Ocean‐scale footprint of a highly mobile fishing fleet: Social‐ecological drivers of fleet behaviour and evidence of illegal fishing

Collins, Claire; Nuño, Ana; Benaragama, Aloka; Broderick, Annette C.; Wijesundara, Isuru; Wijetunge, Dilhara; Letessier, Tom B.

doi:10.1002/pan3.10213

Cited by 18 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…Findings from these records (herein referred to as "enforcement data") were contextualised with qualitative data collected during fieldwork in Sri Lankan fishing communities from 2018 to 2019 (herein referred to as "community data"). This fieldwork was conducted as part of wider research aimed at understanding social drivers for non-compliant shark fishing, and the specific methods used included focus groups (as described in Collins et al, 2020) and semi-structured interviews (Collins et al, 2021; see Supplementary Table 2). All fieldwork was conducted, and the use of all data was approved, under ethical permit from the University of Exeter (Ref: eCORN001727 v4.1).…”

Section: Study Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Persistent Non-compliance in a Remote, Large-Scale Marine Protected Area

et al. 2021

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Area coverage of large-scale marine protected areas (MPAs) (LSMPAs, > 100,000 km2) is rapidly increasing globally. Their effectiveness largely depends on successful detection and management of non-compliance. However, for LSMPAs this can be difficult due to their large size, often remote locations and a lack of understanding of the social drivers of non-compliance. Taking a case-study approach, we review current knowledge of illegal fishing within the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) LSMPA. Data stemming from enforcement reports (2010–20), and from fieldwork in fishing communities (2018–19) were combined to explore and characterise drivers of non-compliance. Enforcement data included vessel investigation reports (n = 188), transcripts of arrests (20) and catch seizures (58). Fieldwork data included fisher interviews (95) and focus groups (12), conducted in two communities in Sri Lanka previously associated with non-compliance in BIOT LSMPA. From 2010 to 2020, there were 126 vessels suspected of non-compliance, 76% of which were Sri Lankan. The majority of non-compliant vessels targeted sharks (97%), catching an estimated 14,340 individuals during the study period. Sri Lankan vessels were primarily registered to one district (77%) and 85% operated from just two ports within the fieldwork sites. Social Network Analysis (SNA) showed that 66% of non-compliant vessels were linked by social ties, including sharing crew members, compared with only 34% of compliant vessels. Thematic analysis of qualitative data suggested that perceptions of higher populations of sharks and social ties between vessels may both be important drivers. We discuss our findings within a global context to identify potential solutions for LSMPA management.

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Section: Study Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Persistent Non-compliance in a Remote, Large-Scale Marine Protected Area

et al. 2021

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“…However, Chagos and its reefs – a key holothurian habitat – have not escaped global‐scale impacts, particularly marked declines in coral cover from successive El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)‐related bleaching events during and since 1998 (Sheppard et al, 2012; Perry et al, 2018; Hays et al, 2020). Regional‐scale problems have also recently extended to Chagos, including illegal fishing of sharks (Graham, Spalding & Sheppard, 2010; Collins et al, 2021a; Collins et al, 2021b) as well as holothurians. The accumulation of plastics has also become a feature of Chagos (Readman et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Boom‐and‐bust cycles of holothurian (sea cucumber) populations in the Chagos Archipelago: An indication of poaching or natural processes?

