O presente estudo procurou comparar dois tipos de comunidades de pescadores no município de Florianópolis que diferem em relação ao ambiente onde atuam seus integrantes: (1) baías e (2) mar aberto. Os principais objetivos do estudo foram caracterizar o perfil socioeconômico dos pescadores de pequena escala; descrever a atividade pesqueira local com respeito aos meios de produção, espécies capturadas e procedimentos pós-captura; analisar os aspectos financeiros da pesca, procurando definir os custos, receitas e lucros dos envolvidos na atividade e determinar um modelo explicativo para o lucro diário obtido pelos pescadores. O modelo explicativo foi testado através de uma Análise de Covariância (ANCOVA). Para obtenção das informações foram realizadas três campanhas sazonais durante o ano de 2008, quando foram entrevistados 218 pescadores. O perfil socioeconômico dos pescadores entrevistados foi compatível com o encontrado em outras comunidades de pescadores de pequena escala no Brasil e no exterior. A produção pesqueira local é constituída por grande número de espécies, contudo, as frotas são direcionadas, principalmente, para a captura da tainha, corvina, abrótea e anchova (em mar aberto) e camarão-branco (nas baías). Os pescadores utilizam ampla variedade de artes e técnicas de pesca e a produção tem grande relação com a sazonalidade. O tamanho das embarcações, a potência dos motores, o consumo de combustível e o número de tripulantes tiveram valores numericamente superiores na frota que atua em mar aberto. Os lucros diários obtidos pelos pescadores entrevistados apresentaram grande variação, aparentemente causada pela grande variabilidade na captura de pescado, tanto entre estações do ano, quanto entre ambientes e mesmo entre pescadores de uma mesma comunidade. O modelo do lucro diário proposto inicialmente considerou, como fatores explicativos do lucro, o local de pesca, a época do ano, o tipo de pescador, o estado civil, o nível de instrução e a arte de pesca e, como covariáveis, a idade do pescador, o tempo de experiência e o tempo de pesca diário. Após transformação logarítmica de sua variável resposta e covariáveis, o modelo foi testado estatisticamente e os fatores e covariáveis não significativos foram descartados, restando ao final apenas o local de pesca, a época do ano, o tipo de pescador, a arte de pesca e a covariável idade do pescador. O modelo final explicou cerca de 56% da variação do lucro diário, que foi significativamente superior entre os pescadores de mar aberto, na estação de outono e entre os pescadores proprietários. O estudo contribuiu na geração de conhecimento para o entendimento dos processos internos e externos à pesca no Município de Florianópolis, passíveis de afetar seu desempenho e sucesso. / This study sought to compare two types of communities of fishermen in the city of Florianópolis which differ in the environment where its members works: (1) bays and (2) the open sea. The main objectives of the study were to characterize the socioeconomic profile of small-scale fishermen, to describe the local fishing activity with respect to the means of production, species and post-harvesting procedures, examine the financial aspects of fishing, trying to define the cost, revenue and profits involved in the activity and determine an explanatory model for the daily profit obtained by the fishermen. The explanatory model was tested through an Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). To obtain the information were done three seasonal campaigns during 2008, when 218 fishermen were interviewed. The socioeconomic profile of the fishermen interviewed were consistent with those found in other communities of small-scale fishermen in Brazil and abroad. The local fishery production is made by a large number of species, however, the fleets are directed mainly to the catch of mullet, croaker, abrótea and anchovy (open ocean) and white shrimp (in bays). Fishermen using wide variety of fishing gear and techniques and the production has a great relationship with seasonality. The size of vessels, the power of engines, fuel consumption and number of crew had numerically higher values in the fleet that operates in the open sea. Daily profits obtained by the fishermen interviewed showed great variation, apparently caused by high variability in catch of fish, between seasons, between environments and even among fishermen from the same community. The model of daily profit proposed initially, considered, as explanatory factors of profit, place of fishing, year season, type of fisherman, marital status, level of education and fishing gear, and as covariates, the age of fisherman, the time of experience and the time of daily fishing. After logarithm transformation of your response variable and covariates, the model was tested and statistically not significant factors and covariates were discarded, leaving only the end of the local fishing, the season, the type of fisherman, the fishing gear and the covariate age of the fisherman. The final model explained about 56% of the variation of the daily profit, which was significantly higher among the fishermen in the open sea, in the autumn and between fishermen owners. The study contributed to the generation of knowledge for the understanding of internal and external to the fishery in the city of Florianopolis, which may affect its performance and success.

