Linking small‐scale fisheries co‐management to U.N. Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

Small‐scale fisheries account for 90% of global fishers and 40% of the global catch. Effectively managing small‐scale fisheries is, therefore, crucial to progressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Co‐management and community‐based fisheries management are widely considered the most appropriate forms of governance for many small‐scale fisheries. We outlined relationships between small‐scale fisheries co‐management and attainment of the SDGs, including evidence for impacts and gaps in dominant logic. We identified 11 targets across five SDGs to which small‐scale fisheries co‐management (including community‐based fisheries management) can contribute; the theory of change by which these contributions could be achieved; and the strength of evidence for progress toward SDG targets related to various co‐management strategies. Our theory of change links the 11 SDG targets by qualifying that progress toward some targets is contingent on others being achieved first. We then reviewed 58 case studies of co‐management impacts from the Pacific Islands––a region rich in local marine governance––to evaluate evidence of where, to what degree, and with how much certainty different co‐management strategies conferred positive impacts to each SDG target. These strategies included access restrictions, permanent area closures, periodic closures, and gear and species restrictions. Although many studies provide evidence linking multiple co‐management strategies to improvements in resource status (SDG 14.4), there was limited evidence of follow‐on effects, such as improvements in catch (SDG 2.3, 2.4), livelihoods (SDG 1.2), consumption (SDG 2.1), and nutrition (SDG 2.2). Our findings suggest that leaps of logic and assumptions are prevalent in co‐management planning and evaluation. Hence, when evaluating co‐management impacts against the SDGs, consideration of ultimate goals is required, otherwise, there is a risk of shortfalls between aspirations and impact.

Effects of management objectives and rules on marine conservation outcomes

“…Measuring effectiveness of area‐based management tools is a key topic in policy discussion because the OECM definition requires it. We used reef fish biomass—a commonly used indicator for MPA ecological assessments and one that is linked to many objectives—as a feasible and practical metric that can be obtained for coral reef sites (McClanahan et al., 2021; Smallhorn‐West et al., 2022). High variability due to environmental factors (e.g., time of day, tides) and methods (e.g., surveyed species, spatial coverage) can make interpretation challenging (McClanahan et al., 2007).…”

“…We refer to sites that have biomass of ≥500 kg/ha as having high reef fish biomass or high biomass (MacNeil et al., 2015; McClanahan, 2015; McClanahan et al., 2015). Reef fish biomass is a useful metric for assessing coral reef condition across broad geographies (MacNeil et al., 2015; McClanahan et al., 2021) and is linked to many of the objectives of area‐based management (e.g., ecosystem functioning, short‐ and long‐term yields, improved livelihoods) (Smallhorn‐West et al., 2022). This operationalization was a first attempt to investigate differences in and relationships between biomass, rules, and objectives between MPAs and other forms of area‐based management in coral reef social–ecological systems.…”

Integrating assessments of secure tenure rights and co-management for small-scale fisheries in seafood sustainability ratings systems: two new scoring methods for FishSource's sustainability assessments

“…Secure tenure is a precondition to any fisheries governance system that aims to ensure sustainable resource use (see e.g., Onyango, 2013;Basurto et al, 2023) and the wellbeing of fishery-dependent communities (see e.g., Parma et al, 2006). Furthermore, authors have shown that the efficiency of participatory management and the levels of sustainability in a fishery are inextricably linked (see Lundquist and Granek, 2005;Roa-Ureta et al, 2020;Smallhorn-West et al, 2022) and have identified key factors to make co-management succeed (e.g., Pomeroy et al, 2001;Defeo and Castilla, 2005;Gutiérrez et al, 2011). Both performance categories are here considered basic pillars or principles of a well-(co-)managed SSF.…”

Fishing methods and fishing season of the tropical lobster fisheries of Southern Java, Indonesia

“…World fisheries management has been prompted by industrial and large-scale fisheries (Schuhbauer and Sumaila 2016). Since the emergence of an overfishing problem in the early twentieth century (Ferguson-Cradler 2021), the management which take into account small-scale fisheries (hereafter SSF) has become a major concern of world fisheries (Smallhorn-West et al 2022). Despite being common in national fisheries, there are important in socioeconomic and food security (Spanier et al 2015).…”