A crew-operated data recording system for length-based stock assessment of Indonesia's deep demersal fisheries.

Deep demersal fisheries in Indonesia yielded close to 90,000 metric tons of snapper and grouper in 2019, landed by a fleet of approximately 10,000 fishing boats. Prior to the present study, information on these multi-species, dispersed, small- to medium-scale fisheries was scarce, while reliable species-specific data on catch and effort were non-existent. This data-deficiency made stock assessments and design of harvest control rules impossible. We developed a new data collection method, the Crew Operated Data Recording System (CODRS), to collect verifiable species- and length-composition data from catches across all segments of the fleet. CODRS engaged crews of 579 fishing vessels to take pictures of each fish in their catch, in combination with the deployment of a tracking device on their boats. Furthermore, we also conducted a frame survey to map the fleet across the entire Indonesian archipelago. Using more than 2 million CODRS images, we aimed to understand the basic characteristics and challenges within the fishery. We updated life-history parameters for the top 50 species in the fishery based on the maximum observed length-frequency distribution of the catch (i.e., asymptotic length, size at maturity, optimum fishing length, total mortality, and spawning potential ratio). Length-based stock assessments using the updated life-history parameters showed high risks of overfishing for most of the major target species, especially for snapper species with large maximum sizes. Our results indicated that effective management and harvest strategies are urgently needed across Indonesia's eleven Fishery Management Areas to prevent the collapse of these important fisheries.

Using GIS and stakeholder involvement to innovate marine mammal bycatch risk assessment in data-limited fisheries.

Fisheries bycatch has been identified as the greatest threat to marine mammals worldwide. Characterizing the impacts of bycatch on marine mammals is challenging because it is difficult to both observe and quantify, particularly in small-scale fisheries where data on fishing effort and marine mammal abundance and distribution are often limited. The lack of risk frameworks that can integrate and visualize existing data have hindered the ability to describe and quantify bycatch risk. Here, we describe the design of a new geographic information systems tool built specifically for the analysis of bycatch in small-scale fisheries, called Bycatch Risk Assessment (ByRA). Using marine mammals in Malaysia and Vietnam as a test case, we applied ByRA to assess the risks posed to Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) and dugongs (Dugong dugon) by five small-scale fishing gear types (hook and line, nets, longlines, pots and traps, and trawls). ByRA leverages existing data on animal distributions, fisheries effort, and estimates of interaction rates by combining expert knowledge and spatial analyses of existing data to visualize and characterize bycatch risk. By identifying areas of bycatch concern while accounting for uncertainty using graphics, maps and summary tables, we demonstrate the importance of integrating available geospatial data in an accessible format that taps into local knowledge and can be corroborated by and communicated to stakeholders of data-limited fisheries. Our methodological approach aims to meet a critical need of fisheries managers: to identify emergent interaction patterns between fishing gears and marine mammals and support the development of management actions that can lead to sustainable fisheries and mitigate bycatch risk for species of conservation concern.

Distribution and bioaccumulation of 12 trace elements in water, sediment and tissues of the main fishery from different environments of the La Plata basin (South America): Risk assessment for human consumption.

The concentration of Ag, As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, U, V, and Zn was analyzed in water, sediment, and different organs of Prochilodus lineatus (muscle, liver and gill) in three most commercially important catch areas along La Plata Basin, namely High Paraná River (HPR), Middle Paraná River (MPR) and Río de la Plata Estuary (RPE). The concentration of As, Cu and Zn (RPE) and Se (HPR) in water and As (RPE), Ni (HPR and MPR), Cu and Cr (all sites) in sediments exceeded the limits considered as hazardous for aquatic life. With the exception of Se (sediment-liver) and Pb (sediment-liver and sediment-gill), it was not observed a significant correlation between the element concentration in tissues and that found in water and sediment. No correlation was found between the size fish and element concentrations. Liver appeared to be the main storage tissue of trace elements and was classified as a macroconcentrator of Ag, Cu, Hg and Zn. Levels of trace elements in muscle of streaked prochilod were below recommended maximum levels established by national and international guidelines. According to Target Hazard Quotient (THQ), the consumption of muscle of P. lineatus from three sampling sites did not present toxicological risk for general and fishermen populations. Multivariate analyses suggest that the three groups studied remain with an important degree of geographical segregation, indicating that regulations should be revised according to the presence of contaminants in the different fishing areas.

