The definition of marine recreational fishing in Europe

To describe marine recreational fisheries, their socio-economic importance and interactions with other fisheries and the environment, it is necessary to define what is meant by recreational fishing. A review of European Member States’ national legislation revealed considerable variation in ownership and access to coastal waters/fisheries, and in the legal distinction between sport fishing and other recreational uses of marine fisheries and their commercial (catching for sale and profit) counterparts. Together with a re-examination of existing definitions, this has enabled us to suggest definitions that may be used to develop a common approach to evaluate participation and socio-economic value of marine recreational fishing, and guide attempts to legislate for the benefit and development of marine recreational fishing across Europe.     

Ecological footprint and vulnerability of marine capture fisheries in China

China(herein referred as China’s mainland,and excluding Hong Kong,Macao and Taiwan)ranks as the world’s leading fishing nation,with approximately 11.1 million tons of domestic marine catch acquired in 2017.Marine fisheries resources in China are mainly exploited by its 11 coastal provinces and municipalities,and the development of fishing industry varies among them.However,few studies have examined the exploitation history of the 11 coastal provinces and municipalities.In this paper,we systematically quantified the exploitation history of marine fishery resources in China and then measured the vulnerability of the 11 coastal provinces and municipalities of China to a reduction in marine catches.Our analysis suggested that Chinese marine fisheries experienced rapid growth from the mid-1980 s to the end of the 20 th century,and this rapid increase in marine catches were mainly promoted by increased fishing effort.The total primary production required level amounted to approximately 80%of the average primary productivity in 2017,and Zhejiang,Fujian,Shandong,Hainan and Guangdong provinces were the main fishing provinces in China.By assessing three dimensions of vulnerability(exposure,sensitivity and adaptive capacity)to the impacts of a reduction in marine catches in the 11 coastal provinces and municipalities,we found that Hainan,Guangxi,Zhejiang and Fujian provinces had high or very high vulnerability,while the municipalities of Shanghai and Tianjin had low vulnerability.Identifying suitable adaptation policies and management plans based on the differences in vulnerability among coastal provinces is important in sustainable fisheries management.     

Social,economic and environmental effects of closing commercial fisheries to enhance recreational fishing

Recreational fishing mortality can have a major impact on coastal fish populations, bringing recreational fishers into conflict with commercial fisheries. This article reviews exclusion zones for commercial fishing, or ‘recreational fishing areas’ as a solution to the conflict between commercial and recreational fisheries. Recently designated recreational fishing areas in the state of Queensland, Australia are examined as a case-study. The goal of recreational fishing areas is to enhance recreational fishing and provide economic opportunities through charter fishing. However, recently designated recreational fishing areas in Queensland have not been thoroughly assessed for their social, economic and environmental impacts and they are not integrated within existing management frameworks for fisheries. The designation of recreational fishing areas is thus a shift away from evidence-based management in Queensland's fisheries and has likely occurred solely for political reasons – there are more voters in the recreational fishery than commercial fishery. In Queensland, excluding commercial fishing on its own is unlikely to result in long-term benefits to recreational fisheries because recreational harvest is a major component of fish harvest for some key species and there is no legislated limit to recreational harvest. Current political attention on recreational fishing areas provides an opportunity for fisheries managers, politicians, conservation groups and the public to discuss what is needed to manage sustainable coastal fisheries. In particular, recreational fishing areas need to be combined with efforts to enhance stewardship among recreational fishers if they are to be successful in the long-term.     

Status,trends and challenges in the sustainability of small-scale fisheries in the Philippines: Insights from FISHDA (Fishing Industries' Support in Handling Decisions Application) model

