Participatory assessment of the Toliara Bay reef fishery, southwest Madagascar

In order to ensure the sustainable management of reef fisheries, it is necessary to obtain data about the effects of these fisheries on both fish resources and the ecosystems that sustain them. Ecosystem-based surveys provide this information, but are difficult to implement because of technical, financial and human resources requirements. In this regard participatory assessment methods have the potential to increase the amount of data collected at low cost, while taking advantage of local traditional ecological knowledge. In order to investigate the reef fishery of Toliara Bay, southwest Madagascar, we used participatory fish survey and interview data collected on site. These methods included: (i) monitoring of catch landings during six months by wholesale fish merchants, (ii) household surveys of fishing catch and effort and fish consumption conducted by school children, and (iii) semi-structured interviews of reef users. One thousand five hundred and eighty six fishing trips were sampled between September 2006 and February 2007, 326 households were surveyed by trained school children in January 2007, and 70 reef users were interviewed in July/August 2006. Data collected by participants have been compiled and compared to reference values when available, allowing an assessment of the sustainability of the reef fishery. The results of this study confirm the unsustainable nature of resource exploitation and underline the need for rapid management responses in order to reverse this trend. It also highlights the great potential of participatory assessment methods for gathering large amounts of relevant information on the status and evolution of the ecosystem upon which the fishery depends, while promoting education and awareness about the protection and sustainable use of natural resources. RÉSUMÉ Bien que les pêcheries récifales ne contribuent que marginalement aux captures de pêche mondiales, elles restent une source majeure de revenus et de protéines pour des millions de personnes, en particulier dans les pays en voie de développement. Afin de s’assurer de la bonne gestion de ces pêcheries, il est nécessaire de disposer d’informations sur l’état des ressources et des écosystèmes dont elles dépendent. Mener de telles études est d’autant plus compliqué que les pêcheries en milieu corallien portent sur un large éventail de stocks et d'espèces de poissons, concernent de nombreux pêcheurs et supposent diverses méthodes de captures, et empruntent un grand nombre de canaux de distribution. De plus, ces pêcheries sont souvent considérées de moindre valeur par les gouvernements qui leur octroient donc peu de moyens humains et financiers. Face à ces problèmes, l’implication de la société civile dans les programmes de suivi, appelé suivi participatif, semble en mesure d’apporter des solutions, d’autant que les suivis participatifs présentent l’avantage d’accroître le nombre de données collectées à moindre coût, tout en profitant des connaissances écologiques empiriques qui sont disponibles localement. Afin d’évaluer la pérennité de la pêcherie récifale de la baie de Toliara dans le sud ouest de Madagascar, des méthodes de suivi participatif ont été expérimentées. Ces méthodes consistent à mettre en œuvre : (i) des suivis des débarquements pendant six mois impliquant des mareyeuses, (ii) des enquêtes auprès des ménages, réalisées par des écoliers préalablement formés, afin de recueillir des informations sur l’effort de pêche, les captures et la consommation de poisons, (iii) des entretiens semi-directifs avec des usagers du milieu marin. Ainsi, entre 2006 et 2007, 1586 sorties de pêche ont été échantillonnées, et 326 ménages et 70 usagers ont fait l’objet d’enquêtes. Les données collectées par les membres de la communauté locale ont été analysées afin d’évaluer la pérennité de la pêcherie dans la baie de Toliara. Les résultats de l’étude confirment une exploitation non pérenne et soulignent la  nécessité de mettre en place des mesures de gestion afin d’inverser la tendance de détérioration des écosystèmes de la baie. Il ressort également de cette étude que l’implication de la société civile s’avère être pertinente pour recueillir des informations sur les pêcheries récifales à faible coût. En effet, de part le nombre, la qualité, la variété et la pertinence des informations produites, les suivis participatifs contribuent utilement à l’évaluation des pêcheries récifales. Cette expérience met également en évidence le fort potentiel des suivis participatifs à contribuer au renforcement des connaissances et des capacités des communautés locales dans le domaine de la gestion des ressources marines. Ainsi, face au difficile contexte socio-économique et politique qui prévaut actuellement à Madagascar, cette approche s’avère particulièrement prometteuse pour améliorer la gestion des pêcheries traditionnelles grâce à la production d’informations sur ces pêcheries et une plus grande implication des communautés locales dans le processus de gestion

