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A focus of sea turtle management has been reducing bycatch in commercial fisheries, but sustainable harvest for consumption is also an important objective in many nations. Identifying how much different fisheries contribute to turtle mortality could help focus limited management resources. We estimated national scale turtle catches for two fisheries in the Solomon Islands: a small‐scale reef fishery where turtles are caught for food and sale, and an offshore longline fishery where turtles are bycatch. The footprint of the longline fishery spanned the entire exclusive economic zone of the Solomon Islands and was 67 times bigger than the footprint of the small‐scale fishery. The median catch summed across both fisheries was ∼12,000 turtles in 2018, with 85%–97% of that catch in the small‐scale fishery. We suggest that turtle management in the Solomon Islands, a nation with globally significant turtle breeding populations, should focus on sustainable management of small‐scale coastal fisheries.

Coral reef ecosystems are widely threatened by global change, yet the cumulative impacts of multiple interacting stressors remain difficult to quantify over space and time. We evaluate how long‐term artisanal fishing effort, blast fishing, human population density and marine protected areas (MPAs) interact with biophysical and seascape variables to influence the spatial distribution of corals in a biodiverse, but heavily impacted ecosystem. To address these challenges, we combined satellite habitat mapping, Indigenous and local knowledge and generalized linear mixed‐effects models to assess how stressors and seascape characteristics shape the occurrence of living coral. This integrative approach allowed us to capture both ecological and social processes at an ecosystem scale. Coral was the dominant habitat in only 30% of the study area. The strongest predictor of coral distribution was seascape configuration: corals were more likely to be in compact reef patches. Coral presence was also positively associated with MPAs (18% higher probability inside MPAs) and depth (8% increase in probability of corals per 2.25 m). Increasing distance to seagrass was associated with higher coral probability (6% per 100 m), but this effect diminished at greater distances, reflecting a nonlinear quadratic response. Disturbance effects were complex. Coral probability declined 6% for each 35 days of blast fishing (fishing with explosives), with an antagonistic interaction with human population density: impacts were strongest in low‐population areas (−7.6%) and weaker in high‐population areas (−2.4%). Total fishing effort (excluding blast fishing) reduced coral probability by 3.2% for every ~530 fishing days at a site, with a notable 10‐year lag, highlighting delayed ecosystem responses. Our findings emphasize the importance of long time series and the need to account for lagged effects of fishing, which may otherwise be underestimated. They also underscore that conservation outcomes depend on both managing harmful stressors and enhancing beneficial seascape features. Key priorities include reducing spatial overlap of destructive activities, protecting reef configurations that support coral persistence and addressing stressors with delayed impacts. The approach developed here—integrating spatial, ecological and social data—offers a framework for adaptively managing coral reef ecosystems that are changing under interacting pressures. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Nagkahulga na ang kondisyon sa mga kagasangan (coral reef ecosystem) tungod sa daghang kabag‐uhan sa kalibutan, apan lisod pa gihapon ang pagsukod sa kinatibuk‐ang epekto sa nagka lain‐laing nga mga “stressor” bisan sa asang dapit og panahon. Among gisusi kung unsa ang makaimpluwensya sa distribusyon sa gasang base sa interaksyon sa mga dugay‐ng panahong pagpangisda, pag‐dinamita/tiro (blast fishing), populasyon, ug mga marine protected areas (MPAs) ngadto sa mga biyopisikal o kinaiya sa pisikal nga bahin sa kadagatan (seascape features) . Aron matubag kini nga mga hagit, among gihiusa ang mga datos gikan sa satellite habitat mapping, mga kahibalo sa lokal nga komunidad (local knowledge), ug mga modelo sa pag analisa sad datos (sama sa generalized linear mixed‐effects models) haron masabtan kung unsa’y mga interaksyon sa mga kadaot (stressors) og biyopisikal nga kinaiya sa kadagatan nga makatabang pagpatan‐aw asa labing mabuhi ang mga gasang. Kining maong pamaagi nagtugot namo nga masabtan ang kinatibuk‐ang ekolohikal ug sosyal nga mga proseso alang sa pagsabot sa kalikupan. Ang gasang mao ang kinabag‐an nga puluyanan (habitat) nga nakita 30% sa lugar nga gisusi . Ang biyopisikal o seascape variables–sama sa ka‐siksik sa lugar, giladmon, sulod sa MPA, og distansya sa mga kalusayan–mao ang dakong basehan sa distribusyon sa mga gasang. Lagmit nga makita ang mga gasang sa mga siksik (compact) nga mga lugar sa dagat sama sa mga “reef patches”. Ang presensya sa gasang adunay positibong kalambigitan sa mga MPA. Adunay 18% nga posibilidad nga makita kini sa sulod sa MPA. Ug, maghisgot sa giladmon nga bahin sa dagat, adunay 8% nga posibilidad nga ana‐a ang mga gasang matag 2.25 m ang giladmon. Komplikado ang epekto sa mga kadaot (stressors) ngadto sa gasang. Ang posibilidad nga mabuhi ang mga gasang kung adunay pagpangisda gamit ang dinamita/tiro, mikunhod ug 6% sa matag 35 ka adlaw. Labing kusog ang epekto sa mga lugar nga gamay ang populasyon (−7.6%) ug mas huyang sa mga lugar nga daghang tawo (−2.4%). Ang kinatibuk‐ang pagpangisda –way labot paggamit og dinamita– mikunhod og 3.2% sa posibilidad nga adunay mabuhing gasang sa matag ~530 ka adlaw sa pagpangisda sa usa ka dapit nga kapin sa 10‐ka‐tuig na sa pagpangisda. Nagpakita kini nga ang reaksyon o epekto sa maong kadaot, dugay o langay nga makita sa kalikupan. Ang among mga nadiskobre nagpasiugda sa importansiya sa pagkolekta og mga datos sa dugay nga panahon, ug adunay panginahanglan nga apilon sa pag analisa ang mga “lagged effects” sa pagpangisda, nga kasagaran ma‐underestimate. Nagpahinumdom usab kini nga ang kalampusan sa konserbasyon nagdepende sa pagdumala sa mga kadaot (stressor) ug pagpalig‐on sa mga maayong bahin sa kadagatan (seascape). Prayoridad mao ang pag‐pakunhod sa mga makadaot nga mga kalihokan, pagpadayon sa pagpanalipod sa mga gasang, ug pagtagad sa mga kadaot (stressor) nga adunay mga epekto nga dugay mabati o makit‐an sa kalikupan. Ang hiniusang pamaagi sa pag‐analisa sa mga datos– spatial, ekolohikal, ug sosyal—naghatag og usa ka giya alang sa pagdumala sa mga kagasangan nga apektado sa mga nagkalain‐laing mga puwersa. Read the free Visayan Translation Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Visayan Translation Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Diverse markers of social and economic difference have been found to influence resource users’ livelihood vulnerability and capacity to adapt to environmental and economic change. However, the role of self-governance forms—cooperative and non-cooperative business models that structure resource-dependent livelihoods—has received limited attention. Here, we address this gap with a 5-yr investigation (2018–2023) into how different cooperative and non-cooperative self-governance forms mediated individual fisher vulnerability and adaptation to external drivers of livelihood change in Baja California Sur. Using longitudinal data from five fishing communities, we find that self-governance form influences livelihood vulnerability in two key ways. First, it critically structures fisher access to marine resources of highly differentiated value and abundance and to government subsidies, and relatedly, levels of diversification across fisheries and alternative professions. Second, it sets the terms by which, and the degree to which, fishers hold agency over their fishing livelihoods, with implications for collective and individual responses to adverse forces. We conclude by suggesting how these findings of differentiated vulnerability can be used to inform policy.

