A fresh look at inland fisheries and their role in food security and livelihoods

The role of inland fisheries in livelihoods, food security and sustainable development is often overshadowed by the higher profile interest in ocean issues. Whilst inland fisheries' catch and contribution to global nutrition, food security and the economy, are less than that of marine fisheries, global‐level comparisons of fish production obscure considerable livelihood impacts in certain countries and sub‐national areas. To highlight these contributions, this paper synthesizes recent data and innovative approaches for assessing such livelihood contributions and their importance in countries with limited access to ocean resources and aquaculture. Inland fisheries are crucial for many socially, economically and nutritionally vulnerable groups of people around the world, but the challenges in monitoring inland fisheries preclude a complete understanding of the magnitude of their contributions. This situation is rapidly improving with increasing recognition of inland fisheries in development discourses, which has also encouraged research to enhance knowledge on the importance of inland fisheries. We review this work, including collated information published in a recent Food and Agriculture Organization report, to provide an up to date characterization of the state of knowledge on the role of inland fisheries.     

The development of the Finnish inland fisheries system

The efficiency of Finnish inland fisheries administration has improved during the past 15 years because of changes in fisheries legislation. The establishment of regional management units particularly has improved the practice of co-management, which has allowed the participation of many relevant interest groups in the decision-making process. The long-term private market equilibrium supply for recreational fishing with active types of gear accounted for 50% of the Finnish lake surface area. Presently the public sector has become involved in the supply of recreational fishing licences. The improvement in the system owes much to political initiatives. As regards commercial fishing, state-ownership of fishing grounds is a channel for recruitment into the occupation. Private ownership has led to a suboptimal allocation of fisheries resources, particularly in the commercial branch of the industry. However, by giving priority to social instead of economic goals the statutory fishery associations will help to maintain social and community values, which are locally important.     

Providing context to the global code of practice for recreational fisheries

Abstract An in‐depth explanation of selected content of the European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission’s ‘Code of Practice for Recreational Fisheries’ (CoP) is presented. The focus is on core areas that were intensely debated in the drafting the CoP. These include definition of recreational fishing, recreational fishing practices, fish welfare, recreational fisheries management and research. It is anticipated that the CoP for recreational fisheries promotes best practice and management principles for sustainable recreational fisheries, within the recreational fisheries sector and ancillary industries/sectors regionally, nationally, and ultimately globally. To be viable, the CoP for recreational fisheries must be adopted by the international community complementing the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.     

Putting the fish into inland fisheries – A global allocation of historic inland fish catch

Inland waters support the livelihoods of up to 820 million people and provide fisheries that make an essential contribution towards food security, particularly in the developing world where 90% of inland fisheries catch is consumed. Despite their importance, inland fisheries are overlooked in favour of other water use sectors deemed more economically important. Inland fisheries are also driven by external factors such as climate change and habitat loss, which impedes our ability to manage them sustainably. Using a river basin approach to allocate fish catch, we have provided an integrated picture of how different inland water bodies contribute to global inland fisheries catches. There is a substantial amount of information available on inland fisheries, but it has never been synthesised to build this global picture. Fishery statistics from river basins, lakes, floodplains, hydrobasins, and countries covering a time span from 1960–2018 were analysed. Collation of basin-scale fisheries statistics suggests a global inland catch of ≈17.4 million tonnes (PSE = ±3.93 million tonnes) in 2010, considerably more than the 10.8 million tonnes published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), but in line with estimates based on household consumption. The figure is considered a likely maximum due to recent reductions in catches because of closures, threats, and fisheries declines in the most productive fisheries. It is recommended that sentinel fisheries, which are important for food provision, employment, or where threats facing a fishery could cause a deterioration in catch, are identified to provide the baseline for a global monitoring programme.     

