Tracking integrated ecosystem assessments in the ICES network: a social network analysis of the ICES expert groups

The advice the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) provides to its member countries is crucial for the sustainable management of shared marine resources, and the conservation of relevant marine ecosystems. In 2014, ICES made a strategic decision to integrate marine and social sciences in a new type of assessment framework called “integrated ecosystem assessments” (IEA) to deliver advice on societal trade-offs between different policy options. The IEA-focused expert groups formed before and after this period now cover all major ecoregions. To track the progression of IEAs in the ICES network over time, we conducted a social network analysis (SNA) on expert group attendance for the years 2015–2019. The IEA-focused expert groups generally ranked lower in the overall ICES network. Our study shows that some IEA-groups become more connected over time, while others decline. We also evaluated the role of workshops in the ICES network, particularly their role in the development of IEA knowledge. Our study shows that workshops play an important role in ICES network connectivity. The study demonstrates how social network analysis can be used to study an organization such as ICES and determine the effectiveness, or impact, of that organizational function.publishedVersio

HERRING Governance Report Herring network institutions and governance

The Governance Report presents the research about the governance framework in which the various aspects and sectors that are relevant for spawning ground management are embedded.https://commons.wmu.se/herring/1002/thumbnail.jp

HERRING : An analysis of spawning ground management, ecological conditions and human impacts in Greifswald Bay, Vistula Lagoon and Hanö Bight.

This book compiles the findings of the HERRING project which was conducted from 2012 until 2015 and part-financed by the EU South Baltic Programme. The main objective of the HERRING project is to improve the consideration of including herring spawning grounds in coastal management. Herring as a resource recourse would be part of the economic development of coastal areas, and HERRING strongly emphasizes the importance of foster an integrated coastal management in the South Baltic Sea. Three case study areas in Germany, Poland and Sweden serve as the basis of the approach, which can be roughly distinguished in two parts. The analysis of the ecological parameters and conditions as well as the impacts of present and future human activities, spatial uses and natural changes The analysis and compilation of the multi-level institutions and manage- ment instruments that govern the use and protection of coastal herring spawning grounds. The management of coastal spawning areas can function as an example to show the huge diversity of interest, demands and actors that need to be considered for the sustainable use of resources and ecosystems.https://commons.wmu.se/mer_book/1002/thumbnail.jp

Recreational sea fishing in Europe in a global contextParticipation rates, fishing effort, expenditure, and implications for monitoring and assessment

Marine recreational fishing (MRF) is a high-participation activity with large economic value and social benefits globally, and it impacts on some fish stocks. Although reporting MRF catches is a European Union legislative requirement, estimates are only available for some countries. Here, data on numbers of fishers, participation rates, days fished, expenditures, and catches of two widely targeted species were synthesized to provide European estimates of MRF and placed in the global context. Uncertainty assessment was not possible due to incomplete knowledge of error distributions; instead, a semi-quantitative bias assessment was made. There were an estimated 8.7 million European recreational sea fishers corresponding to a participation rate of 1.6%. An estimated 77.6 million days were fished, and expenditure was Euro5.9 billion annually. There were higher participation, numbers of fishers, days fished and expenditure in the Atlantic than the Mediterranean, but the Mediterranean estimates were generally less robust. Comparisons with other regions showed that European MRF participation rates and expenditure were in the mid-range, with higher participation in Oceania and the United States, higher expenditure in the United States, and lower participation and expenditure in South America and Africa. For both northern European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax, Moronidae) and western Baltic cod (Gadus morhua, Gadidae) stocks, MRF represented 27% of the total removals. This study highlights the importance of MRF and the need for bespoke, regular and statistically sound data collection to underpin European fisheries management. Solutions are proposed for future MRF data collection in Europe and other regions to support sustainable fisheries management.Institut Francais de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer; French Ministry of Fisheries Management; Greek National Data Collection Programme; European Commission, Data Collection Framework; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs [MF1221, MF1230, MI001]; Norges Forskningsrad [267808]; State Department of Agriculture, Food Security and Fisheries Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania; Interreg IVa 2 Seas; Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs; European Fishery Fund; Government of Galicia [ED481B2014/034-0

Global responses to the COVID-19 pandemic by recreational anglers: considerations for developing more resilient and sustainable fisheries

The global COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many jurisdictions implementing orders restricting the movements of people to inhibit virus transmission, with recreational angling often either not permitted or access to fisheries and/or related infrastructure being prevented. Following the lifting of restrictions, initial angler surveys and licence sales suggested increased participation and effort, and altered angler demographics, but with evidence remaining limited. Here, we overcome this evidence gap by identifying temporal changes in angling interest, licence sales, and angling effort in world regions by comparing data in the 'pre-pandemic' (up to and including 2019); 'acute pandemic' (2020) and 'COVID-acclimated' (2021) periods. We then identified how changes can inform the development of more resilient and sustainable recreational fisheries. Interest in angling (measured here as angling-related internet search term volumes) increased substantially in all regions during 2020. Patterns in licence sales revealed marked increases in some countries during 2020 but not in others. Where licence sales increased, this was rarely sustained in 2021; where there were declines, these related to fewer tourist anglers due to movement restrictions. Data from most countries indicated a younger demographic of people who participated in angling in 2020, including in urban areas, but this was not sustained in 2021. These short-lived changes in recreational angling indicate efforts to retain younger anglers could increase overall participation levels, where efforts can target education in appropriate angling practices and create more urban angling opportunities. These efforts would then provide recreational fisheries with greater resilience to cope with future global crises, including facilitating the ability of people to access angling opportunities during periods of high societal stress.CG and CS received funding from the Danish Rod and Net Fish Licence funds (project 39122). CS, MSW and the German telephone survey have been cofounded by the European Commission’s Data Collection Framework (DCF). WCL and HVS received financial support from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany in the framework of marEEshift (project no. 01LC1826B). WMP and KH were supported by the One Ocean Hub, an independent programme for collaborative research for development, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).Peer reviewe

