Fishery-dependent Communities Research Articles

Assessing Social Vulnerability to Climate Change in a Fishery-Dependent Village in South Central Vietnam

Fishery-dependent communities are highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change due to their proximity to vulnerable coastal areas and reliance on ecosystem services for their livelihoods. The study assessed the effects of climate change on the socioeconomic livelihoods and adaptive capacity of Xuan Tu, a community located in South Central Vietnam. The assessment employed the social vulnerability index (SVI) and adaptive capacity index (ACI). A hybrid data collection approach was utilized to gather information from households, and a composite method was employed to aggregate the data, enabling an assessment of community vulnerability. The findings indicated exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity index values of 0.16, 0.34, and 0.26, respectively. The community exhibited a moderate vulnerability to climate change, with a social vulnerability index of 0.43. Notably, economic sufficiency, access to social groups, and level of education emerged as significant factors in reducing social vulnerability. To adapt to climate change, the community modified their fish feeding practices, fish culture methods, increased technology usage, and diversified their sources of income. However, the study identified a lack of institutional support as a significant obstacle to the community's autonomous adaptation. Based on these results, the study recommends livelihood diversification and the implementation of planned adaptation strategies to enhance preparedness for climate emergencies in South Central Vietnam.

Engaging artisanal fishers and processors from coastal states into RFMO discussions lead to agenda shifts toward science-based management. The case of the Jumbo Flying Squid fishery and the role of CALAMASUR

Artisanal and small-scale fisheries and the livelihoods of entire fishery dependent communities often rely on the catch and processing of straddling fish stocks. These stocks, as they expand to Marine Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ), are usually subject to different management regimes —within Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) by coastal states and by Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) in the high seas. While RFMO decisions can impact the livelihoods of entire coastal communities, artisanal and small-scale fishers are rarely engaged in regional decision-making fora. The South Pacific Jumbo Flying Squid (JFS), is mainly fished by artisanal operators in Chile, Peru and Ecuador, along with a growing Distant Water Fleet operating within ABNJ. In view of the lack of attention placed by the South Pacific RFMO (SPRFMO) to JFS management in the high seas, in 2018, the most important artisanal fishing cooperatives and processors from Chile, Peru and Ecuador, joined together to promote improvements in RFMO policies towards a sustainable use of the resource. In this paper we review the impact of the Committee for the Sustainable Management of the JFS in the South Pacific (CALAMASUR) in influencing the RFMO agenda. We conclude that CALAMASUR has influenced the SPRFMO agenda by triggering an increased focus on squid as well as by driving attention to the group's 5 priority improvement areas. Results suggests that resource users' engagement in RFMO governance can help advance RFMOs towards meeting the objectives set in their founding arrangements. The paper calls for improving RFMO governance by developing co-management mechanisms that enable effective participation of artisanal and small-scale fishers from coastal states in decisions affecting their livelihoods.

An evaluation of Oman’s National Fisheries Development Strategy (NFDS) 2013–2020: Wealth or welfare maximisation?

This paper evaluates Oman’s National Fisheries Development Strategy 2013–2020 (NFDS) which was adopted in 2012 to guide the future development of the country’s fisheries sector. The NFDS is an ambiguous document which gives rise to two different interpretations. First, it can be interpreted as a radical model of fisheries development which is driven by the principle of wealth-maximisation and entails a massive expansion and modernization of the fishing industry, transforming it from its traditional artisanal inshore form into a high-tech industrial form with an emphasis on a large new offshore sector. Alternatively, it can be interpreted as a traditional artisanal inshore fishery model which is driven by the principle of welfare-maximisation upholding the long-established cultural values of fisheries-dependent communities. The paper discusses these two different interpretations of the NFDS, drawing on the literature as well as the insights of 176 respondents obtained from 44 key informant interviews, 10 focus group discussions, and 92 survey questionnaires. The findings are that the government has settled for a hybrid model consisting of a diluted version of the radical vision - encouraging the development of a moderately sized offshore sector - while continuing to strongly support the traditional artisanal sector. Judging by the fourfold increase in fisheries production in Oman since 2012, this hybrid model seems to be successful in expanding the size of the sector. The wider lesson to be drawn from this study is the importance of balancing economic benefits of modernisation with social benefits of traditional communities – a balance that many other countries (both developing and developed) are struggling to strike.

