Individual Fisheries Research Articles

Framework assessment of sustainability: Methodology for evaluating the conformance of fishery and aquaculture management systems to FAO guidelines

Sustainability is about meeting the needs of current generations without compromising those of future generations. For fished and aquacultured products, sustainability is often gauged on an individual fishery or farm basis but can be driven by a well-designed and implemented regulatory management system, or set of laws, rules, and policies promulgated by a governmental entity. To achieve global coverage via current assessment approaches requires enormous effort and resources due to the sheer number of individual operating units. System assessments are well established in assuring seafood safety, but much less so in regard to sustainability. This paper presents a tool to measure sustainability based on the prevailing regulatory management system and invites other researchers and practitioners to gauge the applicability of the methodology to new contexts. Evaluating how management systems support sustainable practices is key for assessing current reality and planning change. The methodology presented is based on international criteria for sustainability set forth in United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) guidelines for the ecolabelling of fish and fishery products as well as aquaculture certification. The assessment tools are the distillation of qualitative criteria found within the FAO guidelines into simple propositions called “Topics of Pertinence” that enable a straightforward cross-checking of whether the requirements and provisions of regulatory management systems reflect broadly accepted sustainability criteria in fisheries and aquaculture sectors. Assessments document what management systems aim to do via laws, regulations, and policies, and verify mechanisms within the systems that support implementation and compliance. While other sustainability assessments exist, the methodology described here is unique in that it is the only process that provides a system-based approach targeting higher management levels, which can increase global coverage of sustainability assessment from the current lower-tiered approach of certifying at individual production entities.

Gross yield driving the mass fluxes of fishery drugs: Evidence of occurrence from full aquaculture cycle in lower Yangtze River Basin

Expanding aquaculture has generated pollutants like fishery drugs in wastewater, which affects the aquatic environments and hinders sustainable development of aquaculture. To evaluate the occurrence, mass fluxes and production factors of fishery drugs in aquaculture, full-aquaculture-cycle monitoring in finfish and crustacean wastewater was conducted in the lower Yangtze River Basin, and 28 pesticides and 15 antibiotics were detected. The results showed that individual fishery drugs varied from ppt to ppb levels. Among them, sulfonamides were dominant with a mean concentration of 105.95 ± 4.13 ng·L−1 in finfish aquacultural wastewater, and insecticides were prevailing in crustacean aquacultural wastewater with a content of 146.56 ± 0.66 ng·L−1. Since the susceptibility to finfish disease determined the aquaculture practice, there were significant differences between two types of aquacultural wastewater. Finfish aquacultural wastewater contained more drugs and reached peak earlier in rapid-growth period, yet crustacean aquacultural wastewater peaked at the harvest period, to prevent against disease. Meanwhile, higher ecological risk, especially for florfenicol, were found in finfish wastewater. With 6 production factors from Good Aquaculture Practice, the gross yield was the most influential factor of drug mass flux, explaining 98 % variance by stepwise regression. Apart from increasing concentrations of fishery drugs in wastewater, regional high-yield aquaculture also significantly impacted the corresponding mass flux. As estimated by linear regression, 1.63 tons of target drugs would be discharged by 1 Mt. aquatic products, and 7.77 tons were discharged from aquaculture in the lower Yangtze River Basin in 2021. This is the first report to quantify mass fluxes of fishery drugs and to highlight gross yield as the most influential factor, which provides guidance for the supervision and regulation of sustainable aquaculture.

Mobilising international resource management certification schemes: Re‐configuration of the global shark fin supply network by producers

AbstractAs one approach to publicising sustainability efforts at the local level for a wider audience, international resource management certification schemes and their eco‐label programmes have been widely used as a verification tool. The case of Japanese shark fishery based in Kesennuma, Miyagi shows the full picture of the current global context behind a highly controversial commodity: shark fins. Campaigns against shark finning directed by environmental NGOs have led to shark fin being taken off the menu at some Chinese high‐class hotels. The shark fishery in Kesennuma is currently working toward obtaining Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification to prove that their shark products are not the result of finning, with the expectation that the certification will provide a clear distinction between human moral issues and sustainable resource management issues. Drawing on this case, this paper analyses the network of cooperative stakeholders in order to re‐configure a global sustainable commodity network for shark fins. It has been almost a quarter century since MSC was officially launched as an independent organisation in 1997. Initially, MSC certification was a major strength of differentiation, allowing producers of certified seafood to sell at a higher price, but the acquisition of certification by multiple fisheries targeting the same or similar species has reduced the economic benefits for individual fisheries. By analysing the shark fishery, which require resource management on the high seas, this paper provides new insights into how MSC certification can be mobilised by producers.