贵贵州地区碳汇渔业潜力研究

我国是当今世界水产品产量最高的国家，渔业呈现地区发展不平衡、不充分的格局，内陆地区渔业发展水平总体上远低于沿海地区。在当前“碳达峰”和“碳中和”双碳战略背景下，渔业迎来了前所未有的机遇和挑战尤其是对于内陆淡水渔业，碳汇渔业将成为未来的一个重要发展方向。该文主要根据《中国水产统计资料》和《中国渔业统计年鉴》，以贵州省为例，结合贵州地区近年来的渔业发展现状，估算了贵州省近五年(2016—2020年)的渔业碳汇强度，分析了贵州地区发展碳汇渔业的潜力。渔业碳汇强度估算结果显示，2016—2020年贵州省渔业碳移出量在1.4 t到1.7 t之间，平均碳移出量为1.5 t。贵州省渔业发展相对落后，水产品捕捞产量和养殖产量均远低于全国平均水平，但贵州省近年来大力推广稻渔综合种养和湖库养殖等生态渔业模式，到2020年稻田养殖和湖库养殖面积分别占全省水产养植总面积的74.2%和19.2%，二者产量达到全省总产量的一半以上，远高于全国平均水平。稻渔综合种养和湖库养殖等生态渔业成为贵州省水产养殖业的重要养殖模式，未来这类具备碳汇功能的生态渔业规模将会进一步扩大，是贵州地区扭转渔业养殖模式和渔业经济增长方式的机遇，对碳汇渔业的全面推广和渔业的可持续发展具有重要指导意义。     

Reconciling traditional inland fisheries management and sustainability in industrialized countries, with emphasis on Europe

In northern industrialized countries, the inland fisheries sector has long been dominated by recreational fisheries, which normally exploit fish for leisure or subsistence and provide many (poorly investigated) benefits to society. Various factors constrain the development and existence of inland fisheries, such as local user conflicts, low social priority and inadequate research and funding. In many cases, however, degradation of the environment and loss of aquatic habitat are the predominant concerns for the sustainability of inland fisheries. The need for concerted effort to prevent and reduce environmental degradation, as well as conservation of freshwater fish and fisheries as renewable common pool resources or entities in their own right is the greatest challenge facing sustainable development of inland waters. In inland fisheries management, the declining quality of the aquatic environment coupled with long‐term inadequate and often inappropriate fisheries management has led to an emphasis on enhancement practices, such as stocking, to mitigate anthropogenic stress. However, this is not always the most appropriate management approach. Therefore, there is an urgent need to alter many traditional inland fisheries management practices and systems to focus on sustainable development. This paper reviews the literature regarding the inputs needed for sustainability of inland fisheries in industrialized countries. To understand better the problems facing sustainable inland fisheries management, the inland fisheries environment, its benefits, negative impacts and constraints, as well as historical management, paradigms, trends and current practices are described. Major philosophical shifts, challenges and promising integrated management approaches are envisaged in a holistic framework. The following are considered key elements for sustainable development of inland fisheries: communication, information dissemination, education, institutional restructuring, marketing outreach, management plans, decision analysis, socioeconomic evaluation and research into the human dimension, in addition to traditional biological and ecological sciences. If these inputs are integrated with traditional fisheries management practices, the prospects for sustainability in the inland fisheries will be enhanced.     

Economic evaluation of inland fisheries in England and Wales

Recreational inland fisheries are recognized to have considerable socio-economic benefits, not only for individuals participating directly but also for others in both local and wider communities. In England and Wales the Environment Agency (EA) has a duty to maintain, improve and develop inland fisheries. At present, there are no recent economic evaluations of the whole range of UK inland fisheries for the EA to refer to when confronted with resource issues. There is a particular need to explore the benefits of fisheries to the wider community, in order to secure more resources for management and protection of fisheries. Preliminary results from a multi-modular project to study the economic values associated with recreational fisheries in England and Wales are presented. Topics examined included recreational anglers' consumer surplus, general public non-use values of fisheries, social benefits of recreational fishing and impacts of fisheries on local communities.     