Analysing the socioeconomic characteristics of fisheries-dependent communities in the context of the blue economy in Ghana

For centuries resource economists have persistently debated and discussed the potential of the green economy and how it should be protected and used sustainably. Most studies to date on the economic value of natural resources have thus concentrated on the green economy and how countries could harness its resources to achieve growth and development. However, perhaps the blue economy (i.e., ocean resources) could also help achieve growth and development. Studies on the blue economy are concept notes, reports and literature reviews on the evolving definition of the concept. Therefore, we examine the blue economy in the context of marine communities’ socioeconomic characteristics that could lead to changing patterns in the use of ocean resources. Using household survey data (Ghana Living Standard Survey – GLSS 7) and regression analysis, we investigate the socioeconomic lives and welfare of marine communities amidst blue economy principles. We found that most marine households enjoy a reasonably high standard of living, which bodes well for blue economy principles as livelihood diversification could reduce pressure on fishing as the only job in these communities. However, we also found that many rural coastal communities have more appalling socioeconomic living conditions than their urban counterparts, with poor amenities (like toilet facilities and waste disposal). These are potential threats to the achievement of a blue economy. Thus, policy implications are discussed.

The Future of Fisheries Co-Management in the Context of the Sustainable Blue Economy and the Green Deal: There Is No Green without Blue

Appropriate governance structures are extremely important for fishery-dependent communities in developing integrated territorial development strategies and an adaptive capacity for change, including a climate one. This paper assesses to what extent fishery co-management schemes (e.g., fishery LAGs, being regional/local governance instruments in fishing communities) are strengthening sustainability. The latter includes improving energy efficiency, promoting renewable energy sources (RES), coping with the climate crisis, minimizing environmental impacts, and promoting a sustainable blue economy. For detecting the policy aspects of aligning climate neutrality and a sustainable blue economy, the research lens focuses on the Greek Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs), given that these are mostly located in coastal/marine and insular territories with significant blue growth potential. To map and assess their capacity and efficiency in pursuing Green Deal objectives, a co-development process with FLAG managers was put in place. The results and findings of this process reveal the scarcity of sustainability and blue-economy-related strategies. The key conclusion is that a transition to a post-carbon blue economy on a local level requires an understanding of the evolutionary dynamics of fishery co-management schemes. The latter, being multi-sectoral structures, may boost dialogue and cooperation to harmonize local development strategies and EU policies. Maritime spatial planning (MSP), as an evolutionary governance process itself, can be a driver for making FLAGs evolve and strengthen commonization, blue justice, and equity for fishers.

Fishermen's Livelihood Adaptation in Response to Climate Change: An Empirical Study on South-Western Coastal Zone of Bangladesh

This study aimed to understand the livelihood status of the fishery-dependent communities in the South- Western coast of Bangladesh and their livelihood adaptation in response to climate change. The study was carried out in two villages of Dacope upazila in Khulna District. Data were collected from a purposively drawn sample of 60 fisher’s households through household interviews, key informants’ interviews, and transect walk as well as from secondary sources. The adverse climatic variability influences all the livelihood capitals and strategies of fishing communities. Most households have lower access to sanitation, market transportation, health facilities, GO, and NGO services during the adverse climatic situation. Increased levels of cyclones and floods result in greater damage to fishing equipment, livelihood assets, and lower level of fish catch. Income generation from fisheries-related activities is reducing gradually which affects the livelihoods of the fishers. The study has identified four different practices of adaptation to climate change by those fishing communities where about 71.67% adopted livelihood diversification. To cope with the changing climate and variability most of the fishing households (95%) have taken multiple adaptation strategies while the rest (5%) did not. The fishermen are exploited financially by the local credit facility provider. Diversification of livelihoods included agriculture (23.26%), fish trading (2.33%), fish farming (18.60%), and other different types of diversification found in the study area due to climate impacts but not always sufficiently fruitful. This situation may worsen over the next few decades and an improved level of responsiveness would be required.
 Vol. 9, No. 3, December 2022: 337-351

