable economic development, empowering communities, and enhancing collective well-being. This research assessed the readiness of Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) communities in the Global South to form a cooperative. This research employed an exploratory research approach in six coastal Barangays of Batad, situated in the 5th District of Iloilo Province. The findings indicated that respondents have a slight level of awareness with regard to the advantages and economic advantages associated with becoming part of a cooperative. On the other hand, there was a clear difference in members’ perceptions of the benefits and financial returns that comes with belonging to a cooperative. According to the study, females are more likely to support the association’s move towards a cooperative structure, especially younger individuals. The main issue highlighted was the lack of skilled officers and inadequate resources and training for association members. A lecture on Cooperative Awareness and capability trainings on financial management, bookkeeping, and credit management should be organized in order to increase associations readiness to be a cooperative.

Exploring fisherfolk community readiness for cooperative engagement in the Global South

Cooperatives have become significant contributors to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals No. 1: No Poverty. Transitioning associations to cooperatives is crucial for promoting sustainable economic development, empowering communities, and enhancing collective well-being. This research assessed the readiness of Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) communities in the Global South to form a cooperative. This research employed an exploratory research approach in six coastal Barangays of Batad, situated in the 5th District of Iloilo Province. The findings indicated that respondents have a slight level of awareness with regard to the advantages and economic advantages associated with becoming part of a cooperative. On the other hand, there was a clear difference in members’ perceptions of the benefits and financial returns that comes with belonging to a cooperative. According to the study, females are more likely to support the association’s move towards a cooperative structure, especially younger individuals. The main issue highlighted was the lack of skilled officers and inadequate resources and training for association members. A lecture on Cooperative Awareness and capability trainings on financial management, bookkeeping, and credit management should be organized in order to increase associations readiness to be a cooperative.

Advancing artificial intelligence in fisheries requires novel cross-sector collaborations

Abstract Artificial intelligence, or AI, has the potential to dramatically improve our understanding and management of the ocean. For fisheries, these benefits could include greater monitoring coverage at lower costs, improved estimates of catch and bycatch, identification of illegal fishing, and seafood traceability throughout the supply chain. However, fisheries AI innovation and adoption faces substantial barriers from the highly regulated nature of fisheries and the complex overlap of government policies, diverse user needs, and market pressures. We argue that needed advances in fisheries AI require novel collaborations to share data and methods, encourage new and diverse entrants to the field, and increase baseline technical literacy across the global fisheries community. Unlocking fisheries data to power AI, particularly image data, can only be achieved through partnerships across government managers, AI developers, fishers and vessel owners, and technology service providers, which, in turn, requires a common vocabulary for policy and technical concepts. With a greater shared understanding across the field, fisheries AI providers can deliver desired results, and users can have confidence that systems are performing as advertised, ultimately meeting monitoring demand and sustainability goals.

Characterising a diversity of coastal community fisheries in Kiribati and Vanuatu

AbstractUnderstanding what diversity of small‐scale fisheries translates to in practice, and what this means for management regimes seeking sustainability, continues to be a challenging undertaking. This is particularly so in the tropical Pacific Islands region, where small‐scale coastal fisheries play a significant role in domestic food and livelihood systems. A renewed regional policy focus on supporting coastal fisheries, combined with momentum built from a decades‐long ‘Pacific renaissance’ in community‐based fisheries management approaches, has increased resourcing and support for coastal fishery data collection and knowledge production. In this context, there is growing demand to explicitly characterise diversity and complexity of community‐based coastal fisheries to inform how national co‐management programs can adequately support the many communities within national constituencies. This study presents findings from a community‐based coastal fisheries monitoring programme implemented in ten communities across Kiribati and Vanuatu between 2019 and 2021. Findings illustrate the intra‐ and inter‐country diversity of contextual drivers, fishing practices, and fisher participation. We discuss the implications of this enhanced understanding of community‐based fisheries for applied co‐management practice in these two countries. In doing so, we add to a growing knowledge base about fishing practices in Pacific Island coastal communities and elucidate avenues through which to incorporate this knowledge into adaptive co‐management practice.