Design of effective interventions that support fisherwomen's livelihoods and fisheries sustainability requires a comprehensive understanding of their behaviour, and the social and ecological context in which fishing takes place. However the tendency to analyse the biological and social components of the system separately has limited our understanding of fisheries as complex social-ecological systems. In addition, knowledge of women's fishing behaviour lags far behind that of their male counterparts even though women are particularly vulnerable to marine resource degradation and global change. This thesis addresses this knowledge gap by studying the social and ecological dynamics of a female intertidal fishery in coastal Mozambique. Field research was conducted over 18 months on Ibo Island in Cabo Delgado province. Methods used included semi-structured questionnaires, an intertidal catch survey, participatory techniques and ethnographic methods such as observation and informal interviews. The research starts with an analysis of the long-term change of women's fishing behaviour in relation to the developing social, political and economic context in the region. Fisherwomen's daily fishing effort is then analysed using general linear mixed models to demonstrate the combined influence of environmental and socioeconomic drivers in an octopus fishery. Following from this, with the application of a cluster analysis, the thesis explores octopus fishers' relationship to the fishery by challenging common assumptions of homogeneity among fisherwomen. Finally the cultural, social and regulatory norms that structure octopus fishing within the community are assessed via institutional mapping. The research shows that this social-ecological system is characterised by significant temporal and spatial variation in women's intertidal fishing activities. Fisherwomen are not a homogenous group, and there are clear differences in socioeconomic profiles and fishing effort, linked to characteristics of vulnerability. Although fisherwomen remain limited in the gear types and techniques they use, the fishery has experienced substantial changes in terms of resource availability and access, due to both local use and fishing ground restrictions related to conservation and tourism. A defining feature of this female fishery is the degree to which time constraints and local gender norms influence women's fishing behaviour. The thesis concludes with a summary of the emergent properties of this social-ecological system, and considerations for socially and gender-sensitive fisheries interventions in the region.

The spatial characterization of Puerto Rican commercial fisheries describing fishing gear use in relation to habitat classes and bathymetry ranges was achieved through the collection and analysis of spatial fisheries data. An extensive field data gathering session was conducted in the entire Puerto Rican territory during the summer months of 2009, from June to October. The field data was digitized and analyzed using geographic information systems (GIS) and computer spreadsheet software, and gear usage charts and graphs, fishing grounds maps, and fishing intensity maps were produced for four gear categories: line, net, dive, and trap gears. Patterns and evidence of likely relationships linking gear usage and benthic habitat, and between gear utilization and water depth ranges, were presented. The importance of the spatial characterization of the commercial fishery for Puerto Rican fisheries management, and other recommendations were given within the concluding chapter.

Overfishing is not an exclusive topic of big fishing industry. Overfishing by small-scale fishers is also happening. The Territorial Use of Rights – TURFs was implemented in Chile to protect the Chilean abalone from overfishing. Through the implementation of the TURFs Chilean abalone are no longer threatened by overfishing. The challenge to protect the resource thus seems to be solved. However, while some problems are solved others persist or new ones arise. The thesis explores the discourses of the Chilean social actors in regard to the development and challenges of the TURFs. The empirical data is formed by a group of interviews, where social issues such as TURFs accomplishments, resource availability, diversification, tenure issues, access to the coast, lack of infrastructure, competition for the space and future expectations, are milestones arising from the empirical material. These issues are analysed through the lens of fishers and stakeholder‟s perception. The paper confirms what other studies such as Cereceda and Czischke 2001, Gallardo 2008, Gallardo and Friman 2012, González et al. 2006, and Meltzoff et al. 2002 have found. Fishers organised nationally through confederations, regional federations and local associations have become active social actors in the artisanal fisheries arena. Similarly, it is also corroborated that through good leadership some fishing organisations are diversifying related and no-related fishing activities to secure better living conditions, thus, constantly evolving, encapsulating more and more benthic fishers‟ social and economic needs. The study concludes that the fishers, even though the difficulties and challenges encountered (heterogeneity of the richness of the seabed and different land issues) during the co-management of some TURFs and due to the fact that they are working in the same designated and exclusive place, they have developed a collective sense of permanent attachment and sense of „property‟ or tenure to the water body where the TURFs are located. Due to their development, the TURFs seem to be more than temporary, raising the question of the land tenure and associated infrastructure development where fishers place their activities, especially in rural areas where settlements do not exist.

