Analysis of Natural Resources of Marine and Fishery Policy on the Welfare of Marine Area Communities an Islamic Economic Perspective

This research aims to determine how marine and fisheries policies in Indonesia and the implementation of these policies on the welfare of the society in the Bandar Lampung Sea area from the perspective of Islamic economics. So later, the results of this research can be used as examples and role models for other marine areas about the implementation of good marine and fisheries policies. The research was conducted with a qualitative descriptive research method that uses a literature study that considers and continues the results of previous studies. The type of sample used in this research is purposive sampling. The sample in this research is the community around the Gudang Lelang market and through random sampling technique. This research indicates marine and fisheries policies, especially at Pasar Gudang Lelang, Ikan Bawal street, Kangkung sub-district, Bandar Lampung City. Among others, protecting the diversity of marine organisms, minimizing the exploitation of marine and fishery resources, implementing human resource development related to marine and fishery resource management, implementing capital lending as a support for businesses, and others have been implemented well. The excellent application of marine and fisheries policies can foster welfare for the community according to the main objective of Islamic economics, namely to create public order in a welfare society based on justice, equality, and balance.

Bioinformatics Approach to Mitigate Mislabeling in EU Seafood Market and Protect Consumer Health

Fisheries products are some of the most traded commodities world-wide and the potential for fraud is a serious concern. Fish fraud represents a threat to human health and poses serious concerns due to the consumption of toxins, highly allergenic species, contaminates or zoonotic parasites, which may be present in substituted fish. The substitution of more expensive fish by cheaper species, with similar morphological characteristics but different origins, reflects the need for greater transparency and traceability upon which which the security of the entire seafood value-chain depends. Even though EU regulations have made significant progress in consumer information by stringent labelling requirements, fraud is still widespread. Many molecular techniques such as DNA barcoding provide valuable support to enhance the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in the protection of consumer interests by unequivocally detecting any kind of fraud. This paper aims to highlight both the engagement of EU fishery policy and the opportunity offered by new biotechnology instruments to mitigate the growing fraud in the globalized fish market and to enforce the food security system to protect consumers’ health. In this paper, after a presentation of EU rules on fish labeling and a general overview on the current state of the global fish market, we discuss the public health implications and the opportunities offered by several techniques based on genetics, reporting a case study to show the efficacy of the DNA barcoding methodology in assessing fish traceability and identification, comparing different species of the Epinephelus genus, Mottled Grouper (Mycteroperca rubra) and Wreckfish (Polyprion americanus), often improperly sold with the commercial name of “grouper”.

Effect of a Seasonal Fishery Closure on Sardine and Mackerel Catch in the Visayan Sea, Philippines

The implementation of seasonal fishery closures (SFC) can be controversial due to the frequent lack of clear objectives, monitoring and empirical evidence of management success. In the Philippines, an SFC implemented for the conservation of important fishery commodities in the Visayan Sea has been ruled a success after stricter implementation of this fishery policy in 2012. However, a comprehensive, detailed, and robust analysis of this fishery policy is lacking. Using a difference-in-differences (DID) framework, we estimated the effect of SFC on the interannual and seasonal catch for sardine and mackerel. We expanded our analysis to other species not regulated under the SFC policy. We also conducted semi-structured interviews (N = 235), focus group discussions (N = 9) and key informant interviews (N = 37) involving municipal fisheries stakeholders in the surrounding municipalities around the Visayan Sea, and representatives from the government and non-government agencies, to complement our analyses. Seasonal analyses of catch data show a significant increase in sardine catch at the end of the seasonal closure among SFC-participating provinces. However, overall, the SFC had no significant effect on sardine interannual catch among the provinces participating in the SFC. We also found no significant effect of the SFC on interannual and seasonal catch for mackerel. Furthermore, our findings show no significant changes in fishing pressure to other aquatic species. Interview results corroborate our DID findings for mackerel, but not for sardine. The varying perceptions on the outcomes of the SFC policy can be attributed to several challenges such as lack of implementing guidelines, lack of alternative livelihoods for the affected stakeholders, persistence of illegal fishing, and uneven implementation of the SFC. Since the management objective of this SFC was to conserve the regulated species, alternative management measures may be needed to achieve this goal. This could entail more consistent enforcement, improved cooperation and communication between fisheries managers and stakeholders, fish size or gear restrictions, and identification and conservation of key habitats needed to restore overexploited species.

