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Recent reports suggest that most of the world's commercial fisheries could collapse within decades. Although poor fisheries governance is often implicated, evaluation of solutions remains rare. Bioeconomic theory and case studies suggest that rights-based catch shares can provide individual incentives for sustainable harvest that is less prone to collapse. To test whether catch-share fishery reforms achieve these hypothetical benefits, we have compiled a global database of fisheries institutions and catch statistics in 11,135 fisheries from 1950 to 2003. Implementation of catch shares halts, and even reverses, the global trend toward widespread collapse. Institutional change has the potential for greatly altering the future of global fisheries.

This study assessed the sustainability of capture-based aquaculture (CBA) practices in Egypt, identified challenges, and proposed solutions to enhance sustainability. It relied on published data and studies, revealing that these practices are globally widespread for cultivating a diverse range of marine and freshwater species based on wild seed collection. The assessment showed that these practices in Egypt cultivate a variety of fish species. In 2021, they contributed to approximately 34% of the total aquaculture production, amounting to an estimated value of USD 1.476 billion, representing about 57% of the total value of the aquaculture sector. Additionally, these practices provided around 106,022 full-time jobs. Official fishery statistics have not indicated any negative impact of CBA on fish stocks over the past 30 years. Measures aimed at enhancing the sustainability of these practices included granting licenses for the collection of wild seeds for specific species under specific regulations. Facilitating licensing procedures for hatcheries, providing incentives, and promoting farmers’ preferences for hatchery seed were also part of these measures. Furthermore, these actions include facilitating access to financing under favorable conditions, selective breeding, training hatchery workers in best management practices, implementing biosecurity measures, and establishing an accurate statistical system. The implementation of the proposed plan to transition from capture-based aquaculture to hatchery-based aquaculture will contribute to achieving sustainability for both aquaculture and fisheries.

Recently, Harpadon nehereus (Bombay duck) has become one of the most important economic fishes in the East China Sea. Understanding the population growth and fishery exploited status of H. nehereus is of great significance for improving its biological knowledge and exploring the driving factors of population expansion in the East China Sea. Based on the fishery survey data and the fishery statistics in the Northern East China Sea, the growth curve of H. nehereus was fitted with the von-Bertalanffy growth equation. The results showed that the asymptotic total length, the growth coefficient, and the theoretical age at zero length were 319 mm, 1.25 year−1, and − 0.11 year, respectively. LBB model, CMSY model, and BSM model were used to evaluate the exploitation status of the H. nehereus population. The results showed that the H. nehereus population was still healthy, and the Schaefer model showed that the resource will recover rapidly after reducing the fishing intensity. These results illustrated that the fast growth rate, short generation time, and strong interspecific competitiveness and environmental adaptability of the H. nehereus population in the East China Sea were the main reasons that lead to the stable fishery status and the increase of the catches.

China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, unless specified) is the greatest contributor to the total catch of global marine fisheries. As such, data about the degrees of exploitation and developmental dynamics of its fisheries are essential to evaluate and guide future sustainable seafood production and policy implementation and adjustments. In this study, we summarized the national official statistic data on domestic marine fisheries (including both marine capture fisheries and mariculture) from the earliest available year, 1950, to the latest year, 2014, using on the China Fishery Statistical Yearbooks. We also conducted analyses to understand the historical and current statuses of Chinese marine fisheries and their developmental trends. Domestic marine capture fisheries are declining and will continue to decline because of the current degradation and loss of coastal habitats, mainly due to coastal development and pollution and the over-exploitation of coastal natural resources. In contrast, mariculture has demonstrated promise as an approach to increase seafood production. However, given the wide latitudinal range of domestic seas in China, global climate change may impact China’s marine natural resources. We highlight that effective management measures and long-term monitoring are essential for the sustainability of domestic marine capture fisheries. Moreover, environmentally-friendly practices in mariculture should be enhanced and species introduction carefully monitored to achieve sustainable development.

