Single nucleotide polymorphisms reveal a genetic cline across the north-east Atlantic and enable powerful population assignment in the European lobster

This is the final version. Available on open access from Wiley via the DOI in this recordData Availability Statement:: Data for this study are available at the Dryad Digital Repository: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2v1kr38Resolving stock structure is crucial for fisheries conservation to ensure that the spatial implementation of management is commensurate with that of biological population units. To address this in the economically important European lobster (Homarus gammarus), genetic structure was explored across the species' range using a small panel of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) previously isolated from restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing; these SNPs were selected to maximize differentiation at a range of both broad and fine scales. After quality control and filtering, 1,278 lobsters from 38 sampling sites were genotyped at 79 SNPs. The results revealed a pronounced phylogeographic break between the Atlantic and Mediterranean basins, while structure within the Mediterranean was also apparent, partitioned between lobsters from the central Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea. In addition, a genetic cline across the north-east Atlantic was revealed using both putatively neutral and outlier SNPs, but the precise driver(s) of this clinal pattern—isolation by distance, secondary contact, selection across an environmental gradient, or a combination of these factors—remains undetermined. Putatively neutral markers differentiated lobsters from Oosterschelde, an estuary on the Dutch coast, a finding likely explained by past bottlenecks and limited gene flow with adjacent North Sea populations. Building on the findings of our spatial genetic analysis, we were able to test the accuracy of assigning lobsters at various spatial scales, including to basin of origin (Atlantic or Mediterranean), region of origin and sampling location. The predictive model assembled using 79 SNPs correctly assigned 99.7% of lobsters not used to build the model to their basin of origin, but accuracy decreased to region of origin and again to sampling location. These results are of direct relevance to managers of lobster fisheries and hatcheries, and provide the basis for a genetic tool for tracing the origin of European lobsters in the food supply chain.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)Natural EnglandUniversity of Exete

Aquatic food security:insights into challenges and solutions from an analysis of interactions between fisheries, aquaculture, food safety, human health, fish and human welfare, economy and environment

Fisheries and aquaculture production, imports, exports and equitability of distribution determine the supply of aquatic food to people. Aquatic food security is achieved when a food supply is sufficient, safe, sustainable, shockproof and sound: sufficient, to meet needs and preferences of people; safe, to provide nutritional benefit while posing minimal health risks; sustainable, to provide food now and for future generations; shock-proof, to provide resilience to shocks in production systems and supply chains; and sound, to meet legal and ethical standards for welfare of animals, people and environment. Here, we present an integrated assessment of these elements of the aquatic food system in the United Kingdom, a system linked to dynamic global networks of producers, processors and markets. Our assessment addresses sufficiency of supply from aquaculture, fisheries and trade; safety of supply given biological, chemical and radiation hazards; social, economic and environmental sustainability of production systems and supply chains; system resilience to social, economic and environmental shocks; welfare of fish, people and environment; and the authenticity of food. Conventionally, these aspects of the food system are not assessed collectively, so information supporting our assessment is widely dispersed. Our assessment reveals trade-offs and challenges in the food system that are easily overlooked in sectoral analyses of fisheries, aquaculture, health, medicine, human and fish welfare, safety and environment. We highlight potential benefits of an integrated, systematic and ongoing process to assess security of the aquatic food system and to predict impacts of social, economic and environmental change on food supply and demand

Making Brexit Work for the Environment and Livelihoods : Delivering a Stakeholder Informed Vision for Agriculture and Fisheries

