Issue 94 - March 2023

New Insights Published Into Ecological & Human Influences on European Fisheries

SEAwise, a collaborative project working to break down barriers to Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) in Europe, has published a new set of key findings. The latest insights add important knowledge on the social, ecological, and economic factors that feed into sustainable fishing and how European fisheries can best respond to a fast-changing world.

Three new reports from SEAwise explore the current state of regional fisheries management, historic and future migrations of fish stocks, and the various factors that influence fisher behaviour. The reports come as part of the project’s drive to create pathways for using Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) in European fisheries. EBFM is a way of managing fisheries that works to protect both marine ecosystems and the interests of the people who depend on them – preserving fisheries and the many benefits they bring to people. It does this by incorporating all the ecological, social, and economic elements affecting fisheries, rather than just focusing on particular stocks or species.

SEAwise is working to create an interactive web-based tool that will help fisheries managers and other stakeholders understand how they can put EBFM into practice in European fisheries. Development of the tool is underpinned by a large-scale programme of research, which is being undertaken by SEAwise project partners from 24 universities and other research organisations in Europe. Much of the work focuses on SEAwise’s four ‘Case Study regions’ – the North Sea, the Western Waters, the Baltic Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.

Three new SEAwise reports have now been published, covering the current state of regional fisheries management, historic and future migrations of fish stocks, and influences on fisher behaviour. In the first report, ‘The performance of existing management plans’, researchers reviewed how well current regional fisheries management measures are helping fisheries to meet policy objectives for sustainability set out by the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Their conclusions were that much progress is still needed overall to meet the objectives. In addition, the report concluded that many objectives lack assessment indicators, meaning that measuring progress towards them is difficult. The findings of the review will be used as a baseline from which to measure progress towards EBFM.

Commenting on the value of the report’s findings, Gerjan Piet, Senior Scientist for Marine Ecology at Wageningen Marine Research, said: “While the typical TAC-based fisheries management is advancing towards achieving objectives for commercial species, there is a major knowledge gap on the implementation and performance of other types of measures, such as technical measures or Marine Protected Areas. Without such information, there can be no EBFM”.

The second report, ‘Historic and future spatial distribution of fished stocks’, fine-tunes an approach to understanding patterns of fish movements and geographical location – both as they currently stand, and under possible future conditions. These possible future conditions include scenarios under climate change and other human activities in the marine space. Distribution maps were created for five species: red mullet, hake, cod, conger eel, and turbot. The process revealed that some of these species are already shifting further north (for example, cod) or further south (for example, hake).

“Particular effort was needed to disentangle the confounding impacts of fishing pressure and climate change,” Dr Dimitrios Damalas, Principal Researcher at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, commented on the research. “Although it is difficult to understand the workings behind whether these fish migrations are due to climate change or intensive fishing, our work indicates that climate change is a significant driver at least in the case of species shifting northwards.”

A number of predictions were generated for the selected species, which will be made available in an online application in due course. The predictions will also feed into further investigations of possible knock-on effects that migrating fish stocks could have on fisheries and marine ecosystems.

The third report explores factors that influence fisher behaviour. This was done by drawing on various studies already undertaken in fisheries across Europe, from the Scottish lobster and crab fleet to small- and large-scale fishers in the Adriatic Sea. A wide range of factors were identified as having an influence on the fishing patterns and behaviour of fishers. This included factors more typically known and understood such as sea conditions, movements in fish stocks, and fuel prices, but also social ones that are less often considered such as business structure, family succession, and personal identity. “It is important to work towards a better understanding of fisher behaviour; what drives them, how do they make choices and what do they value?” Marloes Kraan, researcher at Wageningen Economic Research (WEcR), said of the report. “We are finally starting to realise that human behaviour is a key source of uncertainty when it comes to fisheries management, but that this can be addressed through an interdisciplinary approach.”

