Ray Hilborn, Katja Enberg, Sara Hornborg, Katherine McElroy, Michael C. Melnychuk, Robert Parker, Kim Scherrer, Peter Tyedmers, Friederike Ziegler
Industrial capture fisheries depend on fossil fuels, which tend to dominate both greenhouse gas emissions and operational costs of this form of seafood production. Improving energy efficiency is, in addition to shifting to alternative fuels, a crucial path towards decarbonizing fisheries. Theory suggests that healthy stocks, i.e., with higher density, should require less fuel to harvest when fishing effort and catches are correlated. This is a situation generally observed in bottom trawl fisheries. Rebuilding stocks could thus represent an important pathway for decarbonization. By analysing available time series data on fuel use intensity (FUI), fleet size and fish price in 13 European and U.S. bottom trawl fisheries, we find empirical evidence that lower FUI is associated with higher stock abundance. Lower FUI is also observed for catches with lower fish prices and with reductions in fleet size. Results suggest that rebuilding fish stocks by setting and following sustainable harvest limits combined with balancing fishing capacity with resource availability can be one part of a decarbonization strategy. However, economic incentives such as fish price and subsidies are counterproductive. Combined, this suggests that energy use and carbon emissions be considered as key fisheries management objectives. The sparse data availability of fuel use in fisheries also points to the need for standardised collection programs to allow for further research for improved understanding as well as monitoring progress towards societal objectives.
{"title":"Decarbonizing Fisheries Through Ensuring Healthy Stock Status","authors":"Ray Hilborn, Katja Enberg, Sara Hornborg, Katherine McElroy, Michael C. Melnychuk, Robert Parker, Kim Scherrer, Peter Tyedmers, Friederike Ziegler","doi":"10.1111/faf.70059","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.70059","url":null,"abstract":"Industrial capture fisheries depend on fossil fuels, which tend to dominate both greenhouse gas emissions and operational costs of this form of seafood production. Improving energy efficiency is, in addition to shifting to alternative fuels, a crucial path towards decarbonizing fisheries. Theory suggests that healthy stocks, i.e., with higher density, should require less fuel to harvest when fishing effort and catches are correlated. This is a situation generally observed in bottom trawl fisheries. Rebuilding stocks could thus represent an important pathway for decarbonization. By analysing available time series data on fuel use intensity (FUI), fleet size and fish price in 13 European and U.S. bottom trawl fisheries, we find empirical evidence that lower FUI is associated with higher stock abundance. Lower FUI is also observed for catches with lower fish prices and with reductions in fleet size. Results suggest that rebuilding fish stocks by setting and following sustainable harvest limits combined with balancing fishing capacity with resource availability can be one part of a decarbonization strategy. However, economic incentives such as fish price and subsidies are counterproductive. Combined, this suggests that energy use and carbon emissions be considered as key fisheries management objectives. The sparse data availability of fuel use in fisheries also points to the need for standardised collection programs to allow for further research for improved understanding as well as monitoring progress towards societal objectives.","PeriodicalId":169,"journal":{"name":"Fish and Fisheries","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146006266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Philina A. English, Sean C. Anderson, Robyn E. Forrest
Measures of an organism's weight at a given length are often considered reliable indicators of energy reserves or ‘condition’, which can be related to fecundity and risk of mortality. Understanding the impact of environmental change on fish condition may therefore inform sustainable management of human activities in marine ecosystems. We investigated how changes in Canadian Pacific waters may be influencing the average condition of 35 commercially, culturally, and/or ecologically important demersal fish species. Because the condition of mature male and female, and immature individuals differs in its implications for population dynamics, ecological drivers, and measurement variability, we analysed these three maturity groups separately. We estimated density distributions, calculated Le Cren's relative body condition deviations, modelled spatiotemporal change in these deviations, and generated density‐weighted annual indices of body condition. We used Bayesian Dynamic Factor Analysis to identify common trends across species and tested for correlations with environmental variables. For most species, warmer sea surface temperature and lagged North Pacific Gyre Oscillation appeared neutrally or positively correlated with condition. Only the immature condition was also strongly correlated with primary production, but this effect was equally likely to be negative (e.g., Pacific Spiny Dogfish, Lingcod, and Sablefish) as positive (e.g., Quillback Rockfish, Southern Rock Sole, and Spotted Ratfish). Our approach propagates uncertainty from condition estimation through to environmental correlations to provide both ecosystem‐level and species‐specific inference. Robust estimates of relationships between condition and environmental variables can inform ecosystem approaches to fisheries management, including short‐term forecasts of weight‐at‐age or recruitment.
