Mixed fisheries occur when multiple species are caught together and harvested by multiple fleets. The biological and technical interactions in mixed fisheries distinguish them from single-species fisheries, which makes them challenging for their assessment and management. The present knowledge synthesis reviewed pertinent policy documents and academic databases for twenty-three mixed fisheries worldwide; aiming to characterize attributes of mixed fisheries, provide overviews on their assessment and management, assess current research progress, and identify key factors that impact management effectiveness. Mixed fisheries were found to exhibit varying characteristics worldwide, rendering the implementation of universal management solutions unlikely. While mixed fisheries stock assessment and management are mostly based on single-species approaches, additional mixed fisheries considerations were incorporated at various scales, including multispecies, sector-specific, fishery, and ecosystem levels. Ecosystem-wide management considerations were the most significant contributor to improved management performance in terms of conserving stock biomass and preventing overfishing, underscoring the merits of the Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management (EBFM) principle. Mixed fisheries research demonstrated regional and thematic variations, with the most popular topics addressing immediate and practical management concerns, and the less frequently discussed topics offering valuable insights related to climate change and socio-ecological perspectives. The synthesis identified the available management approaches for mixed fisheries from different jurisdictions, yet their diversity highlighted a lack of global consensus on best management practices. Future mixed fisheries will benefit from balancing tradeoffs between ecological and socio-economic needs, implementing EBFM, adopting diverse and harmonized management tools, and prioritizing monitoring efforts.

Dogtooth tuna, Gymnosarda unicolor were sampled off the east coast of Australia (southwest Pacific Ocean) from 2007 to 2012. Ages were determined by examining thin transverse sections of their sagittal otoliths and were based on counts of alternating opaque and translucent zones (annual growth increments). Growth was rapid during the first year of life, after which growth in length was much reduced. Parameters of the constrained von Bertalanffy growth function (fork length-at-age) were L∞ = 1164.77 (mm, FL) and K = 0.44 year−1. Preliminary estimates of longevity indicate a maximum observed age of at least 20 years. There was a high degree of variation in the observed length and age of sexual maturity for G. unicolor. Despite this variation, the size at 50% maturity for female G. unicolor estimated in this study was 713 mm FL (<2 years of age). The diet of G. unicolor is very broad and covers a range of fish species. The life history characteristics of G. unicolor overall, indicate that this species may be somewhat resilient to fishing. However, reports of localised depletions, in association with heavy targeting by sports fishers, low effective population sizes and patchy recruitment indicate that this species is particularly vulnerable to overfishing.

Increasing of the fisheries problems, especially the decline of fisheries resources stock, made the sustainable issues become intense discussed in fisheries. The importance of the system indicator for fisheries sustainable development are widely known and have been done in several countries through tremendous effort in their fisheries development. In Indonesia, the assessment of fisheries sustainability has been carried out with various approaches to sustainability assessment, mostly on management status. This study aims to assess the rate of sustainable development and management of the reef fisheries in Indonesia using the integrated index approach of sustainability aspect using the multi-dimensional scaling procedures with a case study of reef fisheries at Ternate Island. The result shows that the sustainable development index of reef fisheries at the coastal area of Ternate Island tends to move toward sustainable development within integrated management from all sustainable dimensions. Dimensionally, economic and social dimensions show a positive trend on sustainable development, while ecological and technological dimensions tend to show the inverse direction. The relationship between economic and social benefits obtained from reef fisheries to improving the community well-being will provide a positive trend for the sustainability of reef fisheries. However, on the other hand, the increase in production can lead to overfishing for the reef fisheries resources. Management policy that integrated every indicator of sustainable fisheries dimension may extend the chance to develop reef fisheries at the coastal area of Ternate Island within the sustainability of the resources and ecosystems management. Keywords: Sustainable development, integrated management, fisheries management, sustainability index, coral reef

Effective marine fisheries management is a useful tool for counteracting the worldwide decline in fish stocks, which could have serious ecological and socioeconomic consequences [...]