Spatiotemporal changes in catches and transition of fishing grounds have been observed in various coastal fishery resources in Japanese waters in recent years. Are these changes part of cyclical fluctuations on a centennial timescale? Are these changes situations that have never been observed prior to this? Are common factors included in the long-term fluctuations among coastal fisheries resources? A total of 12 important Japanese coastal fisheries resources including fishes, shells, invertebrates, and algae were analyzed using fisheries statistics on the geographical center of catch compiled since 1894. The time series of the geographical center of catch showed a cyclical fluctuation trend over time rather than changing monotonically. The geographic center of catch in recent years (2019–2021) was located at the northeastern margin of the distribution, compared to its location since the end of the 19th century for many fishery resources. For coastal fishery resources, the situation in terms of fluctuations in the geographical center of catch is more extreme than in the past 100 years. The results of the dynamic factor analysis suggested that the state of these resources may be affected by the global ocean environment and other factors including human activities. Examining how fisheries have responded to past cyclical fluctuations may provide insight into adapting to the current rapid changes caused by climate change.

Management agencies have increasingly relied on size limits, daily bag or trip limits, quotas, and seasonal closures to manage fishing in recreational and commercial fisheries. Another trend is to establish aquatic protected areas, including no-take reserves (NTRs), to promote sustainable fisheries and protect aquatic ecosystems. Some anglers, assuming that no serious harm befalls the fish, advocate allowing catch-and-release (C&R) angling in aquatic protected areas. The ultimate success of these regulations and C&R angling depends on ensuring high release survival rates by minimizing injury and mortality. To evaluate the potential effectiveness of these practices, we review trends in C&R fishing and factors that influence release mortality. Analysis of Marine Recreational Fishery Statistic Survey (MRFSS) data for 1981–1999 showed no statistically significant U.S. trends for total number of anglers (mean 7.7 × 10⁶), total catch in numbers (mean 362 × 10⁶), or total annual catch/angler (mean 42.6 fish). However, mean total annual landings declined 28% (188.5 to 135.7 × 10⁶), mean total catch/angler/trip declined 22.1% (0.95 to 0.74 fish), and mean landings/angler/trip declined 27% (0.42 to 0.31 fish). The total number of recreational releases or discards increased 97.1% (98.0 to 193.2 × 10⁶) and as a proportion of total catch from 34.2% in 1981 to 58.0% in 1999. Evidence indicates that the increased releases and discards are primarily in response to mandatory regulations and to a lesser extent, voluntary releases. Total annual catch and mean annual catch/angler were maintained despite declines in catch per trip because anglers took 30.8% more fishing trips (43.5 to 56.9 × 10⁶), perhaps to compensate for greater use of bag and size limits. We reviewed 53 release mortality studies, doubling the number of estimates since Muoneke and Childress (1994) reviewed catch and release fishing. A meta-analysis of combined data (n=274) showed a skewed distribution of release mortality (median 11%, mean 18%, range 0–95%). Mortality distributions were similar for salmonids, marine, and freshwater species. Mean mortality varied greatly by species and within species, anatomical hooking location was the most important mortality factor. Other significant mortality factors were: use of natural bait, removing hooks from deeply hooked fish, use of J-hooks (vs. circle hooks), deeper depth of capture, warm water temperatures, and extended playing and handling times. Barbed hooks had marginally higher mortality than barbless hooks. Based on numbers of estimates, no statistically significant overall effects were found for fish size, hook size, venting to deflate fish caught at depth, or use of treble vs. single hooks. Catch and release fishing is a growing and an increasingly important activity. The common occurrence of release mortality, however, requires careful evaluation for achieving fishery management goals and in some cases, disturbance, injury, or mortality may conflict with some goals of NTRs. Research is needed to develop better technology and techniques to reduce release mortality, to assess mortality from predation during capture and after release, to determine cumulative mortality from multiple hooking and release events, and to measure sub-lethal effects on behavior, physical condition, growth, and reproduction.

The impact of recreational fishing on fish stocks was neglected for many years as it was considered minor and insignificant. Despite the increasing assessment of the impact of recreational fishing, little effort is made to effectively and systematically collect catch and effort data from recreational fishing and integrate them into official fishery statistics. The aim of this study is to provide the first empirical investigation to quantify the impact of spearfishing on coastal fish communities in the eastern Adriatic. In Croatia, continuous monitoring of spearfishing competitions started in 2005, but, in 2012, the rules for the competitions were changed, and the species and quantities per species were restricted. For the purpose of this analysis, only data collected during the seven-year period from 2005 to 2011 were used, which included a total of 46 competitions in which spearfishers fished without any limitations, as later data were not comparable. These data can provide a robust estimation of the impact of spearfishing on coastal communities. Instead of a general approach, future studies should adopt a species-specific approach. Compared to the results on the impacts of other fishing methods, the obtained results are useful for researchers, managers, and also policy makers to sustainably manage coastal ecosystems and the associated ecosystems services.