Les déterminants de la réussite des initiatives exogènes de la diversification des Moyens de Subsistance des communautés de pêcheurs

The study conducted in Madagascar explores on the diversification of livelihoods in Madagascar was carried out to identify the determining elements of the livelihood strategies of fishing communities and to bring out the relevant points of intervention to move the system towards sustainable livelihood strategies. The study was carried out in two stages: first, investigations were undertaken in three areas (Toliara-Sud, Ambaro Bay and Belo sur Tsiribihina) in order to assess the livelihood strategies of fishing communities following the theoretical framework advocated by Ashley and Carney (1999). Secondly, more in-depth investigations were carried out on four projects aimed at the sustainable livelihoods of fishing communities, to draw lessons from their implementation while taking into account the contexts in which they were carried out. The study of the diversification of livelihoods in fishing communities in Madagascar first made it possible to highlight the vulnerability of coastal communities. We are in the presence of a population that corresponds to the typology of the poor described by Dissou et al. (2000): generalized poverty at the level of the five forms of Capital according to the concept of "capability" mentioned by Sen (1985, Gondard-Delcroix and Rousseau 2004). We are also in the presence of a very vulnerable population due to its strong dependence on natural resources and a very low diversification of its means of subsistence. Also, the population's only recourse is to develop survival strategies to the detriment, as usual, of natural capital. Lessons learned from the implementation of the four projects reviewed highlight the importance of both entry points and the performance of exit plans. The entry points evoke the need for participation, the determinants of which turn out to be, first, the superposition of the immediate, often economic, needs of the population and the “deferred” needs for the sustainability of natural capital. Active and effective participation also happens to be dependent on respect for the power and decision-making structure actually in force at the local community level. The performance of exit plans depends on the degree of completion of the institutionalization of the structures supporting the participation of local communities. During the examination of the targeted projects, one notices in a notorious way, on the one hand, the quasi absence of an approach by typology which constitutes the base of the approach by the sustainable means of subsistence. On the other hand, it was also noted the failure of an appropriate monitoring-evaluation system which would have allowed any effective and efficient capitalization.   Résumé L’étude de diversification des moyens de subsistance à Madagascar a été réalisée pour identifier les éléments déterminants des stratégies de subsistance des communautés de pêcheurs et à en faire émerger les points d’intervention pertinents pour faire évoluer le système vers des stratégies de subsistance durables. L’étude a été réalisée en deux étapes en commençant par des investigations dans trois zones (Toliara-Sud, Baie d’Ambaro et Belo sur Tsiribihina) pour apprécier les stratégies de subsistance des communautés de pêcheurs suivant le cadre théorique préconisé par Ashley et Carney (1999). En second lieu, des investigations plus approfondies ont été réalisées sur quatre projets visant les moyens de subsistance durable des communautés de pêcheurs, pour tirer des leçons de leur mise en œuvre tout en tenant compte des contextes dans lesquels ils ont été exécutés. L’étude de la diversification des moyens de subsistance utilisés par les communautés de pêcheurs à Madagascar a permis de mettre en relief la vulnérabilité des communautés côtières, conformément à la typologie des pauvres décrite par Dissou et al. (2000) avec une pauvreté généralisée au niveau des cinq formes de capital selon le concept de capability ou capacité/aptitude (Sen 1985, Gondard-Delcroix et Rousseau 2004). Les populations sont extrêmement dépendantes des ressources naturelles locales sans véritable alternative pour diversifier leurs moyens de subsistance. Leur seul recours consiste ainsi à développer des stratégies de survie au détriment, comme à l’accoutumée, du capital naturel.   Les leçons tirées de la mise en œuvre des quatre projets examinés mettent en exergue l’importance aussi bien des points d’entrée que de la performance des plans de retrait. Les points d’entrée évoquent la nécessité de la participation dont les déterminants s’avèrent être, d’abord, la superposition des besoins immédiats, souvent économiques, de la population et les besoins différés pour la durabilité du capital naturel. La participation active et effective se trouve également être tributaire du respect de la structure de pouvoir et de prise de décision réellement en vigueur au niveau des communautés locales. La performance des plans de retrait dépend du degré d’achèvement de l’institutionnalisation des structures supportant la participation des communautés locales. Les projets ciblés montrent clairement une quasi-absence d’une approche par typologie qui constitue pourtant le fondement de l’approche par les moyens de subsistance durable, ainsi que la défaillance d’un système de suivi-évaluation approprié qui aurait permis toute capitalisation effective et efficace