Cultivation of commercial carp in fisheries LLC “Mykolaivska RMS” with use in its feeding feeds of the trademark “Reucher AQUA fish”

The question of the effectiveness of domestic extruded compound feed in feeding carp fish was studied - as one of the methods of complex intensification of commercial fish production technology in the conditions of an individual fishery. The importance of studying this issue is dictated by the harsh realities of today, which are caused by the global trends of growing deficits in food products, among which a large share is occupied by fish and fishery products. The increase in demand for high-quality agricultural products and their prices is due to the crisis phenomena in the world economy, caused to some extent by long-term quarantine restrictions on all continents of the planet and the war in Ukraine. The purpose of the work was to study the technological processes of feeding in the cultivation of commercial carp and search for optimal methods for their improvement. To achieve this goal, the following tasks were performed: chemical and hydrobiological parameters in pond water were investigated; linear growth rate, weight growth rate, and carp fattening rate were analyzed; the fishery and economic indicators of the farm “Mykolaivska RMS” were analyzed. In two experimental ponds of the farm, they studied the peculiarities of growing carp fish when feeding them with domestic granulated compound feed with an optimal ratio of nutrients and biologically active substances while systematically determining the hydrochemical and temperature regimes of the experimental ponds, studying the morphometric indicators of two-year-old carp, calculating the fish productivity of the ponds of the farm and economic efficiency use of Reucher Aqua “Carp” feed. The obtained results confirm the effectiveness of using dry water-resistant extruded feed for feeding carp fish, which is manufactured according to modern technologies: it does not decompose in water for a long time. Therefore it does not change its quality and color; balanced in terms of the primary nutrients and biologically active substances, which positively affects the growth and development of fish, quality, and taste indicators of their meat. The use of this feed in a complex of intensification measures to improve technological processes in fish farming will allow obtaining a significant production and economic effect.

The current state of stocks and artificial reproduction of Sterlet in Russia

Based on the analysis of literary sources on the history of fishing in rivers and reservoirs of Russia for the XX and the beginning of the XXI century, the characteristics of the current state of sterlet stocks by subjects in individual fisheries basins are given. The main reasons for the decrease in sterlet catches for the Volga basin are hydro–construction, for the rivers of Siberia – poaching. As a result of re-climatization measures and mass stocking of young sterlet by the 20s of the XXI century, «factory» populations of commercial sterlet were formed in individual reservoirs and rivers of the European part of the country.

Reducing the Fuel Use Intensity of Fisheries: Through Efficient Fishing Techniques and Recovered Fish Stocks

Understanding the drivers of greenhouse gas emissions in food production systems is becoming urgent. For wild capture fisheries, fuel use during the fishing phase generally dominates emissions and is highly variable between fisheries. Fuel use is also essential for the economy of the fisheries, but fuel-intensive fisheries can still be profitable due to fuel subsidies, in particular, if the target species is of high value. Developing an innovative bottom-up approach based on detailed catch and spatial fishing effort data, in the absence of direct fuel data, we analysed the fuel use intensity (fuel use per kg landed) and economic efficiency (landing value per litre fuel used) of Danish capture fisheries for the period 2005-2019. An overall decline in fishing effort did not significantly affect the overall fuel use intensity and efficiency, which was stable for most of the fleet segments and marine species. Robust differences in fuel use intensity among individual fisheries, reflected differential spatial accessibility and vulnerability of target species to fishing. In addition, different fishing techniques targeting the same set of species showed differences in fuel use per unit landed. Danish seining and gillnets had a lower fuel use intensity and higher economic efficiency than demersal trawling; and purse seining than pelagic trawling. The variability between stocks and fleets also indicates that there is generally potential for improvement in overall efficiency from improved stock status. Short-term management actions to promote the best available fuel-efficient fishing techniques combined with additional long-term actions to secure the recovery of stocks have the potential to reduce fishery greenhouse gas emissions. Sustainable fisheries and normative environmental management are crucial to developing incentives towards reducing fuel use whenever the fishing sector industry and science work jointly at implementing solutions, as incentives for the industry to reduce fuel use are limited as long as the fishing activity is profitable.

