A typology of fisheries management tools: using experience to catalyse greater success

Fisheries provide nutrition and livelihoods for coastal populations, but many fisheries are fully or over‐exploited and we lack an approach for analysing which factors affect management tool performance. We conducted a literature review of 390 studies to assess how fisheries characteristics affected management tool performance across both small‐scale and large‐scale fisheries. We defined success as increased or maintained abundance or biomass, reductions in fishing mortality or improvements in population status. Because the literature only covered a narrow set of biological factors, we also conducted an expert elicitation to create a typology of broader fishery characteristics, enabling conditions and design considerations that affect performance. The literature suggested that the most commonly used management tool in a region was often the most successful, although the scale of success varied. Management tools were more often deemed successful when used in combination, particularly pairings of tools that controlled fishing mortality or effort with spatial management. Examples of successful combinations were the use of catch limits with quotas and limited entry, and marine protected areas with effort restrictions. The most common factors associated with inadequate biological performance were ‘structural’ issues, including poor design or implementation. The expert‐derived typologies revealed strong local leadership, high community involvement and governance capacity as common factors of success across management tool categories (i.e. input, output and technical measures), but the degree of importance varied. Our results are designed to inform selection of appropriate management tools based on empirical data and experience to increase the likelihood of successful fisheries management.     

Mangroves enhance local fisheries catches: a global meta‐analysis

Mangroves are among the most productive ecosystems in tropical and subtropical regions. Historically, mangroves are assumed to support artisanal fisheries, leading decision‐makers to protect mangroves based on this premise. However, this relationship remains unclear, despite positive correlations obtained in different geographical regions. Here, we provide the first meta‐analysis of the mangroves–fisheries linkage at a global level. After conducting a systematic review, 23 publications containing 51 studies estimating the mangrove–fishery linkage were obtained. A random effect model was used to estimate the effect size (Pearson's correlation coefficient) of each individual study as well as the overall effect size. We found strong evidence for the mangrove–fishery linkage with an overall effect size of r = 0.72 (95% CI: 0.61–0.81), and substantial heterogeneity was observed (Q = 143.88, df = 50, P < 0.01). The countries where the studies were carried out were the only significant moderator (Q_M = 26.07, P < 0.01), while fisheries types (i.e. crab, fish, shellfish, prawn and total) and global regions were not good predictors of the relationship. Our results show that mangrove area is a good predictor of fishery catches overall, confirming the importance of conserving such habitats.     

Natural cyclopeptides as leads for novel pesticides: tentoxin and destruxin

Difficulties in synthesis make natural cyclopeptides challenging targets for chemists. Our interest focused on two natural toxic cyclopeptide series produced by pathogenic fungi: tentoxin, [cyclo-(N-MeAla¹-Leu²-N-Meδ^zPhe³-Gly⁴)] and the destruxins [cyclo-(Pro¹-Ile²-N-MeVal³-N-MeAla⁴-β-Ala⁵-HA⁶)]. The total syntheses of these two bioactive series were optimised, and several analogues were designed and synthesised to establish structure–activity relationships. The importance of synthetic analogues in the identification of molecular targets and the explanation of mechanisms of action was demonstrated. Such systematic investigations can determine the crucial features responsible for the activity of the natural compound and help the design of more powerful or more selective products. © 1998 SCI.     

Relative importance of habitat and fishing in influencing reef fish communities across seventeen Pacific Island Countries and Territories

Reef fish assessments were undertaken in 17 Pacific islands to describe the status of finfish resources in 63 villages where fishing is mainly artisanal. Surveys were performed by recording the number and size of edible fish species and benthic composition. Fishing impact was described through six proxies representing level of catch, alternative incomes, degree of commercial catch and country economic development derived from a simultaneous socioeconomic assessment. The relative importance of broadly defined habitat (geographical location, island and reef type, substrate composition) and fishing impact in controlling the distribution of fish trophic groups, families and species was measured through multivariate analysis. The extreme faunistic diversity was shown by the large variation in fish density (difference of up to an order of magnitude) and fish biomass (displaying a 20‐fold difference across the region). Herbivores were dominant in the eastern part of the region, at what we classified as complex islands and at islands with small lagoon and at coastal reefs, while carnivores were dominant at oceanic islands and atolls and at outer reefs. Specific habitat associations were shown for Scaridae, Acanthuridae, Siganidae, Balistidae, Lethrinidae, Lutjanidae and Serranidae. Relative importance and size decrease of several fish families (Mullidae, Scaridae, Lutjanidae and Serranidae) were related to high fishing impact. Acanthuridae and Lethrinidae appeared to have a role as opportunistic groups in impacted sites. The relative impact from fishing and habitat on fishes accounted for, respectively, 20 and 30% of variance, demonstrating the effect of human impacts even at such large scale and taking into account only limited fishing impact variables.     

