A bottom-up understanding of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in Lake Victoria

© 2016 by the authors. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a major concern in fisheries management around the world. Several measures have been taken to address the problem. In Lake Victoria, the alleviation of IUU fishing is implemented through the Regional Plan of Action (RPOA-IUU), which restricts use of certain fishing gear, as well as prohibits fishing in closed areas and during closed seasons. Despite the long-term efforts to monitor and control what goes on in the fisheries, IUU fishing has persisted in Lake Victoria. Inspired by interactive governance theory, this paper argues that the persistence of IUU fishing could be due to different images that stakeholders have about the situation, rather than the lack of management competency. Through structured interviews with 150 fisheries stakeholders on Ijinga Island in the southeastern part of Lake Victoria, Tanzania, using paired comparison questionnaires, the study elicits stakeholders' perspective about the severity of different locally-pertinent fishing-related activities. The results show that while fisheries stakeholder groups agree on their judgments about certain fishing gears, some differences are also apparent. For instance, fisheries managers and scientists do not always agree with fishing people about what activities cause the most damage to fisheries resources and ecosystem. Further, they tend to consider some IUU fishing-related activities less damaging than some non-IUU fishing. Such disparity creates governability challenges, pointing to the need to revisit relevant regulatory measures and to make them consistent with the knowledge and judgments of all stakeholders. Based on these findings, we discuss governing interventions that may contribute to addressing IUU fishing in Lake Victoria and elsewhere

A decision support tool for response to global change in marine systems : the IMBER-ADApT Framework

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2014. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Fish and Fisheries 17 (2016): 1183–1193, doi:10.1111/faf.12110.Global change is occurring now, often with consequences far beyond those anticipated. Although there is a wide range of assessment approaches available to address specific aspects of global change, there is currently no framework to identify what governance responses have worked and where, what has facilitated change, and what preventative options are possible. To respond to this need, we present an integrated assessment framework that builds on knowledge learned from past experience of responses to global change, to enable decision makers, researchers, managers and local stakeholders to: (1) make decisions efficiently; (2) triage and improve their responses; and (3) evaluate where to most effectively allocate resources to reduce vulnerability and enhance resilience of coastal peoples. This integrated assessment framework, IMBER-ADApT is intended to enable and enhance decision making through the development a typology of case studies providing lessons on how the natural, social and governance systems respond to the challenges of global change. The typology is developed from a database of case studies detailing the systems affected by change, responses to change and, critically, an appraisal of these responses, generating knowledge-based solutions that can be applied to other comparable situations. Fisheries, which suffer from multiple pressures, are the current focus of the proposed framework, but it could be applied to a wide range of global change issues. IMBER-ADApT has the potential to contribute to timely, cost-effective policy and governing decision making and responses. It offers cross-scale learning to help ameliorate, and eventually prevent, loss of livelihoods, food sources and habitat

Reconnecting people, place, and nature: Examining alternative food networks in Newfoundland's fisheries

Background: Fisheries have played a significant role in the economic development of Newfoundland and Labrador and continue to contribute to coastal livelihoods and local food security. However, the access to and availability of locally harvested fish and seafood in the province is notably lacking, particularly since federal and provincial policies have prioritized the development of export markets in the fisheries over local sales. In this paper, we examine market actors and civil society organizations in St. John's (the provincial capital) and Petty Harbour (a nearby fishing community) that have embarked on initiatives to better include fish and seafood in the local food system. The success of these initiatives depends in part on the degree of connectivity between consumers and harvesters, as well as between people, the culture of fishing, and the marine environment. Results: Reconnections are the foundations of alternative food networks (AFNs), which aim to develop more environmentally and socially sustainable and localized ways of producing, distributing, retailing, and consuming food. This paper explores the social, cultural, and ecological values of the fisheries as means to forging reconnections. The research reveals that values pertaining to traditional food culture, environmental stewardship and conservation, localization, and social cohesion were significant motivating factors for stakeholders in seeking out reconnection in their food system. Conclusions: While AFNs in Newfoundland's fisheries are currently underdeveloped, reconnections are nonetheless taking place along the fisheries supply chain and can contribute to enhancing the accessibility and availability of locally harvested fish. The study also finds that AFNs must be context appropriate and reflect local values, as there are significant opportunities in building on Newfoundland's strong fishing culture and heritage

