ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil

Tookes, Jennifer Sweeney; Yandle, Tracy; Fluech, Bryan

doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsac062pmid: N/A

The “Georgia Jumper” turtle excluder device (TED) is a rare example of a well-accepted conservation tool required by regulation. Mediated by the UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, Georgia's shrimping industry was integral to the design, revision, and implementation of excluder devices, since the earliest “jellyball shooter” proposed to NMFS in 1980. This paper highlights fisher involvement in the creation of the popular “Georgia Jumper” TED. Both the Diffusion of Innovation and the Traditional Ecological Knowledge literatures stress the importance of meaningful engagement of user communities in the development of new management approaches, and make specific recommendations for improving uptake of new methods. Consistent with literature expectations, fisher and industry participation in the development, testing, and implementation of TEDs has been key to the general acceptance of TEDs in Georgia. This paper illustrates the importance of fisher participation in conservation efforts such as these.

Jenkins, Lekelia D

doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsac210pmid: N/A

Fisheries extension programmes frequently fail to secure mandatory or voluntary adoption of bycatch reduction devices and techniques. Approaches for improving the outcomes of extension programmes are often based on ad hoc assessments and do not consider human behaviour or change theories. This paper offers an in-depth analysis of extension activities that led to various adoption outcomes in two prominent bycatch case studies in the United States: turtle excluder devices in shrimp trawl fisheries and dolphin bycatch in the tuna purse seine fishery. Using a grounded theory approach to text analysis of interviews and documents, I examine five periods of voluntary or mandatory adoption efforts. I explain the outcomes through the lens of diffusion of innovation theory. The most effective extension programme involved informative and persuasive efforts, enforced regulations, and commercially practical bycatch reduction devices. Voluntary adoption occurred under exceptional circumstances of public and political pressure and a device that offered substantial benefits to the adopter. The two periods of successful adoption applied the most core principles of diffusion theory. This paper concludes with recommendations for how change agents can apply diffusion theory to future fisheries extension programmes to improve the adoption of bycatch reduction devices.

Jenkins, Lekelia D; Eayrs, Stephen; Pol, Michael V; Thompson, Katie R

doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsac126pmid: N/A

This paper identifies, critiques, and offers suggestions for successful fisheries change initiatives to reduce bycatch. Through analysis of interviews and a workshop with fisheries change agents, we identified six themes. The first theme is that definitions of success varied between change initiatives. The other five themes relate to perceptions of best practices for change initiatives. They are the importance of (1) engaging diverse, motivated stakeholders in the initiative, in addition to fishers, (2) identifying and articulating clear benefits to fishers, (3) communicating with fishers early and throughout the initiative, particularly through face-to-face interactions and videos, (4) demonstrating positive change agent qualities, and (5) executing an appropriate and well-timed project. These best practices are widely recognized but have not consistently yielded widespread change. We hypothesize this is partly due to fisheries change agents being financially constrained, not measuring outcomes, and not having the proper training, such as knowledge of change management and human behaviour theories. We highlight one especially promising theory, change readiness, which includes cognitive and affective change readiness. We discuss the need to develop affective change readiness among fishers, given that change management research shows that emotions play an important role in the uptake of new ideas and changes.

Eayrs, Stephen

doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsac085pmid: N/A

Two bycatch reduction initiatives in Australia's Northern Prawn Fishery were evaluated through the lens of a comprehensive change management model. This model combines the constructs of change Type, Readiness, Process, Inertia, and Time, and was developed because gear researchers have a poor record facilitating the voluntary uptake of proven fishing gear, including bycatch reduction devices. This evaluation identified where efforts by gear researchers to facilitate change in this fishery did and did not achieve desired outcomes. It identified differences in change type, precursors to change, and readiness of fishers to change, although extension activities were similar for both initiatives. No attempts were made to influence their affective readiness to change. During the second initiative, the process of overcoming inertia was influenced by a well-respected industry body. With a clear vision and improved fisher readiness to change, achievement of desired outcomes was relatively straightforward and less controversial. The proactive application of this model in the fishing industry awaits. However, this evaluation implies it is a useful road map to guide and inspire change in this industry. In the future, efforts to realize change must include consideration of affective change readiness, establishment of a guiding coalition, and promulgation of a clear vision.

