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China (herein referred as China’s mainland, and excluding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) is the largest contributor to global seafood production. While China’s marine fisheries have been extensively documented, there is a gap in systematically quantifying production of its marine fisheries and the different challenges confronting them at the provincial level. We addressed this gap in spatial detail by providing a review that compares and contrasts the exploitation history of China’s fisheries at both the national and provincial levels based on official statistical data. We expanded upon this to explore aspects of bio-socio-economic challenges faced by the country’s 11 fishing provinces. Our analysis suggested that significant increases in domestic marine catches in China have been accompanied by escalating fishing power, which has had differential impacts at the provincial scale. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) sharply declined at both the national and provincial scales, and many traditionally targeted demersal fish stocks showed clear downward trends in terms of catches. The 11 fishing provinces in China can be grouped into four clusters with distinct biological, social, and economic attributes. Targeted measures are recommended accordingly when implementing fisheries management measures for each specific fishing province in order to deliver an overall improvement in the sustainability of China’s marine fisheries.

Accurate stock assessment (SA) is an essential basis to ensuring effective fisheries management. The trade-off between data input and output accuracy makes the surplus production model (SPM), which lacks spatial information, a widely used stock assessment model. We coupled species spatio-temporal distribution (STD) with SPM to better understand stock status and facilitate (targeted and spatially refined) fisheries management. In our coupled STD-SA framework, the spatio-temporal model not only provides accurate biomass index for the SPM, but also provides critical habitat assessments to better complement localized spatial information on stock status and factors contributing to the risk of population fluctuation. We demonstrated our framework with a commercially important fish population of Trichiurus lepturus in the Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (YSLME), which was once on the verge of population collapse. The results suggested that the population size has recovered to an acceptable level since 2017 and is currently in a healthy state (98.2% of probability). But the Bohai Sea still needs to be emphasized for conservation. The population can be further exploited; however, small portions of localized habitat still need to be focused on. Our framework can help to identify and implement targeted interventions to address localized stock fluctuation.

China is unique among nations on account of its rich aquatic biodiversity (1443 inland fish species comprising 10% of those worldwide), status as the world’s largest producer (50%) of inland fish, and recent history of significant disruption of natural ecosystems. Ecological Civilization, a policy increasingly advocated in China since 2015, provides a strong platform to protect aquatic ecosystems and restore biodiversity in inland waters. We reviewed processes, policies, and outcomes related to inland fisheries and aquatic biodiversity during the 70 years since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. Particular focus was on recent transformations in inland fisheries development and protection of inland aquatic biodiversity (IAB) under the goals of China’s recent Ecological Civilization policy. We describe how Chinese inland fisheries have undergone three transformative historical phases, (1) rapid development, (2) over-exploitation, and (3) vigorous protection. A series of newly introduced policies and programs hold promise for rehabilitating IAB. Global implications are considered by comparison with many of the world’s major river basins. We highlight the challenge of balancing fisheries development with biodiversity conservation; avoiding incidental adverse effects on conservation; rationalizing development under protection; eliminating gaps between protected areas, averting extinction and restoring endangered species; and integrating protection in managing watershed ecosystems. In the context of the global decline in freshwater biodiversity, the 70 years of fisheries development and biodiversity conservation in Chinese inland waters serve as a leading example for global IAB.

Fisheries are social-ecological systems. Evaluating the sustainability of fisheries requires methods to measure performance from ecological, economic, social, and governance aspects. Whereas a number of multi-dimensional evaluation tools such as fishery performance indicators (FPIs) have been used for assessing fishery management systems, fishery management practices and data availability are likely to differ substantially among fisheries in different countries. This makes it at least somewhat problematic to precisely adapt this methodology to fisheries within a given country. This study constructed a practical tool to evaluate and compare fishery systems in China. On the basis of an established indicator library and the FPIs tool, indicators in the newly developed tool for comprehensive fisheries evaluation were selected according to the management objectives, data availability, and the authority of relevant indicators. The sustainability assessment tool for Chinese fisheries (SAT-fish) provides a three-tier hierarchical framework covering 60 indicators, of which 48 indicators were extracted from the FPIs tool and 12 indicators were associated with policy statements. Applicability and comprehensiveness of this tool in comparison with six other well-established frameworks were investigated. This tool offers a promising new method to assess the sustainability of fishery systems in China, with great potential to guide Chinese fisheries towards a higher level of sustainability.

