Changes to the structure and function of an albacore fishery reveal shifting social‐ecological realities for Pacific Northwest fishermen

Abstract

Marine fisheries around the globe are increasingly exposed to external drivers of social and ecological change. Though diversification and flexibility have historically helped marine resource users negotiate risk and adversity, much of modern fisheries management treats fishermen as specialists using specific gear types to target specific species. Here, we describe the evolution of harvest portfolios amongst Pacific Northwest fishermen over 35+ years with explicit attention to changes in the structure and function of the albacore (Thunnus alalunga, Scombridae) troll and pole‐and‐line fishery. Our analysis indicates that recent social–ecological changes have had heterogenous impacts upon the livelihood strategies favoured by different segments of regional fishing fleets. As ecological change and regulatory reform have restricted access to a number of fisheries, many of the regional small (<45 ft) and medium (45–60 ft) boat fishermen who continue to pursue diverse livelihood strategies have increasingly relied upon the ability to opportunistically target albacore in coastal waters while retaining more of the value generated by such catch. In contrast, large vessels (>60 ft) targeting albacore are more specialized now than previously observed, even as participation in multiple fisheries has become increasingly common for this size class. In describing divergent trajectories associated with the albacore fishery, one of the US West Coast's last open‐access fisheries, we highlight the diverse strategies and mechanisms utilized to sustain fisheries livelihoods in the modern era while arguing that alternative approaches to management and licensing may be required to maintain the viability of small‐scale fishing operations worldwide moving forward.

Exploring timescales of predictability in species distributions

“…late winter and spring storms) and overlap with other seasonal fisheries (e.g. gear switching; Frawley et al 2020) which would likely have an economic impact on this fishery (Smith et al 2020). Application of a seasonal forecasting product to predict whether a swordfish fishing season will be typical or anomalous may help to improve the resilience and capacity of fishers in response to climate change.…”

“…For example, when environmental conditions become more favorable for positive catch anomalies, this doesn't necessarily mean that fishing effort or catch will increase. Other factors, like spatiotemporal management zones, historical fisher knowledge and weather can all impact where and when fishers fish (Frawley et al 2020, Smith et al 2020). In light of remaining uncertainties in swordfish distribution predictions, along with relevant scales for management action, it may be more pragmatic to forecast species distributions probabilistically (e.g.…”

A More Comprehensive Climate Vulnerability Assessment Framework for Fisheries Social-Ecological Systems

“…Since 1981, the United States-Canada Albacore Treaty has allowed each country's fishing vessels to fish in the partner country's waters seaward of 12 miles (∼20 km) from shore and to land catch at specified ports. For the period 2010-2018, the United States commercial troll and pole-and-line fishery for albacore ranked third in ex-vessel value in Oregon and Washington, following Dungeness crab and pink shrimp (Frawley et al, 2020). Further, albacore is the most active HMS fishery along the United States West Coast in terms of landings (7,583 round mt in 2019), number of participating vessels (539 in 2019) and ex-vessel revenue ($27.8 million in 2019) 3 .…”

“…Albacore fishermen sell their catch either direct-to-consumer, to smaller integrated businesses (e.g., microcanners), or to larger canning and other processing operations. Like many other fishermen, albacore fishermen do not rely solely on albacore for their livelihood (Frawley et al, 2020). Rather, they have a portfolio of fisheries, participating in each based on resource seasonality, availability, and regulations among other factors.…”

“…Changes in the location of fronts, which are preferred feeding locations for albacore, will also affect their local spatial distribution. How the longitudinal distribution of albacore will change in the future is less well known; however, during warm conditions in the past, such as the MHW, albacore have been pressed closer to the North American coast (Frawley et al, 2020). This movement could be the result of habitat compression as discussed in the Dungeness crab case study (Santora et al, 2020), which is a pattern that could continue in the future.…”