Assessing environmental values : the damage schedule approach

Full text version of this study is available as an EEPSEA research report: Damage schedules for Thai coastal areas : an alternative approach to assessing environmental value

Coastal Ecosystems and Tsunami Protection after the December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

An exploratory study was conducted on the role of coastal ecosystems in protecting communities from the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, focusing on mangrove forests on the Andaman coast of Thailand and how well villages were undertaking environmental conservation. Remote sensing analysis identified predisaster mangrove change and postdisaster structural damage and landscape changes. Field data from five sites (20 villages), gathered via the VIEWS (TM) data collection system, validated and supplemented this analysis. Key informants at several of these villages were also interviewed. A preliminary comparison of villages that otherwise faced similar tsunami exposure suggests that the presence of healthy mangroves did afford substantial protection. Village performance in mangrove conservation and management efforts, and thus the presence of healthy forests, is influenced by both social capital and the design of external aid delivery programs

Strong fisheries management and governance positively impact ecosystem status

Bundy, Alida ... et al.-- 28 pages, 6 figures, 8 tables, supporting information https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/faf.12184Fisheries have had major negative impacts on marine ecosystems, and effective fisheries management and governance are needed to achieve sustainable fisheries, biodiversity conservation goals and thus good ecosystem status. To date, the IndiSeas programme (Indicators for the Seas) has focussed on assessing the ecological impacts of fishing at the ecosystem scale using ecological indicators. Here, we explore fisheries ‘Management Effectiveness’ and ‘Governance Quality’ and relate this to ecosystem health and status. We developed a dedicated expert survey, focused at the ecosystem level, with a series of questions addressing aspects of management and governance, from an ecosystem-based perspective, using objective and evidence-based criteria. The survey was completed by ecosystem experts (managers and scientists) and results analysed using ranking and multivariate methods. Results were further examined for selected ecosystems, using expert knowledge, to explore the overall findings in greater depth. Higher scores for ‘Management Effectiveness’ and ‘Governance Quality’ were significantly and positively related to ecosystems with better ecological status. Key factors that point to success in delivering fisheries and conservation objectives were as follows: the use of reference points for management, frequent review of stock assessments, whether Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) catches were being accounted for and addressed, and the inclusion of stakeholders. Additionally, we found that the implementation of a long-term management plan, including economic and social dimensions of fisheries in exploited ecosystems, was a key factor in successful, sustainable fisheries management. Our results support the thesis that good ecosystem-based management and governance, sustainable fisheries and healthy ecosystems go togetherThis is a contribution to the IndiSeas Working Group, which, by the time of the study, was cofunded by IOC-UNESCO (www.ioc-unesco.org), EuroMarine (http://www.euromarinenetwork.eu), the European FP7 MEECE research project, the European Network of Excellence Eur-Oceans and the FRB EMIBIOS project (contract n°212085)Peer Reviewe

Intersectorality in the governance of inland fisheries

© 2018 by the author(s). One of the defining characteristics of inland fisheries is that they are closely impacted by other essential human activities that rely on the same fresh or brackish water ecosystems, such as hydroelectricity generation and irrigated agriculture. Starting with the premise that an understanding of fisheries' interactions with these external sectors is in itself critical for achieving sustainability of the fisheries, this paper explores the topic of intersectoral governance and outlines an approach to analyzing the intricate and often challenging sector relationships. By drawing on examples of inland fisheries from around the world, the paper proposes four broad discursive mechanisms that can structure the study of the intersectoral dynamics, i.e., system characterization, valuation, power relations, and vertical policy interaction. A synthesis model then demonstrates their interwoven nature, revealing the way each mechanism influences one another as together they shape overall outcomes. It is apparent that analyses often need to be combined to advance more rigorous (and transdisciplinary) science and also inform appropriate courses for the governance of inland fisheries. Given the typically marginal position of fisheries in inland water-use discussions, we call for a more systematic understanding of intersectoral interactions to enhance the sector's resilience within the wider society and subsequently contribute to integrated governance of waterbodies