Freshwater, Fish and the Future: Proceedings of the Global Cross-Sectoral Conference

<em>Abstract</em> .—Development of hydropower dams on the mainstream of the Mekong River is highly contentious, particularly in Laos where two mainstream dams are under construction and another seven are planned. The debate revolves predominantly around the economic development associated with increased electricity supply and sales, versus the livelihood disruption resulting from the degradation of the traditional uses of the river (primarily fisheries) and other ecosystem services. Assessment of policy and management indicates six lessons relating to the governance of the Mekong and potentially other large transboundary rivers. These are that decisions about resource use can be unrelated to resource management, different public viewpoints and value judgments by political leaders must be acknowledged, integrated planning is essential for rational development of natural resources, decentralization of government hinders sustainable management of natural resources, technical information is essential for decision making and assessment of trade-offs, and difficulties in comparing monetary and nonmonetary values encumber policy development.

Freshwater, Fish and the Future: Proceedings of the Global Cross-Sectoral Conference

<em>Abstract.</em> —Freshwater tropical island environments support a variety of fishes that provide cultural, economic, and ecological services for humans but receive limited scientific, conservation, and public attention. Puerto Rico is a Caribbean tropical island that may serve as a model to illustrate the interactions between humans and natural resources in such complex ecosystems. The native freshwater fish assemblage of Puerto Rico is distinct from mainland assemblages in that the assemblage is not diverse, all species are diadromous, and they may be exploited at multiple life stages (e.g., postlarva, juvenile, adult). Primary large-scale drivers of recent water-use policy include economic growth, human population density, and urbanization, with climate change as an overarching influence. Watershed and riparian land use, water quality, river flow and instream physical habitat, river habitat connectivity, exotic species, and aquatic resource exploitation are important proximate factors affecting the ecosystem and fisheries. Research on ecological processes and components of the stream and river fish assemblages has expanded the knowledge base in the past decade with the goal of providing critical information for guiding the conservation and management of the lotic resource to optimize ecosystem function and services. The greatest challenge facing Caribbean island society is developing policies that balance the needs for human water use and associated activities with maintaining aquatic biodiversity, ecological integrity and services, and sustainable fisheries. Achieving this goal will require broad cooperation and sustained commitment among public officials, agency administrators, biologists, and the public toward effective resource management.

Freshwater, Fish and the Future: Proceedings of the Global Cross-Sectoral Conference

<em>Abstract</em> .—The Murray–Darling basin (MDB) in southeastern Australia, covers 1.1 million km², involves six partner jurisdictions with a myriad of different government agencies, and, hence, provides an excellent example of the complexities of multijurisdictional management across a range of social and political tiers. In the MDB, fish and fisheries compete for water with agriculture, which is the traditional water user and is driven by national economics. Murray–Darling basin rivers are now highly regulated and generally in poor health, with native fish populations estimated to be at only about 10% of their pre-European settlement abundances. All native commercial fisheries are now closed, and the only harvest is by a recreational fishery. The six partner jurisdictions developed a Native Fish Strategy (NFS) to rehabilitate native fish populations to 60% of pre-European settlement levels after 50 years of implementation by addressing priority threats through a coordinated, long-term, whole-of-fish-community (all native fishes) approach. As there are a wide range of stakeholders, broad engagement was needed at a broad range of government and community levels. The NFS funding was discontinued after 10 years, not because of its lack of successes or project governance, but due to jurisdictional political changes and funding cuts that resulted in a failure of the collaborative funding structure. The withdrawal of considerable funding by one jurisdiction led to collective decline in monetary contributions and posed a threat to the multijurisdictional structures for both water and natural resource management (NRM) within the MDB. As a consequence, there was a review and reduction in NRM programs and a subsequent reduction in focus to the core business of water delivery. Reflection on the NFS, however, provides some useful insights as to the successes (many) and failures (funding) of this partnership model. Overall, the strategy and its structure was effective, as exhibited by an audit of outputs, outcomes, and networks; by the evident ongoing advocacy by NRM practitioners and the community; and by the continuation of ideas under other funding opportunities. This has provided a powerful legacy for future management of fishes in the MDB.