Do global competitiveness factors impact the marine sustainability practices? An empirical evidence from fisheries sector

AbstractAccording to the research on fisheries, there are two main trade‐offs between these sustainability pillars. First, a fisheries industry's developing ecological health diminishes economic gains for fishermen. Second, individual fishermen's financial success undercuts fisheries communities' social goals. This paper aims to investigate the dynamic impact of global competitiveness on the sustainability of the fisheries industry in 27 European countries by considering the production of fisheries, enabling environments, ecosystems for innovation, market size, human capital, and economic growth between 1990 and 2022. At higher quantiles, the findings showed a strong positive association between enabling environment and fisheries sustainability by adopting MMQR with fixed effects, the new method of moments quantile regression. Additionally, in EU27 nations, the impact of human capital was positive and substantial from the first to ninth quantiles. Notably, the findings show that the EU14 developed nations have a greater level of development than the EU13 underdeveloped countries, which considerably benefits fisheries sustainability. Market size and economic growth were also found to condense fisheries sustainability in EU14 developed and EU13 developing countries, supporting the growth hypothesis for fisheries‐producing countries. Innovation ecosystem was found to increase fisheries sustainability across all quantiles. Notably, the findings show that the significant beneficial impact of the innovation ecosystem, market size, and economic development on the sustainability of fisheries is more significant in the emerging nations of the EU13 than in the developed countries of the EU14. With effective and environmentally friendly technology, policymakers may boost market competitiveness in the EU14 and EU13 countries and advance sustainable development objectives.

A review on features and methods of potential fishing zone

This review focuses on the importance of identifying potential fishing zones in seawater for sustainable fishing practices. It explores features like sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface height (SSH), along with classification methods such as classifiers. The features like SST, SSH, and different classifiers used to classify the data, have been figured out in this review study. This study underscores the importance of examining potential fishing zones using advanced analytical techniques. It thoroughly explores the methodologies employed by researchers, covering both past and current approaches. The examination centers on data characteristics and the application of classification algorithms for classification of potential fishing zones. Furthermore, the prediction of potential fishing zones relies significantly on the effectiveness of classification algorithms. Previous research has assessed the performance of models like support vector machines, naïve Bayes, and artificial neural networks (ANN). In the previous result, the results of support vector machine (SVM) were 97.6% more accurate than naive Bayes's 94.2% to classify test data for fisheries classification. By considering the recent works in this area, several recommendations for future works are presented to further improve the performance of the potential fishing zone models, which is important to the fisheries community.

Towards Sustainability: A Framework for Evaluating Portuguese Small-Scale Fisheries

Portugal has a historical tradition in fisheries, and its small-scale fishery (SSF) communities are the backbone of the national industry. There have been increased concerns about the state of fisheries and fish resources, particularly the sustainable performance of fishing sectors. In light of this aspect, understanding economic, social, environmental, and governmental aspects is a key element in assessing sustainability. Given the relevance of the fishing industry in Portugal, it is paramount to understand if the Portuguese SSFs are sustainable. This study aims to develop a contextualized indicator framework for SSFs’ sustainability with economic, social, environmental, and governance dimensions. Further, we developed a systematic literature review to evaluate Portuguese SSFs using such a framework. Of the list of suggested 31 indicators (8 economy, 9 social, 12 environmental, and 8 governance), 1394 published references were recovered from the systematic review for Portuguese SSFs. Results suggests that Portugal must improve socioeconomic and environmental data and strengthen governmental support for a sustainable fishing industry. In particular, understanding fishers’ financial stability and ecological knowledge and promoting further studies on fisheries’ impact on the marine environment is essential. Overall, the qualitative list of indicators provided represents an innovative and unique framework for evaluating fisheries’ sustainability in different worldwide settings.