Marine resources, in particular the fishing industry, continue to play a major role in sustaining South Africa’s economy and social development and contribute to employment and security of the local community. Historically, the allocation of fishing rights was conferred upon predominantly white-owned commercial companies by the South African apartheid government. However, with the advent of democracy in 1994, the government had the responsibility to draft a fisheries policy that would aim to redress historical imbalances and this resulted in the introduction of the Marine Living Resources Act 18 of 1998. This dissertation aims critically to analyse whether this statute has been successful in remedying the issue of unequal fishing rights amongst commercial, subsistence, recreational and artisanal fishers. In undertaking this, an evaluation of the several policies that are attached to this statute will be presented and comments will be made in relation to the constitutional and political aspects of this subject. Allied to this, there will be a consideration of how international law influences the introduction of statutes relating to marine living resources. The main approach for this dissertation has been a literature review which included the use of both electronic databases and books available in libraries. The research shows that in spite of the enactment of the Marine Living Resources Act of 1998, artisanal fishers or small-scale fisheries continue to face discrimination and large commercial fisheries continue to dominate the industry. A Small-Scale Fisheries Policy was adopted in June 2012 to remedy the situation but there is currently no implementation plan in place. The major issue however is that the Act itself does not provide a definition for small-scale fishing and it would therefore have to be amended, in order to accommodate this category. / Thesis (LL.M.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

The object of this thesis is to sustain that achieving Sustainable Development in Aquaculture and Fisheries is not only possible, but also strongly recommendable. Fishing and Aquaculture products are a highly valuable source of protein that remarkably contribute to food security at a global level. They also constitute a source of income and employment, but when ill managed, can cause irreversible depletion of natural aquatic resources.

Tropical small-scale fisheries represent the main livelihood and protein source for a substantial portion of the global population. Growing pressures on marine resources, however, have left many fishing communities faced with declining catches and increased environmental degradation. Effective management strategies and governance institutions are thus critically important. Conventional top-down, exogenous approaches to fisheries management have been ineffective in more traditional and small-scale fisheries. Yet, there remains little understanding of the effectiveness of alternative approaches and few studies offer feasible solutions for managers in lesser developed nations. This case-study of artisanal fisheries in the Comoros examines how effective local fishing associations are at managing common fisheries resources, and provides some understanding of the underlying characteristics of effectiveness. To do so, qualitative methods were used to collect data on fishing practices, local knowledge and beliefs, governance structures, and livelihoods in male and female fisheries in five villages on Ngazidja island. The results of this study are organized into three papers. The first paper focuses on current fisheries trends on Ngazidja and the implications of the gradual shift from traditional to modern fishing practices. This paper contributes to the overall goal of this study as the modernization of the fishing sector may affect both the ecological sustainability of the fishery and the ability of local fishing associations to effectively govern fisheries. Results show that although the fishery sector is not undergoing a rapid modernization, loss in traditional practices, beliefs, and values are occurring and may be linked to corresponding declines in marine resources. Improved monitoring systems will help inform local governing institutions about the need to develop enhanced management practices. The second paper examines the effectiveness of community-based governance of artisanal fisheries and addresses the overarching goal of the study by improving understanding of the key elements of success of the community fishing associations. These fishing associations collectively design, monitor, and enforce local regulations. Decisions are based on local knowledge and experience, and management strategies are based on low-cost, practical solutions. Compliance with local regulations is high, primarily due to participatory decision-making, community-monitoring, and strong feelings of solidarity among fishers. The last paper looks at fisherwomen on Ngazidja and focuses specifically on documenting their fishing practices, livelihood contributions, and potential participation in fisheries management. This paper is critical to enhancing understanding of the impacts and potential of the fishery on Ngazidja as the sector has so far failed to take into account all marine harvesting activities, particularly those undertaken by women. Moreover, authorities have recently attempted to ban women from fishing as their practices are considered destructive to near-shore reefs and juvenile fish populations. Results from the study indicate that women’s fishing methods can be destructive and may have contributed to localized declines in intertidal marine resources and habitats. Yet, fisherwomen also provide substantial contributions to household livelihoods. Thus, banning the fishery altogether is not an acceptable solution. Instead, authorities should work to empower fisherwomen with the tools necessary to manage their fishery sustainably, which will eventually lead to improved conservation measures. Overall, this case-study provides a unique example of how collective governance of common-pool resources can be achieved within communities, and how feelings of empowerment and shared responsibility among users can lead to effective management practices. There are a number of clear lessons learned from the successes of this fishery that can be applied to other similar small-scale fisheries. Future research priorities should concentrate on assessing the ecological sustainability of current fishing and management practices, and paying particular attention to the recognition and inclusion of fisherwomen. Marine conservation and sustainable fisheries systems are only facilitated when all users are recognized and engaged in management and policy decisions. / Graduate

