Information source preferences of small-scale fishers in the Aegean Sea coast of Turkey

Information source preferences of small-scale fishers can play a role in decision-making processes and affect the sustainability of small-scale fisheries. In this respect, determining useful communication tools to eliminate the information gaps and lack of information of fishers is important for sustainable and effective fisheries management. The purpose of this study was the determination of the preferred source of information and priorities of the small-scale fishers who operate along the Aegean Sea coast of Turkey. Data were collected from a random sample of 278 small-scale Turkish fishers located along the Aegean coastline via face-to-face interviews. Information source preferences of fishers were determined by Repertory Grid Technique. In the analysis, obtaining information about fisheries focused on three criteria such as marine ecology, fisheries technology, and fisheries policies. The level of importance given by fishers for each criterion was determined. Fishers prefer to get information from other fishers, followed by fishery cooperatives, and their own experiences (χ2 (11, n = 278) = 1305.920, P < 0.001). Fishery cooperatives are the closest organizations to fishers. The use of cooperatives as a source of information can be interpreted as an element that can facilitate access to information when evaluated through the “availability” of behavioral economics. Fishery cooperatives, which stand out in fishers’ information source preferences, have the potential to be a valuable source of information in all aspects. The results of the research are thought to benefit researchers from non-governmental organizations, research institutes, and universities that carry out national and international projects with fishers.

From Catastrophe to Recovery: Stories of Fishery Management Success

<i>Abstract</i>.—In Gökova Bay (Turkey), in the Mediterranean Sea, a number of problems were encountered within the small-scale fishing sector, including illegal fishing activities and declines in landings of valuable species, especially groupers (Serranidae) and shrimps (Decapoda crustaceans). Fishing income was not sufficient to sustain the livelihood of fishers who depended solely on fishing. Thanks to a collaboration with academics, government administrators, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and local fishery cooperatives, six no-fishing zones (NFZ) were officially declared in July 2010 to support small-scale fisheries in Gökova Bay. Establishing NFZs, however, increased illegal fishing due to the lack of enforcement and made problems worse rather than providing a solution. In 2012, the Mediterranean Conservation Society (an NGO) established a marine ranger system by training and employing local fishermen as marine rangers, equipping them with fast boats, and working in close cooperation with the Coast Guard. These actions and many others (e.g., supporting marketing of invasive species) have led to conservation of fish stocks as well as an increase in fishers’ incomes. Dramatic increases in abundance for some species have occurred in comparison to previous years. Biomass of predator fishes, such as groupers, increased significantly in NFZs. Mean fishing income per vessel reached the highest level ever recorded. Today, we are near the end of a long process to reach a solution for all stakeholders (fishery cooperatives, academics, NGOs, and government officials) in Gökova Bay. Lessons learned in the process were the importance of working together, building trust and cooperation among stakeholders, implementing a marine ranger system for enforcement, creating marketing opportunities for invasive species, and developing a data collection system for improved monitoring. These lessons may be replicated in other areas of Turkey and elsewhere in support of sustainable fisheries.

Analysis of crab size structure and the fishing effort applied to a crab fishery in northwest Mexico

The fishing effort of a Sinaloa crab fishery in the Gulf of California in 2014 was analysed based on fishermen’s interviews, official catches and permits, and information from a sample of fishing logbooks from five fishery cooperatives operating in four coastal lagoons that contained the daily catch from individual fishing trips. Unauthorized gear, a double-ring net (DR), was used most frequently (>70% of the fishers) for crab fishing, although authorized single-ring nets and Chesapeake traps (CT) were also used with low frequency. The estimated fishing effort was 641 boats/day in the four coastal lagoons, which was 34% more than authorized, and 818 boats/day were employed in all of Sinaloa. A total of 57 479 fishing gears were estimated for the study area, which was 49.9% greater than the maximum authorized number, and 80 822 nominal fishing gears were estimated for the entire Sinaloa crab fishery, 14.15% more than the total gear limit (70 800). The size of the mesh used in the gear was smaller than the authorized limit of 76 mm, and >50% of the catches included crabs of unlawful size. It is argued that the effort must be regulated in terms of the number of vessels, per unit time, and not the number of gears. The information from this study demonstrates a failure to monitor compliance with current regulations and thus means that other strategies for the sustainable management of the fishery, such as co-management, should be tested.

An optimal management strategy for stochastic population dynamics of released Plecoglossus altivelis in rivers

Excessive predation pressure from the waterfowl Phalacrocorax carbo (Great Cormorant) on Plecoglossus altivelis (Ayu) has recently been a severe problem of river environment in Japan. Local fishery cooperatives are currently suffering from economic difficulties due to decrease of the fish catch of P. altivelis. Local fishery cooperatives and municipalities have been enthusiastically trying to develop countermeasures that can effectively reduce the predation pressure; however, their effectiveness and efficiency have not been systematically quantified well. This aim can be achieved with the help of an appropriate mathematical model. In this paper, based on a pure death process, a practical stochastic control model for population dynamics of released P. altivelis in river environment under predation pressure from P. carbo, harvesting by human, and environmental fluctuations is proposed. Finding an optimal management strategy ultimately reduces to solving a 2D Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation, which is performed with a finite element scheme. Its application to a Japanese river environment successfully computes the optimal management strategy that is consistent with the reality. Numerical sensitivity analysis of the presented mathematical model is also performed for comprehension of dependence of the optimal strategy on the model parameters.