Commission Decision of 25 February 2016 setting up a Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries, C(2016) 1084, OJ C 74, 26.2.2016, p. 4–10. The Commission may consult the group on any matter relating to marine and fisheries biology, fishing gear technology, fisheries economics, fisheries governance, ecosystem effects of fisheries, aquaculture or similar disciplines. The report provides a comprehensive overview on available fisheries management measures for the management of NQS. The management measures are divided in three main groups: input, output and governance/economic measures. The chapter also includes pros and cons of measures and includes background information on some more general management processes. One of such more process-oriented management approach is a co-management approach. Such an approach can be beneficial as, for example, Advisory Councils can also provide proposals for management measures. The process of implementation can sometimes have higher importance for the implementation and success of a measure than which actual measure would be implemented. A co-management approach, for example, may be preferable compared to a top-down approach.

The blue shark (Prionace glauca) is commonly caught by recreational anglers around the United Kingdom (UK) – part of a population (North Atlantic) which has sustained declines of > 50% over the last three generations (36 years). Therefore, mitigating any detrimental impacts recreational fisheries might have on this species is crucial. This requires understanding anglers’ perceptions and behaviours, to co-design appropriate management measures. Here, we explore the socio-cultural relationship between anglers and blue sharks in the UK through structured surveys. A total of seven business operators and 44 recreational anglers responded throughout Aug-Nov 2021. Respondents primarily comprised of over-fifty, educated and wealthy male anglers. A positive relationship was identified: 100% of anglers have respect for sharks; 80% (n = 42) would like their fishing to inform research. We also found that socio-demographic variables correlate with certain perceptions, e.g., education level and political leanings were associated with the level of agreement to the statement “sharks are there for my enjoyment to catch” and “I want to catch the biggest shark possible”, respectively. Operators follow best fishing practices to minimise stress to sharks and 100% of operators wanted to contribute to research. Currently 43% (n = 3) submit catch data and one operator tags sharks. This willingness to contribute to research could improve our understanding of blue shark population structure, habitat use, and post-release mortality rates associated with recreational angling. This will not only help sustain shark stocks but also engage anglers in understanding the threats to sharks and benefit recreational fisheries that rely on stable shark populations. | We would like to thank the anglers and shark fishing operators for their cooperation and time. Professor Alex Ford and Dr Darren Gowers provided helpful feedback on study design at various stages throughout this project, alongside friends and family who trialled our online surveys. Finally, thank you to the anonymous Reviewers who strengthened our manuscript through their helpful feedback and suggestions.

Most of the information available on loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) andleatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) for the southern coast of Portugal isbased on stranding data, and to a less extent on telemetry data, with very littleinformation derived from sightings of live animals.2. This work reports sightings data of loggerhead and leatherback turtles off thesouth coast of Portugal collected during dedicated surveys on board a researchboat, from 2016 to 2022.3. The sightings data corrected for effort confirm the recurrent presence ofloggerhead turtles in the study area, with a higher sightings rate in May and June.Conversely, leatherback turtles were only sporadically observed in some years.4. This study highlights the importance of the southern waters of Portugal forloggerhead turtles as a recurrent area used by individuals of this species, probablyfrom different origins within the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, in linewith previous studies.5. The southern coast of Portugal, however, is heavily exploited by fisheries, and themain cause of death among sea turtles is bycatch. The results presented willtherefore help inform future management measures aiming to reduce interactionswith fisheries (e.g., limiting some fishing gears in the months with more sightings).6. Since the study area is probably used by loggerhead turtles from differentRegional Management Units, the impacts of conservation measures imposedlocally may also have beneficial effects at a regional scale. | Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCT | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

2023

Establishing large networks of fully protected marine protected areas (MPAs) is challenging because of displacement costs for fisheries. The use of partially protected areas is often proposed as an alternative. However, how conservation and fisheries outcomes of MPA networks are mediated through time by the level of protection remains uncertain. Here we use a metapopulation model of a commercially exploited demersal coastal fish to assess conservation and fisheries outcomes of alternative management policies. We compare the temporal performances of nonspatial management, large MPAs, or networks of MPAs in an overfished case study. In addition, we assess how the magnitude of both outcomes is mediated by larval connectivity and level of protection. We distinguish the relative contribution to fisheries outcomes of unprotected areas in between MPAs, and unprotected areas further away, receiving less displaced fishing effort and potential biomass export. We show that spatial management outperforms nonspatial management, that conservation and fisheries outcomes increase with increasing levels of protection, that fisheries outcomes in areas in between MPAs are higher when connected through larval dispersal, and that increases in catch are preceded by a short‐term decrease. Our results call for an increase in protection levels to meet both ecological and fisheries management goals.