Economic impacts of harmful algal blooms on fishery-dependent communities

The recreational razor clam fishery is the largest recreational bivalve fishery in the Pacific Northwest and a major source of tourism-related income to small communities in the region. Delays and closures of recreational shellfisheries due to the increasing frequency of harmful algal blooms (HABs) threaten to have significant negative impacts on fishery dependent communities. Coupling previous recreational shellfishing expenditure estimates from the literature with a novel dataset of daily visits to local businesses, we estimate a range of economic impacts resulting from the cancellation of razor clam digs at Long Beach, WA, the most popular beach in the State for recreational clam diggers. Our results indicate that a full season closure can lead to lost sales revenues of $16,875 for gas stations, $117,600 for food stores, $217,800 for accommodations and $491,400 for food service places for a total lower bound economic impact of $843,675. We discuss the opportunity for early warning systems, like the Pacific Northwest HAB Bulletin, to guide policy and facilitate business decisions that hedge the risk of revenue losses associated with dig cancellations.

Economic and non-economic loss and damage to climate change: evidence from a developing country shrimp farms to cyclone Bulbul

Loss and damage have become a vital contemporary issue in climate change studies and actions in developing countries. However, studies are scant on this in the fisheries sector around the world. In Bangladesh, there is no study on the loss and damage in fisheries dependent communities. This study assesses economic and non-economic loss and damage to coastal shrimp farms due to cyclone Bulbul in Gabura Union of Shyamnagar Upazila, Satkhira district, using a mixed method approach. Results show that all shrimp farms’ dependent communities are affected by cyclone Bulbul to some extent. About 14%, 57%, and 29% of the farms were totally, heavily and moderately damaged due to farm inundation and dyke damage. The estimated mean loss and damage per shrimp farm was worth USD 4,633. Around 31% and 72% of the farms’ fencing nets and traps were lost, which was worth USD 333 per farm. There were also loss and damage to other resources such as houses, solar panels, livestock and agricultural crops where the estimated mean loss and damage per household was worth USD 3,170. This study reported that the rich shrimp farmers encountered proportionately more economic loss and damage than their poor counterparts. However, this does not mean that the poor suffered less. The current study found a range of non-economic loss and damage in different aspects of the shrimp farmers’ household members such as unbearable mental pain, deterioration of health, physical injuries, disabilities, etc. and access to services (e.g., inadequate food, lack of safe drinking water, lack of medical facilities, disruption of education systems), social infrastructure (e.g., damage of roads and markets) and disturbance of cultural functions. The findings suggest that urgent short- and long-term actions may be taken to save the aquaculture farms and dependent livelihoods from economic and non-economic loss and damage to cyclones in future.

Community Development Quotas and Support of Small-Scale Fisheries as Two Key Concepts for Blue Growth in Fisheries

Blue Growth has become one of the key topics of ocean management. It is defined as a holistic framework for an environmentally friendly and socio-economically sustainable development of ocean-related activities with a special emphasis on technological innovation. Capture fisheries are widely considered to have no substantial growth potential and consequently are not subject to the European Union’s Blue Growth strategy. In our review, we, however, argue that capture fisheries should play an essential role in national Blue Growth strategies. We identified two interconnected management strategies to foster Blue Growth in fisheries, a) the implementation of Community Development Quota (CDQ) systems and b) the support of small-scale fisheries (SSF). They hold the potential to benefit fishery-dependent coastal communities and therefore counteract consolidations in the fishing sector. Additionally, they provide the possibility to improve quota access for small-scale fishermen. Besides having better access to quota, the future of SSF depends on sources of public funding for technical improvement and innovation as well as increased representation in the management. In this perspective, we present different cases that successfully implemented CDQs (the Alaska pollock fishery) or have considerable potential to implement CDQ programs or improve their current approaches (United Kingdom, Ireland, and Iceland). We further discuss examples for successful management strategies to support SSF directly. If these aspects are considered in a Blue Growth strategy, the survival of fishery-dependent communities could be assured, and SSF could develop from predominantly part-time or subsistence fisheries to a full-time occupation. By those means, they would be part of a fostering Blue Economy and strengthen environmentally friendly and socio-economically sustainable fishing practices in Europe.