Experiences in the Gulf of Mexico: Overcoming Obstacles for Commercial Fishing Occupational Safety and Health Research.

Researchers involved in community-based participatory research often face challenges due to numerous dynamic factors, including the physical location of the study population, willingness to participate, language barriers, cultural norms, social stigmas, and unpredictable weather and other disasters. Investigators who work with commercial fishermen are all too familiar with these potential obstacles and barriers to performing occupational safety and health research. Such has been the case along the Texas and Louisiana gulf coasts, where the burden of occupational fatalities in the shrimp fishery remains high. Moreover, the need for strategic community, regulatory agency, and research partnerships in order to explore solutions that can help to reduce this burden is ongoing. The IFISH 5 conference and the panel session described in this brief report offered a venue to acknowledge and create awareness of these barriers and opportunities for developing sustainable solutions that can have an impact on this loss of life. The approach taken was to explore the perspectives of a panel of regional collaborators including two researchers, an outreach community liaison, and a marine safety and health official from the U. S. Coast Guard. Key barriers emerging from the panel fell into four themes, each emphasized by one of the four panel members, allowing for discussion of potential solutions. The themes included: (1) language gap; (2) cultural influences and use of personal flotation devices; (3) relationships with the community; and (4) enforcement agency role as a trusted opinion leader. This panel session can readily serve as a model to promote similar exploration of barriers and solutions in commercial fishing across other regions of the US and internationally as well.

Assessment of Occupational Hazards and Usage of Sea Safety Devices by Fishers of Kerala, India.

Kerala, a maritime state on the west coast of peninsular India, constitutes approximately 10% of India's total coastline and claims a 20% share in national marine fish production. The registered fishing fleet consists of about 29,969 motorized, 4248 mechanized, and 2515 non-motorized crafts. This study was done to assess occupational hazards faced by fishers as well as the usage of sea safety devices (SSDs) in Kerala. Information was collected from 180 mechanized, motorized, and traditional boat owners. The study revealed that capsizing, sinking, grounding, burning, collision, mishaps, man overboard, and injuries were common occupational hazards. SSDs used were life buoy, life jacket, first aid kit, emergency rations, fire extinguisher, fire bucket, global positioning system, magnetic compass, emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB), sonar, echo sounder, oil lamp, signaling torch, and batteries. Fishers with mechanized boats had high knowledge and used most SSDs. Fishers with motorized boats had adequate knowledge but less SSD usage. Traditional and small-scale fishers did not use most SSDs. Non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis statistical test revealed a significant difference in regards to usage between mechanized, motorized, and traditional fishers, indicating there are gaps in usage of SSDs between the three groups of fishers. It is necessary to educate and motivate fishers with motorized and traditional boats to use SSDs.

Constraints to healthcare access among commercial fishers.

Fishing is a challenging occupation, in which physical and mental health risks may be exacerbated by environmental, socio-economic and policy change. While anecdotal information suggests that compared to other groups fishers are less likely to access healthcare, the reasons for this are poorly understood. Constraints to accessing healthcare were assessed through a mixed methods approach, using a holistic framework of access. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 119 commercial fishers in Cornwall, UK, and complemented by qualitative focus groups with women from fishing communities. Health issues experienced and perceived constraints to healthcare access differed among fishers. Organisational factors and social norms were the most commonly perceived constraints, and stronger perception of these was associated with greater likelihood of leaving a health concern untreated in the past year. The findings suggest that proactive steps are needed to enhance supply and utilisation of available healthcare services, to ensure fishers' needs are met.

Wealthy countries dominate industrial fishing.

The patterns by which different nations share global fisheries influence outcomes for food security, trajectories of economic development, and competition between industrial and small-scale fishing. We report patterns of industrial fishing effort for vessels flagged to higher- and lower-income nations, in marine areas within and beyond national jurisdiction, using analyses of high-resolution fishing vessel activity data. These analyses reveal global dominance of industrial fishing by wealthy nations. Vessels flagged to higher-income nations, for example, are responsible for 97% of the trackable industrial fishing on the high seas and 78% of such effort within the national waters of lower-income countries. These publicly accessible vessel tracking data have important limitations. However, insights from these new analyses can begin to strategically inform important international- and national-level efforts underway now to ensure equitable and sustainable sharing of fisheries.

