Marine fisheries contribute to the global economy, from the catching of fish through to the provision of support services for the fishing industry. General lack of data and uncertainty about the ...level of employment in marine fisheries can lead to underestimation of fishing effort and hence over‐exploited fisheries, or result in inaccurate projections of economic and societal costs and benefits. To address this gap, a database of marine fisheries employment for 144 coastal nations was compiled. Gaps in employment data that emerged were filled using a Monte Carlo approach to estimate the number of direct and indirect fisheries jobs. We focused on estimating jobs in the small‐scale fishing sector. We characterized small‐scale fishing as (i) primarily geared towards household consumption or sale at the local level; (ii) conducted at a low level of economic activity; (iii) minimally mechanized; (iv) conducted within inshore areas; (v) minimally managed; and/or (vi) undertaken for cultural or ceremonial purposes. In total, we estimated that 260 ± 6 million people are involved in global marine fisheries, encompassing full‐time and part‐time jobs in the direct and indirect sectors, with 22 ± 0.45 million of those being small‐scale fishers. This is equivalent to 203 ± 34 million full‐time equivalent jobs. Study results can be used to improve management decision making and highlight the need to improve monitoring and reporting of the number of people employed in marine fisheries globally.
Recreational anglers collectively spend a great amount of time on fishing activities. While being out fishing, these anglers perceive various components of aquatic ecosystems, allowing them to ...accumulate knowledge of the ecological status of the system and the fish they are targeting in it. Such fishers’ ecological knowledge (FEK) is increasingly being recognized as a valuable source of information in fisheries research and management, but it has also been criticized for a lack of accuracy. People’s perceptions of their environment are shaped by a variety of psychological and environmental factors, and the same is expected for anglers’ perceptions of fish stocks and the resulting FEK. This study assessed anglers’ perceived change in salmon and sea trout stocks at the Mörrum river in Sweden, comparing the year that they first fished there to the present (2019). In addition, effects on these perceptions of the anglers’ motivations to fish, satisfaction with catches, and their engagement with this fishery were examined. The majority of the respondents perceived a negative trend for both species, even when the reported total catches during the year they first fished at Mörrum were lower than the present catches. Binomial regression models indicated significant influences of engagement at Mörrum on the anglers’ stock trend perceptions. The results of this study emphasize the importance of understanding different individual angler characteristics when collecting and interpreting FEK. Moreover, the fact that anglers with a longer history at Mörrum had a more negative perception overall, regardless of actual stock status in their first year in this fishery, suggests the occurrence of the shifting baseline syndrome in recreational fisheries. Therefore, the prevailing narrative on stock trends and its effect on angler perceptions should be considered when using FEK.
•Overall angler perceptions of salmon and sea trout stocks were negative.•Accuracy of perceptions was higher in satisfied and catch-oriented anglers.•More engaged anglers (length and intensity) had more negative perceptions.•Engagement did not influence accuracy
Abstract
Fishers' knowledge research (FKR) aims to enhance the use of experiential knowledge of fish harvesters in fisheries research, assessment, and management. Fishery participants are able to ...provide unique knowledge, and that knowledge forms an important part of “best available information” for fisheries science and management. Fishers' knowledge includes, but is much greater than, basic biological fishery information. It includes ecological, economic, social, and institutional knowledge, as well as experience and critical analysis of experiential knowledge. We suggest that FKR, which may in the past have been defined quite narrowly, be defined more broadly to include both fishery observations and fishers “experiential knowledge” provided across a spectrum of arrangements of fisher participation. FKR is part of the new and different information required in evolving “ecosystem-based” and “integrated” management approaches. FKR is a necessary element in the integration of ecological, economic, social, and institutional considerations of future management. Fishers' knowledge may be added to traditional assessment with appropriate analysis and explicit recognition of the intended use of the information, but fishers' knowledge is best implemented in a participatory process designed to receive and use it. Co-generation of knowledge in appropriately designed processes facilitates development and use of fishers' knowledge and facilitates the participation of fishers in assessment and management, and is suggested as best practice in improved fisheries governance.