Barz, Fanny

doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsac208pmid: N/A

Gillnets are one of the most common fishing gears globally and provide a fundamental contribution towards the income of millions of people as well as to the supply of protein. At the same time, bycatch from gillnet fisheries is one of the biggest threats to seabirds and marine mammals worldwide, because their habitats coincide spatially and temporally with gillnet fisheries. There has been research on technical solutions to unwanted bycatch, yet the social-science perspective is rather understudied. Little is known about fishers’ bycatch behaviour, which can be researched as a social practice. Against the background of Anthony Giddens’ structuration theory, this study used social sciences methods to analyse the bycatch practices of gillnet fishers in the German Baltic Sea. The results show that fishers normalize bycatch of seabirds as part of their fishing routine, while bycatch of marine mammals is experienced as a crisis. Underlying mechanisms for different bycatch practices are identified, and their meaning for management as well as further research questions are discussed. The perspective of normalizing and non-normalizing bycatch practices as well as fishers’ own mitigation strategies should be considered by fisheries management when addressing bycatch mitigation measures as they could be designed more effectively.

Steins, Nathalie A; Mattens, Alessa L; Kraan, Marloes

doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsac016pmid: N/A

Improving the selectivity of fishing gear and practices has been a challenge for fishers, scientists, and policy-makers for decades. In Europe, urgency increased with the introduction of the landing obligation. Voluntary uptake of proven selective gears has been poor across the globe. To increase uptake levels, a move from science-led to industry-led development of selective gears has been advocated. In the Netherlands, gear innovation has, since the mid-2000s, been fisher-led. Nevertheless, this did not result in the assumed increase in uptake. Our qualitative study amongst Dutch demersal fishers shows that decisions to voluntarily adopt proven fishing gear are driven by a complex interplay of social, policy, and science-related factors. These can be attributed to two behavioural components: Willingness and Ability. Willingness, our study showed, is closely linked to: (i) intrinsic motivations and beliefs about sustainable fishing as well as perceptions about the motivations and behaviour of other fishers; (ii) the extent to which fishers consider policy goals and regulations as legitimate; and (iii) strong normative beliefs amongst fishers about the presence (or absence) of a level playing field, in terms of both the same rules applying to all and trust in compliance and enforcement. Ability is associated with knowledge, skills, economic, and legal possibilities to enable voluntary uptake, and tends to be the focus of science and policy. We conclude that a narrow focus on Ability as a driver for encouraging selective fishing is unlikely to result in real changes, and recommend a stronger emphasis on addressing social, policy- and science-related factors associated with Willingness in encouraging more selective fisheries.

Grønbæk, L; Lindroos, M; Munro, G; Pintassilgo, P; Turris, B

doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsac005pmid: N/A

This paper focuses on a particularly successful avoidance of unwanted catch of protected, endangered, and threatened (PET) species in the form of ecologically important sponge and coral, to be found off Canada's Pacific coast. The fishery causing the unwanted catch—the British Columbia groundfish trawl fishery. A campaign to protect the sponge/coral led by environmental NGOs (ENGOs) resulted in the industry's access to the key California market being threatened. For reasons explained, the national resource manager's ability to take effective direct action had become severely compromised. The groundfish trawl fishing industry responded to the economic threat with a bottom up approach to the unwanted catch problem, by negotiating a habitat agreement with a consortium of ENGOs, with the blessing and full support of the national resource manager. The agreement, now in its tenth year of operation, has proved to be a remarkable success in avoidance of unwanted catch. The paper argues that the success rests fundamentally upon the fact that the fishers have been and are playing a stand alone stable cooperative game, which has led them in turn to play stable cooperative games with both the national resource manager and the ENGO consortium. The paper analyses the factors leading to the stand alone stable cooperative fisher game, doing so by necessity through the lens of game theory.