Matching fishery-specific drivers of abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear to relevant interventions

There has been increasing recognition of the need to address adverse ecological and socioeconomic effects of abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG). This component of marine debris has been progressively problematic over recent decades with the rapid expansion of global fisheries’ footprint and effort, and the transition to synthetic and more durable materials for gear components. ALDFG drivers and consequences vary substantially by gear type, region, scale and individual fishery within these and other broad categories, including by the robustness of the fisheries management framework and influence of market-based incentives. Therefore, relevant interventions to avoid, minimize and remediate ALDFG depend on the fishery-specific context. This study compiled comprehensive, cross-referenced databases of causes of ALDFG production, and mitigation methods and enabling conditions for effective ALDFG management. Management interventions were categorized within a sequential mitigation hierarchy, where approaches to avoid and minimize ALDFG production and adverse consequences are considered before potentially less effective and more costly interventions for remediation and offsets. The linked databases enable discovery of the most promising ALDFG mitigation methods and priority fisheries management improvements so that a broader range of ALDFG policy interventions can be tapped. Illustrative case studies of ALDFG drivers and interventions were explored for gillnet, pelagic longline, trap and anchored fish aggregating device fisheries. By enabling stakeholders to identify the subset of alternative interventions that are relevant to fishery-specific ALDFG drivers and enabling conditions, the cross-referenced databases guide the allocation of resources to mitigate this especially problematic component of global marine litter.

Social and Economic Outcomes of Fisheries Certification: Characterizing Pathways of Change in Canned Fish Markets

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) eco-labeling program provides fisheries a pathway to demonstrate their sustainability by undergoing an environmental certification. Like other standard-setters, the MSC’s ‘theory of change’ presumes that markets use this information to select for sustainable products, providing an incentive for producers to improve their practices and become certified. However, the underlying mechanisms which actually work to link market behavior and participation in the program in different contexts have not been systematically identified. We draw on broad MSC field experience to identify processes that have supported the theory of change in individual fisheries. Then, we develop a broadly applicable rapid assessment protocol, relying on a semi-structured interviews of key informants, to gather systematic evidence for key dynamics within the theory of change: the effects of going through MSC certification on market processes, partnerships in the fishery, and governance. In a pilot test of the protocol, we identify important common and idiosyncratic processes in three canned product fisheries: United States west coast albacore tuna, Brittany sardines, and Portuguese sardines. We find that the harvesters and buyers/processors in these fisheries sought certification primarily to expand or maintain their market share, and that certification was synergistic with stakeholder cooperation. The cases demonstrate how our rapid assessment interviews allow program participants to relate their experience in their own words yet facilitate systematic comparison to identify common mechanisms within the theory of change. We propose its wider application to systematically advance our understanding of social and economic processes that drive of eco-label interventions in different geographies and supply chains around the world.

Ecological risks of a data-limited fishery using an ensemble of approaches

Overexploitation is currently the main cause of marine defaunation. Vulnerability to overexploitation varies across populations. Determining which populations are of highest ecological risk from fishing mortality guides management. Because no single approach is optimal across taxonomic groups, a multi-model ensemble of relative risk estimates for a data-poor Pacific Ocean tuna longline fishery was obtained from two semi-quantitative Productivity-Susceptibility Analyses (PSAs) and from a quantitative approach that estimates instantaneous fishing mortality to compare to reference points of yield-per-recruit models. Individual estimates were combined to produce a pooled mean relative risk rank order. The study identified stocks below biological limits for which the contribution from this fishery to cumulative anthropogenic mortality may warrant intervention. Relative risks in descending order were for populations of albatrosses, cetaceans, mesopelagic sharks, rays, marine turtles, epipelagic sharks and teleosts. The fishery’s contribution to cumulative fishing mortality of western central north Pacific Ocean striped marlin warrants a more rigorous assessment to determine absolute risks. The study identified the disparate factors explaining relative risk from an individual fishery versus absolute risk from cumulative anthropogenic mortality sources. Improved risk assessments are possible by addressing identified deficits with PSAs, obtaining information on variables that explain catch and post-capture survival risks that was unavailable for this assessment, improving electronic monitoring data quality and filling gaps in life history traits. Findings support stakeholders to design integrated bycatch management frameworks that mitigate fishing mortality of the most vulnerable taxa and account for multispecies conflicts that result from some bycatch mitigation methods.