{"title":"Body Condition as a Shared Response to Environment in a Commercially Important Demersal Fish Assemblage","authors":"Philina A. English, Sean C. Anderson, Robyn E. Forrest","doi":"10.1111/faf.70053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.70053","url":null,"abstract":"Measures of an organism's weight at a given length are often considered reliable indicators of energy reserves or ‘condition’, which can be related to fecundity and risk of mortality. Understanding the impact of environmental change on fish condition may therefore inform sustainable management of human activities in marine ecosystems. We investigated how changes in Canadian Pacific waters may be influencing the average condition of 35 commercially, culturally, and/or ecologically important demersal fish species. Because the condition of mature male and female, and immature individuals differs in its implications for population dynamics, ecological drivers, and measurement variability, we analysed these three maturity groups separately. We estimated density distributions, calculated Le Cren's relative body condition deviations, modelled spatiotemporal change in these deviations, and generated density‐weighted annual indices of body condition. We used Bayesian Dynamic Factor Analysis to identify common trends across species and tested for correlations with environmental variables. For most species, warmer sea surface temperature and lagged North Pacific Gyre Oscillation appeared neutrally or positively correlated with condition. Only the immature condition was also strongly correlated with primary production, but this effect was equally likely to be negative (e.g., Pacific Spiny Dogfish, Lingcod, and Sablefish) as positive (e.g., Quillback Rockfish, Southern Rock Sole, and Spotted Ratfish). Our approach propagates uncertainty from condition estimation through to environmental correlations to provide both ecosystem‐level and species‐specific inference. Robust estimates of relationships between condition and environmental variables can inform ecosystem approaches to fisheries management, including short‐term forecasts of weight‐at‐age or recruitment.","PeriodicalId":169,"journal":{"name":"Fish and Fisheries","volume":"268 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145986490","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mateja Nenadović, Alfredo Giron, Timothy Frawley, Adrian Munguia‐Vega, Kara E. Pellowe, Erica Ferrer, David Gill, Blanca González‐Mon, Andrew F. Johnson, Emilie Lindkvist, Fiorenza Micheli, Amy H. Weaver, Octavio Aburto, Ana Laura Flores‐Morales, Fiona Gladstone, Elizabeth Mansfield, Guido Marinone, Alejandro Parés‐Sierra, Anastasia Quintana, Jessica Reilly Moman, Salvador Rodriguez Van Dyck, Maja Schlueter, Jorge Torre, Björn Vollan, Heather M. Leslie, Xavier Basurto
In many parts of the world, natural resources are primarily managed by governance arrangements at the local level. Those arrangements range from collective, such as cooperatives and associations, to individualistic, such as patrons and owner‐operators. A key question is how such arrangements influence resource use and associated social and ecological outcomes. We hypothesize that sustainable resource use is not associated with a specific governance arrangement, but instead that every type of arrangement has a certain set of social and ecological conditions under which sustainable resource use is feasible. This hypothesis was empirically investigated using fisheries landings data from Mexico. We found that sustainable resource use can be achieved through multiple governance arrangements provided that they are matched to appropriate social‐ecological contexts. Our findings help identify which governance arrangements are best suited to particular contexts and provide the initial building blocks for developing a theory of governance contextual fit in social‐ecological fishing systems.
