Full retention in tuna fisheries: Benefits,costs and unintended consequences

Several tuna regional fisheries management organizations (t-RFMOs) have adopted retention requirements for skipjack, bigeye and yellowfin tunas caught by purse seine vessels to reduce discards, create disincentives to catch small fish, and incentivize the development and adoption of more selective technologies. Although retention policies in the t-RFMOs have been limited to target tunas in purse seine fisheries, some have advocated for an expansion of those policies, and t-RFMOs could consider expanding retention policies to a greater number of species and/or to other gear types. This paper discusses the benefits and costs of broader retention policies for purse seine and longline tuna fisheries in the western and central Pacific Ocean (WCPO). Using bycatch data from observers and logbooks from the U.S. purse seine and longline fleets operating in the WCPO, this paper documents the types and magnitude of fish discarded. For the purse seine fishery, this information was used to estimate direct impacts of having to off-load at the initial point of landing in key Pacific Island ports. For the longline fishery, estimates of direct impacts were limited to Honolulu and Pago Pago, American Samoa, the two primary ports where U.S. catch is landed. Expanding retention policies beyond the target tunas and to other gear types would further reduce discarding and possibly provide stronger incentives to develop and use more selective techniques. Beyond impacts to the ecosystem and fisher behavior, adopting broader retention policies may have other implications, and this paper explores those implications on vessels, processors, and communities. In general, as is the case with most direct interventions on fishing operations, there will be both benefits and costs, and the magnitude of those impacts will depend on the scope and extent of any expanded retention policy.     

Tuna dreams and tuna realities: Defining the term “maximising economic returns from the tuna fisheries” in six Pacific Island states

Previous work on identifying opportunities for Pacific Island countries to improve the economic returns from their tuna resources in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) has not generally included articulation of aspirations from Islanders themselves. However, generating such an understanding is increasingly important as these countries assert their positions in regional fisheries policy making. This study analyses the self-identified aspirations of industry and government representatives from six Pacific Island countries and finds a wider diversity of attitudes, strategies and success than is generally recognised. Implications for negotiations in the WCPFC are then discussed.     

Ecological Risk Assessment for seabird interactions in Western and Central Pacific longline fisheries

The risk of seabird–fishery interactions in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) was examined by analysing the overlap of seabird distributions with tuna and swordfish pelagic longline fisheries managed by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and its constituent members. The study used spatially-explicit Productivity–Susceptibility Analysis (PSA). Key data inputs were species productivity, fishing effort, likelihood of capture and species density by region. The outputs tailored results to the needs of fisheries- and wildlife-managers, indicating areas of greatest risk of species interactions, species of greatest concern for population impacts, and the flags or fisheries most likely to contribute to the risk. Large albatross species were found to be most likely to suffer population effects when exposed to longline fishing activity, followed by the larger petrels from the genuses Procellaria, Macronectes and Pterodroma. A mixture of coastal states with nesting seabird populations in their Exclusive Economic Zones (New Zealand, Australia and United States of America), distant water fishing nations (Japan, Taiwan) and flags of convenience (Vanuatu) contributed 90% of the risk to seabird populations. Recommendations include enhancing the level of fisheries observer monitoring in areas indicated as high to medium risk for seabird interactions, and consideration of spatial management tools, such as more intensive or more stringent seabird bycatch mitigation requirements in high- to medium-risk areas. The methods used, and similar studies conducted in the Atlantic Ocean could lead to improved targeting of monitoring resources, and greater specificity in the needs for seabird-mitigation measures. This will assist in reducing seabird mortality in longline fishing operations and with more effective use of resources for fishery managers in both domestic fisheries and RFMOs.     

