Article
Environmental Studies
Stuart T. Jones, Edward H. Allison, Kailin Kroetz, Yoshitaka Ota, Sunny L. Jardine
Summary: In the past twenty years, seafood sustainability certifications have been seen as a complement to traditional government-based fisheries management. However, certifying organizations like Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) have faced challenges in reaching fisheries in the Global South, which often lack strong top-down management practices. A predictive model identified factors influencing MSC enrollment, including country's Human Development Index (HDI) and focus on high biomass regions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Oluyemisi Oloruntuyi, Jaco Barendse, Michael Marriott, Andrew Kenneth Gordon, Carlos Montero-Castano
Summary: Fishery certification is a market-based mechanism employed to promote sustainable fisheries. Limited data, overfishing, poor management, and low demand for certified seafood hinder certification in African fisheries. The pathway to sustainability approach, using the MSC fisheries standard, allows ongoing improvements regardless of immediate certification, leading to improved environmental performance. Case studies from Africa highlight the successes and challenges associated with implementing this approach.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Jennifer Rasal, Michael C. Melnychuk, Amanda Lejbowicz, Carlos Montero-Castano, Sophie Ferber, Catherine Longo
Summary: This study examined the influence of market, governance, and fishery-specific drivers on the speed and success of MSC certification. The findings revealed that national fishery management capacity, percentage of MSC catch, and landed value were the strongest drivers of successful and rapid certification. Random forest analyses identified influential drivers under specific fishery contexts.
FISH AND FISHERIES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Abigayil Blandon, Hiroe Ishihara
Summary: Despite the global proliferation of marine certification schemes in the past decade, Japan has shown slow uptake. Possible reasons include challenges in assessing co-management institutions, complexities in seafood distribution networks, and mismatched consumer preferences. However, some Japanese fisheries have obtained the MSC certification, with economic motivations mainly aimed at domestic market expansion rather than premium foreign markets. The study also highlights the importance of considering the type of applicant and their position in the value chain for the sustainability of the certification.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Richard Achankeng Nyiawung, Victoria Ndinelago Erasmus
Summary: This paper explores the MSC certification scheme in Africa by examining two case studies: the Namibian hake fishery and The Gambian sole fishery. The study analyzes the opportunities and challenges of the MSC program in promoting fisheries sustainability in Africa. It highlights the importance of good governance structures, involvement of local actors, and sufficient financial resources for successful engagement with MSC.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Richard A. Nyiawung, Ajith Raj, Paul Foley
Summary: This paper focuses on the impact of MSC on sustainable certification of small-scale and developing country fisheries, analyzing cases in Kerala and The Gambia to find that the certifiability of fisheries is influenced by various factors and relationships. It calls for more comprehensive and critical social science and interdisciplinary evaluations to be conducted.
Article
Environmental Studies
Charlotte Tindall, Oluyemisi Oloruntuyi, Samantha Lees, Catherine S. Longo, David Schley, Rohan J. C. Currey
Summary: This study examines the issue of forced and child labor abuses in the sustainable seafood industry and explores practical mechanisms to mitigate these risks. The findings suggest that differences in regulatory and cultural contexts can lead to variations in standards and practices. The study proposes a framework to evaluate fisheries' practices, taking into account the cultural adaptability needed to effectively prevent labor violations.