Maximum Economic Yield and Nonlinear Catchability

AbstractMaximum economic yield (MEY) as derived from Schaefer’s (1957) bioeconomic model was potentially a major contribution to fishery management, but it has been hard to apply to fishery management in reality. Schaefer’s model with fixed catchability and associated linear CPUE does not match the variable nature of catchability resulting from technological progress and schooling behavior, leading to a biased estimation of MEY or economic optimal biomass (BMEY). This study improves on Schaefer’s model by incorporating nonlinear CPUE, where MEY depends on biomass relationships with catchability and with CPUE. When CPUE is constant, MEY is shown analytically to be the same as the biological optimal yield (maximum sustainable yield [MSY]) and the related optimal biomasses are equivalent (BMEY = BMSY). However, in cases of nonlinear CPUE, MEY might be closer to or further away from MSY. The less sensitive the CPUE is in response to changes in biomass, the closer the economic optimum BMEY is to the biological optimum BMSY. When CPUE is sensitive to changes in biomass, the benefit of leaving more fish in water (the stock effect) is more noticeable. Hence, this revised model can become an important component in matching fishery management goals to the realities of fisheries. Simulation analyses further illustrate that the traditional Schaefer economic optimum does not apply to all fisheries. This model provides the basis for fishery management to set a total catch limit (as a fishery management reference point) that could achieve MEY but also defines how MEY could be equal to, closer to, or further away from MSY based on characteristics of an individual fishery. For a fishery in overfished status, it helps fishery managers to decide a rebuilding target at BMSY or at a higher abundance than BMSY in order to achieve MEY and still meet biological reference points.

A Review Characterizing 25 Ecosystem Challenges to Be Addressed by an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management in Europe

The impacts of fisheries on ocean resources are no longer considered in isolation but should account for broader ecosystem effects. However, ongoing ecosystem-wide changes added to the inherent dynamics of marine ecosystems, create challenges for fisheries and fisheries management by affecting our ability to ensure future fishing opportunities and sustainable use of the seas. By reviewing a corpus of fisheries science literature, we contribute to informing managers and policymakers with considerations of the various threats to fisheries and the marine ecosystems that support them. We identify and describe 25 ecosystem challenges and 7 prominent families of management options to address them. We capture the challenges acting within three broad categories: (i) fishing impacts on the marine environments and future fishing opportunities, (ii) effects of environmental conditions on fish and fishing opportunities, and (iii) effects of context in terms of socioeconomics, fisheries management, and institutional set-up on fisheries. Our review shows that, while most EU fisheries are facing a similar array of challenges, some of them are specific to regions or individual fisheries. This is reflected in selected regional cases taking different perspectives to exemplify the challenges along with fishery-specific cases. These cases include the dramatic situation of the Baltic Sea cod, facing an array of cumulative pressures, the multiple and moving ecosystem interactions that rely on the North Sea forage fish facing climate change, the interaction of fishing and fish stocks in a fluctuating mixed fishery in the Celtic Sea, the bycatch of marine mammals and seabirds and habitat degradation in the Bay of Biscay, and finally the under capacity and lack of fundamental knowledge on some features of the EU Outermost Regions. In addition to these ecoregion specific findings, we discuss the outcomes of our review across the whole of European waters and we conclude by recognizing that there are knowledge gaps regarding the direction of causality, nonlinear responses, and confounding effects. All of the challenges we identify and characterize may guide further data collection and research coordination to improve our fundamental understanding of the system and to monitor real changes within it, both of which are required to inform an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM). An European EAFM could build upon an array of management measures currently tailored for fisheries management only, including promoting funding interdisciplinary research and ecosystem monitoring. Such integrative management should reduce uncertainties in environmental, social and economic trends, and lower the risk for disruptive events or ecosystem effects with far-reaching consequences, including a shift toward less productive marine ecosystems.

A profound plan to save the seas Future Sea: How to Rescue and Protect the World's Oceans Deborah Rowan Wright University of Chicago Press, 2020. 200 pp.

Rejecting piecemeal strategies, a conservationist encourages total ocean protection

Using traits to build and explain an ecosystem model: Ecopath with Ecosim modelling of the North Aegean Sea (Eastern Mediterranean)