Inland fish stock assessment: Applying data‐poor methods from marine systems

Inland fisheries can be diverse, local and highly seasonal. This complexity creates challenges for monitoring, and consequently, many inland fish stocks have few data and cannot be assessed using methods typically applied to industrial marine fisheries. In such situations, there may be a role for methods recently developed for assessment of data‐poor fish stocks. Herein, three established data‐poor assessment tools from marine systems are demonstrated to highlight their value to inland fisheries management. A case study application uses archived length, catch and catch‐per‐unit‐effort data to characterise the ecological status of an important recreational brown trout stock in an Irish lake. This case study is of specific use to management of freshwater sport fisheries, but the broader purpose of the paper was to provide a crossover between marine and inland fisheries science, and to highlight accessible data‐poor assessment approaches that may be applicable in diverse inland systems.     

Towards sustainable fisheries and aquaculture management in the African Great Lakes

Inland fisheries play important roles in food and economic security in the riparian countries surrounding the Great Lakes of Africa. However, the lakes are being systematically degraded by anthropogenic pressures, in combination with the huge population growth prevalent in the region. This paper summarises the outcomes of an international conference to develop a ‘Strategy for Conservation and Sustainable Development of the African Great Lakes Region in a Changing Climate’, held in Uganda in 2017, with particular attention on the potential for fisheries and aquaculture. The paper highlights options for addressing the problems facing the aquatic resources and specifically the importance of effective management of the fisheries and ecosystems of the Great Lakes to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals to ensure food and nutritional security and sustainable livelihoods. There is need to improve fisheries assessment and determine the value of the fisheries (and aquaculture). Fisheries legislation, regulation and enforcement need revision and co‐management mechanisms require rethinking. There is considerable potential for aquaculture, and especially cage culture, to increase fish production, but there is an urgent need to address technical, social, environmental and input requirements. It is also imperative that best practices guidelines are developed that will support cage culture production practices.     

我国内陆水域增殖渔业发展存在的问题

我国内陆水域渔业是我国渔业发展的重要内容,内陆水域增殖渔业经过多年的发展,取得了很大的成绩,但是在发展过程中也表现出多种问题,如增殖品种不合理,不重视遗传多样性的保护。本文对这些问题作具体的分析,同时提出相应的对策。     

Toward sustainable harvest strategies for marine fisheries that include recreational fishing

Recreational fishing (RF) is a large yet undervalued component of fisheries globally. While progress has been made in monitoring, assessing, and managing the sector in isolation, integration of RF into the management of multi-sector fisheries has been limited, particularly relative to the commercial sector. This marginalises recreational fishers and reduces the likelihood of achieving the sector's objectives and, more broadly, achieving fisheries sustainability. We examined the nature and extent of RF inclusion in harvest strategies (HSs) for marine fisheries across 15 regions in 11 nations to define the gap in inclusion that has developed between sectors. We focused on high-income nations with a high level of RF governance and used a questionnaire to elicit expert knowledge on HSs due to the paucity of published documents. In total, 339 HSs were considered. We found that RF inclusion in HSs was more similar to the small-scale sector (i.e., artisanal, cultural, or subsistence) than the commercial sector, with explicit operational objectives, data collection, performance indicators, reference points, and management controls lacking in many regions. Where specified, RF objectives focused on sustainability, economic value and catch allocation rather than directly relating to the recreational fishing experience. Conflicts with other sectors included competition with the commercial sector for limited resources, highlighting the importance of equitable resource allocation policies alongside HSs. We propose that RF be explicitly incorporated into HSs to ensure fisheries are ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable, and we recommend that fisheries organisations urgently review HSs for marine fisheries with a recreational component to close the harvest strategy gap among sectors.     

