scholarly journals The necessity for response indicators in fisheries management

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 559-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Piet ◽  
H. M. J. van Overzee ◽  
M. A. Pastoors

Abstract Piet, G. J., van Overzee, H. M. J., and Pastoors, M. A. 2010. The necessity for response indicators in fisheries management. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 559–566. Results are used from traditional fisheries management to explore two potential response indicators: (i) the extent to which scientific advice is incorporated in decision-making, and (ii) the compliance of industry and the relevant authorities to these decisions. Based on the most comprehensive set of data on the management process of 125 stocks for which ICES provided advice over the period 1987–2006, we explored these response indicators and found that for just 8% of the stocks, the official total allowable catch (TAC) equalled the scientific advice, and that in recent years the official TAC overshot scientific advice by >50%. Compliance levels appear to be reflected in the percentage of stocks for which landings exceeded the official TAC, decreasing from ∼8 to 2%. However, because the TAC appears not to be limiting, compliance may not be the most appropriate indicator. Without transparent decision-making that takes scientific advice into account, or the compliance of industry as reflected by the type of response indicators explored, the effectiveness of new developments in fisheries management, such as the application of an ecosystem approach, will be compromised, as has been the case with conventional fisheries management measures.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2703
Author(s):  
Rodrigo A. Estévez ◽  
Stefan Gelcich

The United Nations calls on the international community to implement an ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) that considers the complex interrelationships between fisheries and marine and coastal ecosystems, including social and economic dimensions. However, countries experience significant national challenges for the application of the EAF. In this article, we used public officials’ knowledge to understand advances, gaps, and priorities for the implementation of the EAF in Chile. For this, we relied on the valuable information held by fisheries managers and government officials to support decision-making. In Chile, the EAF was established as a mandatory requirement for fisheries management in 2013. Key positive aspects include the promotion of fishers’ participation in inter-sectorial Management Committees to administrate fisheries and the regulation of bycatch and trawling on seamounts. Likewise, Scientific Committees formal roles in management allow the participation of scientists by setting catch limits for each fishery. However, important gaps were also identified. Officials highlighted serious difficulties to integrate social dimensions in fisheries management, and low effective coordination among the institutions to implement the EAF. We concluded that establishing clear protocols to systematize and generate formal instances to build upon government officials’ knowledge seems a clear and cost effective way to advance in the effective implementation of the EAF.


2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 804-810 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyne E. Delaney ◽  
H. Anne McLay ◽  
Wim L. T. van Densen

Abstract Delaney, A. E., McLay, H. A., and van Densen, W. L. T. 2007. Influences of discourse on decision-making in EU fisheries management: the case of North Sea cod (Gadus morhua). – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 804–810. Does public debate have an influence on decision-making in European fisheries management? Our premise is that for fisheries management to be viewed as legitimate, stakeholders should be included in the process. Because the first step towards stakeholder participation is letting their voices be heard, we analysed the public debate surrounding the management of North Sea cod, focusing on two aspects: the mixed fisheries problem of total allowable catch management and the causes of cod decline. Using standard social-science methodologies including discourse analysis, participant observation, and qualitative interviews, we suggest that the public debate has not had a direct effect on year-to-year management decisions. Still, it can be argued that the debate has influenced the attitude of those involved in the management system and, therefore, has had an impact on the changes in the management and advisory system that are taking place, although these take place at different levels and speeds than expected.


2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 381-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Parsons

AbstractThis article examines recent developments with respect to the development and application of an ecosystem approach in marine fisheries management. A number of international fisheries legal instruments now include explicit references to ecosystem considerations. While there has been general agreement on the need to take ecosystem considerations into account, there is no clarity or consensus on how this can best be done. Various definitions of an ecosystem approach emphasise that the focus must be on managing the human activities, which are part of, and impact on, marine ecosystems. An ecosystem approach is neither inconsistent with, nor a replacement for, existing fisheries management approaches—it is not a panacea for the problems confronting world fisheries. Realistically, we can only move to an ecosystem approach incrementally, starting with more rigorous/cautious application and extension of single species methods. A key element of any ecosystem approach will likely be to set harvest rates for target species at even lower conservative levels than might be suggested by single species analysis. Fisheries management measures should also ensure the protection not only of target species, but also of non-target, associated or dependent species. Reducing the killing power of the world's fishing fleets is an essential component of ecosystem-based fisheries management.