Growth performance of the rabbitfish Siganus sutor raised at outdoor rearing ponds in Toliara, SouthWestern Madagascar

In Madagascar, decrease of fish stock and poverty lead small scale fishermen to deploy destructive fishing gear. At Toliara Reef, fishermen using mosquito seine net catch up to 50% of juvenile fish and up to 42% of these juveniles belong only to the rabbitfish Siganus sutor species.This prohibited fishing practice disturbs the structure of adult fish populations and aquaculture may be one of the effective solutions to alleviate the problem of stock depletion. Rabbitfishes possess most of the desirable characteristics for aquaculture (e.g. herbivory and responsive to artificial food, high survival in high rearing densities) and the culture of several Siganus species have been tested in various countries. However, no study has been conducted on the rearing of S. sutor in Madagascar. Here, we investigated such a possibility regarding the growth performances and survival rate of S. sutor. Juveniles (initial mean body weight of 6.06g ± 2.43 and length of 6.23cm ± 0.8) were successfully retrieved from fishermen catches and we applied fish grow-out experiments in outdoor rearing pond (16m3) for a duration of five months. The rearing density was 8 fish/m3 and the performance of different diets were tested. A locally produced industrial fish food (composed of corn, soya flour, wheat, vitamins, oil…) at a feed ration of8% of fish biomass were compared with cooked rice at a feed ration of 25% of fish biomass. Dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity, turbidity and pH were recorded three times a day along the experiment. Fish fed with industrial fish food had a significant higher growth (p<0.05) with a final mean body weight of 68.11g ± 26.71 and a final mean length of13.91cm ± 1.69. At the end of the experiment, fish fed with cooked rice displayed a mean body weight of 34.81g ± 15 and a mean length of 11.15cm ± 1.76. Feed conversion ratio is 2.99 for industrial food while it reaches up to 20.67 for the cooked rice. Surprisingly, fish fed with industrial food showed a significant lower survival rate (p<0.05) of 47.2%, compared to 95.7% for the cooked rice. Our study highlights the possibility of rearing juvenile rabbitfish in outdoor rearing pond using essentially locally produced industrial food. Controlling the rearing of juvenile rabbitfishes can be suggested as a practical approach to improve the survival rate of these juveniles through sea ranching and for improving livelihood of local communities through alternative activity

The potential nursery areas and recruitment seasons of Siganus sutor in Madagascar