Fishing against the odds: fishers’ motivations to carry on fishing in the wake of the hindering EU Common Fishery Policy—a case study in North Shields, UK

The UK’s fishing industry has contracted considerably since 1972 due to overfishing, increased fuel prices, and implementation of the European Union (EU) Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Despite this decline affecting the industry at large and the incomes of fishers, some fishers have carried on, or even freshly started or returned to the business. Why have these fishers done so despite the challenges they encounter in the fishing industry? In this article, we investigate why some fishers still choose to fish in the wake of all the EU regulations designed to control overfishing by reducing the size of the industry and discouraging entry by taking measures that affect revenues. Our data are collected through ethnographic research involving participant observation and interviews with fishers in North Shields, England. Based on our findings, we argue that the decision to carry on fishing, or even to return, is predominantly based on so-called intrinsic motivations, rather than on cost-benefit calculations, and stems from three interlinked basic human emotional needs which fishing seems to fulfil: the need to connect (sometimes also defined as the need to relate or belong); the desire for autonomy; and the desire to show competence (and have that competence recognized by relevant others). As such, the findings offer a fresh way to explain fishers’ decisions, based on a deliberated choice, to remain or leave the sector, and to understand and interrogate the challenges confronting present-day fishing both on a local level in the UK and also for Europe at large.

Fish Price Determination Around Lake Victoria, Tanzania: Analysis of Factors Affecting Fish Landing Price

Determination of fish landing price is important, as the same contributes to the structure, conduct and performance of the fish market in Lake Victoria. Determination of relevant landing price is a gap to console between fishermen, agents (middlemen), processors and the government. The main objective of this study was therefore to examine fish price determination. Specifically, to examine the methods for fish price determination and analyse factors that affect fish landing price in Lake Victoria, a cross-sectional design was employed, and 300 respondents were randomly selected from two district councils, namely, Sengerema and Buchosa. Both qualitative and quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential analysis. Findings show that landing price is determined through formal negotiation with processors, consultation with other traders, informal negotiation with buyers and Beach Management Unit (BMU). The study concluded that these are the common methods used to determine landing prices. Also, distance from fishing to onshore landing centres, market information channels, age and experiences of the fishermen are the factors significantly found affecting landing price. It is recommended that the mechanism for setting up fishery price, fish market structure, fishery information and the formation of fishery regulatory body needs fishery policy and sector reforms that mark the determination of fish landing price.

Identifying Persistent Hot Spot Areas of Undersized Fish and Crustaceans in Southern European Waters: Implication for Fishery Management Under the Discard Ban Regulation

The recent establishment of the “landing obligation” under the reformed EU Common Fishery Policy has the twofold objective of reducing the excessive practice of discarding unwanted catch at sea and encouraging more selective and sustainable fisheries. Within this context, the awareness of the spatial distribution of potential unwanted catches is important for devising management measures aimed to decrease discards. This study analyzed the distribution of Hot Spot density areas of demersal fish and crustaceans below the Minimum Conservation Reference Size (MCRS) in four different southern European seas: continental Portuguese coast, Catalan Sea, South of Sicily, Liguria and northern Tyrrhenian Seas using both bottom trawl survey data and information on the spatial distribution of commercial fisheries. Critical areas for discarding were identified as zones where the highest densities of individuals below MCRS were consistently recorded throughout a series of years. Results clearly showed a patchy distribution of undersized individuals in each investigated area, highlighting the overlap between high density patches of both discards and fishing effort. The present findings provide a relevant knowledge for supporting the application of spatial-based management actions, such as the designation of Fisheries Restricted Areas (FRAs), in order to minimize the by-catch of undersized specimens and improve the sustainability of demersal fisheries.

Temperature-driven Organization of Fish Ecosystems and Fishery Implications

Fish ecosystems perform ecological functions that are critically important for the sustainability of marine ecosystems, as well as for global food security. During the 21st century, significant global warming caused by climate change has created novel challenges for fish ecosystems that threaten the global environmental and human health. Here, we study a coastal fish community in Maizuru Bay, Japan, and investigate the relationships between fluctuations of sea temperature and fish biodiversity and abundance. The global increase of temperature from 2002 to 2014 reduces fish diversity, while some species become more abundant and that causes ecological productivity to grow exponentially. The fish community is analyzed considering five temperature ranges: ≤10° C, 10-15° C, 15-20° C, 20-25° C, ≥25° C. In order to infer bidirectional interactions between species, an optimal information flow model is introduced in this study. We detect interdependencies between species and reconstruct species interaction networks that are functionally different for each temperature range. Networks for lower and higher temperature ranges are more scale-free compared to networks for the intermediate 15-20° C range in which the fish ecosystem experiences a first order phase transition from a locally stable state to a metastable state. Species-specific analysis is conducted by calculating the link salience and total outgoing information flow. Native species whose abundance is distributed more uniformly have a higher total outgoing information flow, and are the reference species (nodes in networks) of the most salient links. These species play an important role in maintaining the fish ecosystem stability. Species diversity, total interactions and entropy of species abundance in the fish community grow with the increase of temperature. This work provides a data-driven tool for analyzing and monitoring fish ecosystems under the pressure of global warming or other stressors. Macroecological and network-based analyses are useful to formulate science-based and accurate fishery policy to maintain marine fish ecosystems stable and sustainable.