A quantitative evaluation of a qualitative risk assessment framework: Examining the assumptions and predictions of the Productivity Susceptibility Analysis (PSA).

Qualitative risk assessment frameworks, such as the Productivity Susceptibility Analysis (PSA), have been developed to rapidly evaluate the risks of fishing to marine populations and prioritize management and research among species. Despite being applied to over 1,000 fish populations, and an ongoing debate about the most appropriate method to convert biological and fishery characteristics into an overall measure of risk, the assumptions and predictive capacity of these approaches have not been evaluated. Several interpretations of the PSA were mapped to a conventional age-structured fisheries dynamics model to evaluate the performance of the approach under a range of assumptions regarding exploitation rates and measures of biological risk. The results demonstrate that the underlying assumptions of these qualitative risk-based approaches are inappropriate, and the expected performance is poor for a wide range of conditions. The information required to score a fishery using a PSA-type approach is comparable to that required to populate an operating model and evaluating the population dynamics within a simulation framework. In addition to providing a more credible characterization of complex system dynamics, the operating model approach is transparent, reproducible and can evaluate alternative management strategies over a range of plausible hypotheses for the system.

Occurrence and risk assessment of fluoroquinolones and tetracyclines in cultured fish from a coastal region of northern China.

Occurrence and levels of 11 fluoroquinolones (FQs) and four tetracyclines (TC) in 14 cultured fish species from a coastal city in the northern China were investigated. Five FQs (ofloxacin, enoxacin, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, and sarafloxacin) and oxytetracycline were detected. Lower detection frequencies of antibiotics were observed in the marine fish. The concentrations of ΣFQs ranged from not detectable (nd) to 130 ng/g wet weight (ww) (median, 7.2 ng/g ww), and the concentration range of ΣTCs was nd to 200 ng/g ww (median, nd ng/g ww). The Chinese snakehead contained the highest concentrations of ΣFQs (130 ng/g ww) and the small yellow croaker accumulated the highest concentrations of ΣTCs (200 ng/g ww), respectively. Although the calculated estimated daily intakes (EDI) suggested that the consumption of these cultured fish from this region was not associated with significant human health risks, this study provides useful information that will be helpful in the appropriate antibiotic use in aquaculture. To our knowledge, this can be the first report on the occurrence and levels of antibiotics in cage-cultured marine fish from the Bohai Rim region, China.

Angling into the Future: Ten Commandments for Recreational Fisheries Science, Management, and Stewardship in a Good Anthropocene.

A new geological epoch, the "Anthropocene", has been defined as the period in which humans have had substantial geological and ecological influence on the planet. A positive future for this epoch can be referred to as the "good Anthropocene" and would involve effective management strategies and changes in human behavior that promote the sustainability and restoration of ecosystems. Recreational fisheries hold significant social, cultural, and economic value and can generate many benefits when managed sustainably and thus be an integral part of a "good Anthropocene". Here, we list ten commandments to facilitate persistence and long-term sustainability of recreational fisheries in the "good Anthropocene". This list includes fostering aquatic stewardship, promoting education, using appropriate capture gear, adopting evidence-based management approaches, promoting the concept of resilience, obtaining and using effort data in management, embracing the ecosystem approach, engaging in multilevel collaboration, enhancing accessibility, and embracing optimism. When used singly, or simultaneously, these ten commandments will contribute to the harmonization of sustainable fish populations and angling practices, to create recreational fisheries' "bright spots".

[Work conditions of workers engaged into fish-processing enterprises of Far East Federal District (review of literature)].

Hygienic work conditions on fish-processing complexes mostly remain hard and hazardous, sometimes even dangerous. Presented literature data and some personal studies characterize current state of industrial medicine topics on fish- processing enterpirses. Absence of systemic studies in these sphere rises many questions on work conditions assessment in connection with contemporary knowledge, evaluation of occupational risk and risk of occupational and occupationally conditioned diseases in major occupational groups.

Crossing Science-Policy-Societal Boundaries to Reduce Scientific and Institutional Uncertainty in Small-Scale Fisheries.

