Ghost fishing in European waters: Impacts and management responses

In this paper we review levels of net loss, what happens to the gear once it has been lost, and the resulting levels of ‘ghost catches’ made in passive net fisheries in the EU. We also consider ghost catches resulting from lost gear in other types of fisheries, and the extent to which the value of ghost catches has been quantified. We consider why fishing gear is lost, and profile common management responses. We present a cost benefit model to assess the relative cost effectiveness of different management measures, and suggest that gear retrieval programmes may provide less value for money than other management responses.     

Policy responses to IUU fishing in Northern Australian waters

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities continue to thrive in the northern region of Australia's Fishing Zone (AFZ). Indonesian fishermen involved in IUU fishing in this area target specific marine species such as shark, reef fish, sea cucumber and trochus that are destined for the Asian market. Many of these marine species’ stocks are now at critical levels. Local communities based in Northern Australia, state and Federal governments are also concerned with issues of border security and quarantine measures that coincide with the IUU fishing activities. Whilst Australian and Indonesian governments continue to negotiate this pressing issue, international instruments, bilateral agreements and domestic policies are not deterring Indonesian fishermen from pursuing IUU fishing activities in the AFZ.     

Eliminating illegal bottom trawl fishing in the coastal waters of Korea

Illegal bottom trawl fishing using nets with a small mesh size has been one of the most difficult problems to address in fisheries management in Korea. This practice has occurred for the last century, since the Japanese colonial period. The elimination of illegal bottom trawl fishing, regulated in the Fisheries Law (Law No. 10292), was extremely difficult because the number of vessel owners increased to greater than 3000, creating a strong oppositional lobby. Therefore, the Korean government carried out an ‘incentive program’ to buy-back vessels, which has been very effective in eliminating illegal bottom trawl fishing in the coastal waters of Korea.     

广东海域模拟人和无动力渔船海上漂移试验研究

为探讨海上搜救目标无动力渔船和落水人员在海水中的漂移规律,对现有海上搜救目标漂移轨迹预测模型进行评估与改进,国家海洋局南海海洋工程勘察中心于2011年2月和4月在广东近岸海域开展了3组模拟人和2组无动力船海上漂移试验。试验发现模拟人与无动力船大部分时刻的漂移轨迹位于下风向的右侧,80%以上的时刻漂移轨迹位于海流流向和下风向的矢量合成区间内。以漂移速度为应变量,流速和风速为自变量进行二元回归分析发现,广东海域的模拟人和无动力渔船的流致漂移参数约为1.0,风致漂移参数分别为0.019和0.038。     

闽东北外海渔场捕捞中上层鱼类的渔具,渔法研究

本文分析了闽东北外海渔场资源特点，并就不同类型的拖网、围网渔具的适渔性对比试验进行了研究，认为以主机功率330.75kw及以上的拖网渔船，使用四片式疏目拖网和以主机功率183．75kw及以上的围网渔船，使用250m×150m的无囊灯光围网，于春、夏汛时在该渔场100m等深线附近海域能较有效地捕捞鲐鲹等中上层鱼类。     

厦门沿岸海域渔业资源变化和最适捕捞力量的估算

本文以厦门沿岸海域历次渔业资源和生物调查及１９８４－１９９５年渔业统计资料为背景,分析了该海域渔业资源的变动,重点对文昌鱼、真鲷、鳓鱼、大黄鱼、蓝点斑马鲛、长毛对、中国鲎等重要经济种类资源变动的原因进行探讨,针对目前资源的变动趋向,指出了近期重点的保护对象和有开发潜力的种类,并以三种标准捕捞力量,应用了Ｓｃｈａｅｆｅｒ和Ｆｏｘ两种剩余产量模式估算最大持续产量（ＭＳＹ）和最知捕捞力量。估算结果ＭＳＹ     

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.     

Japanese investment in the US fishing industry and its relation to the Two-Hundred-Mile Law

After providing a statistical survey of Japanese direct investment in the US fishing industry, and a historical background of Japanese-US fishing relations, the author examines the statutory regulation of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the fishing industry. She then discusses international practice and restrictions on FDI, the recent response of Congress in view of the Two-Hundred-Mile Law, and the issue of protectionism and the competitive position of the US fishing industry.     

