The institutional implications of environmental ethics for fishery management in the US exclusive economic zone

The public discourse surrounding many fishery management issues suggests that ethical concerns may be an important aspect of these issues for a segment of the American public. Questions have been raised about the capacity of regional fishery management councils created under the Fishery Conservation and Management Act to be adequately responsive to different ethical values. To date, legislative efforts to broaden council membership have been unsuccessful, but pressure for institutional reform is likely to increase with the adoption of an ecosystem approach to fishery management.     

A context for ecosystem-based fishery management: Developing concepts of ecosystems and sustainability

Ecosystems have been viewed both as chaotic, untamed nature, and as mechanical systems with predictable equilibrium states. A developing concept of ecosystems as “complex adaptive systems” lies between these extreme concepts, with recognizably patterned but not fully predictable behavior. Sustainability has also been redefined as humans have exploited and often depleted desirable natural resources. Fisheries management desires sustainable yield, but must rethink this concept within the ecosystem context. The most powerful union of “ecosystem” and “sustainability” acknowledges the defining characteristics of complex adaptive systems with the objective of identifying and sustaining healthy relationships within and between ecosystems, economies, and society.     

The incentives of a resource owner: Evidence from a private oyster fishery

European flat oyster Ostrea edulis fisheries were once abundant around the UK coastline. The sole remaining productive O. edulis fishery in Scotland is in Loch Ryan. This fishery has been privately owned and managed by a single family since 1701. Economic theory predicts that ownership, whether public or private, is a necessary condition for rational fishery management. In this paper, a series of four leases and a licence are examined, covering an 85-year period over the 20th and 21st century, to examine whether the management of the Loch Ryan fishery conforms to the expected norms of rational management. The leases show that, over this period, the owners appear more willing to expend resources on regulating tenant behaviour, supporting the conclusion that successive generations of owners developed an evolving sense of what “rational management” might require. The results of this study could inform the management of other fisheries – both public and private – by emphasising the importance of learning from experience.     

The management of the distant water tuna fishery in Taiwan

Since the 1960s Taiwan has been a significant player in the global distant water tuna fisheries (DWTF). However, Taiwan's lack of political recognition has led some fisheries businesses to employ less conventional methods including Flags of Convenience (FOCs) in harvesting tuna resources. Meanwhile, Taiwan has been experiencing the painful cost of readjusted DWTF policies. This paper compares the readjusted policies in accordance with international management instruments and tuna compliance requirements (Compliance Agreement and UNFSA) and domestic laws are already undergoing adjustments to take these into account. This again demonstrates Taiwan's unique position in the international community: despite it not being a member of the United Nations, Taiwan spares no effort to ensure the sustainability of marine resources, and does its utmost to fulfill the responsibilities and duties of a Flag State.     

区域渔业管理组织中的鲨鱼养护管理问题研究

目前鲨鱼养护管理问题已引起国际社会的广泛关注,《鲨鱼养护管理国际行动计划》和《濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约》等国际文件从生态系统保护和贸易管控角度对鲨鱼问题做出规定。为了顺应国际社会加强鲨鱼养护管理的趋势,RFMOs出台了一系列决议和措施。对此,作为远洋渔业大国的我国应针对目前履行RFMOs管理规定中存在的问题,尽早做好各项准备,以彰显我国渔业大国的负责任态度,更好地维护我国远洋渔业合法权益。第一,对外加大宣传,树立我国远洋渔业的正面形象;第二,加强远洋渔业从业人员培训,强化远洋渔船监管;第三,加强国际渔业法律科学人才队伍建设,提升在国际渔业管理中的话语权和主导权;第四,转变我国渔业法规指导理念,确立以养护为主的渔业管理基本方针。     

Toward shared understandings of ecosystem-based fisheries management among fishery management councils and stakeholders in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and New England regions

Ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) is often discussed by fisheries managers and stakeholders as a potential goal. EBFM is based on a multi-species approach, which varies significantly from the single species fisheries management (SSFM) approach currently practiced under the U.S. Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA). EBFM is “holistic” and considers “all factors,” but it is impossible for management to incorporate all factors into EBFM. This study sought to improve understanding of factors contributing to or preventing progress toward EBFM implementation in the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) and New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), focusing on Council member and stakeholder beliefs, attitudes, and mutual understanding. Objectives included determining mutual understanding between MAFMC and NEFMC members and stakeholders about EBFM and identifying MAFMC and NEFMC member and stakeholder preferences for EBFM definitions, practices, and outcomes, and prioritizing which aspects of EBFM managers and stakeholders find most important. Stakeholders included commercial fishermen, recreational anglers, nongovernmental organization (NGO) leaders, and Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) members. Over 1000 survey responses about EBFM from council members and stakeholders in the Mid-Atlantic (MA) and New England (NE) regions were analyzed. The Coorientation Model was used to characterize understanding between the Council and fisheries-related stakeholder groups. For the MA and NE regions, most stakeholders agreed on definitions, practices, and possible outcomes for EBFM. Results suggest that most Council members and stakeholders in the MA and NE regions support a change from SSFM to EBFM at an incremental, intermediate, or complete, gradual (5–10 years) pace. The application of the Coorientation Model to EBFM and the fishery management councils provided insights into how an improved understanding of the attitudes, beliefs, and mutual comprehension of Council members and stakeholder groups could potentially facilitate the implementation of EBFM. Council members and stakeholders responded similarly to, and Council members correctly predicted stakeholder responses about, EBFM definitions, practices, and outcomes. These findings suggest that Council member and stakeholder agreement and understanding are not barriers to MAFMC and NEFMC adoption of EBFM.     

Stakeholder perspectives on ecosystem-based management of the Antarctic krill fishery

Information about stakeholder aspirations is a fundamental requirement for ecosystem-based management, but the detail is often elusive, and debates may focus on simplistic opposing positions. This is exemplified by the Antarctic krill fishery, which, despite a current operational catch limit equivalent to just 1% of the estimated biomass and actual annual catches much lower than this, is the subject of a high-profile debate framed around ambiguous concepts such as sustainability. Q methodology was applied to explore the detailed views of representatives of three stakeholder sectors (the fishing industry, conservation-focused non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and scientists from seven countries involved in research on the krill-based ecosystem). The analysis distinguished two clear groupings, one of which included the views of all NGO participants while the other included the views of fishing industry participants and a subset of the scientists. Key differences between the groups included the priority given to different management measures, and to continued commercial fishing. However, the results also revealed considerable overlap between viewpoints. Both groups prioritised the maintenance of ecosystem health and recognised the importance of defining management objectives. Also, neither group prioritised a decrease in catch limits. This suggests that most participants in the study agree that management should improve but do not perceive a major problem in the ecosystem's ability to support current catch levels. Cooperation to identify shared management objectives based on stakeholder aspirations for the ecosystem might enhance progress, whereas polarised discussions about preferred management measures or ambiguous concepts are likely to impede progress.     

Performance of community-based coastal resource management (CBCRM) programs in the Philippines: A meta-analysis

Community-based coastal resource management (CBCRM) is a major conservation and fisheries management strategy in the tropics. In this study, the performance of 16 CBCRM programs in the Philippines was assessed using a meta-analysis of eight indicators that represented the perceptions of local resource users. Overall, the CBCRM programs in the Philippines were perceived to have a significant positive impact. However, the performance of each of the indicators was mixed. Although the CBCRM programs were perceived to be effective in empowering the local fishing communities, their perceived impact on improving the state of the local fisheries resources remained limited. This highlights the importance of incorporating ecological and socio-economic considerations in setting fisheries management regimes.     

Emerging fisheries,emerging fishery interactions with sea turtles: A case study of the large-mesh gillnet fishery for flounder in Pamlico Sound,North Carolina,USA

Emerging fisheries and changes in fishery practices are not always readily apparent, nor are their impacts on non-target species such as seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals. Data from several different sources led managers to discover high rates of sea turtle bycatch in an inshore large-mesh gillnet fishery in North Carolina, USA, particularly the emerging deep-water gillnet fishery. This paper reviews the history of how increased numbers of observed stranded sea turtles in 1999 led to the discovery that turtles were becoming entangled in the large-mesh gillnet fishery in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. It also demonstrates how a variety of data sets from fisheries observers, aerial surveys, and fisheries statistics programs contributed to shaping management of the large-mesh gillnet fishery in Pamlico Sound to decrease turtle bycatch and now point towards the need of additional assessment of gillnet bycatch in other parts of North Carolina. Finally, potential approaches are discussed for a more timely detection of future fishery conflicts and development of a plan to reduce otherwise inevitable bycatch and disruptions to fishing effort.     