Exploitation and survival of Yellow Perch introduced into community ponds

Increased urbanization paired with stagnant or decreasing fishing license sales has bolstered the importance of community fishing programs. Community fisheries require fish introductions, have highly variable chemical and physical characteristics, and are situated in urban settings with non-traditional fishers that can prefer unique species. Community ponds also often receive high angling pressure and exploitation that can hinder the establishment of sustainable populations. We evaluated angler exploitation and its effects as well as biotic (i.e., stocking density, predator relative abundance) and abiotic (i.e., water temperature, pond size, pond depth) factors affecting survival of stocked adult Yellow Perch Perca flavescens in community ponds. We tagged 580 adult Yellow Perch (≥150 mm) and stocked them into four community ponds at 74 or 148 fish/ha in September 2018. We collected two years of fishery dependent (angler tag reporting) and independent recapture data to estimate angler exploitation and survival of Yellow Perch using a joint live-recapture and dead-recovery model. We estimated anglers harvested 44% (95% CI ± 6%) of stocked Yellow Perch across the four ponds in two years, with the majority (81%) coming from one pond. Additionally, anglers harvested 66% of captured Yellow Perch and harvest probability increased with fish size. Seasonal exploitation ranged from 0% to 37% and was more prevalent in cold water seasons. Yellow Perch survival was negatively related to harvest (β = −0.14; 95% CI = −0.17 to −0.10) and a quadratic effect of water temperature (temperature: β = 0.28; 95% CI = 0.02–0.53; temperature2: β = 0.01; 95% CI = −0.01–0.01). Yellow Perch survival was not related to stocking density or pond characteristics. After two years, cumulative survival in three ponds ranged from 0.83 to 0.87 whereas survival in one pond with high exploitation was 0.22. Our results suggest Yellow Perch can be successfully introduced in community fisheries, but populations may not be sustainable when harvest is high. Thus, management strategies to mitigate excessive harvest or multiple put-and-take stockings may be necessary to maintain Yellow Perch populations in community fishing programs.

Dietary Shifts in the Adaptation to Changing Marine Resources: Insights from a Decadal Study on Greater Lizardfish (Saurida tumbil) in the Beibu Gulf, South China Sea.

Understanding dietary behavior during the individual development of marine predators and its temporal variations elucidates how species adapt to changes in marine resources. This is crucial for predicting marine predators' habitat selection and the natural population's responses to environmental changes. The authors conducted a comparative analysis of dietary shift strategies and trophic level variations in Greater lizardfish (Saurida tumbil) in the Beibu Gulf during two distinct periods (2010 and 2020) using stomach content and stable isotope analysis methods. Possible driving factors for these changes were also explored. Changes in the fishery community structure and the decline in the abundance of primary prey resources have led the S. tumbil population to diversify their prey species, utilize alternative resources, and expand their foraging space. However, the species' foraging strategy, characterized by chasing and preying on schooling and pelagic prey, promoted stability in their feeding behavior across spatial and temporal scales. The main prey items remained demersal and pelagic fish species, followed by cephalopods and crustaceans. Similar to other generalist fish species, ontogenetic dietary shifts (ODSs) indicated a partial transition towards larger prey items. However, the timing and magnitude of the ODSs varied between the two periods, reflecting life-history variations and adaptive adjustments to environmental changes. In comparison to 2010, the population's mean body length (BL) increased in 2020, and the proportion of the population feeding on pelagic-neritic prey significantly increased. However, the δ15N values were lower, indicating that the shift in the ecological niche of preferred prey from demersal to pelagic-neritic was the primary cause of the decrease in trophic levels. In the future, we will conduct further quantitative research integrating the spatiotemporal data of both predators and prey to clarify the relationships between marine predators' feeding behavior, trophic levels, and changes in prey community structure.