金枪鱼渔业国际市场结构成因分析及对我国的启示

金枪鱼渔业作为远洋渔业和海洋经济的重要组成部分,其发展受到各远洋渔业大国的高度重视和大力扶持。文章基于SCP分析范式,从市场结构、市场行为及市场绩效3个范畴研究金枪鱼渔业产业组织的结构特征,分析影响金枪鱼渔业市场结构的因素,探究市场结构、市场行为和市场绩效三者的关系。研究发现:金枪鱼国际生产和贸易垄断集中程度降低,市场竞争的有效性不断加强;金枪鱼的市场结构受到市场集中度、产品差别化,进入和退出壁垒的影响;金枪鱼渔业市场结构、市场行为和市场绩效之间存在相互影响关系。文章最后为我国发展金枪鱼渔业,提升国际竞争力提出了发挥渔业管理组织牵头作用,共同维护金枪鱼市场有效竞争;积极促进企业发展,提高生产研发能力,立足国际市场;创造良好国际环境,切实为金枪鱼渔业发展保驾护航等建议。     

Fishermen's perspectives on climate variability

Understanding fishermen's perspectives and responses relating to climate variability is important for sustainable fisheries management. To this end, a survey of captains of commercial passenger fishing vessels (CPFVs) was conducted in San Diego. The survey demonstrates that fishermen have observed and adapted to changes in the environment and fish populations associated with climate variability. However, only 12.9% of respondents agreed that global climate change is a possibility. In order to explain fishermen's divergent beliefs on climate change, a semiparametric discrete choice model is used to identify the potential determinants. The empirical results highlight the importance of the following factors: fishermen's experience, observations of the phenomena that are associated with climate variability, and an interaction of fishermen's experience and their observations.     

Climate variability and tropical tuna: Management challenges for highly migratory fish stocks

The 1995 United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement facilitates the creation of regional fishery management organizations (RFMOs) to govern harvests of straddling and highly migratory fish stocks. The stability and success of these organizations will depend, in part, on how effectively they can maintain member nations’ incentives to cooperate despite the uncertainties and shifting opportunities that may result from climate-driven changes in the productivity, migratory behavior, or catchability of the fish stocks governed by the RFMO. Such climatic impacts may intensify incentives for opportunism, and create other management challenges for the RFMOs now governing tropical tuna fisheries in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.     

A brief catalogue of failures: Framing evaluation and learning in fisheries resource management

We propose a framework for enabling a systematic evaluation of a fisheries resource management system, which we define as a feed-back mechanism coupled to a fishery. The resource management system includes four basic functions: diagnostics, intervention, goal setting, and decision making. This model allows for the development of an evaluation framework for fisheries resource management by facilitating a typology of failures. We suggest that the potential for systemic and interdisciplinary learning will be significantly enhanced through the process of developing such a framework.     

Governance of tuna industries: The key to economic viability and sustainability in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean

The Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) tuna fishery is an important global food resource, and the economies of many Pacific Islands Countries (PICs) rely heavily on tuna industries. This paper proposes that governance by PICs is the key to improving the sustainability and profitability of tuna industries in the region. ‘Governance’ is usually used to refer to corruption, but here is interpreted more broadly to encompass the whole process by which decisions regarding public life are made and enacted, by government and also civil society. Argument is supported by empirical material from an interview study with stakeholders and a survey of reports.     

基于数据挖掘算法的WCPO金枪鱼围网渔情预测研究

利用数据挖掘方法对1990年1月—2001年7月10余年的WCPO金枪鱼围网作业生产数据以及该时段的18个与WCPO金枪鱼围网产量相关的海洋环境因子进行分析,将信息增益分析技术和基于粗糙集的属性化简方法相结合用以确定影响WCPO金枪鱼围网产量的关键因子集。利用多元回归分析方法建立基于关键因子集的预测模型,经过大量试验对比选择较佳的预测模型,达到了理想的效果。同时,验证了所确定关键因子集的可靠性,有效性。首次利用多种数据挖掘方法相结合的方式对多种影响因子进行分析,开展渔情预报研究,达到了较好的效果,为渔情预报研究提供了一种新思路,同时为渔业生产提供了可靠的依据。     

The cooperation strategies of fisheries between Taiwanese purse seiners and Pacific Island Countries