The overexploitation of coastal ecosystems continues to threaten global biodiversity and fisheries. This has prompted international conservation commitments, such as the Convention of Biological Diversity’s Aichi Target 11, to improve the coverage and integrity of marine protected area (MPA) networks worldwide. As reflected in Target 11, MPA networks need to be both ecologically representative and socially equitable. Systematic conservation planning (SCP) is an effective and efficient process for designing MPA networks to achieve biodiversity targets at minimal impacts to society. However, SCP has rarely been used effectively to develop MPA networks in developing nations. Three key challenges contribute to this ‘research-implementation’ gap: (1) SCP research concepts and tools are biased towards developed countries, (2) complete and high-quality datasets are lacking in developing countries, and (3) socioeconomic complexities and needs of stakeholders tend to be oversimplified. In working towards addressing these challenges, this thesis focuses on Sogod Bay as a Philippines case study to examine the following overarching research question “How can systematic conservation planning be applied as a framework for designing MPAs to achieve national biodiversity objectives in a manner that is socially equitable and accommodating to the needs of coastal communities?”. To help answer this question, the thesis addresses three research objectives: 1. Develop and document strategies for incorporating dimensions of equity (recognition, procedural, and distributive) for stakeholders and coastal communities in the planning stages of SCP. 2. Investigate how recognition and procedural equity can impact the systematic design of MPA plans in terms of biodiversity representation, spatial efficiency, and distributive equity for fisher stakeholder groups and communities. 3. Evaluate and compare MPAs designed using a SCP approach with more conventional planning approaches in terms of their impacts on representation and social equity. Objective one and two were assessed in Chapter two of this thesis. The findings of this chapter demonstrate how equity considerations can be integrated in the planning stages of SCP though consulting with local partners; integrating science-driven and participatory approaches; recognizing the key stakeholder groups of MPAs (recognition equity); engaging with representatives of each stakeholder group and community to inform MPA planning processes (procedural equity), and distributing costs of MPAs fairly across all stakeholder groups and communities (distributive equity). Additionally, the chapter demonstrates how inadequate inclusion of stakeholders and/or the variations between communities can disproportionately impact some fishers and communities more than others. Objective three was achieved through the findings of Chapter three, which investigated impacts on representation and equity from MPA plans derived under a SCP approach and two conventional planning approaches. MPAs planned and selected by communities resulted in inadequately representation and unfair distributions of costs across fisheries and community. A donor-assisted approach that used local knowledge to select MPAs resulted in a plan with near-optimal representation but was inequitable for fisheries and communities. The SCP approach was the only approach to produce a representative and equitable MPA plan, thus highlighting the utility of SCP for achieving the representation and equity aspects of Target 11. / Graduate