{"title":"Governance Arrangements That Fit Social‐Ecological Context Are Associated With Fishery Sustainability","authors":"Mateja Nenadović, Alfredo Giron, Timothy Frawley, Adrian Munguia‐Vega, Kara E. Pellowe, Erica Ferrer, David Gill, Blanca González‐Mon, Andrew F. Johnson, Emilie Lindkvist, Fiorenza Micheli, Amy H. Weaver, Octavio Aburto, Ana Laura Flores‐Morales, Fiona Gladstone, Elizabeth Mansfield, Guido Marinone, Alejandro Parés‐Sierra, Anastasia Quintana, Jessica Reilly Moman, Salvador Rodriguez Van Dyck, Maja Schlueter, Jorge Torre, Björn Vollan, Heather M. Leslie, Xavier Basurto","doi":"10.1111/faf.70060","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.70060","url":null,"abstract":"In many parts of the world, natural resources are primarily managed by governance arrangements at the local level. Those arrangements range from collective, such as cooperatives and associations, to individualistic, such as patrons and owner‐operators. A key question is how such arrangements influence resource use and associated social and ecological outcomes. We hypothesize that sustainable resource use is not associated with a specific governance arrangement, but instead that every type of arrangement has a certain set of social and ecological conditions under which sustainable resource use is feasible. This hypothesis was empirically investigated using fisheries landings data from Mexico. We found that sustainable resource use can be achieved through multiple governance arrangements provided that they are matched to appropriate social‐ecological contexts. Our findings help identify which governance arrangements are best suited to particular contexts and provide the initial building blocks for developing a theory of governance contextual fit in social‐ecological fishing systems.","PeriodicalId":169,"journal":{"name":"Fish and Fisheries","volume":"55 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145961723","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jan Geert Hiddink, Sebastian Valanko, Luke Batts, Esther D. Beukhof, Mats Blomqvist, Stefan Bolam, Belén Calero, Michele Casini, Marina Delgado, Jochen Depestele, Joanna Desmidt, Gabriele Di Bona, Bianca Di Lorenzo, Grete E. Dinesen, Gianfranco D'Onghia, Josefine Egekvist, Emanuela Fanelli, Maria Teresa Farriols, Gianluca Franceschini, Juan Gil, José Manuel González‐Irusta, Pascal Laffargue, Irida Maina, Porzia Maiorano, Renato Mamede, Maria Cristina Mangano, Alessandra Nguyen Xuan, Nadia Papadopoulou, Marina Penna, Andrea Pierucci, Marina Pulcini, Sasa Raicevich, Arnold Rakaj, Sofia Reizopoulou, Giada Riva, Tommaso Russo, Antonello Sala, Gianluca Sarà, Alice Sbrana, Giuseppe Scarcella, Marija Sciberras, Mattias Sköld, Chris J. Smith, Ignacio Sobrino, Maria Teresa Spedicato, Valentina Todorova, Irini Tsikopoulou, Karin J. van der Reijden, Sandrine Vaz, Cristina Vina‐Herbon, Nedo Vrgoc, Katherine Wright, Wenyan Zhang, Walter Zupa, Gert van Hoey, Ole Ritzau Eigaard, Tobias van Kooten, P. Daniël van Denderen
Bottom trawling affects seabed habitats, but its large‐scale impacts remain poorly quantified. Assessment of trawling impacts is essential to support monitoring and achieving sustainability objectives under international conventions, sustainable development goals, and seafood certification programs. We present a Europe‐wide quantitative assessment of bottom trawling impacts, accounting for regional seabed‐community sensitivity drivers, across the Baltic, Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea continental shelves. Using two risk‐based indicators of seabed status—Relative Benthic Status determined as benthic community biomass relative to seabed fauna carrying capacity (RBS tot ) and RBS sen (biomass of the 10% most sensitive fauna relative to carrying capacity)—we found substantial regional and habitat differences. The Black, Baltic and Aegean‐Levantine Seas showed low trawling intensity and high seabed status across habitats. In contrast, the Western Mediterranean, Ionian and Central Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas were the most severely impacted. Trawling affected the sensitive species biomass fraction more strongly than the total community biomass. RBS tot was in good condition (here chosen as RBS > 75% for epifauna) for over 79% of habitat‐ecoregion combinations. In contrast, RBS sen met this threshold in only 46% of these. A strong correlation emerged between the mean trawling intensity and RBS tot and RBS sen , allowing the use of SAR to estimate ecosystem status. This relationship can support decisions on where, and by how much, SAR reductions are needed to achieve good environmental status in regions where no detailed assessment is available. Our approach provides a quantitative framework to balance fishery production with ecosystem sustainability, offering tools for environmental and fisheries management in Europe.
