Pencapaian Utama Kajian Separuh Penggal RMK-9 (2006-2007)

Growing trade networks through globalization have expanded governance of local environments to encompass multiple scales. The governing role of market actors, such as traders and consumers in importing countries, has been recognized and embraced for sustainable seafood sourcing and trade. The perceptions that affect the conduct of these actors are a potential influence on governance of distal environments. In this paper we investigate the perceptions of sea cucumber traders in China. Sea cucumbers are an important global fishery commodity predominantly traded to China, the world\u27s largest seafood market, and seven traded species are endangered globally. We examine what traders and consumers in China perceive as important issues in seafood markets, and where they perceive the responsibility for sustainable fisheries to lie, to interpret what scope there is for sustainability to become an important issue in China\u27s seafood markets. We find that clusters of perceptions about cultural status, quality, health and food safety, and country of origin influence decisions that consumers make. These norms are rooted in sociocultural practice and drive current trade strategies. While traders do want to mitigate risks and secure supplies, food safety, product quality and country of origin are viewed as more important concerns than stock sustainability. Responsibility for sustainable fishing is perceived to be that of national governments in production countries. Trading practices and consumer perceptions together pose a serious challenge to sustainable seafood markets, further confounded by clandestine cross-border gray trade into China

Following the fish inland: understanding fish distribution networks for rural development and nutrition security

© 2019, International Society for Plant Pathology and Springer Nature B.V. In developing countries, small-scale fisheries are both a pivotal source of livelihood and essential for the nutritional intake of larger food insecure populations. Distribution networks that move fish from landing sites to coastal and inland consumers offer entry points to address livelihood enhancement and food security objectives of rural development initiatives. To be able to utilize fish distribution networks to address national development targets, a sound understanding of how local systems function and are organized is imperative. Here we present an in-depth examination of a domestic market chain in Timor-Leste that supplies small-pelagic fish to coastal and inland communities. We present the market chain’s different commodity flows and its distributive reach, and show how social organization strongly influences people’s access to fish, by determining availability and affordability. We suggest there is potential to advance Timor-Leste’s food and nutrition security targets by engaging with local influential actors and existing social relations across fish distribution networks. We argue that in addition to developing improvements to fish distribution infrastructure, utilizing existing or locally familiar practices, organization and social capital offers opportunity for long term self-sufficiency. Livelihood and food security improvement initiatives involving natural resource-dependent communities are more likely to succeed if they incorporate rural development perspectives, which frame directly targeted interventions (‘intentional’ development) within broader structural contexts (‘immanent’ development)

Contribution of women\u27s fisheries substantial, but overlooked, in Timor-Leste

2020, The Author(s). A greater understanding of gendered roles in fisheries is necessary to value the often-hidden roles that women play in fisheries and households. We examine women\u27s contributions to household food and income using focus group discussions, market surveys, and landings data in six communities in Timor-Leste. Women were actively fishing more days per month than men. Gleaning was the most frequent activity and 100% of trips returned with catch for food and/or income. Mollusc and crab catches were common and exploitation appeared targeted on a dynamic reappraisal of changing food values and changing estimates of group needs. With as many as 80% of households in coastal areas involved in fishing, and at least 50% of women fishing, this highlights the current lack of women\u27s engagement as a critical gap in fisheries management approaches. The current androcentric dialogue limits social-ecological understanding of these systems and the potential for their effective stewardship

Unpacking pathways to diversified livelihoods from projects in Pacific Island coastal fisheries

Livelihood diversification has become an integral focus of policies and investments aiming to reduce poverty, vulnerability, and pressure on fishery resources in coastal communities around the globe. In this regard, coastal fisheries in the Pacific Islands have long been a sector where livelihood diversification has featured prominently. Yet, despite the widespread promotion and international investment in this strategy, the ability of externally funded livelihood diversification projects to facilitate improved resource management and rural development outcomes often remains inconsistent. We argue these inconsistencies can be attributed to a conceptual ambiguity stemming from a lack of attention and awareness to the complexity of livelihood diversification. There is still much to learn about the process of livelihood diversification, both in its theoretical conceptualizations and its practical applications. Herein, we utilize a common diversity framework to clarify some of this ambiguity by distinguishing three diversification pathways. These pathways are illustrated using an ideal–typical Pacific Island coastal household and supported by examples provided in the literature that detail livelihood diversification projects in the Pacific. Through this perspective, we seek a more nuanced understanding of what is meant within the policy and practice goal of livelihood diversification. Thereby enabling more targeted and deliberate planning for development investments that facilitates outcomes in support of sustainable livelihoods

Combining Substrate Specificity Analysis with Support Vector Classifiers Reveals Feruloyl Esterase as a Phylogenetically Informative Protein Group

Our understanding of how fungi evolved to develop a variety of ecological niches, is limited but of fundamental biological importance. Specifically, the evolution of enzymes affects how well species can adapt to new environmental conditions. Feruloyl esterases (FAEs) are enzymes able to hydrolyze the ester bonds linking ferulic acid to plant cell wall polysaccharides. The diversity of substrate specificities found in the FAE family shows that this family is old enough to have experienced the emergence and loss of many activities. In this study we evaluate the relative activity of FAEs against a variety of model substrates as a novel predictive tool for Ascomycota taxonomic classification. Our approach consists of two analytical steps; (1) an initial unsupervised analysis to cluster the FAEs substrate specificity data which were generated by cultivation of 34 Ascomycota strains and then an analysis of the produced enzyme cocktail against 10 substituted cinnamate and phenylalkanoate methyl esters, (2) a second, supervised analysis for training a predictor built on these substrate activities. By applying both linear and non-linear models we were able to correctly predict the taxonomic Class (∼86% correct classification), Order (∼88% correct classification) and Family (∼88% correct classification) that the 34 Ascomycota belong to, using the activity profiles of the FAEs. The good correlation with the FAEs substrate specificities that we have defined via our phylogenetic analysis not only suggests that FAEs are phylogenetically informative proteins but it is also a considerable step towards improved FAEs functional prediction.published_or_final_versio