The tuna industry in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) is one of the most valuable fisheries in the world. Taiwan has a long fishing history and is one of the major distant water fishing nations in the surrounding area. This study aimed to review the historical cooperation structure between Taiwanese purse seiners and Pacific Island Countries (PICs). Data were collected by literature analysis and semi-standardized in-depth interviews with experts. The results showed that since 1982, the Taiwanese purse seiners have developed and signed bilateral access agreements with seven PICs under a variety of formats. The fisheries access and licensing arrangements have been transformed to a Vessel Day Scheme (VDS); as a result, the access fees have increased rapidly since 2010. Taiwanese industries have invested in facilities and share ownership with some PICs. Moreover, the Taiwanese purse seiner industries have proclaimed their willingness to follow the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission conservation measures and stated that they will cooperate with PICs. They hold conservative views, however, regarding the further transfer of ownership to PICs. For the conservation of tuna resources in the WCPO, distant water fishing nations and PICs should cooperate to limit fishing capacity and ensure that the access fee benefits PICs.     

Subsidies,public goods,and external benefits in fisheries

The fisheries subsidy discussion has largely overlooked the increased welfare for society from Pigouvian subsidies that increase the supply of and investment in public goods when there are external benefits and free riding. Important fisheries public goods and external benefits include knowledge associated with new technology for “target” species and “bycatch” reduction, research and development for new technology, and ecosystem services and biodiversity. Careful definition of subsidies also requires consideration of the counter-factual or what would have happened without the action to which the fishery “subsidy” is attributed. Subsidies in the Western and Central Pacific tuna fishery are evaluated according to these and other criteria.     

Slow steps towards management of the world's largest tuna fishery

Today, the tuna fishery of the western and central Pacific is one of the world's largest fisheries. Annual catches exceed 2 million mt—approximately 50% of the global tuna catch—with an estimated landed value of USD 3 billion (in 2005). The fishery expanded rapidly from the mid 1980s, following the development of the purse-seine fishery. From the mid 1990s, it was recognised that a Regional Fisheries Management Organisation was required to facilitate cooperation in the management of the resource. Following almost a decade of negotiations and planning, the Western and Central Pacific Fishery Commission (WCPFC) was established in 2004. During the interim period, stock assessments for the key tuna species were developed and revealed that for two species (yellowfin and bigeye tuna) there was concern regarding the increased levels of fishing mortality. However, declarations and resolutions calling for restraint in the expansion of fishing effort were largely unheeded over the last decade and, to date, the WCPFC has been unable to introduce any measures to effectively reduce (or limit) the level of fishing mortality on yellowfin and bigeye tuna. This paper proposes a number of mechanisms for improving the performance of the WCPFC with respect to meeting the conservation and management objectives of the commission and argues that Pacific Island nations need to collectively take the lead to ensure the effective management of the resource.     

Habitat overlap between southern bluefin tuna and yellowfin tuna in the east coast longline fishery - implications for present and future spatial management

Southern bluefin tuna (SBT) are presently a quota-managed species in the multi-species eastern Australian tuna and billfish longline fishery (ETBF). Capture of SBT is regulated by quota, as is access to regions likely to contain SBT. A habitat prediction model combining data from an ocean model and pop-up satellite archival tags is used to define habitat zones based on the probability of SBT occurrence. These habitat zones are used by fishery managers to restrict access by ETBF fishers to SBT habitat during a May-November management season. The zones display a distinct seasonal cycle driven by the seasonal southward expansion and northward contraction of the East Australia Current (EAC) and as a result access by fishers to particular ocean regions changes seasonally. This species also overlaps with the commercially valuable yellowfin tuna (YFT), thus, we modified the SBT model to generate YFT habitat predictions in order to investigate habitat overlap between SBT and YFT. There is seasonal variation in the overlap of the core habitat between these two species, with overlap early (May-Jul) in the management season and habitat separation occurring towards the end (Aug-Nov). The EAC is one of the fastest warming ocean regions in the southern hemisphere. To consider the future change in distribution of these two species compared to the present and to explore the potential impact on fishers and managers of the future, we use future ocean predictions from the CSIRO Bluelink ocean model for the year 2064 to generate habitat predictions. As the ocean warms on the east coast of Australia and the EAC extends southward, our model predicts the suitable habitat for SBT and YFT will move further south. There was an increase in the overlap of SBT and YFT habitat throughout the management season, due to regional variation of each species’ habitat. These results illustrate that a management tradeoff exists between restricting fisher access to SBT habitat and allowing access to YFT habitat. We suggest that some options to address this tradeoff are possible by identifying the seasonal variability of the overlap.     