Applicability of Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs) in Japanese fisheries: A comparison of rights-based fisheries management in Iceland, Japan, and United States

ITQs have not yet been introduced by the Government of Japan. In coastal areas, fishery cooperative associations have traditionally played an important role in managing fisheries through self-imposed rules and peer-monitoring systems. Recently, however, the economic competitiveness of Japanese fisheries in the international market is being questioned. In this paper, a detailed examination of the pros and cons of the current system in Japan is compared to the current fishery management measures of Iceland and the United States, where attaining economically or biologically efficient outcomes may be prioritized in making fisheries management decisions. For many coastal fisheries in Japan, maintaining a management scheme in which stakeholders play an active role in determining fisheries measures seems more relevant if their priority is to maintain the stability of coastal communities and equity of stakeholders. Intensive dialog among stakeholders would be necessary to identify shared objectives of their fishery operations and to make decisions to establish specific steps toward the goal of increasing economic efficiency, environmental sustainability, or stability of communities and equity of stakeholders.     

环境DNA技术在渔业资源生物量评估中的研究进展:现状与展望

近年来,由于过度频繁的人类活动,导致全球渔业资源正遭受威胁.与传统渔业评估方法相比,环境DNA(eDNA)技术具有操作简便、侵入性低、灵敏度高等优点,因而在渔业资源评估中应用广泛.eDNA技术在物种丰度和生物量评估中已经被证明是可行的,本文总结了eDNA技术在渔业资源生物量评估中的研究现状,从eDNA技术与传统方法互补...     

The management of the blue whiting fishery as complex social-ecological system: The Galician case

In Europe, 88% of fish stocks are being fished beyond Maximum Sustainable Yield and 30% of stocks are outside of biological limits. The blue whiting fishery is also following a consistent trend of a declining, and the EU recently adopted a 93% quota decrease for this species. Despite the abundant literature related to genetic aspects of population structure of aquatic resources, few studies have specifically addressed the link between fisheries management and population genetics. Given potential differences in the behavior of different subpopulations, population genetics has great relevance in the correct interpretation of the evolution of stocks. Ignoring the congruence of spatial scales between the population structure of fish species and management units can result in reduced productivity and local reduction of populations.     

Compliance costs and the small fisher: A study of exiters from the New Zealand fishery

Over 3000 predominantly small-scale fishers have exited the New Zealand's quota management system (QMS) between its inception in 1986 and 2000. This study, based on the Ministry of Fisheries database and a questionnaire sent to the exiters, establishes that compliance costs in general, and those specifically related to the QMS, were one of the most consistent reasons for exit. Uncertainty about future QMS policy and the high cost of quota were also significant factors. It appears that the small fishers’ perception of high compliance cost can be supported by industry data.     

Characterisation of the recreational fishery for southern rock lobster,Jasus edwardsii,in Tasmania,Australia: Implications for management

Southern rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) support significant commercial and recreational fisheries in Tasmania, Australia. Since the mid 1990s the number of persons holding recreational lobster licences increased by over 80%, with c. 15 500 persons licensed in 2002/03. Assessment of the recreational fishery has been undertaken periodically since 1996 using a telephone‐diary survey method. The fishery was concentrated off the south‐east and east coasts of Tasmania and characterised by strong seasonality in catch and effort, which peaked markedly early in the fishing year (November‐January). Although pots were the most popular fishing method, daily catch rates by divers were more than double those for pots. Divers selectively harvested larger lobsters than those taken by pots and more frequently attained the daily bag limit of 5 lobsters. The estimated recreational harvest increased significantly since 1996/97 and in 2002/03 effectively reached a management trigger level of 10% of the total allowable commercial catch, flagging a review of recreational management arrangements.