Managing small-scale fisheries in a developing country like the Philippines is very challenging because of high pressures from expanding fishing population, poverty and lack of alternative options. Thus, resource-focused fisheries management initiatives such as marine protected area (MPA) establishment will likely result in further marginalization of the poor fishers which could pose more serious problems in coastal communities. In this study, the status of small-scale fisheries in 44 coastal towns in the Philippines was assessed using FISHDA (Fishing Industries' Support in Handling Decisions Application), a simple decision support tool which requires minimal or easily-generated data. Results showed that 68% (30 out of 44) of the studied towns have unsustainable fisheries unless 58% of their fishing grounds are protected from all fishing activities. Alternatively, 53% of the active fishers in towns with unsustainable fisheries must totally stop fishing to avert fishery collapse. Alarming as it may sound, this is still an underestimate as catches incurred by the highly efficient and destructive illegal fishing activities such as blast, poison and large-scale fishing, which are reported to be still rampant in many coastal areas in the Philippines, were not accounted for in this study. This study demonstrated that MPAs alone may not be enough to avert fishery collapse even if MPA size is increased from the current 3% to 15% of the municipal waters, i.e. up to 15 km from the shore, as required by the Philippine law. Various challenges confronting the fishery and important recommendations to address them are further discussed.     

Fishery cooperatives in Cuba: Potential benefits,legal feasibility,and governance pre-conditions

Currently there is a strong interest in Cuba in improving the performance of the fisheries sector with respect to social, biological, and economic outcomes. Many important fishery resources appear to be overexploited, and previous fishery regulations have had mixed success in restoring fishery stocks. The current fishing pressure could also have adverse impacts on other valuable ecosystem services that support economic activities such as dive tourism and recreational fishing. A new State policy to expand cooperative enterprises to non-agricultural sectors provides an opportunity for fishery cooperatives to be created for the first time since the early years of the Cuban Revolution. This paper explores the potential ecological, social, and economic benefits of adopting fishery cooperatives as a co-management scheme for Cuba's marine fisheries. It concludes that well-designed fishery cooperatives can offer substantial benefits to the management of the fishery sector. Based on an analysis of the relative success of fishing cooperatives worldwide, guidelines are provided for the design of fishery cooperatives in Cuba.     

Spatial conflicts in New Zealand fisheries: The rights of fishers and protection of the marine environment

New Zealand fisheries legislation provides commercial fishing rights to holders of individual transferable quota (ITQ). The settlement of fisheries claims against the Crown by Mäori, New Zealand's indigenous people, brought about the transfer of ITQ holdings to Mäori, and an obligation on the Crown to recognise and provide for indigenous (customary) fishing rights over fishing grounds and other areas that have been of special significance to Mäori. Some types of customary fishing areas exclude commercial fishing and could affect recreational fishing. Fisheries legislation requires that regulatory measures be put in place to avoid, remedy or mitigate the adverse effects of fishing. The Government also aims to protect marine biodiversity by having 10% of New Zealand waters in some form of protection by 2010. The legislative processes for protecting the marine environment and establishing customary fishing areas include assessment of effects on fishing rights. This paper explores the conflicts that arise from legislative obligations to uphold the rights of fishers, to sustain fishstocks and to protect the marine environment. The paper concludes that inconsistent legislative obligations and their disparate processes have led to spatial conflicts and a race for the allocation of space. Legislative obligations need to be integrated to maintain a balance between use of fisheries resources and protection of the marine environment.     

A transition beyond traditional fisheries: Taiwan's experience with developing fishing tourism

Transforming fisheries into tourism has become a global trend. It arises mostly due to a decline in income generated by traditional fisheries, and fishers thus turn to seek alternatives by engaging in marine tourism activities. Taiwan has practiced this transformation policy for more than two decades, and fishing tourism has developed as a major outcome. This paper aims to investigate Taiwan's experience with developing this activity, with an emphasis on the emerging concerns it faces and anglers’ perception of trip quality and potential management measures. The results show that anglers had a general satisfaction with the service delivered by operators. However, concerns regarding sustainable development of this activity were identified, mostly involving ineffective enforcement of regulations against illegal fishing, conflicts of interest between commercial fishing and recreational fishing, lack of statistics on harvest, improper angler behavior, and competition from yachts. Lastly, management implications for sustainable fishing tourism were discussed, highlighting suggestions to alleviate the concerns, including strengthening management of the harvest, encouraging dialogue between commercial and recreational sectors, enhancing marine environmental stewardship among anglers, and improving coordination of management to create a fair and balanced environment for recreational fishing vessels and yachts.     