Widman

Collins

Evans

et al. 2023

Aquatic Conservation

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The Chagos Archipelago is a remote Indian Ocean atoll of international conservation significance. Holothurians (sea cucumbers) are a major resource and influence reef health. Past populations have fluctuated from poaching and natural events. Visual censuses of holothurians were conducted in 62 shallow‐water transects within four atolls of Chagos in 2014, 4 years after creation of the Marine Protected Area, to determine its possible influence on holothurians. Comparison with data from the same locations in 2006 and 2010, using the same methodologies, showed significant overall population decline at Diego Garcia, recovery at Salomon (significant) and Peros Banhos (not significant), and no significant change on the Great Chagos Bank. The median abundance of Holothuria atra and Bohadschia sp(p.) decreased at Diego Garcia, while that of Stichopus chloronotus increased at Diego Garcia and Salomon atolls. Changes for other species were less marked. Diego Garcia, Salomon and Peros Bahnos showed a decline in diversity (no. of holothurian taxa and/or Shannon index, H), but diversity has been relatively stable on the Great Chagos Bank. All atolls, except Diego Garcia, are uninhabited and illegal fishing of holothurians, principally by Sri Lankan fishers, appears to have eased since 2005/2006, based on evaluation of 299 patrol survey reports. This may have led to the recovery or stabilization of populations in the outer atolls of Salomon, Peros Banhos atolls and the Great Chagos Bank. The reasons for holothurian decline at Diego Garcia, where exploitation is also prohibited (but cannot be ruled out), are unclear. Population patterns on all islands may reflect both natural fluctuations and disturbance events, including changing exploitation pressure. Conservation requirements include periodic re‐censusing of holothurians and ongoing monitoring of illegal fishing to help safeguard populations and the integrity of the Marine Protected Area.

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“…Ultimately, a longer time series of data along with a deeper analysis of both biological and socioeconomic factors is required to determine the mechanistic drivers influencing fishing locations. For instance, individual fisherman decision-making is driven by a complex suite of factors (e.g., resource distribution, quota availability, ontogenetic migration patterns, weather, environment, fuel price, fishing vessel capacity, distance to port, depth, distribution of other target species, social factors within the fleet, and spatiotemporal management measures), which could impact the distribution of effort in a given year (Naranjo-Madrigal et al, 2015;Thorson et al, 2017;Collins et al, 2021). Although beyond the scope of this study and the expertise of the analysts, the results of the current study could help inform more detailed biosocioeconomic studies of fishery patterns and behavior in the Gulf of Mexico reef fish fleet.…”

Section: Modeling Caveatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial Attraction: Linking Vessel Monitoring System and Habitat Data to Assess Commercial Exploitation on Artificial Structures in the Gulf of Mexico

et al. 2022

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Marine artificial structures provide important ecosystem benefits, but the extent to which commercially valuable reef fish species and their associated fisheries utilize artificial structures is still undetermined. However, the increasing implementation of onboard Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) now enables precise identification of catch and effort locations that can be linked via satellite coordinates to seafloor habitat maps. To better understand the distribution of fishing effort across artificial and natural reef types in the Gulf of Mexico, we present the first attempt to link VMS data from commercial reef fish vessels with high resolution habitat maps for an iconic species, red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus). By allocating landings from VMS-linked individual fishing trips to habitat type (i.e., natural reef, artificial structure, or uncharacterized bottom) and overlaying these with previously developed red snapper biomass distributions, we are able to develop one of the first fine-scale spatial maps of exploitation across the entire Gulf of Mexico. Results indicated that nearly half (46%) of commercial red snapper landings were extracted from artificial structures. The degree of exploitation was highly heterogeneous with several localized hotspots on natural reefs along the continental shelf break and offshore areas of the Northeast Gulf of Mexico. Similarly, there were distinct regional differences in fishing patterns: a majority of the landings from the state of Florida (∼91%) came from natural reefs, whereas ∼75% of landings were from artificial structures from all other Gulf of Mexico states combined. These results indicate that the potential for localized depletion exists for red snapper. The exploitation maps developed here can directly aid fisheries managers by highlighting specific habitats and locations that should be carefully monitored as catch limits continue to increase.

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Ocean‐scale footprint of a highly mobile fishing fleet: Social‐ecological drivers of fleet behaviour and evidence of illegal fishing

Abstract: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Cited by 18 publications

References 90 publications

Understanding Persistent Non-compliance in a Remote, Large-Scale Marine Protected Area

Understanding Persistent Non-compliance in a Remote, Large-Scale Marine Protected Area

Boom‐and‐bust cycles of holothurian (sea cucumber) populations in the Chagos Archipelago: An indication of poaching or natural processes?

Artificial Attraction: Linking Vessel Monitoring System and Habitat Data to Assess Commercial Exploitation on Artificial Structures in the Gulf of Mexico

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