The data requirements for most quantitative fishery assessment models are extensive, and most of the fisheries in the world lack time series of the required biological and socioeconomic data. Many ...innovative approaches have been developed to improve data collection for fisheries. We explored the use of data from fishers’ interviews to estimate time series of approximate “best” catch rates. A total of 472 standardized interviews were conducted with 423 fishers along the southern Red Sea coast recording the best catch recalled and the change in average catch rates throughout the fishing career of interviewees. The results showed a decline of best catch rates in all fisheries, ranging from 4% to 10% per year for more than 50 years. The estimated rates of decline of the typical catch were higher for fishers who started fishing in recent years, suggesting that the resource base is declining, in concordance with other indicators. It is suggested that analysis of approximate data, quickly acquired at low cost from fishers through interviews, can be used to supplement other data-recording systems or used independently to document the changes that have occurred in the resource base over a lifetime of fishing. The results can be used to guide the assessment and management of resources to conserve ecosystems and livelihoods.
Since the 1980s, there has been growing concern in the Mexican Atlantic regarding high catches of neonate and juvenile sharks in small‐scale fisheries. Fishery‐dependent data from 1993 to 1994 and ...2007 to 2017 and fishers' ecological knowledge from 2017 were used to identify nursery areas for scalloped hammerhead, Sphyrna lewini, in the southern Gulf of Mexico. Catch records and fishing areas of neonates, YOYs, juveniles and adults of S. lewini (N = 1885) were obtained from calcareous and terrigenous regions in the western Yucatan Peninsula. The results suggest that a nursery for scalloped hammerhead is found in the terrigenous region, characterized by relatively shallow and turbid waters due to rivers’ discharges. Neonates and YOYs (96% and 86% of their total records, respectively) were commonly found there over the years in May–August in multiple fishing areas identified by fishers, although mainly between isobaths 10–30 m. The enforcement of management measures is necessary because the nursery is located in a region with intense fishing effort.
Social networks and fishers’ behavior Turner, Rachel A.; Polunin, Nicholas V. C.; Stead, Selina M.
Ecology and society,
01/2014, Letnik:
19, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Fisheries worldwide are facing overexploitation, yet the social dimensions of fishers’ behavior remain under-studied, and there is demand for an improved understanding of social processes that ...influence fisheries’ dynamics. Fishers draw on social relationships to acquire information relating to fishing opportunities, contributing to knowledge that underpins decision making and behavior. In this study we use quantitative social network analysis (SNA) to compare the structure of information-sharing networks and explore links between information flow and fishing success at four ports in the Northumberland (UK) potting fishery. In our results we describe the different information-sharing networks existing at each port, and show the following: a high proportion of fishers reported sharing information, though fewer than a third of reported ties were reciprocated; subgroups existed in which greater information sharing occurred; and networks displayed varying levels of cohesiveness. Fishers commonly shared information with others whom they perceived to be successful, and reciprocal relationships were more common among fishers of similar success. Furthermore, fishers more central in networks had more sources of incoming information through social relationships, shared information with fewer peers, and were more successful than those who were less central. We conclude that engaging in information-sharing networks can provide benefits for Northumberland fishers, although advantages gained through social networks may not be equally distributed. Although information-sharing networks may contribute to fishing success, i.e., high lobster landings, these outcomes may not be compatible with long-term fisheries management objectives. Nevertheless, understanding the social dynamics of information sharing can help inform management strategies by identifying central fishers in information-sharing networks, who have access to a range of information on others’ fishing behavior. Such fishers may be able to assist managers in collecting information on the distribution of fishing opportunities, the state of the fishery, and the ways in which fishers use their knowledge to adapt to change and management interventions.
Fishing contributes significantly to food security and offers employment and income to many coastal communities worldwide. On the other hand, it has been recognized as a dangerous and demanding ...activity that involves high economic risk and uncertainty as well as outdoor work and interactions with nature, which makes fishing more of a way of life rather than just a way to make a living. Non-monetary attributes of fishing have been reported to affect fishers’ decision-making and management and can explain the resilience and sustainability of the sector, even in difficult economic circumstances that hinder profitability. This study uses multivariate statistical analysis to identify profiles of Greek fishers according to their motives and objectives and to link them to the main demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Overall, five fisher profiles are identified, including “profit maximizers”, “business-oriented” and “subsistence” fishers. Our analysis indicates that all fishers value the non-monetary attributes of the activity higher than monetary values like profit, though large-scale fishers seem to be more business-oriented than small-scale fishers. The identification and understanding of the objective profiles provide useful insights to researchers, advisors and policymakers regarding fishers’ decision-making and can ultimately lead to more efficient policy design and fisheries management.
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