{"title":"Assessment of Bottom Trawl Impacts on the Status of Seabed Communities in European Seas","authors":"Jan Geert Hiddink, Sebastian Valanko, Luke Batts, Esther D. Beukhof, Mats Blomqvist, Stefan Bolam, Belén Calero, Michele Casini, Marina Delgado, Jochen Depestele, Joanna Desmidt, Gabriele Di Bona, Bianca Di Lorenzo, Grete E. Dinesen, Gianfranco D'Onghia, Josefine Egekvist, Emanuela Fanelli, Maria Teresa Farriols, Gianluca Franceschini, Juan Gil, José Manuel González‐Irusta, Pascal Laffargue, Irida Maina, Porzia Maiorano, Renato Mamede, Maria Cristina Mangano, Alessandra Nguyen Xuan, Nadia Papadopoulou, Marina Penna, Andrea Pierucci, Marina Pulcini, Sasa Raicevich, Arnold Rakaj, Sofia Reizopoulou, Giada Riva, Tommaso Russo, Antonello Sala, Gianluca Sarà, Alice Sbrana, Giuseppe Scarcella, Marija Sciberras, Mattias Sköld, Chris J. Smith, Ignacio Sobrino, Maria Teresa Spedicato, Valentina Todorova, Irini Tsikopoulou, Karin J. van der Reijden, Sandrine Vaz, Cristina Vina‐Herbon, Nedo Vrgoc, Katherine Wright, Wenyan Zhang, Walter Zupa, Gert van Hoey, Ole Ritzau Eigaard, Tobias van Kooten, P. Daniël van Denderen","doi":"10.1111/faf.70054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.70054","url":null,"abstract":"Bottom trawling affects seabed habitats, but its large‐scale impacts remain poorly quantified. Assessment of trawling impacts is essential to support monitoring and achieving sustainability objectives under international conventions, sustainable development goals, and seafood certification programs. We present a Europe‐wide quantitative assessment of bottom trawling impacts, accounting for regional seabed‐community sensitivity drivers, across the Baltic, Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea continental shelves. Using two risk‐based indicators of seabed status—Relative Benthic Status determined as benthic community biomass relative to seabed fauna carrying capacity (RBS <jats:sub>tot</jats:sub> ) and RBS <jats:sub>sen</jats:sub> (biomass of the 10% most sensitive fauna relative to carrying capacity)—we found substantial regional and habitat differences. The Black, Baltic and Aegean‐Levantine Seas showed low trawling intensity and high seabed status across habitats. In contrast, the Western Mediterranean, Ionian and Central Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas were the most severely impacted. Trawling affected the sensitive species biomass fraction more strongly than the total community biomass. RBS <jats:sub>tot</jats:sub> was in good condition (here chosen as RBS > 75% for epifauna) for over 79% of habitat‐ecoregion combinations. In contrast, RBS <jats:sub>sen</jats:sub> met this threshold in only 46% of these. A strong correlation emerged between the mean trawling intensity and RBS <jats:sub>tot</jats:sub> and RBS <jats:sub>sen</jats:sub> , allowing the use of SAR to estimate ecosystem status. This relationship can support decisions on where, and by how much, SAR reductions are needed to achieve good environmental status in regions where no detailed assessment is available. Our approach provides a quantitative framework to balance fishery production with ecosystem sustainability, offering tools for environmental and fisheries management in Europe.","PeriodicalId":169,"journal":{"name":"Fish and Fisheries","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145961722","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Louise James, Tamsyn M. Uren Webster, Gethin Thomas, Mathias Middelboe, Sofia Consuegra
The emergence of antimicrobial resistance has encouraged a reappraisal of bacteriophage therapy for the mitigation of bacterial diseases in different environmental settings, including aquaculture. Here, we review aquaculture applications of phage therapy by considering its efficacy and potential for broader host‐associated effects, including host immunity, microbiome composition and behaviour. The advantages of phage therapy for aquaculture include the natural abundance and diversity of phages in water, and their self‐propagation, host specificity, low environmental impact and diverse administration routes. Although the efficacy of phage therapy in controlling the prevalence of bacterial pathogens across various aquaculture species is well demonstrated, the diversity of phage administration methods, experimental conditions, target strains and host physiologies have prevented a clear consensus being reached regarding the suitability of phage therapy for aquaculture. The application of phage therapy as an antimicrobial strategy induces gentler immune modulation compared to antibiotics and disinfectants, which often induce dysbiosis in host microbiomes by eliminating beneficial or commensal bacteria. However, there are divergent results regarding the influence of phage administration upon host microbiome composition and dynamics, with potentially important health implications that require further research. How phage immunogenicity may influence the host immune response is also unclear. Additional concerns include phage‐neutralising antibody production, phage‐resistant bacteria and horizontal gene transfer of antimicrobial resistance. Together, these represent areas warranting further research in aquaculture, along with the development of suitable fish models that demonstrate the broad applicability of phage therapy across multiple species.