Sustainable utilization of exploited fish stocks generally relies on characterizing key aspects of their population dynamics using mathematical models to evaluate their stock status. In this study, the Anchovy population ( Engraulis japonicus ) in the Yellow Sea large marine ecosystem (YSLME) was evaluated by using the ‘Just Another Bayesian Biomass Assessment’ (JABBA) model. Catch and the anchovy scientific survey biomass index data from 1989 to 2021 in its nominal or raw form, plus three adjusted CPUE trends using data acquired from the China Fishery Statistical Yearbook were each used to fit JABBA to explore the performance of reconfigured CPUE for setting a total allowable catch (TAC) quota to sustain the YSLME commercial anchovy fishery. Results showed contrasting trends in estimated biomass from the fishery independent surveys, and nominal and reconfigured commercial fishery CPUE, with the latter producing the most plausible results. The JABBA output based on the scientific survey biomass index indicated a 56.7% probability that the anchovy stock is currently healthy with 1.04 B 2021 / B MSY and 0.51 F 2021 / F MSY ratios, whereas JABBA estimates based on the nominal commercial CPUE-based were overly optimistic (100% probability stock was healthy). JABBA outputs based on the first two reconfigured CPUEs ( Facpue y and FECcpue y ) countered this overoptimism, with the survey biomass index-based assessment results lying between the extremes. This improvement in the modelled assessment was achieved because the reconfigured CPUE time series accommodated technological progress in fishing vessels and gear performance. Therefore, in instances where survey biomass index data are unavailable, we recommend using the two improved fishery CPUEs and combining the results of the two assessments to guide fishery management. Management reference points, however, should preferably be based on the more conservative of the two reconfigured CPUEs as a precautionary approach for setting a total allowable catch (TAC) whilst concomitantly considering the role of anchovy as prey for other economically important fish in the system.We encourage researchers to extensively review and improve the quality and availability of fisheries statistical data worldwide in the shared endeavour towards obtaining more realistic stock assessments.

The nutritional needs of anadromous fish species must be met for successful annual spawning migration and reproduction. Despite its widespread distribution throughout Europe, little is known about the composition of the twaite shad, Alosa fallax, diet in freshwater ecosystems. To redress this, we studied the composition of stomach contents extracted from 287 A. fallax sampled during their spawning migration from the Baltic Sea to the Curonian Lagoon (Lithuania). We found that the diet comprised 32 types of prey, with Insecta (unknown Order), Chironomidae and Daphniidae being the most prevalent taxonomic categories consumed. Our analyses revealed significant differences in the abundance of prey categories (Chironomidae, Insecta—unknown order, and Mysidae) among several size groups of A. fallax, associated with stage of maturity inferred from body length. Despite this being a spawning aggregation, juveniles were also present among the A. fallax we collected. The results imply that feeding behavior and morphometry may be responsible for the differences observed, and further investigation of this topic is warranted.

Heavy metal contamination poses concerns for managing Twaite shad (Alosa fallax) populations, yet data remain sparse. Intermittent capture as bycatch, with negligible prospects for post-release survival and IUCN Red listing, provides a compelling case for investigation. Concentrations of six trace metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn) in the dorsal muscle tissue of A. fallax from the Curonian Lagoon (Lithuania) and the Elbe Estuary (Germany) were analyzed to evaluate size-related patterns and compliance with international safety standards. Overall, metal levels were uniformly low, with Cd and Pb below EU limits. Cu exhibited a weak negative correlation with fish weight (ρ = −0.35; p < 0.05), while Zn tended to increase in larger individuals, reflecting its essential physiological role. Comparing both adult populations, Cr and Zn, which provide nutritional benefits, were higher in the Curonian Lagoon, whereas toxic As and Pb were higher in the Elbe Estuary. All concentrations complied with EU and FAO thresholds, indicating acceptable risk for human consumption. The findings provide baseline information for A. fallax as a potential bioindicator. Constraints on the number of A. fallax sampled, given its IUCN status, exclusion of Hg and lack of environmental parameters, limit conclusions, but would be mostly remediable by future research.

