Search

Numerous policy and international frameworks consider that "destructive fishing" hampers efforts to reach sustainability goals. Though ubiquitous, "destructive fishing" is undefined and therefore currently immeasurable. Here we propose a definition developed through expert consultation: "Destructive fishing is any fishing practice that causes irrecoverable habitat degradation, or which causes significant adverse environmental impacts, results in long‐term declines in target or nontarget species beyond biologically safe limits and has negative livelihood impacts." We show strong stakeholder support for a definition, consensus on many biological and ecological dimensions, and no clustering of respondents from different sectors. Our consensus definition is a significant step toward defining sustainable fisheries goals and will help interpret and implement global political commitments which utilize the term "destructive fishing." Our definition and results will help reinforce the Food and Agricultural Organization's Code of Conduct and meaningfully support member countries to prohibit destructive fishing practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Further isolation may arise through site-specific co-evolution between the mussels and hosts; Douda et al. ([7]) demonstrated that there are often differences in the suite of fish hosts used by I U. crassus i , even across genetically and geographically close populations. Keywords: conservation; glochidia; host specificity; parasitism; reproduction EN conservation glochidia host specificity parasitism reproduction 1 5 5 05/03/23 20230501 NES 230501 Understanding the life-history characteristics of endangered species is crucial to their conservation, management, and predicting their responses to environmental change (Stark et al., [16]). Fishing for hosts: Larval spurting by the endangered thick-shelled river mussel, Uniocrassus Host specificity can increase vulnerability of mussels as survival is intrinsically linked to that of their hosts. [Extracted from the article]

The term 'destructive fishing' appears in multiple international policy instruments intended to improve outcomes for marine biodiversity, coastal communities and sustainable fisheries. However, the meaning of 'destructive fishing' is often vague, limiting effectiveness in policy. Therefore, in this study, we systematically reviewed the use of 'destructive fishing' in three record types: academic literature, media articles and policy documents between 1976 and 2020. A more detailed analysis was performed on subsets of these records, considering the extent to which the term is characterised, geographic distribution of use, and specific impacts and practices associated with the term. We found that use of 'destructive fishing' relative to the generic term 'fisheries' has increased since the 1990s. Records focussed predominantly on fishing practices in South‐eastern Asia, followed by Southern Asia and Europe. The term was characterised in detail in only 15% of records. Habitat damage and blast/poison fishing were the most associated ecological impacts and gear/practices, respectively. Bottom trawling and unspecified net fishing were regularly linked to destructive fishing. Importantly, the three record types use the term differently. Academic literature tends to specifically articulate the negative impacts, while media articles focus generally on associated gears/practices. Significant regional variation also exists in how the term is used and what phenomena it is applied to. This study provides evidence and recommendations to inform stakeholders in any future pursuit of a unified definition of 'destructive fishing' to support more meaningful implementation of global sustainability goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]