{"title":"A Review of Phage Therapy for Aquaculture Applications: Efficacy, Health Ramifications and Research Challenges","authors":"Louise James, Tamsyn M. Uren Webster, Gethin Thomas, Mathias Middelboe, Sofia Consuegra","doi":"10.1111/faf.70055","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.70055","url":null,"abstract":"The emergence of antimicrobial resistance has encouraged a reappraisal of bacteriophage therapy for the mitigation of bacterial diseases in different environmental settings, including aquaculture. Here, we review aquaculture applications of phage therapy by considering its efficacy and potential for broader host‐associated effects, including host immunity, microbiome composition and behaviour. The advantages of phage therapy for aquaculture include the natural abundance and diversity of phages in water, and their self‐propagation, host specificity, low environmental impact and diverse administration routes. Although the efficacy of phage therapy in controlling the prevalence of bacterial pathogens across various aquaculture species is well demonstrated, the diversity of phage administration methods, experimental conditions, target strains and host physiologies have prevented a clear consensus being reached regarding the suitability of phage therapy for aquaculture. The application of phage therapy as an antimicrobial strategy induces gentler immune modulation compared to antibiotics and disinfectants, which often induce dysbiosis in host microbiomes by eliminating beneficial or commensal bacteria. However, there are divergent results regarding the influence of phage administration upon host microbiome composition and dynamics, with potentially important health implications that require further research. How phage immunogenicity may influence the host immune response is also unclear. Additional concerns include phage‐neutralising antibody production, phage‐resistant bacteria and horizontal gene transfer of antimicrobial resistance. Together, these represent areas warranting further research in aquaculture, along with the development of suitable fish models that demonstrate the broad applicability of phage therapy across multiple species.","PeriodicalId":169,"journal":{"name":"Fish and Fisheries","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145961724","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shu Su, Shiyu Zhang, Yi Tang, Yanxuedan Zhang, Chao Ma, Michael De Alessi, Yong Chen
This study critically examines China's experimentation with Total Allowable Catches (TACs) as a central element of its evolving fisheries management system. Based on policy review, cross‐case analysis of 32 pilot programs, expert surveys, and stakeholder interviews, we trace how political commitment, institutional trials, and stakeholder engagement have shaped TAC implementation since 2017. The pilots showed that TACs can be made workable in a data‐limited, effort‐based regime. This was achieved by decentralising program design, using Special Fishing Permits to define fishery units, embedding quotas within the seasonal moratorium, testing allocation methods, and introducing basic monitoring systems. These arrangements facilitated compliance and institutional learning, although measurable ecological outcomes remain uncertain due to persistent data limitations. Our findings suggest that pilots can serve as transitional vehicles toward science‐based and rights‐based management, but only if their lessons are institutionalised through law, policy, and practice. We highlight that without clear graduation pathways—anchored in three mutually reinforcing pillars of science‐based decision‐making, integrated monitoring and compliance systems, and rights‐ and incentive‐based governance—China risks locking in administratively convenient but ecologically limited practices. For other developing countries, China's experience shows that pilot strategies can reduce early risks and build capacity when linked to institutional consolidation and long‐term governance reform.
{"title":"Crossing the River by Feeling the Stones: Institutional Lessons From China's Total Allowable Catch Pilots","authors":"Shu Su, Shiyu Zhang, Yi Tang, Yanxuedan Zhang, Chao Ma, Michael De Alessi, Yong Chen","doi":"10.1111/faf.70038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.70038","url":null,"abstract":"This study critically examines China's experimentation with Total Allowable Catches (TACs) as a central element of its evolving fisheries management system. Based on policy review, cross‐case analysis of 32 pilot programs, expert surveys, and stakeholder interviews, we trace how political commitment, institutional trials, and stakeholder engagement have shaped TAC implementation since 2017. The pilots showed that TACs can be made workable in a data‐limited, effort‐based regime. This was achieved by decentralising program design, using Special Fishing Permits to define fishery units, embedding quotas within the seasonal moratorium, testing allocation methods, and introducing basic monitoring systems. These arrangements facilitated compliance and institutional learning, although measurable ecological outcomes remain uncertain due to persistent data limitations. Our findings suggest that pilots can serve as transitional vehicles toward science‐based and rights‐based management, but only if their lessons are institutionalised through law, policy, and practice. We highlight that without clear graduation pathways—anchored in three mutually reinforcing pillars of science‐based decision‐making, integrated monitoring and compliance systems, and rights‐ and incentive‐based governance—China risks locking in administratively convenient but ecologically limited practices. For other developing countries, China's experience shows that pilot strategies can reduce early risks and build capacity when linked to institutional consolidation and long‐term governance reform.","PeriodicalId":169,"journal":{"name":"Fish and Fisheries","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145950048","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elorri Arevalo, Leire Ibaibarriaga, Naroa Aldanondo, Maria Santos Mocoroa, Fernando G. Taboada, Unai Cotano, Paula Alvarez, Eneko Bachiller, Lucia Zarauz, Maria Korta, Ernesto Villarino, Guillem Chust