The mass-balance-trophic-model Ecopath and its extension Ecopath with Ecosim is very popular for modelling marine ecosystems. In this work, a model of the marine ecosystem of the North Aegean Sea (eastern Mediterranean) was created, incorporating the use of biological traits in both building and explaining the model. For the former, data regarding a total of 19 biological traits concerning the biology, distribution, ecology and behavior were used for the definition of fish functional groups. Regarding model interpretation, the results were not only analyzed in the functional groups level but also regarding the composition of the resulting biological traits. In total, 41 functional groups were created for this model. Landings data and discards estimations of the year 1993 were used for the Ecopath component. Six different fisheries management scenaria, one retaining a business-as-usual (maintenance of the status quo) approach and the others investigating changes in fishing effort for the period 2018–2033 were simulated with Ecosim. The simulation results indicated a reduction of pelagic species as well as of biological characteristics associated with them. Concurrently, an increase in the biomass of deep-living species and of relevant biological traits was observed. In general, no strong differences were documented among the various simulation scenarios with the exception of the species targeted by the individual fisheries whose fishing effort changed in each scenario and the associated traits. Significant findings pertain to the decrease of thermophilic traits like high optimal temperature and summer spawning in all fisheries management scenaria simulated. These could mitigate the opposite trend expected to be favored by climate change and the decrease of characteristics associated with the r-life strategy, possibly resulting in less resilient future fish communities. In addition, the negative trends of the biological traits that are anyway rare (e.g. low trophic level and small lifespan) may impact ecosystem functioning. The modelling approach used on this work could be adopted to model other marine communities (possibly also using traits for other ecosystem components) to provide interesting insights regarding anthropogenic effects on marine ecosystem functioning.

A step forward to the joint management of the South China Sea fisheries resources: Joint works on catches, management measures and conservation issues

Degradation of the fishery resources in the SCS has been frequently reported, and calls for international cooperation through establishing an international or multilateral fisheries management organization were frequently made in recent years. However, little progress has been observed in this regard and most resources in the region are not subject to any regional cooperative management, mainly due to the disputes of sovereign rights on the SCS. In order to bypass such disputes and take a practical step forward towards reaching the goal of joint management for the SCS fisheries, a ‘bottom-up approach’ was undertaken through holding a “SCS Fisheries Resources and Management Workshop” in 2017 which is a non-political, depoliticized and non-State driven forum with key SCS fishing actors providing and exchanging substantive information on their individual fisheries for building up mutual understanding and confidence as the first step for further collaboration on the management of SCS fisheries resources. Based on information from the Workshop and substantial joint works afterwards, for the first time, this study have successfully compiled and presented basic information on (1) the fisheries statistics from key fishing actors of the region, (2) the management measures implemented by each fishing actor, and (3) subjective evaluations from managers/scientists of the key fishing actors through a questionnaire study on the causes of the stock depletion and/or the key issues that should be addressed for any potential stock recovery. Several statistical issues have been identified, and a further review of the existing statistical systems of the participating parties was recommended as an important topic for future meetings. Communication and mutual understanding of the management measures designed for and implemented in the region are considered crucial for the future construction of any regional collaborative management scheme. High priority issues that were emphasized by the respondents of the questionnaire study include insufficient control on fishing capacity and fishing efforts as well as weak law enforcement; which may relate to the issues of insufficient enforcement resources, low policy priority and institutional weakness.

Drivers and barriers to sustainable fisheries in two peri-urban impoundments in Zimbabwe

Fisheries sustainability is categorised through four conceptual pillars: ecological, economic, and social, including cultural and institutional. Much work on fisheries sustainability has been done in marine fisheries relative to inland fisheries. Two inland peri-urban impoundments, Chivero and Manyame in Zimbabwe, support numerous small-scale fisheries; however, environmental and socioeconomic variables threaten the sustainability of the fisheries. This study aimed to identify and contextualise drivers and barriers to sustainability of small-scale fisheries in these two peri-urban impoundments. We applied three frameworks, Fishery Performance Indicators, Community-Based Fishery Indicators and FAO Small-Scale Fisheries Indicators, to identify and contextualise the drivers and barriers. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect data from fishers in the two impoundments. A structured questionnaire was administered to 115 fishers in 23 fishing companies operating in the two lakes. Fisheries income and revenue as well as food security are key drivers. Lack of post-harvest equipment, volatile fish markets, water quality and quantity deterioration and fish stock decreases are key barriers to sustainability of fisheries in the two impoundments. There are subtle differences in the extent and impact of the drivers and barriers of fisheries sustainability in the two lakes. The differences relate to the uniqueness of the aquatic habitats, social constructs and fisheries operational frameworks in each lake. This suggests a need to assess fisheries sustainability using an integrated bottom-up approach starting from individual fisheries < community fisheries < global/generic fisheries.

Being well-governed: Including inspectors in a systems approach to fisheries management.