Analysis of Climate Variable and Fisherman Perception on Climate Change Divers in Negombo Lagoon Area


 
 
 Climate change has undoubtedly become one of the most contentious issues in the international environmental debates and has escalated the impacts on fishery industries and fishing communities globally. This study was conducted to quantify the variations in climate variables, and coastal vegetation that may affect the fisheries industry due to climate change over past three decades in the Negombo lagoon area. Further, the knowledge and awareness of fisheries and associated communities on climate change was investigate. To understand the dynamics of the precipitation and temperature, monthly data for 30 years (1989-2022) were collected from the Department of Meteorology and 19 Module Bio-climatic Variables (MBV) were calculated to determine the climatologycal variation. The change in the coastal vegetation was analyzed using the Landsat 8 satellite using ArcGIS 10.8. A questionnaire survey and a focus group discussion were carried out as assess the knowledge, awareness and impact of climate change in the fisheries community (n=80). The mean annual and minimum and maximum precipitation ranged from 118.6 mm-268.6 and 0.6 mm - 826.6 mm. The mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures varied from 28.8o C- 32.3o C, 33o C-34o C and 29o C-30o C. Out of 19 MBV variables, 9 variables had increasing trends while 3 variables had decreasing trend. The change percentage of coastal vegetation cover from 1992-2002, 2002-2012, 2012-2022 was observed as 35.71%, 4.99% and 6.13%. As per the peoples‘ knowledge of climate change, it was highlighted that around 50% of respondents does not have a proper idea on what is climate change (40% of respondents stated that the variation of precipitation and wind is the climate change drivers; Further, 40% of respondents attested that land use change with time has accelerated climate change while 30% of respondents mentioned that lack of coastal awareness and restoration programs is the second main reason for accelerated climate change that affect the fishery industry). The outcomes of the focus group discussion revealed that fishing activities are heavily affected by climate change drivers, and some engage in alternative jobs in extreme climatic conditions to feed their families. Finally, fishery communities highlighted the need for the government and other responsible authorities to take necessary actions to adapt and strengthen the resilience to climate change. This study corroborates the timely and topical obligation for sustainable fisheries management action planning for the Negombo area.
 Keywords: Climate change, Coastal mangrove vegetation-precipitation-temperature change, Fisheries communities, Knowledge, Awareness, Negombo
 
 

Water Governance in the Cambodian Mekong Delta: The Nexus of Farmer Water User Communities (FWUCs), Community Fisheries (CFis), and Community Fish Refuges (CFRs) in the Context of Climate Change

Cambodia faces the challenge of managing excess water during the wet season and insufficient water during the dry season. This harms human life and endangers aquatic and natural resources, agricultural practices, and food security. Water governance is crucial to ensure the well-being of both people and their food security. However, Cambodia’s water governance is hindered by various obstacles, including sectoral and centralized influences, top-down and large-scale strategies, weak coordination among relevant agencies, and limited involvement of local communities. This study examines water governance across different sectors, from centralized to community-based natural resources management, and explores the opportunities that can be done to improve water governance. This study undertakes the literature and case studies of farmer water user communities (FWUCs), community fisheries (CFis), and community fish refuges (CFRs) in three Mekong Delta provinces in Cambodia. This study concludes that water governance has been challenged by FWUCs competing for water resources to intensify rice production at the expense of increased pesticides and fertilizer uses, which undermine the fishery productivity, degrade the natural resources in rivers and water bodies, and increase water conflicts among farmers and sectors in the face of climate change. To enhance water governance in Cambodia, it is critical to integrate it at the district level. This will promote sustainable water use and management across the country and pave the way for a brighter future.