Commercial fisheries closures in marine protected areas on Canada’s Pacific coast: The exception,not the rule

No-take marine protected areas (MPAs), where all fishing is prohibited, have been shown to provide benefits that include greater productivity of fish stocks due to increased densities, average sizes, and reproductive output. A critical component of this success is the effective management of MPAs to ensure that only those activities deemed permissible, are allowed to occur. As of 2008, 161 MPAs had been designated on the Pacific coast of Canada by federal, provincial or municipal authorities. The objective of this study was to discover how many of these MPAs are intended to provide full protection to habitats and species from commercial fishing and whether management measures were put in place to actualize this conservation intent. The comprehensive spatial dataset was built illustrating commercial fisheries closures and this was overlaid with MPA locations in a GIS. The majority of MPAs were designated as IUCN Strict Nature Reserve (Type Ia), Wilderness Area (Type Ib), and National Park (Type II) marine reserves, which are intended to be free from exploitation. It was found that 160 of the 161 MPAs are open to some commercial harvesting within their bounds. One small municipal MPA and portions of three other MPAs are not open to commercial harvesting. The incongruence between management intent and fisheries permitted suggests a management failure between designation of MPAs and implementation of fisheries management regulations.     

Dark times for dageraad Chrysoblephus cristiceps: evidence for stock collapse

The declaration of a state of emergency in the South African linefishery in 2000 has had a positive impact on a few overexploited endemic seabreams (Family Sparidae). However, the population of the reef-dwelling dageraad Chrysoblephus cristiceps has been unresponsive to progressively stricter management regulations. After decades of unsustainable fishing mortality the species is in a critical state. In this paper, a method based on standardised probability of capture is used to develop an index of relative abundance for rare species, such as dageraad, which is more robust to changes in output control regulations than conventional methods. The results show a severe decline in dageraad capture probability in the south-west region of South Africa, from 8% in 1985 to <0.1% in 2011. The east region experienced a more rapid decline, from 24% in 1999 to <0.1% in 2011. A spatial comparison of the distribution of historical and recent dageraad probability of capture along the South African coastline indicates a range contraction commonly associated with the collapse of a population. The once-widespread species is now largely limited to a few locations in the Eastern Cape province and dageraad is mostly absent across its former western distribution. Although the historical decline has commonly been attributed to commercial overexploitation, the recreational sector had an estimated 3–5 times greater impact on the dageraad population than the commercial sector in recent years. Given that previous management regulations have been unsuccessful in arresting the decline of dageraad populations, assertive management is necessary to ensure the species’ sustainability. Rehabilitation of dageraad stocks will require a further decrease in fishing mortality, in conjunction with maintaining an appropriate marine protected area (MPA) network.     

中国海洋渔业碳平衡状态及影响因素研究

低碳是海洋循环经济实现的重要途径,实现海洋渔业的碳平衡是海洋传统经济转变的重要发展方式。本文通过对2013—2022年全国及沿海9省(区)的海洋捕捞碳排放量与碳汇量测算,在此基础上分析了全国及沿海9省(区)的碳平衡状态,并利用灰色关联度分析碳平衡状态影响因素的关联度。结果表明除2020年-2022年山东省的碳平衡状态为盈余外,其他均为碳赤字状态。对于碳平衡状态的影响因素,总体来看全国与沿海9省(区)关联度较大的是海洋捕捞产量、捕捞人员数量和海水养殖面积。最后从加快渔船的升级改造与更新淘汰、调整捕捞的作业方式、提高海水养殖贝藻类的养殖规模以及加快渔业专业合作组织的建立和加速推广渔业碳汇交易提出相关对策建议,以期尽快地实现海洋渔业的碳平衡。     

Angler perceptions of California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) depredation and marine policy in Southern California