Reclaiming the ancestral waters of indigenous peoples in the Philippines: The Tagbanua experience with fishing rights and indigenous rights

This paper discusses the impact of local and national policies in the Philippines on the participation of indigenous peoples in relation to fisheries management. Specifically, this research focuses on the Tagbanua, an indigenous group in Coron Island, Palawan, on the western side of the Philippines. The struggle of the Tagbanua in reclaiming their ancestral title to the land and sea reflects broader moves toward self-determination, which is critical not only to their ancestral lands and waters, but also to their survival. Indigenous rights are essential in addressing social justice and in giving a greater voice that encourages indigenous peoples towards self-governing institutions and common management of resources. Significantly, the fundamental development of indigenous peoples lies in the recognition of their rights in their ancestral domain and the preservation of their culture, tradition, system, practices and their natural resources. This paper examines the Tagbanua experience, through a critical exploration of institutions and property rights, with attention to corresponding effects in reducing conflict with other stakeholders in the area, and in affecting the sustainability of fishery resources.     

Analysing environmental and fishing effects on a short-lived species stock: the dynamics of the octopus Octopus vulgaris population in Senegalese waters

Short-lived species are extremely dependent on the seasonal and interannual variability of environmental conditions, and determining their stock status is often difficult. This study investigates the effects of environmental variability and fishing pressure on the stock of octopus Octopus vulgaris in Senegalese waters over a 10-year period from 1996 to 2005. Monthly catches-at-age were estimated based on catch-at-weight data and a polymodal decomposition constrained by a given growth curve. Octopus recruitments and fishing mortalities were then estimated using a catch-at-age analysis performed on a monthly basis. Yield and biomass per recruit were simulated using a Thompson and Bell model and used to generate a diagnostic of the fishery's impacts. Results indicate that the high interannual and seasonal variability of the octopus stock biomass is linked to the spring recruitment event, the annual intensity of which was significantly correlated with the coastal upwelling index and sea surface temperature. Yield per recruit varied seasonally but remained almost unchanged from one year to the next. Even when catches vary strongly according to recruitment, the octopus stock appears to be consistently fully exploited, or slightly overexploited in some years. In this context of environmental variability, usual indicators such as the maximum yield per recruit, and the related fishing mortality and spawning potential ratio, remain useful for fisheries management purposes.     

Ecosystem-sensitive approaches to fishing: reconciling fisheries with conservation through improvements in fishing technology

This session focused on the role of gear technology in the conservationand sustainable exploitation of fish stocks and other marineresources, and how it has contributed to more ecosystem-basedapproaches to fishery management that strive to fulfil the commitmentsof the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) and theConvention on Biodiversity (CBD). Within this context, SessionII benefited from a keynote presentation by Simon Jennings andAndrew Revill (Jennings and Revill, 2007) that addressed preciselythese issues. They highlighted the need for a decision-supportframework or "toolbox" that would allow managers to determinewhen it was appropriate or cost-effective to seek a solutionto a particular environmental problem through technologicalsolutions to gear design, or its use with other possible mitigationmeasures, such as effort reduction or area closures. Examplesare well documented of gear technology providing     

Monitoring fishing mortality: Compliance in Norwegian offshore fisheries

Sustainable management of wild fish stocks by means of catch quotas requires reliable data on fishing mortality. Norwegian authorities have attempted to ensure the reliability of this data through catch report procedures and a ban on dumping. The reliability of data on fishing mortality depends on the fishers’ compliance with these regulations. This article outlines the main factors that govern compliance and non-compliance in the Norwegian pelagic fisheries. Data was generated during fieldwork in the offshore pelagic fishing fleet.     

Artisanal fishing in Andalusia: A statistical study of the fleet

Andalusia is a region of Spain with an area of some 90,000 km² and almost 900 km length of coastline. It has an important tradition in the fishing industry that makes it one of the areas of the European Union where fisheries policies have a great significance for the population. The present statistical study deals comprehensively with the so-called “artisanal fleet”, especially in respect of data on the typology of vessels (construction particulars) and on the extractive effort made (distances and depths where they fish, duration of fishing voyages, the fishing gear used and target species), with the aim of presenting a new approach in the policies for regulating this important fisheries sector.     

Prawn postlarvae fishing in coastal Bangladesh: Challenges for sustainable livelihoods

Fishing for prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) postlarvae is a major contributor to the livelihoods of the coastal poor in Bangladesh, including women. A study of coastal livelihoods along the lower Pasur River in southwest Bangladesh indicates that on average 40% of total annual income comes from postlarvae fishing during the few months involved. However, indiscriminate fishing of wild postlarvae, with high levels of by-catch, has an impact on biodiversity in coastal ecosystems. This has provoked imposition of restrictions on postlarvae collection. The ban has, however, not been firmly enforced because of the lack of alternative livelihoods for coastal poor. A conceptual framework, drawn from an approach to poverty reduction known as the sustainable livelihoods approach, is applied to understanding the role of prawn postlarvae fishing. Evidence from this study suggests that postlarvae fishers faced a number of livelihood constraints, including poor livelihood assets. This paper concludes that wider livelihood options need to be found for postlarvae fishers to support their livelihoods.