The Role of Baznas' Zakat Community Development (ZCD) in Efforts to Improve the Welfare of the Lubuk Bangkar Village Community, Jambi

This research aims to (1) Find out the role of ZCD in improving the welfare of the people of Lubuk Bangkar Village and the Islamic economic perspective for the role of ZCD (2) What are the factors that inhibit and encourage the ZCD program in improving the welfare of the people of Lubuk Bangkar Village (3) What is the welfare condition of the people of Lubuk Bangkar Village after the ZCD program. This research method uses descriptive qualitative with primary and secondary data types and data collection uses observation, documentation and interview techniques. The research results show (1) Improving community welfare, empowering the community's economy, providing capital and facilities, providing assistance and coaching. The ZCD program in Lubuk Bangkar Village has fulfilled the principles of the ZCD program, namely, trustworthy and responsible, sustainable, participatory and integrated. And plays a role in various aspects, namely economic aspects, da'wah, education and health. (2) Unavailability of distributors to buy the community's products or harvests, inaccurate selection of program types and inadequate facilities as well as late arrival of feed to livestock and fisheries communities. Meanwhile, the driving factor is: because Lubuk Bangkar Village is a village with underdeveloped areas and the average population is underprivileged, Baznas RI wants to develop human resources or natural resources in Lubuk Bangkar Village. (3) The percentage of poor people became 58.31% of the total population of 1,197 people and the number of unemployed people became 183 people. As well as increasing the level of public health, improving the quality of public education, creating jobs and providing employment opportunities for the community (mustahik), reducing poverty and unemployment rates. And the facilities that have been provided by BAZNAS are very helpful for the sustainability and welfare of the community in Lubuk Bangkar Village so that it is easier for the community to achieve a prosperous life and to be better at developing their own potential.

Effects of Land Reclamation Activities on Fish Catch Among Fishermen at Merambong Shoal, Johor

The fisheries community is a community that is highly dependent on the fisheries sector, and they usually live near the coastal area. However, land reclamation activities are conducted in the coastal area for development and urbanization due to the increasing population. Consequently, the land reclamation activities degraded the habitat of the fish and caused a decrease in their productivity. This study investigated the effects of land reclamation activities on fish catch among fishermen. Using convenience sampling, 79 fishermen in the Merambong Shoal were selected, and a structured questionnaire was constructed to get responses from these fishermen. Descriptive analysis, factor analysis, and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The study revealed that the number of trips, duration of fishermen to catch fish, distance of fishing ground from the coast, number of crew, and government incentives were the factors that affected the fish catch. These factors have significant relationships with the quantity of fish catch, which directly impacts income and, at the same time, affects livelihoods. The role of the government in increasing the monetary incentives and subsidies to improve the fishermen's fishing operations was highly recommended.

Spatial restrictions hinder avoidance of choke species in an Indigenous rights‐based fishery

Abstract Nutrient‐rich waters along the Pacific coast of North America support diverse fish communities that have helped sustain coastal peoples for millennia. Five Nuu‐chah‐nulth First Nations on the west coast of what is now known as Vancouver Island, Canada, hold constitutional Indigenous rights to conduct a multispecies community fishery, which includes Pacific Halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis). A 2009 court decision defined the extent of these Indigenous rights to be within 9 nm of the coast, thereby not fully recognizing the knowledge and authority of the traditional leadership and raising concerns about the potential for an increase in rockfish bycatch. Yelloweye Rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus) are a potential ‘choke’ species for this fishery because the two species occupy similar depth ranges. A choke species is one that is caught incidentally while targeting other species and, if caught in excess of its quota limits, can trigger a halt to fishing on the target species. Guided by the insights of local Indigenous peoples and using both fishery‐independent survey and commercial longline catch data, we investigated the effects of fishing depth and spatial restriction on the relative catch weights of these two species using spatiotemporal models. We find evidence that a confined fishing area can limit opportunities for avoiding choke species. Specifically, fishing at depths deeper than 175 m, which occur outside the court defined area (CDA), would provide more opportunities for catching halibut while avoiding Yelloweye Rockfish than are currently available within the CDA. This Indigenous‐informed, analytical approach to a management problem is just one example of how Western scientists can engage in coproduction of knowledge with Indigenous peoples to transition from the ‘status quo’ towards a practice of ‘Two‐Eyed Seeing’ that more effectively balances Indigenous rights and species conservation. Policy implications: Our study highlights (1) the importance of considering choke species distributions and opportunities for their avoidance when implementing spatial harvest restrictions and (2) how related analytical and management decisions can benefit from being guided by the advice of Indigenous knowledge holders. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Exploring Water Quality as a Determinant of Small-Scale Fisheries Vulnerability