Global change has altered the climate and biogeochemistry of oceans, which has cascading consequences across all levels of biological organisation. Under warmer conditions, most fish species develop faster during early life stages but reach smaller adult sizes. At the population level, fish respond to warming by altering the phenology of key events and/or shifting spatial distribution. The interwoven action of these responses cascades up to entire ecological communities. Here, we analysed changes in fish communities over the last three decades in the Bay of Biscay (BoB). We examined changes in multiple indicators across levels of organisation, from individual species physiology to community composition, to test whether trends were consistent with those expected from ocean warming. At the individual and population levels, we assessed changes in species body size, reproductive investment, spawning phenology and spatial distribution on four pelagic fish. Mean adult body size significantly decreased for anchovy, sardine and Atlantic mackerel, but increased for horse mackerel. Anchovy increased reproductive investment and advanced spawning. Atlantic mackerel and horse mackerel spawned earlier and polewards. We also analysed bottom trawl data to highlight changes in life‐history and ecological traits across three fish communities from the BoB with 249, 252 and 235 species. Small, fast‐growing and warm‐affinity species that feed at a slightly low trophic level were favoured. Our analyses revealed that 24 of the 41 developed indicators (59%) significantly aligned with the expected impact of warming on marine fish. Observed trends reveal a clear signature of broad‐scale processes impacting marine communities.
{"title":"Are Biological Responses Consistent With Ocean Warming Across Levels of Organisation in the Bay of Biscay?","authors":"Elorri Arevalo, Leire Ibaibarriaga, Naroa Aldanondo, Maria Santos Mocoroa, Fernando G. Taboada, Unai Cotano, Paula Alvarez, Eneko Bachiller, Lucia Zarauz, Maria Korta, Ernesto Villarino, Guillem Chust","doi":"10.1111/faf.70057","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.70057","url":null,"abstract":"Global change has altered the climate and biogeochemistry of oceans, which has cascading consequences across all levels of biological organisation. Under warmer conditions, most fish species develop faster during early life stages but reach smaller adult sizes. At the population level, fish respond to warming by altering the phenology of key events and/or shifting spatial distribution. The interwoven action of these responses cascades up to entire ecological communities. Here, we analysed changes in fish communities over the last three decades in the Bay of Biscay (BoB). We examined changes in multiple indicators across levels of organisation, from individual species physiology to community composition, to test whether trends were consistent with those expected from ocean warming. At the individual and population levels, we assessed changes in species body size, reproductive investment, spawning phenology and spatial distribution on four pelagic fish. Mean adult body size significantly decreased for anchovy, sardine and Atlantic mackerel, but increased for horse mackerel. Anchovy increased reproductive investment and advanced spawning. Atlantic mackerel and horse mackerel spawned earlier and polewards. We also analysed bottom trawl data to highlight changes in life‐history and ecological traits across three fish communities from the BoB with 249, 252 and 235 species. Small, fast‐growing and warm‐affinity species that feed at a slightly low trophic level were favoured. Our analyses revealed that 24 of the 41 developed indicators (59%) significantly aligned with the expected impact of warming on marine fish. Observed trends reveal a clear signature of broad‐scale processes impacting marine communities.","PeriodicalId":169,"journal":{"name":"Fish and Fisheries","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145950043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sean C. Godwin, Emma M. Atkinson, Jamieson B. Atkinson, Mackenzie C. Bartlett, William D. P. Duguid, Marc Trudel, Andrew W. Bateman
Anadromous salmonids play vital roles in marine and freshwater ecosystems. The most abundant of these fishes—Pacific salmon ( Oncorhynchus spp.)—are integral to coastal ecosystems and communities across the North Pacific Rim, but numerous populations are experiencing dramatic declines, particularly towards the south of their range. Although many declines have been linked to poor marine survival, the early marine life phase of salmon has historically been difficult to study because of challenges in capturing juvenile salmon once they leave freshwater. Recent advancements in capture methods, refined over decades of research, have greatly expanded our understanding of juvenile Pacific salmon life history. Here, we synthesise and review the literature on the five main capture techniques for juvenile Pacific salmon in the marine environment: beach seine, miniature purse seine, conventional purse seine, microtroll, and rope trawl. We compare gear, selectivity, cost, and fish welfare considerations across methods. Along with demonstrated utility in Pacific salmon research, these methods also have broad—and in some cases unexplored—applicability for studying other salmonids and nearshore marine fishes globally, including invasive populations and Atlantic salmon.