The results from this research will be vital in developing models that better account for the various influences that affect the way that fishers conduct their business, and the way that they make decisions. This will help SEAwise create tools for fisheries management that are realistic to the realities of fishing, and are truly useful to those working in fisheries.

All three of the new reports, along with other reports already published by SEAwise, are available at https://seawiseproject.org/seawise-results/.

About SEAwise

SEAwise is an international project paving the way for the effective implementation of Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management in Europe. Working as a collaborative network, SEAwise is designed to deliver a fully operational tool that will allow fishers, managers, and policy makers to easily apply EBFM structures in their own fisheries. With the goal of enhancing the value of fisheries for the benefit of all stakeholders, SEAwise will create tools and advice for collaborative management aimed at achieving long-term goals under environmental change and increasing competition for space.

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Related Topics:European fisheries fisheries Ocean Literacy SEAwise

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Issue 94 - March 2023

BACK ON THE BIG SCREEN! DC Environmental Film Festival

Contributed By DCEFF

DC’s Environmental Film Festival returns March 16-26 with an exciting line-up of events.

a man standing in the wild — Still from Wild Life (Directed by Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin)

The Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital (DCEFF) gears up for its much anticipated return of in-person events after a three year pause on live screenings due to the pandemic. Entering its 31st year, the festival will resume its public screenings from March 16-26 across multiple venues in D.C., including the Naval Heritage Center, Landmark E Street Cinema, the National Geographic Society, various Smithsonian Museums, Embassies and other cultural organizations. Festival-goers are already inquiring about this year’s film lineup and special events.

The Festival opens with an exciting D.C. premiere of Deep Rising (Matthieu Rytz, narrated by Executive Producer Jason Momoa), fresh from its world premiere at Sundance which tells a riveting story about a destructive secretive organization empowered to extract massive amounts of metals from the deep seafloor. Other film highlights include Oscar nominated All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen) centered around protection of the black kite bird of prey, Geographies of Solitude (Jacquelyn Mills) acknowledged by NY Times for its contemplative presentation of the rich ecosystem of Sable Island, and many other multicultural selections that feature stories from around the globe which will be screened at local embassies throughout D.C.

a group of people are standing and holding their surfboard on a beach — Still from Reclaim Your Water Natasha Smith (Directed by Faith E. Briggs)

DCEFF has long been known for its lively programming and dedicated partnerships which entertain and educate about a wide range of environmental topics. This year’s highlights include a return of The Forum, a thought-provoking talk-series that explores critical themes, issues and trends such as Storytelling During Times of War: A View from Ukraine. This particular panel will feature two guest filmmakers from Ukraine to discuss the power and importance of visual storytelling in times of crisis as well as the prospects of a “green” post-war reconstruction for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

DCEFF also introduces for the first time a live pitch contest which offers emerging BIPOC filmmakers the opportunity to win a $12,500 grant towards the production of a short or their first feature film. Finalists will have a unique opportunity to be mentored by Judith Helfand (co-founder Chicken & Egg Pictures, award-winning filmmaker).

As public interest in environmental stories continues to grow, DCEFF will continue virtual programming in a hybrid festival model to allow for enjoyment outside of the local area. Audiences who cannot attend in-person screenings can look forward to a diverse selection of themes with films that challenge environmental threats and support proactive and sustainable action.

For more information and the full-season program, visit dceff.org.

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Issue 94 - March 2023

SAWFISH NEWS: Havenworth Coastal Conservation Meet and Greet with Sawfish Experts

Contributed by Tonya Wiley, Havenworth Coastal Conservation

Caption: A smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata. Credit: Andrea Kroetz, NOAA Fisheries

During the 20th century, the population of smalltooth sawfish in the United States experienced a significant decrease in numbers and range due to overfishing, habitat loss, and limited reproduction. In response, NOAA Fisheries listed the U.S. population of smalltooth sawfish as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act on April 1, 2003.

