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Ward, Delphi; Hill, Nicole; Melbourne-Thomas, Jessica; Welsford, Dirk; Arangio, Rhys; McNeill, Malcolm; Wotherspoon, Simon; Ziegler, Philippe; Corney, Stuart
doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsaf095pmid: N/A
A key challenge in planning long-term fisheries sustainability is overcoming uncertainties around predicted changes in target populations and catch rates in response to climate change and fishery trends. We combine transdisciplinary knowledge co-production and qualitative network modelling to advance system understanding and elucidate likely responses of a Patagonian toothfish fishery to future change. We co-developed a model of the Kerguelen Plateau biophysical-socioeconomic system with knowledge holders from industry and science; the first whole-of-system qualitative network model of intermediate complexity for this region. We present new approaches for dealing with uncertainty in network structure, and for investigating how perturbations propagate through a network. Using these tools, we found multiple potential pathways of decline for toothfish population and catch, including via increases in water temperature at the surface and at depth, downwelling scavenging benthos (e.g. sea lice), bycatch, localised depletion or changes in fishing tactics. However, the likelihood of outcomes depended on interaction strengths and assumptions, and in some cases we observed possible mechanisms of increase conditional on certain effects, including how fishery responses to change affect their interactions with the system, and the magnitude of temperature effects on prey and benthic scavengers. Our results highlight critical information gaps, including the potential role of scavenging benthos in fishery-ecosystem interactions and likely changes in the prey field in response to warmer water, that require filling to improve predictions for toothfish populations and catch and forward planning for the fishery.
doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsaf112pmid: N/A
Science is a labor of love. That’s why I got into the business after a childhood obsessed with animals. Here, I offer a few scenes along my own winding path through a life of marine biological research. There are many such paths, and because scientific inquiry occupies such a big, unruly tent, careers in science tend to be idiosyncratic. Nevertheless, there are commonalities, notably collaboration, openness, and a dedication to understanding the objective reality of this amazing world. Not coincidentally, these are also important to thriving human societies. I have learned (and continue learning) this from both intensive field study and collaboration. Scientific understanding, like democracy, derives from the wisdom of crowds; they are inherently collective enterprises and thus cannot exist without the conviction—faith, if you prefer—that the collective wisdom of humanity will eventually triumph in reaching the truth. In other words, science is fundamentally democratic. For these reasons, science has always been a threat to authoritarians, crackpots, shysters, and the received wisdom of self-appointed prophets. The joy of practicing science, idiosyncratic as it may be, is what keeps most of us going. But more importantly, it is a sacred obligation—humanity needs to understand how the world works to inform evidence-based decisions that keep it working. Science and a citizenry that understands and respects it are central to the survival of civilization. We need to keep at it.
Thangaraj, Satheeswaran; Sun, Jun
doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsaf107pmid: N/A
Dinoflagellates, particularly harmful algal bloom (HAB)-forming species, exhibit remarkable resilience to climate change stressors, including ocean warming and acidification. However, their specific acclimation strategies compared to other phytoplankton groups remain poorly understood. This study investigates the multi-generational acclimation mechanisms of Scrippsiella trochoidea under simulated future ocean conditions (25°C, 1000 ppm pCO₂; HTHC) compared to present-day conditions (21°C, 400 ppm pCO₂; LTLC). Over 10 generations, S. trochoidea demonstrated significant physiological and biochemical adjustments, including a 79% increase in growth rate, a 73% rise in cell volume, and notable elevations in macromolecular components such as carbohydrates (38%), lipids (48%), proteins (90%), and chlorophyll (158%). These changes were accompanied by enhanced carbon fixation and nutrient acquisition. During the compensation phase (fifth generation), S. trochoidea exhibited a unique nitrate-phosphate trade-off, redirecting nitrates to nucleic acid biosynthesis and chlorophyll production while utilizing phosphorus storage for phospholipid synthesis. This strategy resulted in increased residual phosphorus and alternative lipid sources, highlighting a distinct acclimation mechanism compared to other phytoplankton groups. These findings underscore the ecological importance of dinoflagellates in shaping biogeochemical cycles under future ocean scenarios. By revealing their unique adaptive strategies, this study provides essential insights into predicting HAB dynamics and mitigating their ecological and economic impacts. Incorporating these results into predictive models will enhance our ability to forecast bloom events and guide effective marine management strategies, such as nutrient runoff control and habitat restoration, in the context of climate change.