中亚五国内陆渔业产业衰退析因及其重振策略探讨

中亚包括哈萨克斯坦、吉尔吉斯斯坦、塔吉克斯坦、土库曼斯坦、乌兹别克斯坦五国,是"丝绸之路经济带"的核心区域,内陆渔业资源禀赋雄厚,世界第一大湖里海以及第四大湖咸海均分布在域内。在前苏联时期中亚各国捕捞渔业和水产养殖发展态势良好,随着东欧巨变及前苏联政局陷入动荡直至解体,渔业生产急剧萎缩,至今虽有复苏但尚未能恢复到苏联时期的发展水平。本文主要基于我们前期研究基础以及FAO和世界银行等统计数据,提出对苏联解体后中亚各国渔业崩溃的原因解读,并探讨在"一带一路"框架下,中国和中亚各国可行的渔业合作方式以及重振中亚渔业的策略方法。     

Sri Lankan reservoir fishery: a case for introduction of a co-management strategy

The inland fisheries of Sri Lanka are essentially artisanal on most of the reservoirs in the country. The annual inland fish production declined dramatically after 1990, when state patronage for the development of the inland fisheries was discontinued for 4 years. This decline was shown to be a result of growth overfishing of the two dominant cichlid species which accounted for over 90% of landings. This was a result of using small mesh ( < 6.9 cm) gillnets in the absence of the State-sponsored monitoring procedure in the fishery after 1990. This indicates that it is necessary to monitor inland fisheries management in Sri Lanka through a centralized authority in the current situation. However, in some Sri Lankan reservoirs, fishing communities can be categorized as 'organized' because they collectively make decisions to define procedures for the rational exploitation of the fishery resources. In reservoirs with 'organized' fishing, the communities themselves have developed mechanisms to regulate the landing sizes of dominant cichlid fish species through community-based fisheries management strategies. In such reservoirs, over-exploitation of fish stocks was not evident, even after 1990, when state-sponsored monitoring procedures were suspended. Based on these observations, an alternative approach is recommended for the management of Sri Lankan reservoir capture fisheries in which the Government and resource-users have equal responsibilities in the management of the resources.     

SOCIOECONOMIC INTERACTIONS OF FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE IN GREECE: A CASE STUDY OF SOUTH EVOIKOS GULF

The present study investigates the socioeconomic sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture in the South Evoikos Gulf. The results show poor labour mobility between fisheries and aquaculture. Internal geographical mobility, relatively high salaries and the relatively high educational level of the aquaculture workers contribute to the sustainability for the aquaculture sector. There is a high probability of young, low-educated individuals entering the fishing industry. Furthermore, earnings and professional training prevent people from exiting the fisheries sector, and this may act as a means towards fisheries' sustainability. Grants and subsidies do not seem to influence fishermen's decision to remain or exit the sector. On average more fishermen than aquaculture workers perceive that their profession is supported by the local community and tourist industry.     

Importance of recreational fisheries in the Guadiana River Basin in Portugal

The rapid expansion of recreational fishing in Portugal over the last 20 years, along with the multiplicity of pressures affecting inland fisheries, demands the urgent recognition of the social and economic values. Sport-angling information is still inadequate to formulate management actions. To address this issue, a regional survey on freshwater recreational fishing in all the municipalities of the Guadiana River Basin was carried out in 1999. The survey, based on 1998 data, provided information on the profile of anglers, preferences as regards reservoirs and sections of rivers fished, frequency of fishing trips, motivation, expenditure, fish species caught, an estimation of total catch and its destination, interest in competitions, enforcement and personal opinions. The results recommended improved communication and feedback between users, and mechanisms for future regional development and management of recreational fisheries.     