{"title":"Contemporary Methods for Capturing Juvenile Salmonids in the Marine Environment","authors":"Sean C. Godwin, Emma M. Atkinson, Jamieson B. Atkinson, Mackenzie C. Bartlett, William D. P. Duguid, Marc Trudel, Andrew W. Bateman","doi":"10.1111/faf.70039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.70039","url":null,"abstract":"Anadromous salmonids play vital roles in marine and freshwater ecosystems. The most abundant of these fishes—Pacific salmon ( <jats:italic>Oncorhynchus</jats:italic> spp.)—are integral to coastal ecosystems and communities across the North Pacific Rim, but numerous populations are experiencing dramatic declines, particularly towards the south of their range. Although many declines have been linked to poor marine survival, the early marine life phase of salmon has historically been difficult to study because of challenges in capturing juvenile salmon once they leave freshwater. Recent advancements in capture methods, refined over decades of research, have greatly expanded our understanding of juvenile Pacific salmon life history. Here, we synthesise and review the literature on the five main capture techniques for juvenile Pacific salmon in the marine environment: beach seine, miniature purse seine, conventional purse seine, microtroll, and rope trawl. We compare gear, selectivity, cost, and fish welfare considerations across methods. Along with demonstrated utility in Pacific salmon research, these methods also have broad—and in some cases unexplored—applicability for studying other salmonids and nearshore marine fishes globally, including invasive populations and Atlantic salmon.","PeriodicalId":169,"journal":{"name":"Fish and Fisheries","volume":"30 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145893694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jennifer Coyle Selgrath, Elizabeth Duncan, Tom Laidig
The growing threats to deep‐sea ecosystems (e.g., offshore wind, seabed mining, aquaculture) have the potential to damage these understudied systems, and to impact the fisheries that they support. However, to date there has not been a uniform assessment identifying which commercially landed species are associated with the cold‐water corals and other structure‐forming invertebrates (SFI) found in the deep sea. We conducted a metanalysis to identify the species of fish and invertebrates landed by commercial fisheries in California, USA (2010–2024), and evaluate their potential associations with SFI. Captured species are assigned to Landing Categories, which range in specificity from individual species to broad taxonomic groups. We developed a referenced list of observations documenting associations, and used three metrics to identify which of the 313 Landing Categories are (or are not) associated with SFI: (1) Adjacent: species observed within one body length of SFI (target fish) or touching SFI (target invertebrates); (2) General proximity: species observed within the general area of SFI or based on modelling; (3) Habitat: species' depth ranges and habitat requirements suggest associations. Approximately 30% of Landing Categories were associated with cold‐water SFI, but the specific percentage varied across metrics (Adjacent: 23%; General proximity: 27%; Habitat: 36%). Commercially targeted fish were more likely to be associated with SFI than invertebrates, but many invertebrates had undocumented life histories and/or non‐specific Landing Categories. This study provides a step toward understanding the importance of SFI for commercial fisheries, and demonstrates the broad co‐occurrence between commercially landed marine species and living deep‐water habitats.