O'Callaghan, Joanne; Miloslavich, Patricia; Lorenzoni, Laura; Satterthwaite, Erin; Rome, Nicholas; Schloss, Irene; Heupel, Michelle; Elegbede, Isa O; Fontela, Marcos
doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsaf079pmid: N/A
With more than 90% of global warming occurring in the ocean, sea level rise doubling in the past 30 years, and the ever-increasing frequency and intensity of extreme events, ocean observations are essential for understanding and addressing some of these most pressing global challenges. Known observational needs can be addressed immediately by upgrading and expanding ocean observing capacity in under-observed areas such as polar regions, island nations and territories, coastal areas of developing countries, rapidly changing coastal systems, and the deep ocean. Enhancing existing and developing new cost-effective technologies for a range of user needs to maximize the reach of essential observations, supported by standardization and best practices for interoperability. Improved spatial and temporal coverage is urgently needed but also needs to be co-designed and fit-for-purpose. Democratizing access to ocean data and integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning into data pipelines can help unlock existing observational datasets into societally relevant, user-ready information. Recognizing that ocean observations are essential to the planet’s health is a critical cultural shift we must embrace in the next decade. Join us—individuals, organizations, governments, and communities—in turning this vision into action to ensure a sustainable and resilient ocean for future generations.
Antonio Pérez Agúndez, José; Filgueira, Ramón; Ahmed, Nesar; Asif, Furqan; Billing, Suzannah-Lynn; Fanning, Lucia; Himes-Cornell, Amber; Johnson, Teresa R; Krause, Gesche; Kreiss, Cornelia; Mikkelsen, Eirik; Stead, Selina Marguerite; van den Burg, Sander; Vecchio, Yari; Villasante, Sebastian
doi:
van der Reijden, K J; Eigaard, O R; Bastardie, F; van Denderen, P D; O’Neill, F G
doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsaf106pmid: N/A
Increased awareness of the impacts of bottom trawling has led to the development of various methods to assess the extent and impact of trawling-induced seabed abrasion. These methods typically classify bottom trawls into broad categories and rely on whole-gear averages to evaluate their spatial distribution and seabed impacts. However, such approaches overlook variations in gear design within fisheries and are unable to capture changes resulting from gear innovations. Here, we present a Gear Component Approach (GCA), which, using data from literature and industry-surveys, considers the individual contribution of each seabed-contacting gear component (doors, clumps, sweeps, and ground gear) within a fishery. We demonstrate the GCA’s ability to assess the extent and impact of three Danish otter trawl fisheries and compare these results with those obtained using the currently practiced Whole-Gear Approach (WGA). The GCA produced different estimates of gear width and penetration depth compared to WGA estimates. This led to lower predictions of the relative benthic state (RBS) indicator, which represents the proportion of the original benthic community biomass remaining under a given fishing pressure. These results imply higher fishing impacts for all three otter trawl fisheries compared to the WGA estimates. The difference was most pronounced for the Nephrops fishery, where the RBS indicator was 23% lower. Additionally, the GCA enabled the quantification of sediment mobilization, with up to 3.2 kg per m2 swept by the Nephrops trawl. The GCA improved the representativeness of fishing gear and the accuracy of impact assessments, thereby supporting sustainable marine fisheries management. Moreover, owing to its focus at the gear-component level, the GCA facilitates the evaluation of innovative gear modifications aimed at reducing seabed impact.