California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) off the coast of Southern California are known to damage both commercial and recreational fishing activities, causing decreases to fish catch and damage to gear. Their increasing population has intensified the potential for conflict between sea lions and anglers, likely requiring changes to current legislation. The recreational fishing community in Southern California is a valuable and largely underutilized source for information and potential solutions to management and legislative problems. This recreational fishing survey-based study conducted in 2013 utilized personal interviews, conducted in the field with recreational anglers and commercial passenger fishing vessel (CPFV) crews in Southern California, to gather data on: (a) the occurrence and impact of sea lion depredation on the local fishing, (b) angler awareness and opinions on current legislation, and (c) the conflict between fishing activities and conservation efforts. Results show that surveyed CPFV operators and private boaters had the most conflict with sea lions and perceive them as more of a problem than anglers on piers, jetties or kayaks. The conflict was also reportedly more prevalent in San Diego County compared to the other counties surveyed (Orange, Los Angeles and Ventura). Participating CPFV operators were overwhelmingly in support of a government culling program for sea lions, while recreational angler respondents did not feel that a control program was necessary. These CPFV operators reported more money lost, and were willing to pay more for an effective deterrent device. There was also a consensus among respondents that fish catch is declining, yet anglers were unsatisfied with the effectiveness of current legislation designed to increase fish stocks. These data will provide a better understanding of California sea lion depredation in Southern California and its effect on recreational anglers in order to aid future mitigation efforts. Additionally, these results provide stakeholder feedback on local marine protected areas and other fisheries management legislation, and build a foundation for future conservation and education programs.     

Flexible management of fishing rights and a sustainable fisheries industry in Europe

Although overexploitation of commercial fish stocks in European waters has been in the public debate now for more than 20 years, the European Union has so far failed to implement sustainable fisheries management. Millions in subsidies paid to the fishing industry have led to significant excess capacity in the fishing fleet. Various feeble attempts to stop overexploitation of marine resources have failed. The cause is that fishing policy is highly dominated by short-term socioeconomic interests. There is an urgent need for a new fisheries management system in Europe that supports reductions in the fishing fleet, increases responsibility among fishers and guarantees long-term conservation of natural marine resources.Transferable rights to fish have proved a reliable and effective means of creating incentives to conserve marine resources. By strengthening individual fishing rights under flexible quota management systems, the EU Member States could, within the Common Fisheries Policy, make a significant contribution to conserving fish stocks, to reducing excess capacity and to raising the profitability of the fisheries industry. A closer look at existing reservations against a flexible management system shows most of the objections to be overstated or capable of resolution.     

Fish stocks and their management: The changing face of fisheries in South Africa

Transformation of South African marine fisheries over the past 10 years has had to balance economic stability, equity and sustainability. This is being done in three ways. First, access rights have been redistributed, increasing the number of rights holders 20-fold and the participation of historically disadvantaged individuals from 0.75% to 62%. Second, established companies have undergone internal transformation. Third, subsistence fishers have formally been recognised. New focuses include co-management, ecosystem-based management and marine protected areas. Further necessary steps include parity in salaries, attention to artisanal fishers, embracement of co-management, expansion of subsistence management and effective enforcement. Most stocks are healthy or recovering but exceptions, such as abalone, warn how quickly stocks can be decimated if co-operation is not achieved.     

Saltwater sport fishing for food or income in the Northeastern US: Statistical estimates and policy implications

In the Northeast US fishery managers have attempted to control marine recreational fishing mortality through annual adjustments to the number and/or size of fish that can be kept. These measures, with a few exceptions, have generally failed to prevent recreational fishing mortality rates from exceeding annual target levels. In this study, we show that one of the reasons why keep limits may have failed is that a substantial number of anglers obtain little value from being able to keep self-caught fish. Our findings are based on a telephone survey administered to marine anglers in all of the coastal counties in the Northeast US in 2004/2005. To evaluate the importance of keeping self-caught fish, we provide estimates of the size of the marine angling population in the Northeast US that keeps fish for food or income and also for those that fish primarily for recreation and place little or no value on keeping fish. Demographic characteristics of the two groups of anglers are compared statistically and differences related to consumption of self-caught marine resources and to health warning advisories are discussed. We also estimate the size of the Northeast US angling population that relies on their self-caught marine resources as a cost-saving food source or as a supplement to household income. This information could improve the effectiveness of fisheries regulations and the ability of policy analysts to predict how anglers might be affected by proposed fishery management actions.     