Impacts of climate variability and change on fishery-based livelihoods

There is increasing concern over the consequences of global warming for the food security and livelihoods of the world's 36 million fisherfolk and the nearly 1.5 billion consumers who rely on fish for more than 20% of their dietary animal protein. With mounting evidence of the impacts of climate variability and change on aquatic ecosystems, the resulting impacts on fisheries livelihoods are likely to be significant, but remain a neglected area in climate adaptation policy. Drawing upon our research and the available literature, and using a livelihoods framework, this paper synthesizes the pathways through which climate variability and change impact fisherfolk livelihoods at the household and community level. We identify current and potential adaptation strategies and explore the wider implications for local livelihoods, fisheries management and climate policies. Responses to climate change can be anticipatory or reactive and should include: (1) management approaches and policies that build the livelihood asset base, reducing vulnerability to multiple stressors, including climate change; (2) an understanding of current response mechanisms to climate variability and other shocks in order to inform planned adaptation; (3) a recognition of the opportunities that climate change could bring to the sector; (4) adaptive strategies designed with a multi-sector perspective; and (5) a recognition of fisheries potential contribution to mitigation efforts.     

The political economy of Japanese distant water tuna fisheries

This paper first describes the development of Japan's tuna fisheries, outlines the constraints facing these fisheries and identifies strategies to manage these constraints. A case study of the southern bluefin tuna fishery indicates the significance of the challenges facing Japanese tuna fisheries. ‘It is too early to pronounce that the sun has set on one of Japan's most successful distant water fisheries — there are avenues for adjustment. The difficult process of domestic restructuring is occurring at the same time that Japan is having to address significant external constraints on this industry.’     

Multi-stakeholder perspectives on the use and influence of “grey” scientific information in fisheries management

Scientific information on the shrimp and groundfish resources of the Brazil–Guianas continental shelf has been produced by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), in collaboration with the national governments exploiting the resources, since the early 1970s. In spite of the availability of such information, largely as grey literature, there is limited evidence as to the extent it is being used in fisheries management in Trinidad and Tobago. The flow of information between multiple stakeholders − fishing industry, scientists, fisheries managers, policy makers, and fisheries advisory bodies − was studied based on responses to a survey of key individuals to document each of their roles in the creation, distribution, and use of fisheries information. Content analysis of responses was completed to determine the opportunities and barriers for using scientific information in fisheries management. Salience, credibility, and legitimacy of the information were shadowed by barriers that decreased these attributes. Knowledge about the fishery has increased and technical capabilities have been strengthened through research. At the same time, advances in digital technology have made information more accessible. Yet, the high technical content of fisheries information reduced its usefulness to some stakeholders and formal systems do not exist for distributing or measuring the use and influence of such information in decision making. Communication strategies to promote awareness of the scientific information and aligning scientific information with fisheries policy could increase its use and influence. Institutional support for partnerships and education to encourage stakeholder involvement could also facilitate increased influence of scientific information.     