Farchadi, Nima; Braun, Camrin D; Arostegui, Martin C; Lezama-Ochoa, Nerea; Pennino, Maria Grazia; Afonso, Pedro; Curtis, Tobey H; Fontes, Jorge; Queiroz, Nuno; Skomal, Gregory B; Sims, David W; Thorrold, Simon R; Vandeperre, Frederic; Lewison, Rebecca L
doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsaf110pmid: N/A
Species distribution models (SDMs) are an important tool for marine conservation and management, yet guidance on leveraging diverse data to build robust models is limited. We evaluated whether an integrated SDM (iSDM) framework outperforms traditional data pooling or ensemble approaches when synthesizing multiple data types. We trained traditional SDMs and iSDMs using three data types for the blue shark (Prionace glauca) in the North Atlantic: fishery-dependent marker tags, observer records, and fishery-independent electronic tags. We compared pooled and ensembled SDMs, built with boosted regression trees, to an iSDM explicitly designed to address data-specific biases while leveraging each dataset’s strengths. While all approaches produced robust models, performance varied among data types, with fishery-dependent data consistently yielding more accurate than fishery-independent data. Differences in performance stemmed from models’ abilities to capture spatiotemporal dynamics in training data. iSDMs accounting for seasonal variability yielded the most accurate estimates but were computationally intensive, emphasizing the need to align model purpose with integration methods. Our findings reveal key trade-offs in data integration methods, particularly in balancing predictive accuracy and feasibility. As diverse data sources grow, leveraging robust approaches will be vital for improving conservation and management strategies and understanding dynamic species distributions in a changing ocean.
Kraan, Marloes; Himes-Cornell, Amber; Pedreschi, Debbi; Motova, Arina; Hamon, Katell G; Pita, Cristina; Ballesteros, Marta; Barz, Fanny; Fonseca, Tereza; García-De-Vinuesa, Alfredo; Guitierrez, Angel; Jackson, Emmet; Lam, Mimi E; Norman, Karma; Seixas, Sonia; Steins, Nathalie A
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Despite the rapid development of aquaculture worldwide, production has stagnated in Europe and North America, notwithstanding the public policies that support the sector. This stagnation may stem from the insufficient integration of social dimensions into aquaculture governance, often characterized by top-down policies and technology-driven approaches. While environmental, economic and social factors significantly influence the social acceptability of aquaculture, environmental impacts, such as habitat degradation and the spread of disease, have historically dominated regulatory frameworks. Today, low social acceptability appears to be the major obstacle to the sector's growth, highlighting shortcomings in terms of stakeholder engagement, transparency and fairness in the distribution of the benefits generated by the sector. This paper reflects the collective insights from the ICES Working Group on Social and Economic Dimensions of Aquaculture, emphasizing that challenges to social acceptability of aquaculture are widespread but context-dependent and remain insufficiently addressed in public policies related to aquaculture development. This paper recommends broadening governance beyond environmental concerns to include social and economic dimensions from the outset, strengthening public participation in decision-making processes and adopting holistic, socially informed marine spatial planning. In addition, it highlights the importance of recognizing the role of informal governance mechanisms and the production of meaningful social data as essential aspects to foster community acceptance and the sustainable development of aquaculture. Adapting aquaculture policies to local contexts through inclusive and adaptive governance is therefore essential to the sustainable growth of the sector.
This paper highlights the importance of identifying fishing communities for fisheries and ecosystem-based management, which often focuses on fleets and ecological impacts rather than on the communities where fishers live and land their catches. Fishing communities are key to understanding the broader impacts and benefits of fishing, as they support many livelihoods in fleet and trade-related activities. Recognizing these communities, allows for better data collection, analysis, and informed policy-making. ICES WGSOCIAL developed a method to identify fishing communities across ICES ecoregions, first applied in the Celtic Seas and North Sea ecosystem overviews. These overviews describe ecosystems, identify human pressures, and assess their impact. Using fishing ports as proxies, our method links socio-economic indicators (e.g. landings value) to communities. We identify limitations to our methods and explore the complexities of defining a ‘fishing community’ due to its dynamic, multidimensional nature. We discuss next steps for improving our mapping approach and deepening our understanding of the social, cultural, and economic value of fishing, and why these matter for applied marine science in support of policy and management.