Ökologische, soziale und ökonomische Dimensionen des Meeresangelns in Deutschland

Research on the social and economic value of marine recreational fishing and its possible effects on marinefish stocks and ecosystems has been underrepresented in Germany in the past. This study should therefore collect and analyze representative data on (1) the number, fishing effort, and catches of German marine anglers in the North Sea and Baltic Sea (including the brackish lagoon Bodden waters), (2) the socio-economic importance,and (3) aspects of fisheries management.Therefore, a representative telephone screening survey was conducted with 50,000 randomly selected German households in the period from May to October 2014 to determine the incidence of marine anglers in the German population and to recruit participants for a one-year diary study. The telephone screening survey identified 562 households with marine anglers. The diary study involved 586 anglers who documented a total of 5,154 fishing days. The results showed that a total of around 200,000 German marine anglers fished approximately 1.8 million days per year in the German Northand Baltic Sea including the Bodden waters. In the Baltic Sea, about 161,000 anglers fished for approx. 1.2 million fishing days per year in 2014/2015. For the Bodden waters this resulted in about 49,000 persons and a fishing effort of about 332,000 fishing days per year in 2014/2015. At the North Sea there were about 32.000 anglers with about 147.000 fishing days per year in 2014/2015. While angling in the Baltic Sea and the Bodden waters was mainly carried out from boats, shore fishing was the most popular fishing method in the North Sea. German marine anglers were predominantly male (92%), on average 49 years old, and lived in households with two or three persons. Peace and relaxation, the experience of nature, and the capture of fish were the main motives for pursuing their hobby. On average, each angler spent about 900 Euro per year on marine recreational fishingin Germany, which corresponds to a total annual expenditure of 185 million Euro. The largest share of the expenditure was accounted for by costs for own boats, fishing tackle, travel/transportation, and accommodation. Marine anglers are thus an important source of income for coastal tourism in Germany, especially in the low season. The evaluation of the diary study showed that a total of 27 different fish species were caught in the Baltic Sea during the study period. The most important target species for Baltic Sea anglers were cod (Gadus morhua), sea trout (Salmo trutta), various flatfishes (Pleuronectoidei), and herring (Clupea harengus), with cod and herring being also the most commonly caught fish. Depending on the species, the importance of recreational fisheries harvests varied considerably compared to the German commercial fisheries landings in the Baltic Sea (ICES subdivisions 22 and 24). For example, the relative share of recreational fishing on the total harvest (sum of commercial and recreational harvest in tons) of sea trout (91%) and cod (53%) was high, while the shares of herring and flounder were each well below 10% of the total harvest. A total of 17 fish species were caught in the Bodden waters. Pike (Esox lucius), pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) and perch (Perca fluviatilis) were the most important target species. The most commonly caught species were herring, perch, pike, garfish (Belone belone), and pikeperch. Overall the results show that angling plays an important role for certain fish stocks in the Bodden waters. In the case of pike, angling is even the dominant form of exploitation. A total of 13 species of fish were caught in the North Sea. The most popular target fish species were sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), flatfish, cod and mackerel (Scomber scombrus). The most commonly caught species were mackerel, plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), and cod. Overall, it was found that angling in the North Sea is of rather minor importance compared to commercial fishing. About two thirds of the anglers were very or rather satisfied with their catches during marine recreational fishing, whereas about 22% were rather or very dissatisfied. The main reasons for being unsatisfied were overfishing and insufficient regulation of commercial fishing. Minimum landing sizes and closed seasons were judged as very good recreational fisheries management measures by about 80% of the marine anglers, whereas daily bag limits were assessed more critically. The results of this study may serve as basis for the development of a sustainable marine recreational fishery in Germany. Furthermore, social and economic aspects should be considered in future management decisions in order to ensure a sustainable, fair and, from an economic perspective, optimal allocation of the marine fish resources in Germany

A matter of scales:Does the management of marine recreational fisheries follow the ecosystem approach to fisheries in Europe?

European policy-makers are increasingly aware of the ecological and socioeconomic relevance of marine recreational fisheries (MRF), but there are still gaps in the information needed to achieve sustainable management. How is the current management of European MRF performed? Is it promoting the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF)? The management of MRF in Europe was reviewed by analyzing how different European regulations align with the EAF in different geographic and administrative scales. Text mining tools were used to identify key concepts and analyze the text of legal regulations on MRF in the European Union (EU), Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom (UK). Also, the Ecosystem Fisheries Legal Assessment (EFLA) framework was used to assess the alignment of the regulations with the EAF. The number of regulations about MRF in Spain and Portugal is higher than in the UK and the EU, probably because the relative higher importance of regional regulations in Spain and Portugal, and the limitations imposed to recreational fishers in marine protected areas (MPAs). The lack of specific regulations on MRF in the EU, and open-access in the UK for recreational fishers, except for Atlantic salmon Salmo salar, explain their lower number of regulations. The EFLA framework showed that the European public policies on MRF follow the EAF principles. Enough attention is payed to ecological components, but socio-economic sustainability could be improved. However, policy efficiency could be lower than expected because potential institutional misfits derived from the eventual confluence of different spatial scales