Over the last decades, the species distribution model (SDM) has become an essential tool for studying the potential effects of climate change on species distribution. In this study, an ensemble SDM was developed to predict the changes in species distribution of swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus across different seasons in the future (2050s and 2100s) under the climate scenarios of Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP)4.5 and RCP8.5. Results of the ensemble SDM indicate that the distribution of this species will move northward and exhibit evident seasonal variations. Among the four seasons, the suitable habitat for this species will be significantly reduced in summer, with loss rates ranging from 45.23% (RCP4.5) to 88.26% (RCP.8.5) by the 2100s. The loss of habitat will mostly occur in the East China Sea and the southern part of the Yellow Sea, while a slight increase in habitat will occur in the northern part of the Bohai Sea. These findings provide an information forecast for this species in the future. Such forecast will be helpful in improving fishery management under climate change.

The conservation benefits of marine reserves are well established but their contribution to adjacent fisheries via spillover is less certain and context‐dependent. Theoretical predictions do not always match empirical evidence from individual reserves, so carefully designed studies are essential for accurately assessing spillover and its contribution to fisheries. Biomass buildup within reserves, and spillover from reserve borders, also usually takes time to develop. In 2003, a network of no‐take marine reserves was established in the Northern Channel Islands (NCI) of southern California (CA) to conserve biodiversity and to eventually enhance local fisheries through spillover of larvae, juveniles, and adults. The reserve network impacted the local CA spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) fishery by removing about 20% of fishing grounds in the NCI. In 2008, a collaborative fisheries research effort detected substantial lobster population increases within reserves, and an indication of the possible spillover of adult lobsters across reserve borders. To estimate whether and how much populations within reserves, and spillover from reserves, have increased through time, we repeated the sampling program 10 years later in 2018 at two of the three original reserves. Scientific trapping was conducted prior to the fishing season along a spatial gradient beginning deep within the reserves to reference sites located outside (≥2 km) of reserve borders. Results showed that legal‐sized lobster abundance in traps (catch per unit effort) increased by 125%–465% deep inside reserves, and by 223%–331% at sites near to reserve borders, and by nearly 400% just outside of reserve borders over the 10‐year period, thus indicating a substantial increase in spillover across reserve borders. A similar pattern was observed in lobster biomass caught in traps at the two reserves. This study demonstrates how spillover scales with biomass buildup and that collaborative fisheries research can be used to assess the efficacy of marine reserves as fishery management tools worldwide.

Despite their growing socio‐economic importance globally, relatively little is understood about how crustacean stocks are assessed, which has potential to compromise fishery sustainability, especially under heavy exploitation and environmental changes. To inform stock assessment model application for emergent fisheries, we evaluated model use for crustacean stocks available in the RAM Legacy Database (RAMLDB) and the evolution of model use for four case‐study fisheries, emphasizing the relationship between data availability and model complexity. Differences in model use between FAO fishing regions and crustacean species sub‐groups were identified. Only 60.9% of crustacean stocks in the RAMLDB identified the model used for assessment. For the remaining stocks, we collected ancillary data to fill the information gaps, amounting to 92.5% of crustacean stocks in RAMLDB. Of these, model complexity varied from count‐based to environmentally explicit statistical catch‐at‐length methods, but tended to be data intensive, likely due to biases towards regions with more developed fishery management programmes. Furthermore, regional comparisons indicated that crustaceans are only well‐assessed in a few geographical hotspots. The progression of model use over time was inconsistent between case‐study fisheries, being driven by myriad factors including data availability, confidence in biological processes and ecological considerations. Our findings can be used as a resource to help inform model choice for fisheries management. Towards the goal of seeking global best practices for crustacean stock assessments, future work should address knowledge gaps in regional stock assessment model use and conduct comparative studies to evaluate stock‐specific costs and benefits relating to model complexity.

Excess bycatch of marine species during commercial fishing trips is a challenging problem in fishery management worldwide. The aims of this paper are twofold: to introduce methods and provide a practical guide for spatiotemporal modelling of bycatch data, as well as to apply these methods and present a thorough examination of Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) bycatch weight in a Canadian Arctic fishery. We introduce the spatially explicit two-part model and offer a step by step guide for applying the model to any form of bycatch data, from data cleaning, exploratory data analysis, variable and model selection, model checking, to results interpretation. We address various problems encountered in decision making and suggest that researchers proceed cautiously and always keep in mind the aims of the analysis when fitting a spatiotemporal model. Results identified spatiotemporal hotspots and indicated month and gear type were key drivers of high bycatch. The importance of onboard observers in providing robust bycatch data was also evident. These findings will help to inform conservation strategies and management decisions, such as limiting access to spatial hotspots, seasonal closures and gear restrictions.

Bighead Carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis are native to eastern Asia, have been introduced throughout the world, and are subjected to immense management where they persist. Identifying the sex of Bighead Carp during monitoring efforts could provide additional data to enhance fishery management schemes, thereby facilitating better management. We assessed the presence (male) or absence (female) of bony ctenoid serrations on the upper edge of the foremost pectoral fin ray to noninvasively and nonlethally determine the sex of 745 Bighead Carp collected from March to December. Bighead Carp sex was correctly assigned 93% of the time by three readers, with males correctly identified 94% of the time and females 92% of the time. A generalized linear model indicated that total length and water temperature influence the success of sex assignment. Overall effects of water temperature and size were relatively low, as the pectoral fin method was highly accurate (93%) and precise (88% agreement among readers). Thus, the pectoral fin method provides reliable Bighead Carp sex assignment that can be used on wild‐caught fish to noninvasively and rapidly assign sex in the field or lab.

Seamounts are prominent features of the seafloor that are often located in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJs). Whilst comprehensive biological information is lacking on most of these features, they have been recognised for hosting high biodiversity across multiple trophic levels. Technological advancements have enabled greater exploitation of biological resources further offshore with increasing concern over the long‐term impacts of anthropogenic activities on vulnerable distant and deep‐sea habitats. Analysis of ex situ vessel tracking technologies such as Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) have enabled spatial patterns of fishing activity to be monitored over large geographical areas. In this study, analysis of fishing activity within 30 km of seamount summits at the global scale found that these features within the waters of the Pacific Island Group and the Mediterranean Sea were subject to the highest levels of longlining and trawling activities respectively. Fishing in proximity to seamounts is dominated by the flag states of Taiwan, China, Japan, South Korea and Spain. Furthermore, our results reveal that the majority of sea areas managed by many Regional Fishery Management Organisations (RFMOs) have experienced increased fishing activity at seamounts compared to areas in the same ocean basin without management. This study demonstrates how free web‐accessible data can be used to gain insights into remote areas where in situ research is prohibitively expensive and logistically challenging.

There is growing recognition that fisheries should be managed for all three pillars of sustainability: economic, social and environmental sustainability. Limited quantitative evidence exists on factors supporting social sustainability, much less factors that contribute to multiple dimensions of sustainability. To develop a broader understanding of the factors that influence the performance of fishery management systems in environmental, economic and social pillars, we examine 11 input factors conjectured to contribute to successful fisheries using a global dataset of 145 fisheries case studies. The analysis indicates that management approaches are cross‐cutting and contribute to multiple dimensions of sustainability to varying extents. Importantly, factors exogenous to fisheries management can be as important as fisheries management, suggesting collaboration of fisheries institutions with other public and private institutions is important for sustainable fisheries development.