Genetic variability in Macadamia

A genetic variability analysis involving 45 accessions of Macadamia including four species, M. integrifolia, M. tetraphylla, M. ternifolia, and M. hildebrandii and a wild relative, Hicksbeachia pinnatifolia was performed using eight enzyme systems encoded by 16 loci (Gpi-1 and 2, Idh-1 and 2, Lap, Mdh-1, 2, and 3, 6Pgd-2, Pgm-2 and 3, Tpi-1 and 2, Ugpp-1, 2, and 3). Forty-three accessions possessed distinct isozyme fingerprints indicating a high level of genetic variation. Examination of multivariate relationships among accessions using a cluster analysis resulted in the identification of four clusters, two of which contained one accession each representing H. pinnatifolia and M. hildebrandii. All Hawaiian cultivars were included in two sub-clusters within the largest cluster, which encompassed all the M. integrifolia and three M. ternifolia accessions, suggesting that: (1) the Hawaiian cultivars must have originated from at least two genetically diverse ancestral populations and (2) M. ternifolia may be a conspecific variant of M. integrifolia. Macadamia tetraphylla has diverged marginally from the M. integrifolia and M. ternifolia complex suggesting that these taxa represent a species complex. The different measures of genetic variability such as mean number of alleles per locus, polymorphic index, and observed and expected levels of heterozygosity, indicated significant levels of genetic variation in the Macadamia collection.     

How does pasture size alter plant–herbivore interactions among grazing cattle?

Grassland management impacts ecosystem functioning and is critical for livestock production and biodiversity conservation. Decreasing the stocking rate usually benefits biodiversity but also decreases production per unit area. Here, we assessed the combined effects of cattle herd and pasture size on sward structure, diet quality and daily grazing time while maintaining a constant stocking rate. The experiment was conducted over four successive years in two blocks of a species-rich upland grassland that was continuously grazed for 5 months between May and October. Each block consisted of one 3-ha pasture that was grazed by a group of three heifers, one 9-ha pasture grazed by nine heifers, and one 27-ha pasture grazed by 27 heifers. The grazed patches were discriminated using a mathematical model that for each point gave a probability of being grazed based on sward height and spatial dependence. Heifers created fewer patches and had less control over sward height in the smallest (3-ha) plots, while no difference was found between the 9- and 27-ha plots. The small heifer groups also had the shortest daily grazing time. These observations point out a risk that animal impacts on sward structure could be partly missed in grazing experiments conducted with very small groups. Estimated diet quality was unaffected by pasture size. Patch stability was frequent between two successive years but we observed a decrease in interannual patch stability as time intervals increase. Such observations are useful for calibrating spatial interaction models combining foraging behaviour and vegetation dynamics rules and enhance their predictive ability.     

Conservation of newt guilds in an agricultural landscape of Belgium: the importance of aquatic and terrestrial habitats

• 1. Amphibians are declining worldwide in response to local and global pressures. Pond‐breeding species are particularly vulnerable to environmental change because they rely on two components of the landscape: aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Agricultural practices are changing rapidly at world and local scales. As a consequence, farm ponds and their surrounding terrestrial landscapes will probably be affected.
• 2. This study investigated the main habitat determinants for the occurrence of four species of newts (genus Triturus) inhabiting the Pays de Herve, a rural area in Belgium. Newt occurrence was determined for 258 ponds and the effect of habitat on distribution determinants was evaluated using generalized linear models.
• 3. Newts were found in 42% of the ponds. Contrary to expectations, the distribution of newts was not positively associated with a high density of ponds. However, a low occurrence of newts and the low water depth of many ponds suggest a low quality of habitats. Proximity to forest, deep water, and an absence of fish in ponds are factors that significantly favour newts, but terrestrial habitat requirements vary among species.
• 4. These results indicate the necessity of maintaining both forest and meadow patches in close proximity to ponds inhabited by newts, and of controlling fish introduction in those ponds. These findings stress the importance of conservation and management of terrestrial and aquatic habitats for maintaining amphibian diversity.

Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.