Trends in absolute and relative educational inequalities in health during times of labour market restructuring in coastal areas: The HUNT Study, Norway

BackgroundRestructuring labour markets offers natural population-level experiments of great social epidemiological interest. Many coastal areas have endured substantial restructuring of their local labour markets following declines in small-scale fishing and transitions to new employment opportunities. It is unknown how educational inequalities in health have developed in formerly fishery-dependent communities during such restructuring. In this study, we compare trends in social inequalities in health in Norwegian coastal areas with adjacent geographical areas between 1984 and 2019. MethodsWe used cross-sectional population-based data from the Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT), collected four times: HUNT1 (1984–86), HUNT2 (1995–97), HUNT3 (2006–08) and HUNT4 (2017–19). Adults above 30 years of age were included. Using Poisson regression, we calculated absolute and relative educational inequalities in self-rated health, using slope (SII) and relative (RII) indices of inequality. ResultsTrends in absolute and relative inequalities in rural coastal health were generally more favourable than in adjacent geographical areas. We found a statistically significant trend of declining relative educational inequalities in self-rated health in the rural coastal population from HUNT1 to HUNT4. Absolute inequalities overall increased from HUNT1 to HUNT4, although a declining trend followed HUNT2. Nonetheless, the rural coastal population exhibited the highest prevalence of poor self-rated health across the four decades. ConclusionsAlthough absolute educational inequalities in self-rated health widened in all geographical areas, the smallest increase was in rural coastal areas. Relative educational inequalities narrowed in this rural coastal population. Considering the concurrent processes of large-scale investments in the Norwegian public sector and welfare schemes, increased fishing fleet safety, and employment opportunities in aquaculture, our findings do not suggest that potential positive effects on public health of this restructuring have benefitted inhabitants with higher educational attainment more than inhabitants with lower educational attainment in this rural coastal population.

Transformational adaptations to climatic hazards: Insights from mangroves-based coastal fisheries dependent communities of Bangladesh

Despite having potential to tackle climatic impacts, transformational (also known as transformative) adaptation to climate change suffers from limited evidence. To partly fill this gap, this study empirically assesses the transformational adaptation to climatic hazards in two mangrove-dependent coastal fishing communities in Bangladesh: Mathurapur near the Sundarbans, and Batayan near Nijhum Dwip. The study uses data collected by semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and key informant interviews in 2018–2019. Results show that cyclones, floods, salinity intrusion and riverbank erosion adversely affect the communities. The study identifies five groups of transformational adaptation: system-wide (e.g., cyclone shelter), restructuring (e.g., concrete housebuilding and livelihood diversification), path-shifting (e.g., migration), innovative (e.g., technological development) and multi-scale (e.g., reforestation programmes). The study finds that transformational adaptations are more effective to avert the impacts of severe climatic hazards than the conventional ones. Effectiveness of the transformational adaptation can be improved further by reducing uncertainty in climate projections, increasing awareness, building sufficient cyclone shelters, technological innovation, relocating people from hazardous zones, enhancing coastal reforestation programme and providing more fund for the implementation of effective adaptation strategies.