The governance of small-scale fisheries (SSF) is challenging due to the uncertainty, complexity, and interconnectedness of social, political, ecological, and economical processes. Conventional SSF management has focused on a centralized and top-down approach. A major criticism of conventional management is the over-reliance on 'expert science' to guide decision-making and poor consideration of fishers' contextually rich knowledge. That is thought to exacerbate the already low governance potential of SSF. Integrating scientific knowledge with fishers' knowledge is increasingly popular and is often assumed to help reduce levels of biophysical and institutional uncertainties. Many projects aimed at encouraging knowledge integration have, however, been unsuccessful. Our objective in this research was to assess factors that influence knowledge integration and the uptake of integrated knowledge into policy-making. We report results from 54 semi-structured interviews with SSF researchers and practitioners from around the globe. Our analysis is framed in terms of scientific credibility, societal legitimacy, and policy saliency, and we discuss cases that have been partially or fully successful in reducing uncertainty via push-and-pull-oriented boundary crossing initiatives. Our findings suggest that two important factors affect the science-policy-societal boundary: a lack of consensus among stakeholders about what constitutes credible knowledge and institutional uncertainty resulting from shifting policies and leadership change. A lack of training for scientific leaders and an apparent 'shelf-life' for community organizations highlight the importance of ongoing institutional support for knowledge integration projects. Institutional support may be enhanced through such investments, such as capacity building and specialized platforms for knowledge integration.

Quota implementation of the maximum sustainable yield for age-structured fisheries.

One of the main goals stated in the proposals for the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform was achieving maximum sustainable yield (MSY) for all European fisheries. In this paper, we propose a fishing rights allocation mechanism or management system, which specifies catch limits for individual fishing fleets to implement MSY harvesting conditions in an age-structured bioeconomic model. An age-structured model in a single species fishery with two fleets having perfect or imperfect fishing selectivity is studied. If fishing technology or gear selectivity depends on the relative age composition of the mature fish stock, fixed harvest proportions, derived from catchability and bycatch coefficients, is not valid anymore. As a result, not only the age-structure and fishing technology but also the estimated level of MSY is steering the allocation of quota shares. The results also show that allocation of quota shares based on historical catches or auctioning may not provide viable solutions to achieve MSY.

Ciguatera fish poisoning: Incidence, health costs and risk perception on Moorea Island (Society archipelago, French Polynesia).

Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP) is a non-bacterial seafood poisoning well characterized in the remote archipelagos of French Polynesia, yet poorly documented in the Society archipelago, most notably on Moorea, the second most populated island in French Polynesia, which counts a high proportion of fishermen fishing on a regular basis. To address this knowledge gap, a holistic study of the ciguatera issue was conducted on Moorea. First, ciguatera risk was analysed in terms of incidence rate, fish species most commonly involved and risk stratification in Moorea lagoon based on 2007-2013 epidemiological data. A mean incidence rate of 8 cases per 10,000 inhabitants for the study period and an average under-reporting rate of 54% were found. Taking into account hospitalization and medication fees, and loss of productive days, the health-related costs due to CFP were estimated to be USD $1613 and $749 for each reported and unreported case, respectively, with an overall cost of USD $241,847 for the study period. Comparison of the present status of CFP on Moorea with a risk map established in the late 1970's showed that the spatial distribution of the risk has stayed relatively stable in time, with the north shore of the island remaining the most prone to ciguatera. Evaluation of the current knowledge on CFP among different populations groups, i.e. fishermen, residents and visitors, was also conducted through direct and indirect interviews. About half of the fishermen interviewed were actually able to identify risky fishing areas. While, overall, the CFP risk perception in the fishing community of Moorea seemed accurate, although not scientifically complete, it was sufficient for the safe practice of their fishing activities. This may be due in part to adaptive responses adopted by 36% of the fishermen interviewed, such as the avoidance of either high-risk fishing sites or toxic species. At the residents and visitors' level, the study points out a striking lack of awareness of the CFP issue among visitors, as compared to local residents. Indeed, less than 25% of Moorea visitors vs. an average of 98% in residents were aware of CFP or of its presence on the island. Interestingly, evaluation of the fish consumption preferences showed that 70% of visitors do not consume lagoon fish during their stay, not for fear of CFP, but mainly due to the lack of availability of these species in recreational facilities or because they have nutritional preference for pelagic fish. This lack of awareness, along with the report by several CFP patients of the consumption of fish species yet banned for sale, stress the need for improved communication efforts on this critical issue among both residents and visitors on Moorea. The implementation of a public outreach strategy is proposed, based on both existing information networks and low-cost communication actions through information displays at various strategic locations, e.g. Tahiti-Faa'a international airport, the ferry boat station, recreational facilities, as well as the major trading points on Moorea Island.