editorial reviewedBackground Seagrass beds support the productivity of coastal fisheries by ensuring the survival of juvenile fishes and securing their recruitment in adult populations. This habitat is a preferred fishing area targeted by small-scale fishermen in developing countries, using Mosquito seine nets as observed in SW Madagascar. Previous studies revealed that seines nets caught large proportions of juveniles, especially dominated by Siganus sutor up to 42% of catches. In a conservation perspective, recruitment monitoring of this highly affected species is needed to provide key information related to their spatial and temporal distribution along the coastal habitats. This research aims at understanding recruitment patterns of S. sutor in critical habitats of SW Madagascar. The specific objectives are (a) to detect the recruitment seasons of S. sutor; (b) to identify their potential nursery areas; and (c) to understand why S. sutor select specific zones as a nursery area. Methods Catches from small scale fishers from mangroves, seagrass meadows, intermediate areas (i.e. sandy bottoms between seagrass patches and coral reefs) and seagrass associated to coral reefs were sampled with three stations per habitat and three days per month from July 2021 to June 2022. In meantime, ecological data related to surface temperature and salinity were recorded In the laboratory, all individuals were identified, photographed in order to automatically measure their size with ImageJ software. Another survey was carried out to address biological data (food availability) and habitat characteristics (depth, seagrass cover and diversity) in order to understand their influence on nursery areas selection for S. sutor. Results The catch of 5714 individuals shows that the abundance and size of rabbitfish exhibited a spatial and seasonal variability pattern. Rabbitfish size increased from habitats located near the coast compared to those near the reef. The smallest S. sutor size only occurred in the mangroves and seagrass meadows with 2.2 ±1.46 cm, against 4.2±1.48 for the intermediate areas and 5.1±1.47 seagrass associated with coral reefs. Considering abundance, juveniles of S. sutor is significantly more abundant in seagrass meadows (with 59.4%) while this species appeared to be rare in mangroves (<1%). This is indicated that this species did not colonize mangroves at an early stage. The small sized S. sutor were most abundant in seagrass meadow, suggesting this habitat could be the main nursery area for this species. Two recruitment seasons corresponding to the smallest mean size and the most abundant occurred in August 2021 and in January 2022 so far. This highlights the seasonality of S. sutor recruitment in SW Madagascar during warm and cool seasons. Conclusion To conclude, seagrass meadows constitutes the main nursery areas for S. sutor. Their massive settlement occurred in January (warm season) and August (cool season). Madagascar is characterized by two main recruitment season so far. As sampling will be completed in June 2022, results explaining why S. sutor choose seagrass meadows as a potential nursery will be available by August 2022 and will be presented. Such information will be useful for the decision making to develop management measures for the sustainable use of S. sutor resources and coastal habitats.Fish juvenile recruitment in coastal habitats of Western Indian Ocean14. Life below water11. Sustainable cities and communitie

Small Scale Fisheries Analysis in A Sustainable Development Perspective

An international symposium devoted to Research and small-scale fisheries (Durand, Lemoalle, Weber, 1991) in Montpellier (France) in 1989 came from increasing evidence that “the complexity of small scale fisheries calls for applying knowledge from many fields in combined studies that can take advantage of a whole range of information”. Has this assessment changed twenty years later? The references to sustainable development and to socio and bio-ecological diversities have highlighted the relationships between small-scale fisheries and natural, economic, social, cultural, and institutional aspects. In this paper we exemplify such interactions in different small-scale fisheries contexts in relation with poverty and food security issues. We question the consequences of different types of fleet dynamics in terms of adaptability, vulnerability and resilience of harvested ecosystems, and the impacts of the regulation systems on fishing communities. More generally, we question the paradigm of sustainable self-regulated small-scale fisheries. Finally, with references to several worldwide case studies and ecosystems we provide a description of the diversity of small scale fisheries, of the frameworks used to represent them, and of associated sets of relevant indicators used in monitoring and management programs. This presentation may be a first step toward a revisited pluri-disciplinary research framework for small-scale fisheries. This could be based on a research network built in order to produce and mobilize knowledge from a more comprehensive set of small-scale fisheries case studies.Keywords: Small Scale Fisheries, Fisheries Economics, Fish and Aquaculture Sectors Developmen

Overview and progress of consortium research related to the biology, ecology and aquaculture of rabbitfish