Monitoring vessel activity is an important part of managing marine protected areas (MPAs), but small-scale fishing and recreational vessels that do not participate in cooperative vessel traffic systems require additional monitoring strategies. Marine Monitor (M2) is a shore-based, multi-sensor platform that integrates commercially available hardware, primarily X-band marine radar and optical cameras, with custom software to autonomously track and report on vessel activity regardless of participation in other tracking systems. By utilizing established commercial hardware, the radar system is appropriate for supporting the management of coastal, small-scale MPAs. Data collected in the field are transferred to the cloud to provide a continuous record of activity and identify prohibited activities in real-time using behavior characteristics. To support the needs of MPA managers, both hardware and software improvements have been made over time, including ruggedizing equipment for the marine environment and powering systems in remote locations. Case studies are presented comparing data collection by both radar and the Automatic Identification System (AIS) in urban and remote locations. At the South La Jolla State Marine Reserve near San Diego, CA, USA, 93% of vessel activity (defined as the cumulative time vessels spent in the MPA) was identified exclusively by radar from November 2022 through January 2023. At the Caye Bokel Conservation Area, within the Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve offshore of Belize, 98% was identified exclusively by radar from April through October 2022. Spatial and temporal patterns of radar-detected and AIS activity also differed at both sites. These case study site results together demonstrate the common and persistent presence of small-scale vessel activity near coastal MPAs that is not documented by cooperative systems. Therefore, an integrated radar system can be a useful tool for independent monitoring, supporting a comprehensive understanding of vessel activity in a variety of areas.

