Should I stay or should I go? South Indian artisanal fishers’ precarious livelihoods and their engagement with categorical ocean forecasts

Ocean State Forecasts (OSF) contribute to safe and sustainable fishing, but forecast usage among artisanal fishers is often limited. Our research in Thiruvananthapuram district in the southern Indian state of Kerala tested forecast quality and value, and how fishers engage with forecasts. In two fishing villages, we verified forecast accuracy, skill and reliability by comparing forecasts with observations during the 2018 monsoon season (June – September; n=122). We assessed forecast value by analyzing fishers’ perceptions of weather and risks and the way they used forecasts–based on 8 focus group discussions, 20 interviews, conversations and logs of 10 fishing boats. We find that while forecasts are mostly accurate, inadequate forecasting of unusual events (e.g., wind >45 kmph) and frequent fishing restrictions (n= 32) undermine their value. While fishers seek more localized and detailed forecasts, they do not always use them. Weather forecasts are just one of the tools artisanal fishers deploy; not simply to decide as to whether to go to sea or not, but also to manage potential risks, allowing them to prepare for fishing under hazardous conditions. Instead, their decisions are primarily based on the availability of fish and their economic needs. Based on our findings, we suggest that political, economic and social marginality of south Indian fishers influences the fishers’ perceptions and responses to weather-related risks. Therefore, improving forecast usage requires not only better forecast skill and wide dissemination of tailor-made weather information, but also better appreciation of risk cultures and the livelihood imperatives of artisanal fishing communities.

Integrating human and ecological dimensions: The importance of stakeholders’ perceptions and participation on the performance of fisheries co-management in Chile

Increasing attention is paid to the interdependence between the ecological and human dimensions to improve the management of natural resources. Understanding how artisanal fishers see and use the common-pool resources in a co-management system may hold the clue to establishing effective coastal fisheries policies or strengthening existing ones. A more comprehensive planning of the system will also have a bearing on how to reduce conflicts and strengthen social networks. We surveyed artisanal fishers and decision-makers to determine their perceptions about the Management and Exploitation Areas of Benthic Resources (known as MEABR) in Chile’s Biobio region. We performed a field study from November 2018 to August 2019, applying a set of questionnaires to determine the ecological and human attributes that contribute to MEABR outcomes, and then constructed composite scores for those attributes according to a multidimensional scaling technique (“Rapfish”). We find that fishers have different perspectives: surprisingly, women highlighted that the institutional dimension was the most influential on MEABR performance, whereas men highlighted the ecological and economic outcomes. The decision-makers’ role in the MEABR system was considered adequate, but communication and socialization of regulations were irregular. Results also showed that fishers expressed dissatisfaction with illegal fishing practices (poaching), productivity, profits, and conflicts inside and outside the MEABRs. Our study allowed us to better understand how the MEABR has developed in the region. We recommend strengthening local management strategies with particular attention paid to networking among stakeholders, including gender inclusive relationships.

The rhetorical blue economy in Bangladesh: Analyzing the inborn regulatory bottlenecks

This study's overreaching objective was to assess the suitability and applicability of the existing legal and institutional framework for managing the coastal and marine resources in Bangladesh. Together with, the fundamental challenges faced by the artisanal and small-scale fishers in Bangladesh were critically scrutinized. The study revealed that the regulatory framework in Bangladesh is characterized by jurisdictional overlapping followed by the conflict of interests among the public institutes, which originated from the aged and fragmented laws and ambiguous business allocation; consequently, the artisanal and small-scale fishers suffer a lot. The local government and community's right to resource management remains fuzzy. Bangladesh can enact new sectoral laws followed by business reallocation for the line ministries. The study will help policymakers identify the bottlenecks rooted in the existing regulatory and institutional framework.Keywords: Coastal and Marine Resource; Jurisdictional Overlapping; Conflict of Interests; Marine Governance; Artisanal Fishers

Occurrence of the bigeye thresher shark, Alopias superciliosus (Lowe, 1841) (Elasmobranchii, Alopiidae) in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico

The bigeye thresher shark Alopias supeciliosus is a large epipelagic and mesopelagic species, and it has a wide distribution in the Atlantic. However, its record in the Gulf of Mexico is sporadic. A single adult female of A. superciliosus, measuring 360 cm total length and about weight 165 kg, was caught by artisanal fishers in Salinas Roca Partida, Veracruz, Mexico, on July 14, 2020. This study reports the first occurrence of this species in the southwestern of the Gulf of Mexico, which extends its geographical distribution in Mexico.

Ichthyological ethnoknowledge of the “piabeiros” from the Amazon region, Brazil

Background The capture of ornamental fish is one of the main economic activities of riverine families in the Amazon. However, studies regarding the local ecological knowledge of workers in this activity are still incipient. In view of this, we have studied and explored the local ecological knowledge of artisanal fishers who specialize in the capture of fish for the aquarium trade in the middle part of the Negro River basin and investigated issues related to the ecological aspects of the fish species that are targeted by this trade in the region. Methods Therefore, we conducted semi-structured interviews and applied questionnaires to artisanal fishers of ornamental fish (N = 89), from the municipality of Barcelos, from January to April 2016. Results In total, 41 popular names were cited, which correspond to four ethnocategories and 10 families. The main species were Paracheirodon axelrodi (12.5%), Hemigrammus bleheri (8.3%), Ancistrus dolichopterus (6.4%), Symphysodon discus (5.3%), and Potamotrygon motoro (3.8%). According to the fishers, the species of fish known in the region as “piabas” have a preference for living in clusters (28.9%) and carry out migratory movements (26.1%). The diet of local fish species reported by fisheries is diverse, though mainly based on periphyton (42.2%), and the reproductive cycle directly influenced by the period of flooding of rivers in the region (37.6%) Conclusion Our study revealed that the fishers possess information on the ecological aspects of local ornamental fish species, many of which are consistent with scientific literature. The information presented may assist in the decision-making process for the management of local fishery resources and contribute to the resumption of growth and sustainability in the capture of ornamental fish.