Marine fisheries and future ocean conflict

Conflict over marine fishery resources is a growing security concern. Experts expect that global changes in our climate, food systems and oceans may spark or exacerbate resource conflicts. An initial scan of 803 relevant papers and subsequent intensive review of 31 fisheries conflict studies, focused on subnational and international conflicts, suggests that four substantial scientific gaps need addressing to improve our understanding of the nature and drivers of fisheries conflict. First, fisheries conflict and levels of conflict intensity are not precisely defined. Second, complex adaptive systems thinking is underutilized but has the potential to produce more realistic causal models of fishery conflict. Third, comparative large‐scale data and suitably integrative methodologies are lacking, underscoring the need for a standardized and comparable database of fisheries conflict cases to aid extrapolation beyond single case‐studies. Fourth, there is room for a more widespread application of higher order concepts and associated terminology. Importantly, the four gaps highlight the homogenized nature of current methodological and theoretical approaches to understanding fishery conflict, which potentially presents us with an oversimplified understanding of these conflicts. A more nuanced understanding of the complex and dynamic nature of fishery conflict and its causes is not only scientifically critical, but increasingly relevant for policymakers and practitioners in this turbulent world.     

社会—生态系统分析框架在国外渔业管理领域的应用研究进展

由Ostrom提出的社会—生态系统(social-ecological system,SES)分析框架是当前国际上用于分析公共池塘资源管理问题的一个前沿理论工具。本文综览当前SES分析框架在国外渔业管理领域的大量研究文献,在归纳、整理研究尺度和对象的基础上,从系统变量识别、变量相互作用分析、系统结果识别、适应性管理设计和适应性管理执行与监督5个层面对SES分析框架在国外渔业管理领域的应用研究进行了系统梳理和评述。虽然当前SES分析框架在渔业管理领域的应用研究在变量识别、数理实证和研究尺度拓展等方面尚有待进一步完善和发展,但现有国外研究成果对于新形势下我国渔业管理理论研究和渔业管理制度改革均具有十分重要的参考价值。     

印度尼西亚渔业发展概况

印度尼西亚海域辽阔,渔业资源丰富,具有极大的发展潜力。本文在查阅近年来国内外相关文献基础上,着重介绍了印尼的渔业资源状况、管理方式、产品加工和国际合作等。印度尼西亚主要渔业类型为海洋捕捞和水产养殖业,其中金枪鱼渔业是最主要的捕捞业。近年来,水产养殖（如虾类、海藻等）逐渐成为印尼渔业的主要支柱;印尼渔业管理的主要部门为海洋事务与渔业部,地方各级渔业行政机构和渔业协会组织共同参与管理;印尼政府鼓励国外投资渔业,并大力促进海外渔业合作。     

价值链视角下的山东省渔业发展研究

山东省渔业资源丰富,渔业经济产值居全国首位,但是渔业资源的过度开发以及持续的生态环境污染导致山东省渔业可持续发展面临严峻挑战。本文基于价值链视角对山东省渔业发展进行了分析,明确了山东省渔业价值链在各环节上的优势和劣势,并以此确立了延伸渔业产业价值链,转变渔业价值链增值方式的发展战略,据此提出建议:大力发展精品养殖业,压缩近海捕捞规模;重点推动渔业加工业向精加工、深加工方向发展;建设多层次的水产流通服务体系,着力发展休闲渔业。     

基于渔业生态足迹广东海洋渔业生态可持续利用评价

渔业资源可持续利用是渔业经济发展的基础,是维持渔业资源动态平衡的条件。通过建立渔业生态足迹模型,对广东海洋渔业生态足迹及生态承载力定量分析,结果显示,近十年来,广东海洋渔业生态足迹和渔业生态承载力都呈下降趋势,渔业生态足迹值均高于渔业资源生态承载力,广东海洋渔业资源处于生态超载状态。针对生态超载累积效应所引起的渔业资源衰退问题,本文结合广东海洋渔业资源利用现状及补偿实践,提出实现海洋渔业生态可持续发展的对策建议。     

Opportunities to improve fisheries management through innovative technology and advanced data systems

