Socio-economic drivers and indicators for artisanal coastal fisheries in Pacific island countries and territories and their use for fisheries management strategies

This is the first regional study of artisanal fisheries in Pacific Island countries and territories that demonstrated that the future of the region's artisanal fishery sector and the livelihood of coastal communities will be highly dependent on alternative subsistence and income sources, which are necessary to reduce fishing pressure to a sustainable level to maintain ecosystem services and food security. The overall objective of this study was to identify socio-economic indicators and drivers to improve the understanding of the dynamics between socio-economic conditions and current exploitation levels of finfish and invertebrates of coastal communities in 17 Pacific Island countries and territories. We showed that exploitation rates and thus possible overexploitation are not solely the consequence of a simple demographic growth process but are in fact a result of the choices people have. Our results confirmed a close relationship between resource exploitation rates and economic development at the national level and the availability of alternative income opportunities at the community level. Multivariate analysis results suggest that communities in countries with somewhat unfavourable conditions and limited access to alternatives and fishing households in communities with overall favourable economic conditions are at highest vulnerability as they have the highest dependence on coastal fisheries resources. Alternative economic opportunities at the national scale and availability of alternative income at the community level vary significantly between cultural groups. Based on our results, the development of management strategies with realistic expectations of ensuring livelihood of coastal communities and sustainable resource use in Pacific Island countries and territories requires a hierarchical and integral approach. Major drivers identified at the regional, cultural and local levels should be used to identify priorities, to assess overall advantages and limitations at the different levels as well as the vulnerability of communities targeted, and to develop strategies accordingly.Socio-economic survey Fisheries Indicators Drivers South Pacific Fisheries management

Human-Mediated Loss of Phylogenetic and Functional Diversity in Coral Reef Fishes

Summary Beyond the loss of species richness [1-3], human activities may also deplete the breadth of evolutionary history (phylogenetic diversity) and the diversity of roles (functional diversity) carried out by species within communities, two overlooked components of biodiversity. Both are, however, essential to sustain ecosystem functioning and the associated provision of ecosystem services, particularly under fluctuating environmental conditions [1-7]. We quantified the effect of human activities on the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity of fish communities in coral reefs, while teasing apart the influence of biogeography and habitat along a gradient of human pressure across the Pacific Ocean. We detected nonlinear relationships with significant breaking points in the impact of human population density on phylogenetic and functional diversity of parrotfishes, at 25 and 15 inhabitants/km2, respectively, while parrotfish species richness decreased linearly along the same population gradient. Over the whole range, species richness decreased by 11.7%, while phylogenetic and functional diversity dropped by 35.8% and 46.6%, respectively. Our results call for caution when using species richness as a benchmark for measuring the status of ecosystems since it appears to be less responsive to variation in human population densities than its phylogenetic and functional counterparts, potentially imperiling the functioning of coral reef ecosystems

Human-mediated loss of phylogenetic and functional diversity in coral reef fishes

Beyond the loss of species richness [1, 2 and 3], human activities may also deplete the breadth of evolutionary history (phylogenetic diversity) and the diversity of roles (functional diversity) carried out by species within communities, two overlooked components of biodiversity. Both are, however, essential to sustain ecosystem functioning and the associated provision of ecosystem services, particularly under fluctuating environmental conditions [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7]. We quantified the effect of human activities on the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity of fish communities in coral reefs, while teasing apart the influence of biogeography and habitat along a gradient of human pressure across the Pacific Ocean. We detected nonlinear relationships with significant breaking points in the impact of human population density on phylogenetic and functional diversity of parrotfishes, at 25 and 15 inhabitants/km^2, respectively, while parrotfish species richness decreased linearly along the same population gradient. Over the whole range, species richness decreased by 11.7%, while phylogenetic and functional diversity dropped by 35.8% and 46.6%, respectively. Our results call for caution when using species richness as a benchmark for measuring the status of ecosystems since it appears to be less responsive to variation in human population densities than its phylogenetic and functional counterparts, potentially imperiling the functioning of coral reef ecosystems

Vulnerability of coastal fisheries in the tropical Pacific to climate change

[Extract] Although the coastal fisheries of the Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) differ considerably from the industrial tuna fisheries of the region (Chapter 8), the importance of coastal fisheries cannot be overstated. Throughout the tropical Pacific, coastal fisheries contribute significantly to the food security, livelihoods, and culture of both rural communities and urban populations. In the majority of PICTs, fish consumption by coastal communities exceeds 50 kg per person per year, and is > 90 kg per person per year in six PICTs. In comparison, average global fish consumption per person is 16–18 kg per year.\ud \ud Not surprisingly, therefore, coastal fisheries in the tropical Pacific are based mainly on subsistence activities to provide fish and invertebrates for household food. Nevertheless, an average of 47% of households in fishing communities also earn their first or second income from selling surplus fish and invertebrates caught from coastal and nearshore waters10. Specialised fisheries for coastal invertebrates (e.g. sea cucumbers and trochus) and fish (e.g. groupers and snappers) for export commodities, have also contributed substantially to national income and local livelihoods over the years. The only parts of the tropical Pacific where coastal fisheries do not help underpin food security and livelihoods are the inland areas of Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands and Fiji (Chapter 10). The significance of coastal fisheries is demonstrated by the total contributions of subsistence and commercial catches to gross domestic product (GDP) across the region; together, they are estimated to be worth USD 272 million. This is considerably higher than the USD 200 million derived from locally-based industrial tuna fleets