Freshwater, Fish and the Future: Proceedings of the Global Cross-Sectoral Conference

<em>Abstract</em> .—The collection and use of data to manage the freshwater fisheries of Australia’s Murray–Darling basin (MDB) has a poor history of success. While there was limited assessment data for early subsistence and commercial fisheries, even after more robust data became available during the 1950s its quality varied across jurisdictions and was often poorly collated, assessments were not completed, and the data were underutilized by management. The fishery for Murray Cod <em>Maccullochella peelii </em> is given as an example, where the fishery declined to the point of closure and then the decline continued to the extent that Murray Cod was listed as a threatened species and all harvest now only occurs through the recreational fishery. Lessons from such poor population assessments have not been fully learned, however, as there remains a paucity of harvest data for this recreational fishery. Without a proper assessment, a true economic valuation of this fishery has not been made. As the MDB is Australia’s food bowl, there are competing demands for water use by agriculture, and without a proper assessment of the worth of the fishery, it is difficult for Murray Cod to be truly considered in either economic or sociopolitical discussions. The poor state of MDB rivers and their fish populations (including Murray Cod) has, however, resulted in political pressure for the development of the sustainable rivers audit, a common assessment method for riverine environmental condition monitoring. This audit undertakes standardized sampling for fish and a range of other variables at a number of fixed and randomly selected sites on a 3-year rotating basis. While the sustainable rivers audit has provided a range of data indicating that the condition of rivers is generally very poor, these data have yet to be fully utilized to determine the potential state of the fisheries (such as Murray Cod) or to set targets for rehabilitation, such as for environmental flows. While, to date, data analyses have been somewhat restricted by fiscal constraints, more comprehensive use of data, together with full fishery valuations, should be seen as the way forward for improved management.

Freshwater, Fish and the Future: Proceedings of the Global Cross-Sectoral Conference

<em>Abstract</em> .—Understanding the role and value of small-scale fisheries to livelihoods and food security is a key challenge in conserving fishery resources. This is particularly true for small-scale inland fisheries, one of the most underreported and undervalued fisheries sectors that also increasingly faces environmental and societal change. Gender plays a central role in the different ways in which inland fisheries contribute to food and nutritional security in developing countries. The role of women in inland fisheries is significant, with millions of women contributing to dynamic capture fisheries and aquaculture supply chains. The role of women in inland fisheries, however, is less visible than the role of men and is often overlooked in policymaking processes. The need for participatory community-based approaches has been widely recognized in natural resource management literature as a means to capture people’s perspectives and empower marginalized groups. The Photovoice method is increasingly used as a participatory tool in health, social, and environmental research, but has had little adoption in inland fisheries research to date. The aims of this paper are (1) to review and evaluate the effectiveness of an emerging participatory method, Photovoice; and (2) to present a modified Photovoice method, applicable to the context of small-scale fisheries, to advance understanding of gender and socioecological dimensions. We outline the strengths and limitations of the method and highlight that it can be used as a tool for triangulation of mixed research methods or independently. We argue that Photovoice, as a participatory tool in fisheries research, has the potential to provide rich, qualitative, context-specific, untapped sources of knowledge to advance fisheries research and management. The use of Photovoice in the context of small-scale inland fisheries and aquaculture research is a timely endeavor given heightened interest to obtain insights into the previously overlooked aspects of gender and the need for more policy relevant information.

Freshwater, Fish and the Future: Proceedings of the Global Cross-Sectoral Conference

<em>Abstract</em> .—The assessment process is fundamental to ensuring that inland fisheries are managed sustainably and valued appropriately so that they can support livelihoods, contribute to food security, and generate other ecosystem services. To that end, a global group of leaders in inland fishery assessment convened to generate a list of recommendations and specific actions for improving assessment of inland fisheries. Recommendations included the needs to assess the global contribution of inland fisheries to food security, develop and implement rigorous approaches to evaluate various inland fishery management actions, develop and implement creative approaches to improve the assessment of illegal fishing activities, and improve statistical data for unreported and unregulated catches in inland waters. The group also identified a need to develop standardized and defensible methods of biological assessment of inland fish and fisheries that include data collection, database management, and data sharing and reporting to reflect diverse ecosystem types. Moreover, it was recommended that assessment be designed to better inform inland fishery management and other sector planning and decision making at the appropriate scales (e.g., integrated water resource management) through stakeholder engagement, valuation of fisheries outputs, and identification of policy alternatives with consideration of trade-offs. The inherent diversity of inland fisheries in terms of ecological, socioeconomic, and governance attributes was recognized throughout the process of developing the suggested actions, including how such attributes combine to provide fisheries-specific contexts for management. Using appropriate and accessible communication channels is critical to more effectively package, present, and transfer information that raises awareness about inland fisheries values and issues; alter human behavior; and influence relevant policy and management actions. Creating mechanisms to facilitate dialogue among the diverse range of stakeholders is equally important. Improved assessment techniques should play a fundamental role in supporting sustainable inland fisheries management and contributing to food security and livelihoods, while also maintaining or improving ecological integrity.