editorial reviewedCoastal habitats support global fisheries by ensuring the survival of juvenile fishes. These habitats constitute one of the fishing areas targeted by small-scale fishermen in the least developed countries, including Madagascar. The accessibility of these habitats at low tides makes it an ideal fishing area for mosquito seine nets as observed for instance in SW Madagascar and beach seining in Kenya. However, this practice negatively impacts fisheries production due to catches of high numbers of juveniles, in Madagascar and Kenya mostly composed of shoemaker spinefoot rabbitfish (Siganus sutor). Despite Malagasy laws that forbid the deployment of mosquito seine nets, fishermen continue with their use. In Kenya, the beach seines have been outlawed but enforcement remains a challenge. This context highlights the need for management measures and alternative sources of income for a sustainable use of marine resources and for improving the fishermen livelihood. The ongoing consortium research entitled “Fish juvenile recruitment in coastal habitats of western Indian Ocean” was funded by MASMA program administered by WIOMSA. It is an interdisciplinary research program intending to understand recruitment patterns of shoemaker spinefoot rabbitfish (Siganus sutor) in coastal habitats of Kenya and Madagascar. It explores evidence-based solutions for improving the welfare of coastal communities and sustainable use of marine resources. Research activities were divided into four work packages. In WP1, Siganus sutor recruitment patterns in coastal habitats were targeted to identify the nursery ground and recruitment periods. It is based on juvenile fish sampling at four coastal habitats (mangroves, seagrass meadows, intermediate areas and seagrass associated with the coral reef) in Madagascar during twelve months. In WP2, sampling for the analysis of the population connectivity of S. sutor for detecting the sources of juveniles in the coastal habitats at five sites along the western coast of Madagascar was completed. In WP3, ecological models for predicting the arrival of newly settled S. sutor will be based on historical and newly collected data (WP1) using the random forests algorithm. Predictors are composed of remotely sensed oceanic conditions and a post-larval supply index calculated from post-larval sampling in the coastal habitats using light-traps. Like juvenile sampling, post-larval sampling was performed three nights per month which will cover all the juvenile sampling periods. In WP4, fish feeding behavior is studied and experiments on capture-based juvenile fish grow-out are ongoing at the Belaza aquaculture facilities (Toliara, Madagascar). Eight fish grow-out treatments focusing on three stocking densities, three fish diets, and pond dimensions are being tested. In WP1, about 5,720 juvenile individuals were obtained from 120 juvenile fish samples. The standard length of each of these individuals were measured for analyzing the spatial distribution of S. sutor. The nursery ground and recruitment seasons for S. sutor emerged from our research. The findings will be presented orally by PhD student Helga Berjulie Ravelohasina during the symposium. In addition, about 360 epifaunal community samples were obtained between July 2021 and April 2022. The spatial distribution of abundance, diversity and richness of epifauna associated with seagrass will be presented in a poster by MSc student Mory Justino. In WP2, at each location, 45 individuals were sampled, for a total of 225 adults for Madagascar and 180 from Kenya. Genotyping is in progress. In WP3, monitoring of the newly settled fish, in parallel with post-larval sampling, is in progress and should be completed by June 2022. In meantime, the extraction of remotely sensed oceanic conditions covering the sampling periods is being processed with R programming for the period. In WP4, preliminary results on fish grow-out identified the best fish diet and the most optimal stocking density at the smallest size (about 2 cm of standard length). More details related to these findings will be presented in a poster by master student Nandrianina Maminantenaina. In addition, the gut content and stage isotopes of three ontogenetic stages (i.e. post-larvae, juvenile, and adult) of S. sutor were analysed the natural trophodynamics. The findings are based on 1160 gut contents and muscle tissue samples collected during the warm (October 2021 to February 2022) and cool season (May to August 2022). The potential nursery areas and the main recruitment seasons of Siganus sutor were identified. The oral presentation entitled “The potential nursery areas and recruitment season of S. sutor in Madagascar” by Helga Berjulie Ravelohasina will provide further details of our findings. The variability of food availability related to epifauna concentration will be known in the poster on Mory Justino. The most optimal fish diet as well as the optimal stocking density will be presented in a separate poster entitled “Density and fish diet effect on rabbitfish growth in controlled systems” presented by Nandrianina Maminantenaina.Biology, ecology and aquaculture of rabbitfish14. Life below water2. Zero hunger11. Sustainable cities and communitie

Approches participatives : une solution pour le suivi des pêcheries récifales ?