大眼金枪鱼的资源现状

大眼金枪鱼的分布很广 ,在南、北纬 4 0°以内的太平洋、印度洋和大西洋均有分布 ,是金枪鱼渔业的重要捕捞种类之一。本文分别论述了大眼金枪鱼在大西洋、印度洋和太平洋的渔业概况、生物学特性、资源状况和管理对策。     

New perspectives in small-scale fisheries management: challenges and prospects for implementation in South Africa

Worldwide, the past 15–20 years has seen a significant shift in thinking and approaches to the management of small-scale fisheries. This is in response to the recognition that conventional fisheries management is not equipped to deal with the complexities, uncertainties and challenges prevalent in small-scale fishery systems. Consequently, a new fisheries paradigm is emerging based on the principles and ideas underpinning systems thinking, complexity theory, participatory democracy and adaptive management. Although fishery science is required to inform management decisions, it must be seen as one of the inputs needed for effective governance. Incorporation of other disciplinary perspectives, knowledge sources and local information is considered necessary for understanding the fishery system and identifying appropriate management responses. Although South Africa has incorporated many of these ideas and principles into broad policies and legislation governing resource management, implementation of this new paradigm in the context of small-scale fisheries is proving difficult. However, recent developments such as the recognition of the socio-economic rights of this group of fishers, the formulation of a new draft small-scale fisheries policy, efforts to identify and address human dimensions in fisheries through research and stakeholder workshops, as well as opportunities for greater participation in policy formulation and management, are all indicative of a shift in institutional culture and approach to this sector. This paper aims to provide an overview of the main ideas underpinning the new small-scale fisheries paradigm and explores the application of these ideas in the context of small-scale fisheries in South Africa. Challenges and prospects for implementing this new management paradigm are discussed, as well as some practical ideas for progressing this new approach.     

The influence of economic factors in the change of fishing strategies of anchored FAD fishers in the face of declining catch,General Santos City,Philippines

Decline in tuna fish stocks due to weak enforcement of regulations on fishing effort poses a challenge to the sustainability of tuna fishery. Intervention programs to address this problem require an understanding of the operational behaviour of the fishers and how various socioeconomic factors may impact fishers’ decisions to continue or discontinue their fishing efforts. A semi-structured interview questionnaire was developed to find whether fishers are willing to keep, change their fishing strategies or exit the fishery if their regular catch will decline by half. Boat captains, assistant boat captains and crew from General Santos City, Lupon, Mati City and Governor Generoso in the Philippines (n=293) were purposively selected for interviews. Results show that fishers from General Santos City with ancillary industries and Lupon with fewer economic development are more willing to adapt or change their fishing strategies. The catch value or price was found to have a strong influence on the likelihood that anchored FAD tuna fishers will adapt or change their fishing strategy when their catches decline. Fishers whose catch fetched a price of PhP 151.00 (US$ 3.48) and above Php 200 (US$ 4.61) have 80% probability to change their fishing strategy. The proportion of catch sold also had a high influence on the decisions to adapt in the fishery with fishers selling 36% and 73% of their catches have 100% and 70% probability to adapt. The results suggest a reluctance to exit the fisheries even when tuna fishing is no longer economically viable, fishers opt to adapt.     

The structure of tuna access agreements in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean: Lessons for Vessel Day Scheme planning

The tuna industry in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) is one of the largest and most valuable fisheries in the world. Since the 1980s, Pacific island countries have used licensing agreements with foreign fishing interests—known as access agreements—to earn tuna-related revenue and control the environmental impacts of fishing, with only minimal success. To date, there has been little work detailing the structure of access agreements and assessing how this structure relates to economic and environmental outcomes in the sector. This article helps to fill this gap by providing an overview of various access structures and a detailed empirical assessment of how these structures are applied in access agreements between Pacific island countries and the major foreign fishing interests active in the WCPO. This analysis is placed in the context of evolving regional fisheries management structures. The study reveals that while there is no uniform formula for access agreements, each structure is subject to distinct political, economic and environmental considerations that influence outcomes for Pacific island countries. As Pacific island countries develop the mechanism to allocate fishing rights under the new Vessel Day Scheme, drawing on their long history with access agreements will assist efforts to use access to achieve policy objectives. Improved transparency will enable Pacific island countries to identify successes and problems and adapt the Vessel Day Scheme allocation mechanisms accordingly.