Water quality is a fundamental indicator of coastal ecosystem health. Maintaining appropriate levels of water quality is critical for the growth of aquatic species and the livelihoods of dependent small-scale fishery (SSF) communities. However, natural (e.g., cyclones, floods) and hu-man-induced (e.g., hydrological changes, varied fishing techniques) factors create cumulative stress on these systems, leading to environmental and socioeconomic challenges. This often manifests as food insecurity, occupational displacement, and biodiversity loss. Despite existing research on coastal sustainability and resilience, the intricate connection between water-quality variations and social–ecological vulnerabilities remains understudied. This paper addresses this gap, focusing on the interplay between water quality changes and the vulnerabilities faced by SSF communities. Using the Chilika Lagoon in India as a case study, this synthesis paper examines water-quality processes and their impact on community vulnerabilities over three decades. It analyses various coping and adaptive responses of the fisher communities and the potential of their actions for creating viable small-scale fisheries. Our findings suggest ways in which SSF communities can respond to these vulnerabilities and help foster knowledge for their transition to viability.

Ecological Assessment of Fishery Communities in an Otter-Trawl-Restricted, Semi-Enclosed Gulf in Greece

A fishery-independent survey with a commercial bottom otter trawl was conducted in the Pagasitikos Gulf, a semi-enclosed, trawl-restricted gulf in Greece. The study aimed to ecologically assess the fishery communities that are experiencing a decline in fishery landings. Twelve hauls of 30 min duration each were conducted in the eastern, western, and central parts of the gulf at depths between 62 and 97 m. In total, 57 species were captured, with the highest species number recorded in the west (35 species), followed by the center (32 species) and east (29 species). The highest numerical abundance was recorded at the center, followed by the east and west, with an opposing trend exhibited for biomass; however, GLM detected no significant spatial differences (in area or depth) or interaction. Ecological indices exhibited significantly lower values in the west–east area comparison. Linear Discriminant Analysis, mMDS, and hierarchical clustering indicated the presence of two main groups (east and west), with PERMANOVA showing a significant difference in the demersal communities among the identified groups. The results indicated moderately disturbed demersal communities and an increasing level of disturbance from east to west. Considering the economic value of Pagasitikos to the local fishing community, additional fishery management measures are deemed necessary to protect the fishery resources and mitigate the potential risks of overexploitation.

Social Mapping of the Fisheries Community in Bojongsoang, Bandung Regency

Social mapping or social mapping is a comprehensive and systematic approach used to gather data and information about the various aspects of a specific area. It involves understanding the social, cultural, and environmental characteristics of the community residing in that area. The process of social mapping was carried out in the Bojongsoang District, encompassing the sub-districts of Tegalluar, Lengkong, Cipagalo, Buahbatu, Bojongsoang, and Bojongsari, situated in the Bandung Regency. This comprehensive study was conducted over a period spanning from December 2022 to June 2023. The research methodology employed in this study involves a qualitative descriptive analysis conducted through a survey. The survey includes direct field observations and interviews with randomly selected respondents who are engaged in tilapia aquaculture. The study involved a total of 45 tilapia farmers and 7 policy stakeholders from each village. The characteristics of respondents who are fish farmers in the Bojongsoang District can be differentiated based on social and economic factors. Approximately 96% of the respondents chose tilapia farming as their main livelihood. Men play a primary role in running the tilapia farming business, while women are also involved in some aspects. The majority of the population adheres to the Islamic religion and belongs to the Sundanese ethnic group. There are kinship ties between the local community and the owners of tilapia farming land. Social stratification exists with the highest positions held by the district head (Camat), members of the regional legislative council (DPRD), and religious scholars (ulama). Meanwhile, community leaders and elders occupy the middle position, while the general population holds the lowest position. Based on the research, the author's recommendations include the need for land use management for tilapia farming practitioners in Bojongsoang and the importance of policy evaluation for stakeholders in the area.