Mobility, Expansion and Management of a Multi-Species Scuba Diving Fishery in East Africa

Background: Scuba diving fishing, predominantly targeting sea cucumbers, has been documented to occur in an uncontrolled manner in the Western Indian Ocean and in other tropical regions. Although this type of fishing generally indicates a destructive activity, little attention has been directed towards this category of fishery, a major knowledge gap and barrier to management. Methodology and Principal Findings: With the aim to capture geographic scales, fishing processes and social aspects the scuba diving fishery that operate out of Zanzibar was studied using interviews, discussions, participant observations and catch monitoring. The diving fishery was resilient to resource declines and had expanded to new species, new depths and new fishing grounds, sometimes operating approximately 250 km away from Zanzibar at depths down to 50 meters, as a result of depleted easy-access stock. The diving operations were embedded in a regional and global trade network, and its actors operated in a roving manner on multiple spatial levels, taking advantage of unfair patron-client relationships and of the insufficient management in Zanzibar. Conclusions and Significance: This study illustrates that roving dynamics in fisheries, which have been predominantly addressed on a global scale, also take place at a considerably smaller spatial scale. Importantly, while proposed management of the sea cucumber fishery is often generic to a simplified fishery situation, this study illustrates

How to tackle the rising tide of poaching in Australia\u27s tropical seas

High-value marine species in waters off northern Australia are at increasing risk of poaching by foreign fishing crews, according to figures from the Australian Fisheries Management Authority. The number of foreign fishing boats caught in Australian waters increased from six in 2014-15 to 20 in 2015-16. These fishers have evidently come to poach species that fetch high prices and have been overfished elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region. They seek lootable resources - species that are attractive to the black market because they are expensive, easy to catch and weakly regulated

Chinese market responses to overexploitation of sharks and sea cucumbers

Global exploitation of sharks and sea cucumbers to meet consumer demand in China is motivating a rising conservation concern. In order to analyze trends in resource exploitation and market dynamics, this paper reviews global production and trade data for these taxa. Sea cucumber capture production has plateaued, but overall production is still increasing because of rising aquaculture, limited public conservation concern and insufficient regulation of fishing and trade. Shark capture production has peaked and is declining, suggesting that one or more of these factors are constraining the shark fin trade. The trade networks for both commodities have been resilient to changing conditions (e.g. stock declines, closed fisheries, regulations, public opinion on conservation) and have become more widespread over the last 10. years. System resilience is evident in dynamic market attributes, such as developing new product forms and absorbing alternative target species, and presents substantial challenges for identifying conservation approaches. For shark fin, a government-led backlash against conspicuous consumption in China, combined with global conservation momentum, appears to have had some impact on traded volumes. Sea cucumbers do not enjoy the same level of attention in the global conservation discourse, despite seven species being endangered. For both taxa, the current regulatory environment is insufficient to safeguard resources and strengthened conservation strategies are required. Better resolution of trade data will improve the ability to evaluate trends and guide management and conservation

Echinoderms piggybacking on sea cucumbers: benign effects on sediment turnover and movement of hosts

Sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea) are known to host ectocommensal animals but echinoderm epibionts have never been reported nor their effects on hosts appraised quantitatively. At one location in New Caledonia, we found a high number of ophiuroids (Ophiothela cf. danae) and synaptid sea cucumbers (Synaptula media and Synaptula sp.) living on the bumpy external body wall of sea cucumbers, Stichopus herrmanni. Rates of midday sediment defecation (mean: 23 g h−1) and short-term displacements (mean: 60 cm h−1) by the hosts were not significantly affected by the number of echinoderm commensals they carried. The frequent relationships at the location suggest that such facultative commensalism between echinoderms could be more common than previously understood. Appreciable numbers of scaleworms, crabs and shrimps on the sea cucumbers show that sea cucumbers can act as hosts to echinoderms and other epibiotic taxa, bolstering the notion that they play important ecological roles in reef ecosystems

More than fish: Policy coherence and benefit sharing as necessary conditions for equitable aquaculture development

2020 Aquaculture development is part of the Blue Economy narrative and it may offer opportunities for improving the well-being of coastal people and the wider population. However, unlocking its full potential is unlikely to occur through sole focus on increasing production. Using a framework for identifying the people-policy gap in aquaculture as a starting point, we introduce benefit sharing as a necessary and complementary concept to filling this gap, as well as the notion of policy coherence to achieve equitable aquaculture development. We examine these concepts in the context of mariculture development through an analysis of national mariculture policies and plans from a selection of Western Indian Ocean (WIO) countries. Our analysis shows that whilst important building blocks and a common thrust for equitable mariculture development exist at regional level, mechanisms through which the benefits from mariculture development are to reach stakeholders affected directly and indirectly by mariculture operations at national levels are not adequately considered. Lack of policy coherence at national level not only prevents progress towards closing the people-policy gap in mariculture development, but it may also jeopardise how the sector can live up to its expectations in the region. On the basis of these considerations, we extend our reflection to the aquaculture sector as a whole and argue that policy coherence and benefit sharing should become key considerations in the planning and future development of sustainable and equitable aquaculture