Livelihood impacts and adaptation in fishing practices as a response to recent climatic changes in the upwelling region of the East African Coastal Current

A socio-economic assessment was carried out at Amu and Shela in Lamu County and Ngomeni in Kilifi County on the coast of Kenya. The aim was to establish fisher perspectives on the livelihood impacts of changes in upwelling associated with the East African Coastal Current, and adaptations in fishing practices to determine the vulnerability, resilience and adaptation options for fisheries dependent communities in this upwelling region. Primary data and information were collected through direct observation, semi-structured interviews, key informant interviews and oral histories. Descriptive and non-parametric analysis was conducted for quantitative data and content analysis for qualitative data. The study covered 92 respondents out of which 90 were male. About 82.5 percent of the respondents had attained different levels of primary school education and below, and were therefore highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. Furthermore, 80.4 percent of the respondents were aged between 20 years and 49 years with a mean age of 40 years, thus falling into the economically active age category. In terms of livelihoods, fishing and fishing-related activities formed the primary livelihoods at the three study sites with fishing being the main occupation for 93 percent of the respondents. Fishing effort was higher during the north-east monsoon season. Fifty two percent of the respondents targeted small pelagic species. The main changes observed included increased fishing effort and a decline in the quantity of fish caught per fisher, and changes in the composition of fish species. Changes in the composition of fish species have further been compounded by a decline in rainfall over time, sea level rise, irregular wind patterns and increased temperatures. The decline in fish catch further led to a general decline in income and welfare. The climatic changes increased vulnerability of the fishing communities.

Fisheries decline, local livelihoods and conflicted governance: An Indonesian case

This study investigates the social and environmental impacts of the rise and decline of the fishing industry in an Indonesian coastal community as a case study of the conflicted role of governance in marine resource management. It analyses the relationship between two distinct but intersecting fisheries in west Bali: the traditional small-scale artisanal fishery targeting diverse near shore species for the local market, and the large-scale commercial purse seine fleet that exploits the once rich Bali Strait sardine fishery. The recent collapse of the sardine fishery has had a marked impact on the livelihoods of fishers in both the artisanal and commercial sectors. A significant issue for the future of fisheries dependent communities is the need to raise the priority of equity and sustainability in resource governance. The failure of regulatory regimes to control overfishing is found to be a key factor in the unravelling of the local economy and presents an instructive case for analysing the wider implications of a fundamental conflict in the political economy of the global system between unevenly matched market-driven resource use and sustainable development practices. Methodologically, the research combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to compensate for the dearth of data available for the artisanal and commercial fishery sectors respectively. Catch statistics on the rise and decline of the commercial sardine fishery are linked to qualitative information from a longitudinal study on the livelihood impacts of resource decline in a community engaged in both fisheries. In connecting interview data on village level livelihood issues with commercial fishery data, the study highlights the imperative of good governance across scales for policy makers and development practitioners concerned with equity and sustainability of fisheries as a critically important component of global food security.

Early effects of COVID-19 on US fisheries and seafood consumption.

The US seafood sector is susceptible to shocks, both because of the seasonal nature of many of its domestic fisheries and its global position as a top importer and exporter of seafood. However, many data sets that could inform science and policy during an emerging event do not exist or are only released months or years later. Here, we synthesize multiple data sources from across the seafood supply chain, including unconventional real‐time data sets, to show the relative initial responses and indicators of recovery during the COVID‐19 pandemic. We synthesized news articles from January to September 2020 that reported effects of COVID‐19 on the US seafood sector, including processor closures, shortened fishing seasons and loss of revenue. Concerning production and distribution, we assessed past and present landings and trade data and found substantial declines in fresh seafood catches (−40%), imports (−37%) and exports (−43%) relative to the previous year, while frozen seafood products were generally less affected. Google search trends and seafood market foot traffic data suggest consumer demand for seafood from restaurants dropped by upwards of 70% during lockdowns, with recovery varying by state. However, these declines were partially offset by an increase (270%) in delivery and takeout service searches. Our synthesis of open‐access data sets and media reports shows widespread, but heterogeneous, ramifications of COVID‐19 across the seafood sector, implying that policymakers should focus support on states and sub‐sectors most affected by the pandemic: fishery‐dependent communities, processors, and fisheries and aquaculture that focus on fresh products.