The bottom line: An investigation of the economic, cultural and social costs of industrial longline fishing in the Pacific and the benefits of sustainable use marine protected areas

Industrial longline fishing can be understood as a case study of the cultural, economic, environmental and social impacts of unsustainable fishing technology. While much attention has been attributed to the impact of industrial longlines on the marine ecosystem, little is known about the impact of longline fishing on local food security, employment, cultural belief systems and traditions, revenue generation from marine tourism and climate change. New data demonstrate that the contributions of Marine Protected Areas, marine tourism and recreational fishing to local coastal economies dwarf the contributions of longline fishing. When combined with the impact of overfishing on coastal fishing communities and fish consumers, policies promoting sustainable fisheries must be expanded to take these other factors into account along with issues of biodiversity.     

The bottom line: An investigation of the economic,cultural and social costs of high seas industrial longline fishing in the Pacific and the benefits of conservation

High sea industrial longline fishing can be understood as a case study of the cultural, economic, environmental and social impacts of unsustainable fishing technology. While much attention has been attributed to the impact of industrial longlines on the marine ecosystem, little is known about the impact of longline fishing on local food security, employment, cultural belief systems and traditions, revenue generation from marine tourism and climate change. New data demonstrate that the contributions of Marine Protected Areas, marine tourism and recreational fishing to local coastal economies dwarf the contributions of longline fishing. When combined with the impact of overfishing on coastal fishing communities and fish consumers, policies promoting sustainable fisheries must be expanded to take these other factors into account along with issues of biodiversity.     

Changes in recreational shore anglers’ attitudes towards,and awareness of,linefish management along the KwaZulu-Natal coast,South Africa

Management of recreational fisheries cannot be based on biological and stock assessment data alone but needs to include appropriate social aspects (including knowledge, attitudes and behaviour) of anglers within the fishery. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate and complement existing recreational fisheries research, through the analysis of demographic and psychographic angler attributes collected from two independent, shore-based snapshot monitoring surveys conducted on the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) coastline of South Africa, in 1994–1996 and 2009–2010. Results show significant changes between the two survey events in the demographics of anglers (including ethnic composition, age distribution, years of fishing experience and employment status) participating in the KZN shore-based linefishery. Traditional management regulations (minimum size limits, daily bag limits and closed seasons), though appearing to have support, have had limited effectiveness, based on the increased levels of admitted non-compliance and poor knowledge of regulations for target species. Anglers in both surveys believed that catches had declined over the years, with overfishing being the most common reason given. The results are discussed in the context of changing management practices in the KZN recreational shore-based linefishery. The implications of changes in fisheries management policies and responsibilities along the KZN coast are highlighted.     

Fishers' perception of a multiple-use marine protected area: Why communities and gear users differ at Mafia Island,Tanzania

This study examined the perceptions of fishers from two fishing communities with differing use histories and involvement in the long-standing (16 yr) multiple use Mafia Island marine protected area (MIMP), Tanzania. A randomly distributed questionnaire indicated that 94% of fishers believed that without the MIMP, there would be overfishing, dynamite use, destroyed habitats, and few fish. Fishers were more positive about core zones (no-take fishery closures) than general use zones (areas allowing selective fishing) as a consequence of increases in fishing pressure. Those that reported increased catches and sizes of fish since the creation of the MIMP were more likely to agree with present zone locations and more positive in general about fisheries and conservation planning. Most thought that fish size and gear restrictions were preferable to permanent closures. Perceptions differed among communities and gear users. Community and gear type explained 46% of the variance in responses about the perception that fisheries and conservation are compatible goals. Somewhat surprisingly, these effects were more important than catch increases or involvement in MIMP-related activities. The differences in perception between communities may be partly attributed to different fishing histories. Multiple-use zoning provides a means to identify and resolve conflicts and achieve what are likely universal objectives for fisheries sustainability and conservation.     

Institutional analysis of UK coastal fisheries: Implications of overlapping regulations for fisheries management

This paper addresses the issue of overlapping fisheries regulations by multiple authorities for coastal fisheries in the United Kingdom. It examines one particular case study of the oyster fishers of the Isle of Wight, focusing on resource management regulations, fishermen's strategies to deal with ambiguous legislation, and the response of the various management authorities. The case study forms the basis on which to discuss institutional implications for effective operational management of the UK's coastal fisheries resource.