World tuna catches reached 5.2 million metric tons in 2018, more than doubling since the early 1990s, primarily due to the introduction of Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs). The widespread use of drifting FADs has increased the economic efficiency of the fleet by making it easier to aggregate and locate tuna schools, but at a high ecological cost, including: significant catches of juvenile tunas; bycatch of endangered, threatened and protected species; and "ghost fishing," marine pollution, and sensitive habitat destruction by abandoned FADs. Recent analysis indicates that most deployed FADs are eventually lost, stolen, beached, or abandoned, continuing their destructive impacts. This paper examines the legal regime, market forces, and other factors that frame FAD use. We demonstrate that, because deployed FADs are legally considered to be fishing, when they drift into closed areas or otherwise contravene national or international agreements or regulations, they are Illegal, Unreported, and/or Unregulated (IUU); vessels using such FADs are therefore IUU. We suggest that introducing a transparent FAD ownership tracking system and requiring FAD owners to mitigate their impacts could substantially improve the effectiveness of tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) and redirect market incentives to properly support tuna management.

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Climate change is a global threat which has particularly strong impacts on countries whose economies are highly dependent on agriculture and still developing-like Nepal. As these impacts increase, there is a need to understand how those most vulnerable are experiencing and reacting to climate change. As such, this study aims to understand the effects of climate change via changes in atmospheric conditions in Bansar Village Development Committee, a rural community located in Lamjung District, and document community-led adaptation strategies. Household surveys and focused group discussions were conducted in conjunction with long-term meteorological data. Results show the temperature has increased significantly in the study area. Additionally, precipitation has increased in the pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon season while it has decreased in winter leading to droughts. The probability of erratic rainfall occurrence and severe weather such as hailstorms has also increased. Lastly, invasive species have been reported and observed. The combination of these impacts has led to increased crop failure and consequently decreased agricultural production thus threatening the livelihoods of this agricultural based community. However, Bansar residents are actively working to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. Their responses include changing farming methods and installing new water infrastructure.

Seal hunting in Canada is a historically controversial topic. Animal rights groups have campaigned that Atlantic Canadians inhumanely slaughter thousands of “baby” seals every year. The work of these animal rights groups has led to changes in national fisheries regulations and markets. The market changes have greatly affected the livelihoods of many Atlantic Canadians, but even more so of the Inuit who also hunt seals in Canada’s Arctic regions. Animal rights groups largely excluded and ignored the Inuit who depended on the larger Atlantic Canadian seal market. However, Inuit have recently mobilized though social media to reclaim the narrative surrounding seal hunting. Their campaign has helped change national policy. The Government of Canada has since created a scheme to increase market access to Inuit-harvested seals. Yet, little information is available for this scheme and its effectiveness needs to be further investigated.