Australia’s fisheries have experience in responding individually to specific shocks to stock levels (for example, marine heatwaves, floods) and markets (for example, global financial crisis, food safety access barriers). The COVID-19 pandemic was, however, novel in triggering a series of systemic shocks and disruptions to the activities and operating conditions for all Australia’s commercial fisheries sectors including those of the research agencies that provide the information needed for their sustainable management. While these disruptions have a single root cause—the public health impacts and containment responses to the COVID-19 pandemic—their transmission and effects have been varied. We examine both the impacts on Australian fisheries triggered by measures introduced by governments both internationally and domestically in response to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, and the countermeasures introduced to support continuity in fisheries and aquaculture production and supply chains. Impacts on fisheries production are identified by comparing annual and monthly catch data for Australia’s commercial fisheries in 2020 with averages for the last 4–5 years. We combine this with a survey of the short-term disruption to and impacts on research organisations engaged in fisheries monitoring and assessment and the adaptive measures they deployed. The dominant impact identified was triggered by containment measures both within Australia and in export receiving countries which led to loss of export markets and domestic dine-in markets for live or fresh seafood. The most heavily impact fisheries included lobster and abalone (exported live) and specific finfishes (exported fresh or sold live domestically), which experienced short-term reductions in both production and price. At the same time, improved prices and demand for seafood sold into domestic retail channels were observed. The impacts observed were both a function of the disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the countermeasures and support programs introduced by various national and state-level governments across Australia to at least partly mitigate negative impacts on harvesting activities and supply chains. These included protecting fisheries activities from specific restrictive COVID-19 containment measures, pro-actively re-establishing freight links, supporting quota roll-overs, and introducing wage and businesses support packages. Fisheries research organisations were impacted to various degrees, largely determined by the extent to which their field monitoring activities were protected from specific restrictive COVID-19 containment measures by their state-level governments. Responses of these organisations included reducing fisheries dependent and independent data collection as required while developing strategies to continue to provide assessment services, including opportunistic innovations to harvest data from new data sources. Observed short run impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has emphasised both the vulnerability of fisheries dependent on export markets, live or fresh markets, and long supply chains and the resilience of fisheries research programs. We suggest that further and more comprehensive analysis over a longer time period of the long-run impacts of subsequent waves of variants, extended pandemic containment measures, autonomous and planned adaptive responses would be beneficial for the development of more effective counter measures for when the next major external shock affects Australian fisheries.

Understanding patterns of change in the distribution of species among their critical habitats is important for analyzing population dynamics and adaptive responses to environmental shifts. We investigated spatio-temporal changes in small yellow croaker ( Larimichthys polyactis ) using eight alternative models fitted to data from bottom trawl surveys conducted in the Bohai Sea each spring (spawning period) and summer during 1982–2018. These models included different combinations of local sea temperature, fishing pressure, and individual climate index (i.e., North Pacific index, NPI, and West Pacific index, WPI) as explanatory variables. Selection of the most parsimonious model for each season was based on Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC). The model with NPI as its only explanatory variable was used as a base case for pre-analysis. In spring, a spatio-temporal model with sea temperature as a quadratic effect, plus the spatially varying effects of a climate index and fishing pressure was selected, as the AIC value of this model was reduced by 41.491 compared to the base case model without these effects. In the summer after spawning, the spatio-temporal model with WPI as a climate index covariate lagged by 1-year best explained the spatio-temporal distribution patterns of the stock. The results suggested that small yellow croaker populations significantly decreased in biomass in the Bohai Sea over the study period. A statistically significant northeastward shift in the center of gravity (COG) and a contraction in the distribution range occurred in summer throughout the study period ( p <0.05). During the spring sequence (1993–2018), a statistically significant northeastward shift in the COG was also found ( p <0.05). Our results showed that biomass-density hotspots of small yellow croaker in both seasons have shrunk or disappeared in recent years. Overall, these findings suggest that the spatio-temporal patterns of the populations in their spawning, feeding and nursery grounds have been influenced over the past 40 years by multiple pressures, and population density in the southwestern areas of the Bohai Sea declined faster and more drastically than in the northeastern areas. This study has important implications for developing targeted spatial conservation measures for small yellow croaker at various stages of its life history under different levels of stress.

Recreational fishing is a popular pastime and multibillion dollar industry in Australia, playing a key economic role, especially in regional areas. In the State of Victoria, Port Phillip Bay (PPB), bordered by Melbourne and its suburbs, is the largest of the State’s marine recreational fisheries. At present, little is known about the spatial and temporal dimensions of angler travel from origins to destinations, and the applicability of such spatial knowledge in fisheries management. To address this lack of information we assessed spatiotemporal dynamics and patterns in fishing trips, based upon travel distances on land and water, to acquire insight into the spatial ranges over which anglers residing in various locations travel to fishing destinations in the environs of PPB. Data for each angler per fishing trip, from 6,035 boat-based creel surveys, collected at 20 boat ramps in PPB during a 10-year period from 2010 to 2019, were analyzed by applying geospatial modeling. Differences were observed in both land and water travel distance by region and popular target species, with anglers who launched from Bellarine region traveling further on land, and those who targeted snapper traveling further on water. It was also evident that most anglers resided within close proximity of PPB, often less than 50 km, although some anglers traveled long distances across the State to access fishing locations, particularly when targeting snapper. This work further highlights the importance of spatially explicit approaches to inform fisheries management by identifying users across different landscape and seascape scales, and out-of-region or State fishing trips, which may especially impact coastal communities and benefit local businesses.