Recent reports suggest that many well-assessed fisheries in developed countries are moving toward sustainability. We examined whether the same conclusion holds for fisheries lacking formal assessment which comprise >80% of global catch. We developed a method using species' life-history, catch, and fishery development data to estimate the status of thousands of unassessed fisheries worldwide. We found that small unassessed fisheries are in substantially worse condition than assessed fisheries, but that large unassessed fisheries may be performing nearly as well as their assessed counterparts. Both small and large stocks, however, continue to decline; 64% of unassessed stocks could provide increased sustainable harvest if rebuilt. Our results suggest that global fishery recovery would simultaneously create increases in abundance (56%) and fishery yields (8 to 40%).

Recreational fisheries are valued at $190B globally and constitute the predominant way in which people use wild fish stocks in developed countries, with inland systems contributing the main fraction of recreational fisheries. Although inland recreational fisheries are thought to be highly resilient and self-regulating, the rapid pace of environmental change is increasing the vulnerability of these fisheries to overharvest and collapse. Here we directly evaluate angler harvest relative to the biomass production of individual stocks for a major inland recreational fishery. Using an extensive 28-y dataset of the walleye (Sander vitreus) fisheries in northern Wisconsin, United States, we compare empirical biomass harvest (Y) and calculated production (P) and biomass (B) for 390 lake year combinations. Production overharvest occurs when harvest exceeds production in that year. Biomass and biomass turnover (P/B) declined by ∼30 and ∼20%, respectively, over time, while biomass harvest did not change, causing overharvest to increase. Our analysis revealed that ∼40% of populations were production-overharvested, a rate >10× higher than estimates based on population thresholds often used by fisheries managers. Our study highlights the need to adapt harvest to changes in production due to environmental change.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are an important and increasing component of marine conservation strategy, but their effectiveness is variable and debated; now a study has assembled data from a global sample of MPAs and demonstrates that effectiveness depends on five key properties: whether any fishing is allowed, enforcement levels, age, size and degree of isolation. Five steps to marine protection Marine protected areas are an important and increasing component of marine conservation strategy, but their effectiveness is variable and much debated. These authors assemble data from a global sample of fished regions and 87 marine protected areas and demonstrate that the effectiveness of a protected area depends on five key properties: how much fishing is allowed, enforcement levels, how long protection has been in place, area and degree of isolation. Conservation is assured only when all five of these boxes have been ticked. In line with global targets agreed under the Convention on Biological Diversity, the number of marine protected areas (MPAs) is increasing rapidly, yet socio-economic benefits generated by MPAs remain difficult to predict and under debate 1 , 2 . MPAs often fail to reach their full potential as a consequence of factors such as illegal harvesting, regulations that legally allow detrimental harvesting, or emigration of animals outside boundaries because of continuous habitat or inadequate size of reserve 3 , 4 , 5 . Here we show that the conservation benefits of 87 MPAs investigated worldwide increase exponentially with the accumulation of five key features: no take, well enforced, old (>10 years), large (>100 km 2 ), and isolated by deep water or sand. Using effective MPAs with four or five key features as an unfished standard, comparisons of underwater survey data from effective MPAs with predictions based on survey data from fished coasts indicate that total fish biomass has declined about two-thirds from historical baselines as a result of fishing. Effective MPAs also had twice as many large (>250 mm total length) fish species per transect, five times more large fish biomass, and fourteen times more shark biomass than fished areas. Most (59%) of the MPAs studied had only one or two key features and were not ecologically distinguishable from fished sites. Our results show that global conservation targets based on area alone will not optimize protection of marine biodiversity. More emphasis is needed on better MPA design, durable management and compliance to ensure that MPAs achieve their desired conservation value.