International audienceIn order to ensure a sustainable management of reef fisheries, data need to be collected regularly on the effect of these fisheries on both fish resources and the ecosystems that sustain them. Habitat and resources monitoring programs can provide such information, but are difficult to implement as they involve a range of technical, financial and human resources. Regarding these problems, the involvement of the local population in monitoring programs, called participatory monitoring, seems to offer solutions. Indeed, participatory monitoring has the potential of increasing the number of data collected at low cost, while taking advantage of the traditional ecological knowledge available locally. Some questions need clarifying, however: which methods can bring relevant information for the monitoring of reef fisheries while being appropriate to the motivations and skills of the local population? Is the degree of participation of the local population sufficient to make the monitoring program work, particularly over the long term? To answer these questions, participatory monitoring methods commonly used for coral reef ecosystems have been implemented to assess reef fisheries at three different sites: Moorea island and Tikehau atoll in French Polynesia, and the Bay of Tulear in Madagascar. While highlighting the relevance of some participatory monitoring programs for snapshot and large-scale surveys, the results of this study also show their lesser interest for regular data gathering on long-time scales. In any case, strong coordination and supervision by scientists are considered essential.La gestion durable des écosystèmes coralliens nécessite de disposer d’informations régulières concernant l’impact des pêcheries sur les ressources récifales et sur les écosystèmes dont elles dépendent. Les suivis intégrés des ressources, des habitats et des espèces associées qui visent à fournir ce type d’informations sont difficiles à mettre en œuvre, car ils impliquent de nombreuses ressources humaines, techniques et financières. Face à ces problèmes, la participation de la société civile dans les programmes de suivi semble en mesure d’apporter des solutions. Dans le but de tester cette hypothèse, des méthodes de suivi participatif ont été mises en œuvre afin de caractériser des pêcheries récifales sur trois socio-écosystèmes contrastés : l’île de Moorea et l’atoll de Tikehau en Polynésie française, et le littoral de Tuléar à Madagascar. Les résultats de cette étude soulignent la pertinence de certains suivis participatifs pour fournir une vision écosystémique dans le cas de collecte de données ponctuelles et de large envergure, et leur intérêt moindre pour la collecte continue de données sur de longues échelles de temps. Dans tous les cas, une structure de coordination et l’implication de scientifiques s’avèrent primordiales pour assurer pérennité et fiabilité au système de suivi

Annotated checklist of the fishes of Madagascar, southwestern Indian Ocean, with 158 new records

International audienceAn annotated checklist of the fish species of the Madagascar EEZ (southwestern Indian Ocean) comprises a total of 1,798 species in 247 families. 158 species are recorded from Madagascar for the first time. The majority of the species is autochthonous; 28 species have been introduced, mainly in freshwater habitats. The fish fauna is mostly marine (95.4% of the total number of native fish species), with the Gobiidae, Labridae, Serranidae, Pomacentridae and Apogonidae being the families with most representatives; among the 90 native freshwater fish species (adults mainly occurring in freshwater), the Cichlidae are the dominating family, but there are also two endemic families, the Bedotiidae (16 species) and Anchariidae (6 species). The fish fauna at Madagascar is typical for offshore, high islands in the southwestern Indian Ocean. Zoogeographically, the main element of the marine fish fauna of Madagascar consists of widespread tropical Indo-Pacific species (978 species, 58.3% of the total native marine species). A total of 13 species (3.3%) are found worldwide, either circumtropical or circumtropical including warm temperate zones. A total of 215 species (12.8%) are found worldwide, either circumtropical or circumtropical including warm temperate zones. An additional 453 species (27.0%) are Indian Ocean endemics, including 233 western Indian Ocean endemics (13.9%), 73 southwestern Indian Ocean endemics (4.4%), 16 species endemic to Madagascar and Mascarenes (1.0%), 4 species endemic to Madagascar and Comoros (0.2%), 3 species endemic to Madagascar and Madagascar Ridge(0.2%), and 37 marine species endemic to Madagascar (2.2%). Most of the autochthonous freshwater fishes are endemic to Madagascar (87 species, 96.7% of the native freshwater species)