At the time of the listing in 2003 scientists knew little about the biology, ecology, and population dynamics of smalltooth sawfish. Over the last 20 years, scientists from multiple agencies, universities, and organizations have collaborated to research the smalltooth sawfish population in the United States. We now know more about their size and age at maturity, the number of young they give birth to, the food they eat, their large- and small-scale movement patterns and habitat use, and their response to a variety of stressors. This research greatly improved our understanding of the species and helped us prioritize the actions needed to reach recovery as quickly as possible.

To celebrate the progress made over the last 20 years and to share the plight of this endangered species with the public, we invite all to a meet and greet with sawfish experts on March 31, 2023 6-8 pm at the Ivey House in Everglades City, Florida. We’ll air a short sawfish documentary created by John Anderson with Terramar Productions, answer questions about sawfish research and management, and give away some free sawfish swag.

While we have achieved a lot over the last 20 years, there is still work ahead in recovering the population of smalltooth sawfish in the United States. NOAA Fisheries has a Recovery Plan that lists actions necessary to rebuild the population and some actions specifically require help from the public, so come join us and see how you can become involved!

If you catch or see a sawfish, please share the information with scientists by visiting www.SawfishRecovery.org, calling 1-844-4SAWFISH, emailing sawfish@myfwc.com, or using the FWC Reporter App.

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Issue 94 - March 2023

SEVENSEAS Travel Magazine – March 2023 – Issue 94

Feature Destination

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The Cape Verde Archipelago

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An Environmental Nightmare: Why Is Nothing Being Done to Prevent Plastic Pellet Pollution?

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Aquarium Scientists React to Death of Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale

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Marine Heatwaves Decimate Sea Urchins, Molluscs & More at Rottnest

Curtin University researchers believe rising sea temperatures are to blame for the plummeting number of invertebrates such as molluscs and sea urchins at Rottnest Island off Western Australia, with some species having declined by up to 90 per cent between 2007 and 2021. Read more…

Tupinambás Ecological Station and Alcatrazes Archipelago Wildlife Refuge Earn Blue Park Award at IMPAC5

Representatives from the Blue Parks Science Council, an international council of marine conservation experts that determines which marine protected areas meet the award criteria, and President of Marine Conservation Institute, Dr. Lance Morgan, presented the award to Kelen Luciana Leite, Head of Tupinambás Ecological Station and Alcatrazes Archipelago Wildlife Refuge. Read more…

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Cordillera de Coiba Managed Resources Area Earns Blue Park Award at 5th International Marine Protected Area Congress

Representatives from the Blue Parks Science Council, an international council of marine conservation experts that determines which marine protected areas meet the award criteria, and President of Marine Conservation Institute, Dr. Lance Morgan, presented the award to José Julio Casas, National Director of Coasts and Seas of the Ministry of Environment of Panama. Read more…

Pitcairn Islands Marine Protected Area Earns Blue Park Award for Outstanding Conservation Value

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SEVENSEAS Beach Cleanups

In August 2022 CleanUp, we picked up over 80 kilogram of plastic, pieces of glasses, tractor tyre, and fishing nets from the beach in Krabi, Long Beach or Pan Beach. Of course, we would not be able to do it without your support. You can make a tax-deductible donation here to keep our publications and Thailand Cleanup Project afloat.

You can either make a direct financial contribution to SEVENSEAS Media through The Ocean Foundation website or connect us with potential donors by sending an email to Giacomo Abrusci, our Editor-in-Chief.

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Since 2004, SEVENSEAS Media has fostered an informal and non-partisan platform to promote understanding of key issues and challenges while building partnerships across an increasingly diverse group of marine conservation professionals and students.

Our mission is to promote communication and build partnerships across the global marine community and to identify and address gaps in the community’s work. SEVENSEAS Media achieves this through multimedia promotion and partnerships. The community consists of a diverse and growing group of participants, including non-governmental organizations, government agencies, foundations, bilateral and multilateral agencies, fellowship programs, independent consultants, and academia/students.

If you are interested in contributing or getting involved, email us Here.

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