Fishery‐dependent data are integral to sustainable fisheries management. A paucity of fishery data leads to uncertainty about stock status, which may compromise and threaten the economic and food security of the users dependent upon that stock and increase the chances of overfishing. Recent developments in the technology available to collect, manage and analyse fishery‐relevant data provide a suite of possible solutions to update and modernize fisheries data systems and greatly expand data collection and analysis. Yet, despite the proliferation of relevant consumer technology, integration of technologically advanced data systems into fisheries management remains the exception rather than the rule. In this study, we describe the current status, challenges and future directions of high‐tech data systems in fisheries management in order to understand what has limited their adoption. By reviewing the application of fishery‐dependent data technology in multiple fisheries sectors globally, we show that innovation is stagnating as a result of lack of trust and cooperation between fishers and managers. We propose a solution based on a transdisciplinary approach to fishery management that emphasizes the need for collaborative problem‐solving among stakeholders. In our proposed system, data feedbacks are a key component to effective fishery data systems, ensuring that fishers and managers collect, have access to and benefit from fisheries data as they work towards a mutually agreed‐upon goal. A new approach to fisheries data systems will promote innovation to increase data coverage, accuracy and resolution, while reducing costs and allowing adaptive, responsive, near real‐time management decision‐making to improve fisheries outcomes.     

辽宁开展节水型渔业存在的问题及其对策

文章以辽宁水资源和渔业生产的现状为研究背景,以介绍节水型渔业的概念、意义等为基础,分析了辽宁开展节水型渔业存在的认识问题、投入问题、体制问题,提出了辽宁开展节水型渔业的四项基本对策,即在建设节约型社会,发展节约型经济的框架下开展节水型渔业;完善政策法规,制定节水型渔业建设规划;转变渔业增长方式,推行节水技术;限制和制止浪费水严重、污染严重的渔业项目。     

我国近海渔业资源可持续产出基础研究的热点问题

近海具有极其重要的生态服务功能,是众多渔业生物的关键栖息地和优良渔场,支撑着近海渔业资源的补充和可持续生产。在我国,近海渔业提供90%以上的海洋捕捞产量,是我国优质蛋白的重要来源。目前,因过度捕捞直接造成的资源量骤减、及大规模围填海工程、陆源污染和海水养殖等高强度人类活动的加剧,近海资源和环境问题日益凸显,如：富营养化导致的赤潮、水母暴发等生态灾害,湿地减少引起产卵场、育幼场碎片化或功能消失等,使得近海渔业资源的补充和可持续性严重受损。渔业资源的补充过程是海洋生物、物理作用耦合的过程,依赖复杂多样的环境驱动因子来调节和维系可持续渔业生产。而渔业种群早期生活史阶段是其生命中最脆弱、对栖息环境变化的敏感性最强的阶段,小规模环境变化也可能会对其资源补充过程产生剧烈影响。因此,渔业种群早期生活史的关键生境(产卵场、育幼场等)和过程(繁殖发育、存活生长等)对环境变化的响应机制及其资源效应的研究成为海洋生态系统演变和生物资源可持续产出前沿领域的重点和热点。作者在综合国内外相关研究动态和我国近海渔业生态系统存在的突出问题的基础上,展望并分析了关键栖息地的形成和变迁过程与机理、关键资源补充过程与机制、渔业种群对生境变化的适应性响应以及资源效应的综合评估与模型分析等研究热点,期待为我国该研究领域的发展起抛砖引玉之用。     

基于WTO视角的渔业补贴问题研究

渔业补贴是促进世界各国自身渔业发展的一项重要措施,但是近年来随着全球海洋渔业资源日趋衰退以及水产品国际贸易关系扭曲,渔业补贴的作用越来越遭到许多国家和国际组织的质疑。世贸组织《多哈部长宣言》已将渔业补贴纪律列为规则谈判之一,近些年也举行了多次谈判,在WTO主要成员国的努力下,相关规则草案的出台表明了在WTO框架下解决渔业补贴问题的可行性。本文主要对渔业补贴的定义及分类,典型国家与地区的渔业补贴状况作了分析,然后基于WTO渔业补贴谈判的进展及前景,对WTO框架下我国的渔业补贴政策现状及改进方向进行了总结。     

Trends,current understanding and future research priorities for artisanal coral reef fisheries research

Artisanal coral reef fisheries provide food and employment to hundreds of millions of people in developing countries, making their sustainability a high priority. However, many of these fisheries are degraded and not yielding their maximum socioeconomic returns. We present a literature review that evaluates foci and trends in research effort on coral reef fisheries. We describe the types of data and categories of management recommendations presented in the 464 peer‐reviewed articles returned. Identified trends include a decline in articles reporting time‐series data, fish catch biomass and catch‐per‐unit effort, and an increase in articles containing bycatch and stakeholder interview data. Management implications were discussed in 80% of articles, with increasing frequency over time, but only 22% of articles made management recommendations based on the research presented in the article, as opposed to more general recommendations. Key future research priorities, which we deem underrepresented in the literature at present, are: (i) effectiveness of management approaches, (ii) ecological thresholds, trade‐offs and sustainable levels of extraction, (iii) effects of climate change, (iv) food security, (v) the role of aquaculture, (vi) access to and control of fishery resources, (vii) relationships between economic development and fishery exploitation, (viii) alternative livelihoods and (ix) integration of ecological and socioeconomic research.     