Qualitative mathematical models to support ecosystem-based management of Australia's Northern Prawn Fishery.

A major decline in the catch of the banana prawn [shrimp], Penaeus (Fenneropenaeus) merguiensis, occurred over a six-year period in the Weipa region of the northeastern Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Three main hypotheses have been developed to explain this decline: (1) prawn recruitment collapsed due to overfishing; (2) recruitment collapsed due to a change in the prawn's environment; and (3) adult banana prawns were still present, but fishers could no longer effectively find or catch them. Qualitative mathematical models were used to link population biology, environmental factors, and fishery dynamics to evaluate the alternative hypotheses. This modeling approach provides the means to rapidly integrate knowledge across disciplines and consider alternative hypotheses about how the structure and function of an ecosystem affects its dynamics. Alternative models were constructed to address the different hypotheses and also to encompass a diversity of opinion about the underlying dynamics of the system. Key findings from these analyses are that: instability in the system can arise when discarded fishery bycatch supports relatively high predation pressure; system stability can be enhanced by management of fishing effort or stock catchability; catch per unit effort is not necessarily a reliable indicator of stock abundance; a change in early-season rainfall should affect all stages in the banana prawn's life cycle; and a reduced catch in the Weipa region can create and reinforce a shift in fishing effort away from Weipa. Results from the models informed an approach to test the hypotheses (i.e., an experimental fishing program), and promoted understanding of the system among researchers, management agencies, and industry. The analytical tools developed in this work to address stages of a prawn life cycle and fishery dynamics are generally applicable to any exploited natural. resource.

Microbiological assessment along the fish production chain of the Norwegian pelagic fisheries sector--Results from a spot sampling programme.

Microbes play an important role in the degradation of fish products, thus better knowledge of the microbiological conditions throughout the fish production chain may help to optimise product quality and resource utilisation. This paper presents the results of a ten-year spot sampling programme (2005-2014) of the commercially most important pelagic fish species harvested in Norway. Fish-, surface-, and storage water samples were collected from fishing vessels and processing factories. Totally 1,181 samples were assessed with respect to microbiological quality, hygiene and food safety. We introduce a quality and safety assessment scheme for fresh pelagic fish recommending limits for heterotrophic plate counts (HPC), thermos tolerant coliforms, enterococci and Listeria monocytogenes. According to the scheme, in 25 of 41 samplings, sub-optimal conditions were found with respect to quality, whereas in 21 and 9 samplings, samples were not in compliance concerning hygiene and food safety, respectively. The present study has revealed that the quality of pelagic fish can be optimised by improving the hygiene conditions at some critical points at an early phase of the production chain. Thus, the proposed assessment scheme may provide a useful tool for the industry to optimise quality and maintain consumer safety of pelagic fishery products.

A Story About People and Porpoises: Consensus-Based Decision Making in the Shadow of Political Action.

Professionally facilitated multi-stakeholder meetings of marine mammal Take Reduction Teams, such as the Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Team, are mandated by the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. These meetings employ consensus-based decision-making to create policies to safeguard marine mammals. This opportunistic case study examines the history of the Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Team multi-stakeholder group, and policy decisions the team made to address harmful interactions between harbor porpoises and the New England and mid-Atlantic groundfish fishery. For more than a decade, stakeholders regularly met to create regulations designed to mitigate the accidental entanglement of harbor porpoises in gillnets, called bycatch. A series of disruptions, including a new political appointee and the addition of new team members, altered how stakeholders interacted with one another and how regulations were implemented. These shocks to the formerly well-functioning team, placed the future of consensus-based policy creation at risk. Lessons from this case study can be applied to increase understanding of how multi-stakeholder methods, which are incorporated into many regulatory decision-making processes operate in practice and illustrate the fragile nature of long-standing consensus.