Although artisanal fisheries is a source of livelihood for millions of people worldwide, the lack of monitoring makes it difficult to assess under which contexts this practice is sustainable. This is critical when it comes to endangered species, such as seahorses, which are commonly caught by small-scale fisheries. Over a period of four years the illegal seahorse fisheries were monitored via participatory actions. Hippocampus reidi is an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) protected species and legally protected in Brazil. This species is nonetheless widely captured in the study region (Todos os Santos bay - Brazil), the targets mainly being mature and brooding individuals. This study tallied a total of 5763 seahorses that were caught in artisanal fisheries. Through participatory monitoring, seahorse habitat preference was shown as followed: seagrass—49.3% of the catches, and mangroves—29.7%. Likewise, the main gear selected for capturing these fish was seine nets, with 68.7% of all capture. Size and sex of captured individuals varied over spatial and temporal scales, despite consistent catch per unit effort (CPUE) over the years at the different fishing sites. Using maximum likelihood of occurrence, these results revealed that the skills required by fishers to catch seahorses involved spatial acuity. This illegal practice appears to persist because of several factors, including the absence of surveillance by governmental agencies, low fisher awareness, and high trade value of seahorses in parallel markets. The findings of this study may facilitate the inclusion of local stakeholders in monitoring, managing, and protecting these endangered species that remain the focus of an active fishery sector.

Gyaros Island (Aegean Sea) is a recently (2019) established MPA in the Mediterranean Sea, allowing spatiotemporal small-scale fishing (SSF) activities with specific access rules. However, due to the inability of the state authorities to establish any fishing permit process, Gyaros MPA initially functioned as a No-Take Zone (NTZ), offering a rare opportunity for scientific monitoring. Significant political pressure by fisher organizations led to the opening of the MPA in June 2022 without any fishing permit restriction. The unprecedented ‘race for fish’ that followed led to a significant deterioration of the MPA status, as confirmed by scientific monitoring before and after the opening. Outcry from national media, based on concerns raised by the scientific community and NGOs, resulted in lifting access to fishing in September 2022, upgrading Gyaros MPA to a full NTZ. This study aimed to assess if and how the MPA functioning was impacted based on a series of experimental fishing trials and questionnaire surveys conducted with local fishers. Although a substantial part of the fishing community’s mindset is embracing MPAs, our results also suggest that the self-interests of a fishers’ minority, along with non-science-based policy by the national authorities, have led to overfishing and deterioration of MPA status.

Cold-Water Corals play a paramount role in marine benthic ecosystems, increasing their complexity and providing spawning and nursery habitats to many species. However, due to their sessile lifestyle and ramified shape they are commonly entangled in nets and even by-caught during the practice of bottom-contact fishing, which includes impacts from both large-scale activities such as trawling and small-scale fishing (e.g., trammel nets or pots). In this context, passive and active restoration measures are crucial to avoid their damage and disappearance, which might cause the consequent loss of complexity and biodiversity of marine benthic communities. With the aim of modifying these fishing practices in the Marine Protected Area of Cap de Creus (North-Western Mediterranean), small-scale fishers and scientists (marine biologists) started a Participatory Process in which they agreed to develop a joint marine conservation program combining two distinct projects: a restoration project of the Cold-Water Corals incidentally captured on fishing nets for their subsequent reintroduction at sea (RESCAP project) and also a project on mitigation of fishing impacts on marine benthic communities (MITICAP project). Collaborative actions were carried out including interviews and exchanges of information with the purpose of collecting all the knowledge required for conducting the actions of the projects. This study shows the results of the assessment throughout five years (2017-2022) of cooperative work and highlights how crucial it is to develop long-term and revisable ocean literacy strategies for ensuring a sustainable ocean governance. An ocean literacy test evaluated the scientific knowledge of fishers at the end of the projects and revealed that despite all the efforts applied, still more work is needed, which reinforces the importance of improving the strategies of knowledge transfer for MPA management. Under the coordination of marine social anthropologists, a Cultural Consensus Analysis was conducted with the fishers. Results revealed a protoculture that should be characterized and considered when developing management strategies in the area. Additionally, the Personal Network Analysis showed that fishers have become agents of change and transmitted the learnings of the projects to their communities, fishers from nearby guilds, local educational centers and even the press. Furthermore, a list of recommendations is provided to optimize the multisector opportunities emerging from collaborative projects with marine scientists and fishers in MPAs.