Freshwater, Fish and the Future: Proceedings of the Global Cross-Sectoral Conference

<em>Abstract</em> .—The successor states to the former Soviet Union located in Central Asia and the Caucasus have substantial challenges in promoting sustainable inland and small-scale fisheries. This is particularly true due to the impact of the energy–water nexus that characterizes the domestic development challenges of the eight countries. Soviet policies on water usage for misguided agricultural development, including the cotton monoculture effort in Central Asia, depleted important water flows to traditional fisheries while more recent pressure for increased hydroelectric generation capacity within new national borders threatens to disrupt traditional fisheries and wildlife habitat. International tensions deriving from competing claims to river flows constrain regional cooperation and portend political and perhaps military conflict. There has been progress in regional economic integration among the Caspian basin littoral states, and in the context of the Economic Cooperation Organization, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the emerging Eurasian Economic Union, but suspicions as to motives held by key sponsoring states remain, as do perceived national interest conflicts. This paper explores the constraints and prospects for regional cooperation and governance, taking into account regional and bilateral tensions and drivers. Recommendations for future progress are proposed.

Freshwater, Fish and the Future: Proceedings of the Global Cross-Sectoral Conference

<em>Abstract</em> .—Governance of fish, fisheries, and freshwater resources encompasses both ecological and human well-being. Nevertheless, achieving both is challenging because of the diverse sectors competing for finite resources. This challenge is not related to a lack of understanding of what contributes to effective governance, but rather is due to the tendency to divide freshwater resource users into sectors that do not coordinate their use of freshwater. A panel of experts identified six issues and recommendations for improving governance of inland fisheries. These issues are (1) the lack of cross-sectoral integration in the development and management agendas for freshwater ecosystems, (2) the need for governance mechanisms on shared water bodies, (3) the recognition of the rights and wishes of indigenous people and other stakeholders dependent on inland fisheries, (4) recognizing the important role of aquaculture and how to incorporate aquaculture into governance mechanisms, (5) how to improve fishery management, and (6) how to improve communication among institutions and stakeholders.

Freshwater, Fish and the Future: Proceedings of the Global Cross-Sectoral Conference

<em>Abstract</em> .—Inland fisheries provide important contributions to human well-being, but these contributions are often overlooked or undervalued by decision makers. Consequently, inland fisheries are not adequately considered in either global fisheries sustainability initiatives—which are generally marine-focused—or in the use of freshwater resource planning in an era of water crisis. Here we synthesize the state of knowledge of the contribution of inland freshwater fisheries to human well-being. To date, there has been no coordinated global valuation of the ecosystem service contributions of inland fisheries, and it is thus only possible to highlight the range of services they provide from isolated case studies. Throughout these studies, human nutrition emerges as a key value, with freshwater fish providing essential nutrients in countries such as Cambodia and Bangladesh, which are endowed with productive freshwater fisheries. Inland fisheries also provide livelihoods, income, economic autonomy, dietary diversity, cultural identity, and social structure to tens of millions of people around the world. The diversity of fishing methods, conservation strategies, and traditional ways of managing fisheries enriches the human experience and represents a source of cultural and technical knowledge and human institutional ingenuity. In this paper, we review what is known about approaches for assigning values to freshwater fisheries and identify methods to better assess and communicate those values to decision makers and the public in order to increase representation of inland fisheries in natural resource decision-making processes. Most importantly, we focus on the contributions of inland fisheries to food security, nutrition, community cohesion, and improved livelihoods. This paper also explores approaches that consider the knowledge and perspective of fishers, fish workers, other aquatic resource users, and their communities to augment and improve the knowledge and perspective of scientists and resource managers in better managing freshwater fisheries resources. We also stress the importance of ensuring that assessments explicitly consider gender relations and roles in inland fisheries and fishing-dependent societies. Better recognition and valuation of the economic, nutrition, and social benefits that inland fisheries provide to human communities is an essential step toward better incorporating inland fisheries into future water and food security policies.