1. The UK’s decision to leave the EU has far-reaching, and often shared, implications for agriculture and fisheries. To ensure the future sustainability of UK agricultural and fisheries systems, we argue that it is essential to grasp the opportunity that Brexit is providing to develop integrated policies that improve the management and protection of the natural environments, upon which these industries rely. 2. This article advances a stakeholder informed vision of the future design of UK agriculture and fisheries policies. We assess how currently emerging UK policy will need to be adapted in order to implement this vision. Our starting point is that Brexit provides the opportunity to redesign current unsustainable practices and can, in principle, deliver a sustainable future for agriculture and fisheries. 3. Underpinning policies with an ecosystem approach, explicit inclusion of public goods provision and social welfare equity were found to be key provisions for environmental, agricultural and fishery sustainability. Recognition of the needs of, and innovative practices in, the devolved UK nations is also required as the new policy and regulatory landscape is established. 4. Achieving the proposed vision will necessitate drawing on best practice and creating more coherent and integrated food, environment and rural and coastal economic policies. Our findings demonstrate that “bottom-up” and co-production approaches will be key to the development of more environmentally sustainable agriculture and fisheries policies to underpin prosperous livelihoods. 5. However, delivering this vision will involve overcoming significant challenges. The current uncertainty over the nature and timing of the UK’s Brexit agreement hinders forward planning and investment while diverting attention away from further in-depth consideration of environmental sustainability. In the face of this uncertainty, much of the UK’s new policy on the environment, agriculture and fisheries is therefore ambitious in vision but light on detail. Full commitment to co-production of policy with devolved nations and stakeholders also appears to be lacking, but will be essential for effective policy development and implementation

Options for Producing a Warm-Water Fish in the UK: limits to "Green-Growth"?

This paper explores the development of a sustainable production system for tilapia and the research implications involved with ensuring commercial viability of such a system for UK farmers. The tilapia is a warm water fish with firm texture, white flesh and mild taste quite similar to a cod or haddock. Whilst tropical in origin it is thought to be highly suitable for low cost aquaculture in temperate zones with the potential to be a more sustainable source of food with fewer environmental impacts than other substitutes. Drawing on a literature review and findings from technical trials the paper will review and compare two production systems - novel Activated Suspension Technology (AST) and conventional Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) - considering their feasibility in terms of potential and financial viability for scaling up to commercial production of tilapia and their environmental and sustainability benefits. The review concludes that AST based only on microbial floc is currently uncompetitive with RAS in a UK context although the approach has benefits that might be incorporated in a new generation of mixed systems. Refinement of such systems needs to occur with potential adopters and could be part of diversification of mixed farms. Such development might further enhance the ethical values of fish produced in small-scale, modular RAS

A development of ecological risk screening with an application to fisheries off SW England

This work was funded by the Sea Fish Industry Authority.A development of the ecological risk screening (ERS) technique, scale intensity and consequence analysis (SICA), is described and application to the varied fisheries and ecosystem off the southwest of England on behalf of an industry steering group (SG) is summarized. The purpose was to prioritize ecological risks systematically and consistently in relation to policy goals agreed by the SG. Scientists listed and advised on ecosystem components, their units (individual species, stocks, habitats, or communities) and attributes, as well as agents of change in the SW, their activities, and generalized effects relevant to the policy goals. A working group (WG) of fishers, fishery observers, technical advisors, and marine scientists paired each unit with the activity thought most likely to impact the most sensitive policy goal, then scored risk according to defined rules spatially, temporally, and as intensity and duration of effects. The geometric mean of the four scores, slightly adjusted for unscored factors if necessary, was the relative impact score (RIS). With this standardized method, the main aspects of risk were considered separately and independently, thereby assisting objective prioritization. Nineteen unit–activity pairs were listed as priority risks (RIS >3) in the SW region during a 2-d meeting that fully exploited the wide range of information and experience available at the WG. Socio-economics was not considered. The ERS for the SW was designed to be compatible with other similar ERSs that might be carried out for neighbouring marine regions. ERS can minimize extra monitoring needed for ecosystem management and, in principle, collaborating non-fishery agents of change could be included. By engaging all stakeholders in the setting of initial priorities for action and by assembling all available sources of information, ERS offers a useful starting point for holistic ecosystem management.PostprintPeer reviewe

GOVERNING 'SPACES OF INTERACTION' FOR SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES

This paper introduces the concept of 'spaces of interaction' to determine how existing market-based governance tools improve participation and deliberation between actors along fish value chains. Exploring these linkages through the sociology of environmental flows and interactive governance theory the paper discusses: (1) how market-based governance tools facilitate interaction within national and international value chains; (2) which links they target; and (3) what key actors they involve. Three market-based governance tools are compared - "Das Fisch-o-Meter", the Scottish Sustainable Haddock Project and the Marine Stewardship Council - to illustrate the structure and function of different market-based spaces of interaction. The paper concludes that by understanding the kinds of interactions that are facilitated by market-based governance arrangements we can determine their potential for fostering changes in consumption and production practices which ultimately lead to sustainable fisheries. Copyright (c) 2009 by the Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG.