Search

When spatial fishing data is fed into systematic conservation planning processes the cost to a fishery could be ensured to be minimal in the zoning of marine protected areas. We used vessel monitoring system (VMS) data to map the distribution of prawn trawling and calculate fishing intensity for 1-ha grid cells, in the Kosterhavet National Park (Sweden). We then used the software Marxan to generate cost-efficient reserve networks that represented every biotope in the Park. We asked what were the potential gains and losses in terms of fishing effort and species conservation of different planning scenarios. Given a conservation target of 10 % representation of each biotope, the fishery need not lose more than 20 % of its fishing grounds to give way to cost-efficient conservation of benthic diversity. No additional reserved area was needed to achieve conservation targets while minimizing fishing costs. We discuss the benefits of using VMS data for conservation planning.

• Long-term records and artisanal fishers congruently confirmed a substantial decline in fish landings in Tanzania. • Overfishing, environmental changes and destruction of habitats were perceived the drivers of fish catch declines. • Fishers adapt to declining fish stocks by changing their resource use behaviours. • Most fishers mentioned they will continue fishing in the future even if the fish landings would be further reduced. • Strategic policies should include fishers' perceptions to adapt and cope with ongoing climate- and environmental changes. Small-scale fishing communities are expected to adapt to fish catch fluctuations linked to global environmental change. Notwithstanding, impacts from severe climate events and overexploitation of fisheries resources can compromise functions and resilience of ecosystems and associated species, and thereby jeopardize long-term population trend stability and fisheries productivity. To date, most assessments and vulnerability studies of fisheries-dependent populaces have focused on global, regional and national levels, while studies at village and community levels, where adaptive planning in the context of climate- and environmental changes is important, are less common. Based on data from official fishery records over a three-decadal period (1984–2016) and recent interviews with artisanal fishermen (319 fishers from eight communities) along the Tanzanian coast, we assessed small-scale fisheries with regard to (i) long-term trends in fishery landings, (ii) long-term alterations in fishing gear use, and (iii) fishers' perceptions on how they have been coping and adapting to fluctuating fish landings. We further investigated (iv) the adaptive capacity of a wide range of coastal villages by assessing the fishers' responses to an anticipated future scenario of a major (50 %) decline in landings from the current fisheries catch levels. The long-term trend records of fish landings showed a remarkable ∼50 % reduction in terms of both catch per vessel and catch per fisher from 1984 to 2016. According to the interviews, the majority of fishers (75 %) have changed fishing grounds from nearshore to offshore areas during the last decade, owing to a general perception that nearshore areas have suffered major reduction in fish stocks (due to overfishing and environmental changes related to extreme climate- or weather events), while offshore areas were considered still productive. The change in location of fishing grounds is probably a result of the clear switch in major gear type utilization from beach seine to ring net that occurred over the last decades. With a further progressive decline in fishery catches to a predictive level of 50 % of the current catch level, there is a general perception that artisanal fishers will continue fishing because alternative livelihoods (like crop farming, which employs more than 65 % of the population) have suffered similar negative impact. These findings highlight the need for building adaptive capacity in local coastal communities to develop alternative coping strategies for the impacts of climate- and environmental changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impact of bottom gear fishing is primarily determined by the sensitivity of the benthic community, fishing intensity and penetration depth of the gears. Disturbance of benthic populations and physical modification of bottom substrates are "outputs" of bottom fishing, which produces a clearly defined footprint identified by the spatial extent of fishing and the width of the gear that is in contact with the sea floor. Solutions and innovations to reduce the adverse impacts of bottom fisheries on demersal ecosystems is a global priority. Three modus operandi were studied - alternative gears, alternative catch stimuli, alternative gear components, where each could contribute to a reduction in fishing footprint, benthic impact, sediment resuspension. A collaborate study was undertaken with the fishing industry into innovative technologies to reduce seabed fishing impacts in ten case studies covering the main mobile bottom-contacting gears across European waters. Strategies to reduce fuel use, greenhouse gas emissions, and bycatch are explored in the study as incentives for the fishing industry to reduce seabed impacts. Lifting otterboards or replacing mechanical- by electrical-stimulation provide promising avenues to mitigate fishing impact. Replacing towed- by static-gear has potential but is not a generic solution. The adoption of technical innovations critically depends on the economic performances. In some cases, reduced fuel consumption and costs enhanced the uptake by the fishery. In certain scenarios, limited fishing opportunities due to unacceptable environmental impacts, has prompted innovation. No single modus operandi can solve all the seabed impacts and a combination may be most effective depending on local habitat type, regulatory setting, social and economic characteristics of the fishery. As demonstrated by the current study, creative and innovative solutions can be found to minimize the effects of fishing on marine habitats while maintaining viable, long-term commercial fisheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pedersen, S. A., Fock, H., Krause, J., Pusch, C., Sell, A. L., Böttcher, U., Rogers, S. I., Sköld, M., Skov, H., Podolska, M., Piet, G. J., and Rice, J. C. 2009. Natura 2000 sites and fisheries in German offshore waters.–ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 155–169. The principal objective of sites selected as part of Natura 2000 is to achieve or maintain a favourable conservation status of habitats and species named in the EU Birds and Habitats directives. In the German exclusive economic zone, the habitat types protected by this legislation are sandbanks and reefs; protected species include marine mammals, seabirds, and specific migratory fish species. The ICES project Environmentally Sound Fishery Management in Protected Areas (EMPAS) aims to answer two questions: (i) To what extent do specific fishing activities significantly threaten attainment of the conservation objectives of the Natura 2000 sites? (ii) What management measures would reduce these conflicts and how effective would they be at helping to ensure the favourable condition of these sites? Assessments of fishing impacts on Natura 2000 sites require basic data on the conservation status of individual habitats and species, as well as data for fine-scale distributions of ongoing fishing activities. This paper describes and discusses the process used by the EMPAS project in developing fishery-management plans for each Natura 2000 site in German offshore waters. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]