Prado, Jonatas H F; Daudt, Nicholas W; Perez, Martin S; Castilho, Pedro V; Monteiro, Danielle S

doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsac119pmid: N/A

We describe the temporal and spatial patterns of three tetrapod groups (sea turtles, seabirds, and cetaceans) stranded in southeast Brazil, based on daily beach surveys of over >800 km of coastline between 2015 and 2020. Patterns were analysed by stranding rates (individuals/1000 km of coastline) of groups and species; for the 14 most numerous species, we also fitted generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS) using temporal and spatial explanatory variables. We recorded 53850 animals (22738 sea turtles, 28155 birds, and 2957 cetaceans) of 78 species. Higher stranding numbers were observed during winter/spring for all groups, and could be an effect of a higher occurrence/abundance at the region, driven by productive waters, jointly with higher stranding probabilities due to stronger drifting forces. Most modelled species showed temporal and spatial stranding patterns most likely related to their general occurrence/abundance cycles in southeast Brazil, but for Caretta caretta, Chelonia mydas, Pontoporia blainvillei, and Sotalia guianensis local mortality factors may be influencing stranding numbers. By using intensive, wide ranging beach surveys and including survey effort in the analysis, we provide a comprehensive baseline for stranding numbers in the region, and open a pathway for future hypothesis-testing studies to investigate its drivers.

Lehuta, S; Vermard, Y

doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsac148pmid: N/A

How the implementation of the European Commission's landing obligation (LO) would affect French vessels of the mixed demersal fishery in the Eastern English Channel was hardly foreseen because of the diversity of vessel characteristics and strategies in the area. Assessing whether the vessels would be able to mitigate the bio-economic impacts of LO and avoid choke situations through exemptions, by changing their fishing patterns or by avoiding areas, required fine scale spatio-temporal modelling of fish and fleet dynamics and of resulting technical interactions. We conducted a bio-economic impact assessment for seven scenarios of mitigation focussing on the differences across fleets and the impact of fleet spatial behavioural flexibility. We found that netters rapidly benefited from the LO as opposed to trawlers and that exemptions helped mitigate the economic loss with limited biomass loss. The avoidance strategies proved to be efficient in reducing unwanted catch of whiting and enabled unexpected protection of juvenile sole. Sensitivity analysis on the drivers of fishing behaviour indicated that the ability and efficiency of adapting fishing patterns depended on main gear and vessel size. Results evidenced the difficult trade-offs LO implies among stocks, fish stages, fleets, and even sub-regions, beyond the usual biological vs. economic contrasts.

Marchal, Paul; Vermard, Youen

doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsac095pmid: N/A

This study examined some of the spatial patterns and temporal dynamics of species targeting and discarding, for the French bottom trawlers operating in the eastern English Channel, building on spatial overlaps (or mismatches) between fishing effort, survey-based biomass or abundance indices and discard rates. We first identified that cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis), squids (Loligo sp.) and, to a lesser degree, striped red mullet (Mullus surmuletus), and seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) were the main targets, while fishing for historically important species was less attractive. This result was broadly in accord with catch compositions, although mackerel (Scomber scombrus) targeting was possibly underestimated. We also showed that the distributions of fishing effort and of undersized herring, plaice, and whiting did not overlap. Although fishing effort covered fishing grounds populated with undersized horse mackerel, the proportion of undersized individuals in the discards was small. Plaice and whiting discard rates overlapped in space with undersized abundance indices. Fishing effort may have avoided spatial units with potentially high plaice discard rates, which may have been driven by large proportions of undersized fish, but also by restricted access to coastal area. Overall, the EU Landing Obligation had limited effects on fishing effort allocation relative to either undersized abundance or discard rates distributions.