Understanding non-compliance in small-scale fisheries: shark fishing in Myanmar's Myeik Archipelago

Achieving fisheries compliance is challenging in contexts where enforcement capacity is limited and the incentives for rule-breaking are strong. This challenge is exemplified in Myanmar, where an active shark fishery exists despite a nationwide ban on targeted shark fishing. We used the Kipling method (5W1H) to gather a complete story of non-compliance in five small-scale fishing communities in the Myeik Archipelago. Among 144 fishers surveyed, 49% were aware of the nationwide ban. Shark fishers (24%) tended to be younger individuals who did not own a boat and perceived shark fishing to be prevalent. Compliant fishers were motivated by a fear of sharks and lack of capacity (equipment, knowledge), whereas food and income were cited as key motivations for non-compliance. The results of our study emphasize that in resource-dependent communities, improving compliance for effective shark conservation may require addressing broader issues of poverty, food security and the lack of alternatives

Mitigating negative livelihood impacts of no-take MPAs on small-scale fishers

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have the potential to support small-scale fishers in managing their resources. However, a general failure to consider the varying levels of vulnerability of fishers has resulted in MPAs that, often unintentionally, adversely impact small-scale fishers. Furthermore, when fishers lack the capacity to adapt to MPA-related changes, MPAs may fail to meet conservation objectives because fishers do not comply with MPA regulations. In this study, we developed a systematic method to identify individuals who are most vulnerable to being negatively impacted by no-take MPAs through an index that represents individual-level vulnerability. We designed a method for identifying these individuals based on four socioeconomic factors pertaining to vulnerability to MPA changes: livelihood diversity, education, age and wealth, then applied this method in two socially and economically heterogeneous communities in Myanmar's Myeik Archipelago. We used empirical data collected from 80 small-scale fishers in this area to represent each factor, then generated a local-level 'Livelihood Impact Potential Index' (LIPI) that reflects the degree to which a no-take MPA would impact an individual fisher's ability to support his or her livelihood. When attributed to each fisher's most frequented fishing ground, the LIPI can identify locations where no-take MPAs would be most detrimental to small-scale fishers' livelihoods based on their levels of vulnerability. The LIPI can thus be used alongside ecological and commercial fishing data to support planners in designing local-scale MPAs that maximise positive impact on biodiversity and minimise adverse impacts on the most vulnerable fishers in a community

Acute-phase Serum Cytokine Levels and Correlation with Clinical Outcomes in Children and Adults with Primary and Secondary Dengue Virus Infection in Myanmar between 2017 and 2019

The dengue virus (DENV) has been endemic in Myanmar since 1970, causing outbreaks every 2–3 years. DENV infection symptoms range from mild fever to lethal hemorrhage. Clinical biomarkers must be identified to facilitate patient risk stratification in the early stages of infection. We analyzed 45 cytokines and other factors in serum samples from the acute phase of DENV infection (within 3–5 days of symptom onset) from 167 patients in Yangon, Myanmar, between 2017 and 2019. All of the patients tested positive for serum DENV nonstructural protein 1 antigen (NS1 Ag); 78.4% and 62.9% were positive for immunoglobulin M (IgM) and G (IgG), respectively; and 18.0%, 19.8%, and 11.9% tested positive for serotypes 1, 3, and 4, respectively. Although the DENV-4 viral load was significantly higher than those of DENV-1 or DENV-3, disease severity was not associated with viral load or serotype. Significant correlations were identified between disease severity and CCL5, SCF, PDGF-BB, IL-10, and TNF-α levels; between NS1 Ag and SCF, CCL5, IFN-α, IL-1α, and IL-22 levels; between thrombocytopenia and IL-2, TNF-α, VEGF-D, and IL-6 levels; and between primary or secondary infection and IL-2, IL-6, IL-31, IL-12p70, and MIP-1β levels. These circulating factors may represent leading signatures in acute DENV infections, reflecting the clinical outcomes in the dengue endemic region, Myanmar