2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 423-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ted McDorman

AbstractThis paper deals with decision-making processes within those regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs) with the capacity to adopt management measures respecting either straddling or highly migratory fish stocks. The perception is that the decisions emanating from RFMOs are not achieving the goal of sustainable management of the fish stocks. Concerns raised in this regard are the perceived: non-adherence of RFMO decisions to science; lack of timeliness in making decisions; ability of RFMO members to avoid certain decisions; and adoption of management decisions that are not sufficiently rigorous. This contribution does not seek to evaluate the validity of the perception, rather it explores the manner in which RFMO conventions (the constitutive texts of RFMOs) deal with the decision-making process by looking at the trends within RFMOs, the challenges that exist and suggests ways to meet the challenges.


2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 858-861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Aps ◽  
Laurence T. Kell ◽  
Hans Lassen ◽  
Innar Liiv

Abstract Aps, R., Kell, L.T., Lassen, H., and Liiv, I. 2007. Negotiation framework for Baltic fisheries management: striking the balance of interest. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 858–861. We explore the issue of balancing stakeholder interests in the translation of science-based advice into agreed management measures. We also analyse the outcome of negotiations within the International Baltic Sea Fishery Commission (IBSFC) for setting the total allowable catch (TAC) for Baltic herring, sprat, cod, and salmon between 1977 and 2004. Given the political and economic pressure inherent in fishery management, IBSFC Contracting Parties, as maximizers of economic value, often set the TAC by unit stock in excess of what was considered sustainable. TACs set in excess of sustainable levels of exploitation (decision-overfishing) reflect the relative importance that negotiating parties attribute to the interests of multiple groups participating in the fishing industry. Such decision-overfishing can be seen as management failure to secure public interest in the long-term health of fish populations. The potential political and social causes of overfishing have to be addressed and removed before measures can be implemented that might reach the goal of sustainable development.


2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (9) ◽  
pp. 2618-2626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inês Cardoso ◽  
Teresa Moura ◽  
Hugo Mendes ◽  
Cristina Silva ◽  
Manuela Azevedo

Abstract The term “mixed fisheries” refers to fishing activities where more than one species are caught simultaneously and one species may be fished by different gears. Therefore, mixed fisheries present a harder challenge for fisheries management than single-species fisheries and the uncertainty can start at the definition of the target species. In these particular fisheries, we have a large group of species that are caught, being target or not, species with large landing values that are actually not target, and species with a high economic value that can fall in the bycatch category. Although the dynamics of such fisheries is poorly understood, they are known to have a relevant contribution to Portuguese fishers' revenue. The present demand on sustainable fishing activities to ensure marine ecosystem preservation has led towards an ecosystem approach where effort is being made to take into account biological and technical interactions on management measures and advice. In this work, logbooks data of the Portuguese multi-gear fleet were used to identify different fisheries based on catch composition and gears through cluster analysis (CLARA). Two identified fisheries were used to explore the impact of these fishing activities on the ecosystem scale. This approach was achieved by a productivity and susceptibility analysis and through foodweb analysis. The relation between species vulnerability and their functional role in the ecosystem were highlighted. Technical interactions among fishing gears, and species biological interactions, were explored within and among fisheries. We found and illustrated that these interactions go beyond the fleets and fisheries considered in the present work. This approach allows us to identify key elements that can, ultimately, be relevant to an ecosystem-based approach towards mixed fisheries management.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6395
Author(s):  
Marco Criado ◽  
Antonio Martínez-Graña ◽  
Fernando Santos-Francés ◽  
Leticia Merchán

In recent years, the landscape has become another environmental resource, so it is important to incorporate it into planning actions. However, its broad sense of study has made it difficult to develop methodologies that precisely diagnose the state of the landscape and its management requirements, especially in dynamic spaces like urban areas. In order to develop a method capable of providing information that can be incorporated into environmental assessment and territorial planning tasks so that the needs of the landscape are taken into account in the decision-making stages, an objective methodology is presented based on the study of different parameters (biotic, abiotic and socioeconomic) analyzed in the field and subsequently geoprocessed through Geographic Information Systems according to their influence on the landscape. Through the proposed methodology it is possible to determine the quality, fragility and need of protection of the landscape, as well as to identify the diverse landscape units that form the landscape of a territory. Based on these results, a landscape diagnosis can be drawn up to quantify its overall and partial state, carry out monitoring analyses and make comparisons between different landscape units, so that management measures can be adopted according to the obtained scenarios.


2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 1357-1367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Friederike Ziegler ◽  
Evelyne A. Groen ◽  
Sara Hornborg ◽  
Eddie A. M. Bokkers ◽  
Kine M. Karlsen ◽  
...  

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