{"title":"Associations of Commercial Fisheries and Cold‐Water Corals and Sponges","authors":"Jennifer Coyle Selgrath, Elizabeth Duncan, Tom Laidig","doi":"10.1111/faf.70036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.70036","url":null,"abstract":"The growing threats to deep‐sea ecosystems (e.g., offshore wind, seabed mining, aquaculture) have the potential to damage these understudied systems, and to impact the fisheries that they support. However, to date there has not been a uniform assessment identifying which commercially landed species are associated with the cold‐water corals and other structure‐forming invertebrates (SFI) found in the deep sea. We conducted a metanalysis to identify the species of fish and invertebrates landed by commercial fisheries in California, USA (2010–2024), and evaluate their potential associations with SFI. Captured species are assigned to Landing Categories, which range in specificity from individual species to broad taxonomic groups. We developed a referenced list of observations documenting associations, and used three metrics to identify which of the 313 Landing Categories are (or are not) associated with SFI: (1) Adjacent: species observed within one body length of SFI (target fish) or touching SFI (target invertebrates); (2) General proximity: species observed within the general area of SFI or based on modelling; (3) Habitat: species' depth ranges and habitat requirements suggest associations. Approximately 30% of Landing Categories were associated with cold‐water SFI, but the specific percentage varied across metrics (Adjacent: 23%; General proximity: 27%; Habitat: 36%). Commercially targeted fish were more likely to be associated with SFI than invertebrates, but many invertebrates had undocumented life histories and/or non‐specific Landing Categories. This study provides a step toward understanding the importance of SFI for commercial fisheries, and demonstrates the broad co‐occurrence between commercially landed marine species and living deep‐water habitats.","PeriodicalId":169,"journal":{"name":"Fish and Fisheries","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145893695","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brittany Bartlett, Rodrigo Oyanedel, Hollie Booth, Stefanía Ásta Karlsdóttir, Amaël Dupaix, Ariel Greiner, M. Isidora Ávila‐Thieme, Juan Andrés Silva, Shathuki Perera, Mayuri Chopra, E. J. Milner‐Gulland
Sustainable fisheries are often undermined by illegal, unreported and, in some cases, unregulated fishing (collectively, IUU fishing). As such, it is critical to ensure that current research effectively informs practical fisheries management interventions. We conducted an exploratory scoping review of 509 scholarly articles to assess general trends related to how IUU fishing is framed and distributed in the literature, identifying prevailing narratives that may influence governance. Research on the topic of IUU fishing has increased over time, although geographic distributions in terms of study locations and lead authorship do not necessarily align with global hotspots and priorities. While most location‐specific studies include at least one author affiliated with an institution from the region being studied, a bias remains towards first authors from high‐income countries. Moreover, while there is a justified focus on the Western Pacific Ocean, other vulnerable regions, such as the West Indian Ocean, remain comparatively underrepresented. Contrary to the assumption of a social science deficit in marine conservation, over half of the articles categorised applied a primarily social science lens; however, coverage from the behavioural sciences was limited. A subset analysis revealed a strong emphasis on large‐scale illegal fishing, with frequent conceptual blurring across fishery scales and IUU components. These patterns suggest a high‐level and often ambiguous framing of IUU fishing, which may risk oversimplifying complex issues and diluting context‐specific nuances. We recommend a shift towards more grounded and solutions‐oriented research, with more focus on unreported and unregulated fishing, particularly in small‐scale contexts and underrepresented locations.
{"title":"Navigating Narratives: An Exploratory Scoping Review on the Framing of the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing Research","authors":"Brittany Bartlett, Rodrigo Oyanedel, Hollie Booth, Stefanía Ásta Karlsdóttir, Amaël Dupaix, Ariel Greiner, M. Isidora Ávila‐Thieme, Juan Andrés Silva, Shathuki Perera, Mayuri Chopra, E. J. Milner‐Gulland","doi":"10.1111/faf.70047","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.70047","url":null,"abstract":"Sustainable fisheries are often undermined by illegal, unreported and, in some cases, unregulated fishing (collectively, IUU fishing). As such, it is critical to ensure that current research effectively informs practical fisheries management interventions. We conducted an exploratory scoping review of 509 scholarly articles to assess general trends related to how IUU fishing is framed and distributed in the literature, identifying prevailing narratives that may influence governance. Research on the topic of IUU fishing has increased over time, although geographic distributions in terms of study locations and lead authorship do not necessarily align with global hotspots and priorities. While most location‐specific studies include at least one author affiliated with an institution from the region being studied, a bias remains towards first authors from high‐income countries. Moreover, while there is a justified focus on the Western Pacific Ocean, other vulnerable regions, such as the West Indian Ocean, remain comparatively underrepresented. Contrary to the assumption of a social science deficit in marine conservation, over half of the articles categorised applied a primarily social science lens; however, coverage from the behavioural sciences was limited. A subset analysis revealed a strong emphasis on large‐scale illegal fishing, with frequent conceptual blurring across fishery scales and IUU components. These patterns suggest a high‐level and often ambiguous framing of IUU fishing, which may risk oversimplifying complex issues and diluting context‐specific nuances. We recommend a shift towards more grounded and solutions‐oriented research, with more focus on unreported and unregulated fishing, particularly in small‐scale contexts and underrepresented locations.","PeriodicalId":169,"journal":{"name":"Fish and Fisheries","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145807669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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