当代海洋捕捞的发展现状和展望

海洋捕捞事关国际粮食安全和海洋生态系统健康。得益于科学技术的进步, 当代海洋捕捞发展迅速, 但依然面临着渔业资源衰退、海洋底栖环境破坏、兼捕与抛弃、废弃渔具引起的幽灵捕捞和塑料污染、气候变化、区域发展不平横等系列问题。本文综述了国内外为缓解上述问题在海洋捕捞管理、技术创新、最佳实践探索等方面的工作进展, 并提出了如下发展建议: (1) 应进一步加强生态友好型渔具渔法、高效节能技术、废弃渔具回收利用技术、生物可降解材料等方面的基础和应用研究; (2) 开展减少兼捕、降低底拖网对底栖环境的影响、海洋捕捞高效节能、减少废弃渔具流向海洋等方面最佳实践的探索; (3) 加强激励机制的研究和应用, 加强对废弃渔具回收产业的政策扶持, 完善海洋捕捞管理体系和废弃渔具管理体系建设, 增强治理能力; (4) 加强国家或地区间渔业合作, 分享管理知识, 促进区域间平衡发展。(5) 加强气候变化应对策略的探索研究。立足长远、多措并举, 促进海洋捕捞可持续发展。     

Key attributes related to fishery improvement project (FIP) effectiveness in promoting improvements towards sustainability

Fishery improvement projects (FIPs) are emerging as a popular market‐based means to improve fisheries sustainability and have been employed in scores of fisheries around the world; however, project ability to realize improvements has been highly variable, and little is known about how fishery and project conditions affect improvement efforts. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the FIP model as a tool for improving diverse fisheries around the world, we compile a unique dataset of social, ecological and economic characteristics for over 60 FIPs globally, which we use to identify key attributes correlated with improvements in fishing practices, management and/or on‐the‐water outcomes. Using a random forest classifier, we identify three important attributes related to FIP effectiveness in demonstrating improvements. Specifically, FIPs are more likely to have achieved improvements with increased cumulative project time, when regional‐level management arrangements are present and when the target species has a moderate inherent vulnerability to fishing. Interestingly, improvements were not correlated with a number of expected features, including a fishery's socio‐economic setting or baseline performance against the desired sustainability standard (e.g. the Marine Stewardship Council fisheries standard). This study improves our understanding of factors related to FIP effectiveness in improving fisheries practices and management and provides key insights for practitioners into important attributes to consider when implementing the FIP model to promote fisheries sustainability.     

‘Whales eat fish’? Demystifying the myth in the Caribbean marine ecosystem

There has been much recent discussion about the idea that large whales are potential competitors with fisheries for available marine resources. Based on this idea, often referred to as the ‘whales eat fish’ conflict, culling whales has been proposed as a way to increase resources available for human consumption and thereby ensuring global food security. However, the scientific basis for such arguments remains unclear, especially in the Caribbean waters where baleen whales generally do not feed. In this article, we (i) develop an ecosystem model describing the trophic interactions between whales, fish and fisheries in the Caribbean waters, (ii) calculate the level of overlap between cetaceans and fisheries for food resources, and (iii) simulate the removal of cetaceans from the Caribbean waters in order to quantify the potential increase in available biomass of commercially important fish. Ten groups of cetaceans are considered in the model, including baleen whales, toothed whales and small cetaceans. Our results suggest that baleen whales are not a threat to fisheries in Caribbean waters, while toothed cetaceans seem to be more impacted by fisheries than they actually impacting them. Whales target different types of food resources and consume significantly less than what is taken by fisheries. Moreover, simulated reductions in large whale abundance do not produce any appreciable increase in biomass of the commercially important fish species. In some cases, the presence of some whales actually improves fishery yield as a result of indirect predation effects.     

Diagnosis and management of small-scale fisheries in developing countries

Small‐scale fisheries (SSF) make important but undervalued contributions to the economies of some of the world’s poorest countries. They also provide much of the animal protein needed by societies in which food security remains a pressing issue. Assessment and management of these fisheries is usually inadequate or absent and they continue to fall short of their potential as engines for development and social change. In this study, we bring together existing theory and methods to suggest a general scheme for diagnosing and managing SSF. This approach can be adapted to accommodate the diversity of these fisheries in the developing world. Many threats and solutions to the problems that beset SSF come from outside the domain of the fishery. Significant improvements in prospects for fisheries will require major changes in societal priorities and values, with consequent improvements in policy and governance. Changes in development policy and science reflect these imperatives but there remains a need for intra‐sectoral management that builds resilience and reduces vulnerability to those forces beyond the influence of small‐scale fishers.     