Multi-sector resource allocation and integrated management of abalone stocks in Western Australia: Review and discussion of management strategies

ABSTRACT:   Fishery policy formation is a multilateral political process that typically involves conflicting attitudes towards management, and opposing interests among resource users. As fisheries resources continue to decline, conflict between and within fishing sectors will grow. The challenge for fisheries policy makers is to ensure fisheries resources are evenly allocated among the stakeholders whilst managing resources in a sustainable manner. Australian fisheries management has been revolutionized by the introduction of Integrated Fisheries Management (IFM), which is based on a systematic approach involving the inclusion of all sectors in the management process. This approach means determining the total amount of fish that can be harvested from a fishery and then adopting management strategies for allocating explicit catch shares between the competing sectors. The recent increased burden on fisheries stocks, caused by higher recreational user participation, has forced policy makers to make large changes relating to the allocation of resources. Policy makers in Western Australia, aware of conflict developing between users of the abalone resource, developed a unique management system based on resource sharing. By integrating the recreational sector in the overall management process, the primary objective of the new agenda is to decrease conflict between competing users and develop a management system without partisanship.     

Investing in African fisheries: building links to the Millennium Development Goals

Despite the large economic and social benefits fisheries can offer to address Africa’s development needs, investment in African fisheries and aquaculture has been remarkably low. However, if fisheries and aquaculture are to meet the challenges of technological change, institutional reforms and resource mobilization needed in support of the sector’s development potential, fisheries stakeholders must make the case for investment much more clearly within the context of wider socioeconomic development. In this paper, we argue that the global consensus around the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) offers an important opportunity to pursue this agenda in Africa. In particular the MDGs’ human development focus provides a compelling framework for articulating the comprehensive value of fisheries for poverty reduction and long‐term socioeconomic development. The paper has two objectives. The first is to examine the direct and indirect links between fisheries and the individual MDGs, drawing together findings and lessons learnt from recent African case studies with relevant examples from elsewhere. The second is to translate these findings into recommendations for action in support of improved investments in fisheries aimed at increasing the overall development value of the sector.     

Linking coastal aquaculture of meagre Argyrosomus regius and Western Mediterranean coastal fisheries through escapes incidents

Escape incidents in coastal aquaculture lead to economic losses for farmers and may have indirect socio‐economic effects on local fisheries. In this study, the relationship of meagre, Argyrosomus regius (Asso), production in open‐sea cages and coastal small‐scale fisheries was analysed through captures of escapes, which are easily detected because this species is considered locally absent in native communities in Western Mediterranean regions. Scale reading showed that 100% of captured meagre were escapees. The existence of a direct relationship, in terms of biomass, between the development of meagre coastal aquaculture and the increase of captures of this species by local fisheries was demonstrated. The spatial distribution of meagre captures suggested that there is a local environmental and economic interaction between meagre aquaculture and fisheries through escapees. Monitoring the presence of locally absent species such as meagre within landings might help to assess the magnitude of escapes, the potential economic effects on local aquaculture and fishery industries, and the potential adverse ecological impacts on local ecosystems.     

Examining progress towards achieving the Ten Steps of the Rome Declaration on Responsible Inland Fisheries

Inland capture fisheries provide food for nearly a billion people and are important in the livelihoods of millions of households worldwide. Although there are limitations to evaluating many of the contributions made by inland capture fisheries, there is growing recognition by the international community that these services make critical contributions, most notably to food security and livelihoods in rural populations in those low‐income countries with extensive freshwater resources. With the increasing appreciation of the key role of inland fisheries to the health and well‐being of human populations globally, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Michigan State University convened the 2015 global conference, Freshwater, fish, and the future – cross‐sectoral approaches to sustain livelihoods, food security, and aquatic ecosystems. What emerged from the interactions between inland fisheries’ scientists, resource managers, policymakers and community representatives from across the world was a forward‐looking call to action culminating with the 2015 Rome Declaration “Ten Steps to Responsible Inland Fisheries” (FAO & MSU, Rome declaration on responsible inland fisheries: 5735E/1/06.16). Four years after this landmark conference and declaration, we seek to advance discussion on the “Ten Steps,” namely what successful implementation looks like, assess current examples of implementation, suggest potential signals of progress and provide some specific, indicative examples of progress for each step. While there are promising signs of progress, we conclude that there remains a strong need to galvanize momentum for sustained action to ensure that inland fish and fisheries are accounted for and incorporated into broader water resource management discussions and frameworks.