Small-scale fishers in tropical regions of Asia are known to respond to uncertain resource fluctuations in diverse ways. Less is known of their adaptations to and motivations for fishing in severely overexploited fishing grounds. A common explanation emphasises poverty and a lack of access to alternative skills and sources of livelihood. Based on a study of small-scale fishing among coastal dwellers on Negros Island in the Philippine, I show that fishers' reasons for continuing to fish in overfished waters are more complicated than this explanation allows. To explain why better-off households remain committed to fishing when fish catch levels are generally very low, and why very poor and marginalized households drop out of fishing under such conditions, I combine a diverse livelihoods approach with literatures that focus on issues of power, politics and social exclusion. I differentiate among different kinds of small-scale fishing and track changes in these over time. I pay close attention to fishermen's own conception of their work and the status distinctions made among them, and examine the socio-institutional arrangements of coastal livelihoods more broadly.

The small-fisheries social-ecological system in the western Indian Ocean (WIO) represents a typical social-ecological trap setting where very poor natural resources dependent coastal communities face local and global threats and engage in unsustainable practices of exploiting limited resources. Community-based aquaculture (CBA) has been implemented as an important alternative or supplementary income generating activity for minimizing the overdependence on marine natural resources and promoting biodiversity conservation. Despite its proliferation throughout the WIO region in recent decades, little is known about the degree to which CBA activities have contributed to achieving the objectives of breaking the cycle of poverty and environmental degradation and promoting community development and biodiversity conservation. In order to improve understanding of common challenges and to generate recommendations for best practice, we assessed the most common CBA activities practiced in the region through literature review and workshop discussion involving practitioners and key stakeholders. Findings indicated that despite favorable environmental conditions for various CBA practices, the sector remains underdeveloped, with few activities delivering the intended benefits for coastal livelihoods or conservation. Constraints included a shortage of seed and feed supplies, low investment, limited technical capacity and skills, insufficient political support, and lack of a clear strategy for aquaculture development. These are compounded by a lack of engagement of local stakeholders, with decision making often dominated by donors, development agencies, and private sector partners. Many of the region’s CBA projects are designed along unrealistically short time frames, driven by donors rather than entrepreneurs, and so are unable to achieve financial sustainability, which limits the opportunity for capacity building and longer-term development. There is little or no monitoring on ecological and socioeconomic impacts. Except for a few isolated cases, links between CBA and marine conservation outcomes have rarely been demonstrated. Realizing the potential of CBA in contributing toward food security in the WIO will necessitate concerted investment and capacity strengthening to overcome these systemic challenges in the sector. Lessons herein offer managers, scientists, and policy advisors guidance on addressing the challenges faced in building strategic development initiatives around aquaculture in developing countries.

Fishing strategies, effort and harvests of small-scale fishers are important to understand for effective planning of regulatory measures and development programs. Gender differences in fishing can highlight inequities deserving transformative solutions, but might mask other important factors. We examined fishing modes, fishing frequency, catch-per-unit effort (CPUE), resource preferences and perceptions of fishery stock among artisanal gastropod (trochus) fishers in Samoa using structured questionnaires and mixed effects models. The fishery has an extremely modest carbon footprint of 20.4 tonnes of CO2 p.a., as few fishers used motorised boats. Trochus (Rochia nilotica), an introduced gastropod, was the second-most harvested resource, after fish, despite populations only being established in the past decade. Daily catch volume varied according to gender and villages (n = 34), and was also affected by fishing effort, experience, assets (boat), and fishing costs of fishers. Boat users had much higher CPUE than fishers without a boat. Fishers who practiced both gleaning and diving caught a greater diversity of marine resources; effects that explained otherwise seeming gender disparities. Trochus tended to be ranked more important (by catch volume) by women than men, and rank importance varied greatly among villages. Local ecological knowledge of fishers informed the historical colonisation of trochus around Samoa and current trends in population abundance. Fishing efficiency, catch diversity and perspectives about stocks were similar between fishermen and fisherwomen, when accounting for other explanatory variables. Greater importance of these shellfish to women, and gender similarities in many of the fishing responses, underscore the need to ensure equal representation of women in the decision making in small-scale fisheries.