Paper short abstract:

Coastal communities in western Greece historically depended on both the land and sea for protein: Here we present the preliminary results of mapping for rights in the inner Ionian Archipelago using participatory GIS and literature surveys.

Paper long abstract:

Coastal communities in western Greece historically depended on both the land and sea for protein: fish from the sea and livestock from the land.Anthropological evidence suggests that mainland communities focused on grazing and livestock while island communities focused on fishing and other marine trade activities. While grazing zones on land are generally understood to have historic rights, this is not the case with fishing zones. Using participatory GIS and an extensive literature survey, we created preliminary maps of two uses in the inner Ionian environmental conflict zone: historic fishing zones/rights in the sea and nomadic grazing routes on the adjacent mainland of Akarnania. This reveals that space--both on land and in the sea--was demarcated and managed by traditional, pseudo-formal means.

These results have implications in the context of historic rights, especially with respect to marine spatial planning and decision making. Governments and non-governmental entities tend to treat marine space as one with no traditional borders or any historic rights at all. We argue that environmental decision making based on the notion that the sea is common undivided grounds for both mainland and island communities is an erroneous approach concerning rights, because communities in the past did, in fact, manage the sea “spatially” by traditional means that were both effective and sustainable.

Because different communities had different priorities, there is a logical argument against the “sea is for everyone” approach in community conservation .It also cancels the argument that people are excluded from the sea in unfair ways

Paper short abstract:

Incentives, driving illegal fishing gear use, have not been addressed by policy makers in Dagestan, Russia. Fisher perspectives can provide insight on measures and approaches needed to reduce reliance on illegal fishing generating high rates of bycatch mortality for endangered seal.

Paper long abstract:

In the Caspian Sea small-scale, illegal fisheries have pushed the five resident sturgeon species to the brink of extinction and generate high rates of bycatch mortality for the endangered, endemic Caspian seal (Pusa caspica). To date attempts at management have focused on bolstering law enforcement and fisheries regulations. These do little to reduce underlying incentives to participate in lucrative illegal activities. Studying perceptions among fishers on biodiversity, socio-economic factors allows areas of difference and consensus relevant to policy on unsustainable resource use to be identified. We present the results of a Q-study carried out in autumn 2018, with 52 participants, including illegal fishers and traders from Dagestan (Russian Federation). Participants were asked to respond to questions about seal conservation organized around issue themes: value of fisheries/seals, use of bio-resources, perception of authorities and fishery regulation. Distinct stakeholder groups emerged from a factor analysis, which we designated as “nostalgists”, “optimists” and “pessimists”. Nostalgists emphasized a need for centralized involvement of authorities as under the Soviet system. Optimists expressed support for the commercial fishery, co-management and restoration of biodiversity. Pessimists are strongly aware of unregulated fisheries and illegal trade in seal products and think that current regulation attempts cannot reverse biodiversity loss. We identified high levels of support for alternative sources of incomes, desire for participation in decision-making, protected areas, sustainability, increased regulation and willingness to reduce illegal fisheries. Q-studies could be applied in small-scale fisheries with high rates of marine mammal bycatch to help identify policy interventions supported by involved communities.

Paper short abstract:

This article presents a case study of a fishery in the port-town community of Ende, Flores, a former littoral hub in the Indo-Pacific region. The article argues that more attention be paid to transregional maritime networks to understand the apparent absence of formal control of resources.

Paper long abstract:

This article presents a case study of a fishery in the port-town community of Ende, Flores, a former littoral hub located at the periphery of major commercial systems in the Indo-Pacific region. The article argues that more attention be paid to the role of transregional maritime networks, nautical conventions, and navigational practices embedded within local tenure systems to understand the apparent absence of formal control of marine and coastal resources. Through ethnographic and archival research, this study identifies the presence of indigenous institutions for fishing grounds regulation and documents the existence of broader transregional norms dictating proper fishing and navigation. Exploring the interactions between more pluralistic customary systems that exist in port-towns such as Ende and recent fishery development policies, the article discusses some of the obstacles to implementing sustainable co-management strategies. While the Indonesian central government is strongly promoting co-governance approaches for resource management, these institutional models are based on geographically narrow definitions of tradition and customary law which can lead to management failures, such as elite capture and local fishers’ disenfranchisement. In this case, policies emphasize the formation of cooperative groups without considering transregional beliefs about independence and pre-established systems of obligations. In order to formulate true participatory solutions, a careful asssessment of the role played by transregional perspectives that go beyond geographically localized understandings of customary practices is needed. The article concludes with a consideration of the role played by decentralization processes, subsidies, and aid programs in entrenching poverty and inequality among local communities.

Paper short abstract:

Ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) is considered a holistic alternative to single species management, allowing for greater integration of social and ecological systems. This paper examines implementation of EBFM in the U.S. Caribbean, focusing on challenges related to small scale fisheries.

Paper long abstract:

Ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) is considered a holistic approach to facilitating long-term marine system resilience. Despite the popularity of EBFM in national and regional policy and management circles, moving EBFM from theoretical to operational continues to mar implementation processes. In addition, EBFM is often critiqued for its focus on biophysical and conservation goals, generating mistrust and threatening management efficiency amongst stakeholder groups. To counteract such trends, EBFMs should be treated as social ecological systems (SES), including balanced consideration between the biophysical (food web dynamics, climate, bycatch, habitat) and the social (well-being, equity, economics). As such, EBFM requires generation of novel databases of indicators inclusive of multidisciplinary inputs, underscoring integration challenges between natural and social sciences. In the United States (US), this is typically addressed through Fisheries Ecosystem Plans (FEPs), allowing ecosystem interactions and localized dynamics to be addressed within larger fisheries management plans (FMPs). For regions supporting diverse coral reef small-scale fisheries (SSFs) like the US Caribbean, there can be mismatches between federal and local-level management including a lack of formality in stakeholder participation models and limited scientific information at the local scale. This paper seeks to explore frameworks and critiques of EBFM approaches in SSFs through a case-study of the US Caribbean.