Moving up or going under? Differential livelihood trajectories in coastal communities in Vietnam

• Dynamics of livelihoods in small-scale fishery communities in Vietnam significantly changed with the introduction of aquaculture. • Three distinct livelihood trajectories – Accumulating, fluctuating, and marginalizing - emerged among fisheries-dependent communities. • Adoption of aquaculture as a new livelihood strategy has benefited the adopters but caused detrimental consequences fishing households. • Recognising differential livelihood trajectories and struggles is essential for designing equitable adaptation policies. Transformations from artisanal fishing to aquaculture are now ubiquitous in many small-scale coastal fishing communities worldwide, often in response to the economics of fisheries and climate change. Understanding the long-term dynamics of community livelihoods is an important step in designing appropriate fishery management and adaptation policies to navigate the effects of such transformations. The literature has focused predominantly on addressing snapshots of livelihood conditions, with less attention being paid to how present conditions have emerged over time, and for whom. Using an integrated analytical approach, this study investigates the longitudinal livelihood trajectories in two small-scale fishery villages around the Tam Giang Lagoon in Vietnam, with particular attention paid to the changes since the introduction of aquaculture in the late 1980s. Three distinct livelihood trajectories — accumulating, fluctuating, and marginalising — represent the differential pathways available to fishing- and aquaculture-dependent households. In this constrained yet shared resource space, the transformational adaptation through aquaculture has benefitted the adopters and enhanced their livelihood resilience; yet, it has had detrimental consequences for the artisanal fishers who find themselves locked into a state of heightened vulnerability. The findings provide evidence of differential and unintended consequences of new adaptations to livelihood struggles in small-scale fishery communities, and they point to the need for well-targeted policies to reduce rather than exacerbate growing inequalities. Fishery management policies and interventions in this lagoon, and similar contexts, need to take into account the heterogeneity in livelihood trajectories and unequal social vulnerability to inform more just adaptation strategies and improve the wellbeing of fishery communities.

CLIMATE CHANGE VULNERABILITY AND RESPONSES OF FISHERFOLK COMMUNITIES IN THE SOUTH-EASTERN COAST OF BANGLADESH

Climate change is an ongoing threat across the earth–especially those who depend on fishing. This study aims to understand how fishery-dependent communities in the South-Eastern coast of Bangladesh build resilience against environmental stresses, and in what ways their strategies sometimes fail. A composite index approach has been used to calculate livelihood vulnerability. Results reveal that exposure to floods and cyclones, sensitivity and lack of adaptive capacity concerning physical, natural, and financial capital and diverse livelihood strategies construe livelihood vulnerability in different ways depending on the context. The study reveals that over the last ten years, 20% household heads have changed their fishing profession, where dependency to non-fisheries livelihoods such as rickshaw pooling and small business is growing in the studied fishing villages. However, many of them are applying their traditional knowledge to cope with the changing climate stress and in conserving the biodiversity of the coast. In order to strengthen adaptive capacity and to build resilience, government and the external agencies need to facilitate the existing traditional knowledge and systems with which the fishermen communities have been historically responding to the environmental stresses.

Using multi-criteria analysis the assess impacts of change in ecosystem-based fisheries management: The case of the Icelandic cod

This paper presents the outcome of one of the case-studies of the EU-funded FP7 research project MareFrame. The project sought to remove the barriers preventing more widespread use of the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management by developing integrated ecosystem-based assessment methods and a decision support framework for the management of marine resources. The findings are intended to support the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The case study focused on the Icelandic cod fishery which is by far the most important fishery in Iceland, accounting for 43% of the country's total export values of seafood in 2016. Sound biological and economic management of the fishery is therefore essential for both the nation as a whole as well as individual fisheries-dependent communities. The analysis is done in two main steps. We first use the statistical multi-species model Gadget, developed by the Icelandic Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, to estimate the development of catches by fleet segments (trawl, net and longline) and stock size. Comparisons are made with two scenarios: a) adhering to the present harvest control rule or b) changing the effort to a level corresponding to fishing mortality associated with maximum sustainable yield (FMSY). In the second step, the two outcomes and their socio-economic effects are examined using a three-stage analytic hierarchy process. The case study has been developed in close cooperation with Icelandic stakeholders, and in this paper we describe how the co-creation approach was employed in an ecosystem-based fisheries management framework.