Effectiveness and conservation of marine fisheries management areas in Koh Rong, Cambodia

Fish is an essential food for Cambodians and plays an important role in food security. Fish is rich in protein, vitamins, and other minerals necessary for human health, particularly for pregnant women and children. On average, each person consumes about 52,4 kg of fish per year. Fishery communities are attracting national and international tourists for leisure activities, such as fishing, sightseeing in villages and mangrove forests, and coral diving. These activities have contributed to local livelihoods. Fishery management and conservation protect biodiversity and ensure food security. It requires a partnership with community fisheries, professional institutions, local authorities, development partners, and stakeholders and a mechanism for joint responsibility that includes collaboration, division of roles, encouragement, empowerment, and ownership. Smart patrols are a vital tool in preventing fishing crimes in the fisheries management areas of the Koh Rong archipelago and in increasing knowledge of management and the effectiveness of law enforcement. Community fisheries have been established and are fulfilling their essential role in managing the fisheries resources. The communities have been strengthened with support from the government and development partners, including financial and technical support. In the marine fisheries management areas and the community fisheries, to ensure effective management of the areas, there should be monitoring, evaluation, and research on coral habitats, seagrass habitats, mangrove sanctuaries, socio-economic conditions, fisheries governance and knowledge, and attitudes and practices.

Uncovering water quality and evaluating vulnerabilities of small-scale fisheries in Chilika Lagoon, India

Small-scale fisheries (SSFs) play a strong role in sustaining millions of livelihoods, food security, nutrition, and income globally but the fishers engaged in this sector simultaneously experience high levels of vulnerability and processes of marginalisation. Several factors are attributed to the multidimensional vulnerabilities the small-scale fishers experience, spanning both natural (e.g., natural disasters, ecosystem change) and anthropogenic (e.g., policy change, hydrological interventions, aquaculture) pressures. While there is much literature on various natural and human drivers of vulnerability in small-scale fishery communities, an absence of research connecting vulnerability with water quality is evident. Fisher communities often talk about fish in relation to the health of their aquatic habitats wherein water quality is seen as a key parameter. The link between healthy fish and good quality water has significant implications for strong and viable fishing communities. This paper examines these links further by focusing on the nature of vulnerabilities caused by water quality changes in the small-scale fishery system of Chilika Lagoon in India. We undertake detailed analysis of the invasive shrimp aquaculture activities and hydrological interventions for opening of a lagoon inlet with the Bay of Bengal as two dominant drivers adversely impacting water quality and increasing vulnerabilities of the entire small-scale fisheries social-ecological system. Our analysis suggests that there are strong interconnections between changes in water quality and the levels of vulnerabilities in the SSFs of Chilika Lagoon. Pollutants such as pesticides, and organic compounds accumulate in fish tissues and affect their growth, reproduction, and overall health. This led to declines in fish populations, making it more difficult for fishers to make a living. In addition to direct impacts on fish populations, poor water quality also has indirect effects on the social and economic vulnerability of SSFs. For example, contamination of water sources led to the reduced number of fish species reducing the amount of time fishers can spend on fishing activities. This also affected the marketability of fish products, reduced income and increased poverty. To fully understand the interconnections between water quality and vulnerability in SSFs in Chilika Lagoon, it is important to consider both environmental and social factors, as well as the complex feedback loops between these factors. The study helps in bridging a crucial gap in our understanding of the role of water quality in vulnerability analysis within resource dependent communities. We conclude with key insights on possible coping responses and adaptive capacity necessary for the small-scale fisheries communities to transition toward viability.