Article
Fisheries
Fanny Barz
Summary: Gillnets are commonly used in fishing and play a crucial role in providing income and protein supply. However, the bycatch from gillnet fisheries poses a major threat to seabirds and marine mammals. The social perspective of this issue has been understudied, and more research is needed to understand fishers' bycatch behavior and its implications for management. Fisheries management should take into account the normalization and non-normalization of bycatch practices and fishers' own mitigation strategies to effectively address bycatch mitigation measures.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Andrew R. Thompson, Noah J. Ben-Aderet, Noelle M. Bowlin, Dovi Kacev, Rasmus Swalethorp, William Watson
Summary: The study shows that the marine heatwave from 2014 to 2016 caused changes in larval fish assemblage structure and diversity in the California Current Ecosystem, indicating that fish spawned earlier than usual during this period and the species richness significantly increased.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Isabelle Jubinville, Nancy L. Shackell, Boris Worm
Summary: The unintended bycatch of depleted or vulnerable marine species is a major conservation issue globally. In recent years, Canada has placed more emphasis on addressing the bycatch of vulnerable species-at-risk. However, due to gaps in fisheries observation and monitoring data, quantifying and mitigating the risk of bycatch has been challenging. This study proposes the use of novel modeling frameworks to optimize spatial management strategies for mitigating bycatch. By utilizing spatiotemporal modeling of fisheries-independent survey data, the study predicts high-risk regions for three at-risk skates in Atlantic Canada. The identified regions are then used to evaluate the reduction in bycatch risk that can be achieved by closing targeted bycatch-protection zones.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Minako Iue, Mitsutaku Makino, Misuzu Asari
Summary: Fisheries' product has decreased in Japan and the awareness of seafood sustainability is low. This study identifies the reasons for low awareness and proposes necessary actions to increase sustainable seafood consumption. Fishers are proactive and distributors are mainly passive, both expecting government promotion campaigns and education. The stages of awareness among supply chain stakeholders differ and need proactive education, sustainable product choices, and information dissemination.
Article
Fisheries
James B. Bell, Nguyen Van Nguyen, Ha Vu Viet, Minh Hoang Nguyen, Hung Thanh Bui, Tuan Van Trang, Paul McIlwaine, Andrew Kenny, Bat Khac Nguyen
Summary: Ecosystem-based management is considered promising for addressing anthropogenic pressures in marine ecosystems. A data-limited assessment approach has been proposed for identifying ecological production units in the exclusive economic zone of Vietnam.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
John Gilbey, Gary Carvalho, Rita Castilho, Ilaria Coscia, Mark W. Coulson, Geir Dahle, Sofie Derycke, Sara M. Francisco, Sarah J. Helyar, Torild Johansen, Claudia Junge, Kara K. S. Layton, Jann Martinsohn, Iveta Matejusova, Joana I. Robalo, Naiara Rodriguez-Ezpeleta, Goncalo Silva, Ilona Strammer, Anti Vasemagi, Filip A. M. Volckaert
Summary: Effective management of marine fisheries and ecosystem monitoring require analysis of complex information, with increasing legislative demands for good environmental status. Utilizing environmental DNA for data collection presents new cost-effective methods for revolutionizing marine data collection.
Article
Fisheries
Laurenne Schiller, Megan Bailey
Summary: The tuna fishing industry has significantly increased its involvement in sustainable seafood eco-certification programs to address concerns of over-exploitation, with a substantial rise in the volume associated with such initiatives and the adoption of harvest strategies by Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs). Interviews with RFMO stakeholders confirmed that the rapid uptake of harvest strategies is largely driven by pressure from fishing companies seeking eco-certification compliance, indicating that these industry players are influencing the international governance of tuna species.
FISH AND FISHERIES
(2021)
Article
Oceanography
Caitlin D. Kuempel, Halley E. Froehlich, Benjamin S. Halpern
Summary: The Neolithic Revolution marked the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture due to population pressure, cultural diffusion, property rights, and climate change. Today, there is a potential shift towards fish farming from hunting wild fish, driven by environmental and cultural pressures, technological advancements, environmental awareness, and globalization. This transition, known as the Blue Revolution, presents possibilities for proactive governance mechanisms to balance fisheries and aquaculture for economic, environmental, cultural, and social objectives.
OCEAN & COASTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Rishi Sharma, Maite Pons, Sarah Martin, Laurie Kell, John Walter, Matthew Lauretta, Michael Schirripa
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2018)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sarah M. Martin, Kai Lorenzen, Robert I. Arthur, Phaisane Kaisone, Kanthavong Souvannalangsy
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2011)
Article
Fisheries
Shijie Zhou, Sarah Martin, Dan Fu, Rishi Sharma
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Development Studies
Sarah M. Martin, Kai Lorenzen
Article
Anthropology
Sarah M. Martin, Kai Lorenzen, Nils Bunnefeld