Filling a blank on the map: 60 years of fisheries in Equatorial Guinea

Despite a scarcity of pertinent information, it has been possible to reconstruct time series of marine fisheries catches for Equatorial Guinea from 1950 to 2010 using per capita fish consumption and population numbers for small‐scale fisheries, catch rates and number of vessels for industrial fisheries and discard rates to estimate the discarded bycatch. Small‐scale fisheries, industrial large‐scale fisheries, domestic and legal and illegal foreign fisheries and their discards are all included. Total catches were estimated at 2.7 million tonnes over the time period considered, of which 653 000 t were caught domestically compared to 187 000 t reported by FAO. This shows that fisheries have more importance for Equatorial Guinea's food security than the official data suggest. In contrast to what is suggested by official figures, fisheries were shown to be strongly impacted by civil and political unrest; notably, they declined overall because of civil and political conflicts, socio‐demographic dynamics, and a growing role of the newly discovered oil resources, which directly and indirectly threaten the food security of the people of Equatorial Guinea.     

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.     

Thirty years of change and the future of Alaskan fisheries: Shifts in fishing participation and diversification in response to environmental,regulatory and economic pressures

Heterogeneity in human responses and decision‐making can contribute to the resilience of social–ecological systems in the face of environmental, political and economic pressures. In fishery systems worldwide, the ability of harvesters to maintain a diverse portfolio of fishing strategies is important for building adaptive capacity. We used a case‐study approach to examine the complexity of factors that inhibit or promote diversification in fisheries of Alaska, one of the major fishing regions of the world. Through a combination of harvest records and literature review, we explored shifts in participation and portfolio diversity in Alaskan fisheries over three decades. The four case‐studies examined the responses of fishers, fleets and communities to multiple, intersecting pressures, including biological declines, market and price dynamics, fishery privatization and the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. These cases illustrate how stressors acting at multiple scales can encourage or constrain opportunities for diversification, and that these opportunities may be spread inequitably across participants. Overall, we found evidence for reduced participation and increasing specialization in Alaskan commercial fisheries. While numerous factors explain these trends, policies like individual quota systems and the increasing cost of entry into fisheries are forcing consolidation at local to regional scales. A portfolio approach to managing fisheries that reduces barriers to diversification and includes broad representation of resource users and communities in management may help to maintain opportunity and choice for fishers.     

Fishery yields vary with land cover on the Amazon River floodplain

Inland fisheries underpin food security in many tropical countries. The most productive inland fisheries in tropical and subtropical developing countries occur in large river–floodplain systems that are often impacted by land cover changes. However, few studies to date have assessed the effects of changes in floodplain land cover on fishery yields. Here, we integrated fisheries and satellite‐mapped habitat data to evaluate the effects of floodplain deforestation on fishery yields in 68 floodplain lake systems of the lower Amazon River, representing a wide range in relative amounts of woody, herbaceous and non‐vegetated land cover. We modelled relative fish yields (fish capture per unit effort [CPUE]) in the floodplain lakes as a function of the relative amounts of forest, shrub, aquatic macrophyte and bare/herbaceous habitats surrounding them. We found that forest amount was positively related (p = .0003) to multispecies CPUE. The validity of these findings was supported by rejection of plausible alternative causative mechanisms involving habitat‐related differences in amount of piscivores, fishing effort, lake area, and habitat effects on CPUE of the nine taxa dominating multispecies yields. Our results provide support to the idea that removal of floodplain forests reduces fishery yields per unit effort. Increased protection of floodplain forests is necessary to maintain the food, income and livelihood security services provided by large river–floodplain fisheries.     

Contemporary and emerging fisheries in The Bahamas—Conservation and management challenges,achievements and future directions

The harvest of marine resources has long‐standing cultural and economic importance to The Bahamas and other small island developing states. Tourists and residents place a demand on local marine resources, particularly Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus (Latreille), queen conch, Lobatus gigas (Linnaeus) and Nassau grouper, Epinephelus striatus (Bloch), and many fishery products are also sold on the global market. Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing coupled with inadequate regulations and enforcement are the main factors contributing to the decline of Bahamian fisheries along with other anthropogenic impacts. This article reviews the status of fisheries management in The Bahamas using economically and ecologically important species as case studies to highlight conservation successes, knowledge gaps and deficiencies in existing management approaches. The review concludes with an examination of how emerging fisheries and improved conservation management strategies have the potential to improve economic and food security throughout the archipelago.