Based on 18-months of ethnographic fieldwork in South Africa's Western Cape province, we suggest ways in which marine resource law enforcement activities can be evaluated at the level of individual fisheries compliance inspectors, to gain a more accurate understanding of the state of marine resource law enforcement. We show that these individual assessments can be scaled up to speak about specific compliance stations, and further, that these local-level assessments can be scaled up to the regional and provincial levels, withoutlosing sight of the needs and value of the individual inspector. This paper contributes to the broader conversation on compliance in marine resource governance, as well as opening a new avenue of discussion: how to incorporate inspector-focussed social indicators. We show that this can be done in ways that take the overlap of the ecological, economic and social dimensions into account, while still being practical in terms of application and evaluation.

Local, Global, Multi-Level: Market Structure and Multi-Species Fishery Dynamics

Price and market structures in fisheries change rapidly, now 40% of seafood is traded internationally and are associated with overharvesting of marine species. We have developed a bio-economic fishery model to address the pressing need of managing the interplay of different markets. We first regard local, multi-level and global markets individually and then analyze the effect of transitioning between markets on the exploitation of species and the stability of income. We find that in gradually globalizing markets, transition management needs to account for non-linear price changes since earlier policies may not be suitable after globalization. We hypothesize that short-term policies to ban harvest in the interest of species recovery benefit a local market in which incentives prevent overharvesting. In global markets we expect that sustained initiatives are needed to prevent overharvesting. Individual fisheries using contextualized models representing local ecological and trade structures may benefit from assessing the price dynamics presented in this analysis.

Building effective fishery ecosystem plans

U.S. fisheries management has made tremendous strides under the current management framework, which centers on single stocks rather than ecosystems. However, conventional management focuses on one fishing sector at a time, considers a narrow range of issues, and is separated into individual fishery management plans often leaving little opportunity to consider overarching management goals across fisheries. Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management (EBFM) provides mechanisms to address these but has not been widely adopted. Here, we review and analyze the development of Fisheries Ecosystem Plans (FEPs) as a means to implement EBFM. In doing so, we provide a blueprint for next-generation FEPS that have the potential to translate EBFM to action. We highlight FEPs as a structured planning process that uses adaptive management to operationalize EBFM. This “FEP Loop” process starts by identifying the key factors that shape a fishery system and considering them simultaneously, as a coherent whole. It then helps managers and stakeholders delineate their overarching goals for the system and refine them into specific, realistic projects. And it charts a course forward with a set of management actions that work in concert to achieve the highest-priority objectives. We conclude that EBFM is feasible today using existing science tools, policy instruments, and management structures. Not only that, nearly all of the steps in the proposed “FEP Loop” process are presently being carried out by U.S. fishery managers. The process of reviewing regional experiences in developing and applying the FEP loop will lead to adaptations and improvements of the process we propose.

Enforced Economics: Individual Fishery Quota Programs and the Privileging of Economic Science in the Gulf of Mexico Grouper-Tilefish Fishery

Individual Fishery Quota (IFQ) programs allocate shares of an established quota of specific species of fish to individual fishermen based on their history of participation in the fishery, effectively privatizing the fishery even though government agencies maintain the right to alter the shares, species covered, or other attributes of the program. Fishery managers typically use economic arguments about efficiency, planning, and avoiding tragedies of the commons, along with safety issues, to justify IFQ programs, suggesting they professionalize fisheries. Embedded in these arguments is the implication that fishermen have not been using their human, fixed, or other forms of capital efficiently, and that they need to begin thinking more like businessmen—that is, more like neoclassical economists would like them to think. Based on research on the Gulf of Mexico Grouper-Tilefish IFQ program, this article argues that IFQ programs, while encouraging fishermen to behave more like businessmen, do not reflect histor...

Drivers of fuel use in rock lobster fisheries

Abstract Fuel consumption is a leading cost to fishers and the primary source of greenhouse gas emissions from the global fishing industry. Fuel performance varies substantially between and within fisheries, but the drivers behind this variation are unclear and inconsistent across studies. We surveyed rock lobster fishers in Australia and New Zealand to measure rates of fuel use and assess the influence of technological (e.g. vessel size, engine power), behavioural (e.g. distance travelled, speed), and managerial (e.g. catch per unit effort, fishery capacity) factors. Weighted fuel use intensity across the region was 1,890 l/t. Managerial factors were the most influential drivers of fuel use in single day trips while technological factors heavily influenced multi-day trips. Catch per unit effort was the only significant driver present across both types of fishing trips. The vast majority of surveyed fishers identified fuel use as an important aspect of fishing operations, and nearly half had already implemented changes to try to reduce consumption. Our results suggest that efforts to reduce fuel consumption, costs, and emissions in fisheries need to be tailored to the nature of individual fisheries, as the relative roles of technology, behaviour, and management vary.