Harmful Algal Blooms: Identifying Effective Adaptive Actions Used in Fishery-Dependent Communities in Response to a Protracted Event

The ‘blob’ of anomalously warm surface water that persisted in the North Pacific Ocean from 2013-2016 resulted in a massive harmful algal bloom (HAB) of Pseudo-nitzschia along the entire U.S. West Coast. The bloom produced record-breaking concentrations of domoic acid, a marine neurotoxin, that contaminated seafood and necessitated fisheries harvest closures beginning in May 2015. The subsequent closures were unprecedented in length and geographic extent, generating an economic shock for fishing communities. We sought to identify effective adaptive actions used in fishery-dependent communities in response to this event. Using survey data collected across 16 fishing communities following the 2015 HAB event, we empirically identified factors affecting an individual’s: 1) absolute magnitude of income loss, 2) likelihood of income loss recovery, and 3) severity of emotional stress. Our findings indicate that individuals who suffered greater absolute income losses were exposed to longer fisheries closures, more dependent on shellfish as a source of income, and employed in the fishing industry. Income diversification was an effective strategy for reducing and/or recovering HAB related income losses. Advertising was also found to be an effective income recovery strategy, but for fishers it was associated with increased emotional stress. If increasing the adaptive capacity of fishery-dependent coastal communities to HAB events is a policy goal, then costs to adaptive action such as emotional stress, limited access to alternate fisheries, new fishing gear, a lack of alternate job skills or access to job networks, and a lack of advertising know-how will need to be addressed.

Integrated Modeling to Evaluate Climate Change Impacts on Coupled Social-Ecological Systems in Alaska

The Alaska CLimate Integrated Modeling (ACLIM) project represents a comprehensive, multi-year, interdisciplinary effort to characterize and project climate-driven changes to the Eastern Bering Sea ecosystem, from physics to fishing communities. Results from the ACLIM project are being used to understand how different regional fisheries management approaches can help promote adaptation to climate-driven changes to sustain fish and shellfish populations and to inform managers and fishery dependent communities of the risks associated with different future climate scenarios. The project relies on iterative communications and outreach with managers and fishery dependent communities that has informed the selection of fishing scenarios. This iterative approach ensures that the research team focuses on policy relevant scenarios that explore realistic adaptation options for managers and communities. Within each iterative cycle, the interdisciplinary research team continues to improve: methods for downscaling climate models, climate-enhanced biological models, socio-economic modeling, and management strategy evaluation within a common analytical framework. The evolving nature of the ACLIM framework ensures improved understanding of system responses and feedbacks are considered within the projections and that the fishing scenarios continue to reflect the management objectives of the regional fisheries management bodies. The multi-model approach used for projection of biological responses facilitates the quantification the relative contributions of climate forcing scenario, fishing scenario, parameter, and structural uncertainty with and between models. Ensemble means and variance within and between models informs risk assessments under different future scenarios. The first phase of projections of climate conditions to the end of 21st century are complete, and projections of catch for core species under baseline (status quo) fishing conditions and two alternative fishing scenarios. The ACLIM modeling framework serves as a guide for multidisciplinary integrated climate impact and adaptation decision making in other large marine ecosystems.

The growth and decline of fisheries communities: Explaining relative population growth at municipality level

In several countries, maintaining the population of fisheries dependent communities are of major importance in the fisheries governance system. However, most studies investigating the relationship between fisheries and communities have a qualitative focus on the impact of fisheries policies on the communities. We have access to data on population and key employment indicators of every Norwegian municipality in addition to fisheries catch, landings and employment. These data allow us to study the effect of fisheries on population growth in fisheries dependent municipalities relative to all other municipalities. The data are analyzed using a multi-level approach integrating micro- and macrodata. The results indicate that general trends have a stronger influence on population growth than fisheries activities, implying that measures for increased fisheries landings are poor tools to support population growth.