O presente estudo procurou comparar dois tipos de comunidades de pescadores no município de Florianópolis que diferem em relação ao ambiente onde atuam seus integrantes: (1) baías e (2) mar aberto. Os principais objetivos do estudo foram caracterizar o perfil socioeconômico dos pescadores de pequena escala; descrever a atividade pesqueira local com respeito aos meios de produção, espécies capturadas e procedimentos pós-captura; analisar os aspectos financeiros da pesca, procurando definir os custos, receitas e lucros dos envolvidos na atividade e determinar um modelo explicativo para o lucro diário obtido pelos pescadores. O modelo explicativo foi testado através de uma Análise de Covariância (ANCOVA). Para obtenção das informações foram realizadas três campanhas sazonais durante o ano de 2008, quando foram entrevistados 218 pescadores. O perfil socioeconômico dos pescadores entrevistados foi compatível com o encontrado em outras comunidades de pescadores de pequena escala no Brasil e no exterior. A produção pesqueira local é constituída por grande número de espécies, contudo, as frotas são direcionadas, principalmente, para a captura da tainha, corvina, abrótea e anchova (em mar aberto) e camarão-branco (nas baías). Os pescadores utilizam ampla variedade de artes e técnicas de pesca e a produção tem grande relação com a sazonalidade. O tamanho das embarcações, a potência dos motores, o consumo de combustível e o número de tripulantes tiveram valores numericamente superiores na frota que atua em mar aberto. Os lucros diários obtidos pelos pescadores entrevistados apresentaram grande variação, aparentemente causada pela grande variabilidade na captura de pescado, tanto entre estações do ano, quanto entre ambientes e mesmo entre pescadores de uma mesma comunidade. O modelo do lucro diário proposto inicialmente considerou, como fatores explicativos do lucro, o local de pesca, a época do ano, o tipo de pescador, o estado civil, o nível de instrução e a arte de pesca e, como covariáveis, a idade do pescador, o tempo de experiência e o tempo de pesca diário. Após transformação logarítmica de sua variável resposta e covariáveis, o modelo foi testado estatisticamente e os fatores e covariáveis não significativos foram descartados, restando ao final apenas o local de pesca, a época do ano, o tipo de pescador, a arte de pesca e a covariável idade do pescador. O modelo final explicou cerca de 56% da variação do lucro diário, que foi significativamente superior entre os pescadores de mar aberto, na estação de outono e entre os pescadores proprietários. O estudo contribuiu na geração de conhecimento para o entendimento dos processos internos e externos à pesca no Município de Florianópolis, passíveis de afetar seu desempenho e sucesso. / This study sought to compare two types of communities of fishermen in the city of Florianópolis which differ in the environment where its members works: (1) bays and (2) the open sea. The main objectives of the study were to characterize the socioeconomic profile of small-scale fishermen, to describe the local fishing activity with respect to the means of production, species and post-harvesting procedures, examine the financial aspects of fishing, trying to define the cost, revenue and profits involved in the activity and determine an explanatory model for the daily profit obtained by the fishermen. The explanatory model was tested through an Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). To obtain the information were done three seasonal campaigns during 2008, when 218 fishermen were interviewed. The socioeconomic profile of the fishermen interviewed were consistent with those found in other communities of small-scale fishermen in Brazil and abroad. The local fishery production is made by a large number of species, however, the fleets are directed mainly to the catch of mullet, croaker, abrótea and anchovy (open ocean) and white shrimp (in bays). Fishermen using wide variety of fishing gear and techniques and the production has a great relationship with seasonality. The size of vessels, the power of engines, fuel consumption and number of crew had numerically higher values in the fleet that operates in the open sea. Daily profits obtained by the fishermen interviewed showed great variation, apparently caused by high variability in catch of fish, between seasons, between environments and even among fishermen from the same community. The model of daily profit proposed initially, considered, as explanatory factors of profit, place of fishing, year season, type of fisherman, marital status, level of education and fishing gear, and as covariates, the age of fisherman, the time of experience and the time of daily fishing. After logarithm transformation of your response variable and covariates, the model was tested and statistically not significant factors and covariates were discarded, leaving only the end of the local fishing, the season, the type of fisherman, the fishing gear and the covariate age of the fisherman. The final model explained about 56% of the variation of the daily profit, which was significantly higher among the fishermen in the open sea, in the autumn and between fishermen owners. The study contributed to the generation of knowledge for the understanding of internal and external to the fishery in the city of Florianopolis, which may affect its performance and success.

In the marine realm, there has been considerable habitat degradation caused by multiple human disturbances that often act synergistically, strongly affecting fish and invertebrate populations and, consequently, one of the major stakeholders of these resources, fishers. However, the mechanisms underlying how marine habitats support fisheries remain understudied. In this dissertation I examined the importance of fish habitat at global, regional and local scales in two distinct systems (mangrove habitats in the tropics and rockfish habitats in inshore waters of Vancouver Island) combining a suite of different approaches. First, I explored the mangrove-fishery linkage relationship by conducting a global meta-analysis. I found strong evidence supporting the importance of mangrove area to enhance fisheries. This relationship, however, varied across countries, likely based on regional geomorphological settings and fishery management policies. Subsequently, I determined the use of mangrove and adjacent habitats by fish in a tropical lagoon system in the continental Caribbean (Colombia), systems often overlooked in the Caribbean when analyzing mangroves as fish habitat. I collected fish with gillnets at different distances from mangroves and at different sites within the same lagoon system. While fish used mangroves, fish abundance was not higher in these habitats compared to adjacent ones, as predicted. However, diversity tended to be higher in mangroves. Nevertheless, the major driver affecting abundance, diversity and biomass was salinity. That is, diversity and abundance decreased as salinity increased. Next, I used a Local Ecological Knowledge approach to explore the mangrove-fishery linkage relationship because fishers are seldom incorporated into such relationships. By conducting semi-structured interviews I found that fishers fish close to their village and to mangroves, that in addition to fishing they use mangroves for firewood and as construction material. Fishers also agreed that mangroves are important for their fishing activity, as these habitats are critical for fish and crustaceans caught in the system. Finally, I examined the importance of derived benthic parameters for rockfish abundance and distribution at large spatial scales (100s km) in inshore waters of Vancouver Island. I established that higher complexity better explains presence and higher abundance of rockfish. Furthermore, the results provided valuable information for fishery and spatial management and habitat conservation to help recover rockfish populations. All together, these findings highlight the urgency to preserve coastal marine habitats for both juvenile and adult marine organisms to sustain small-scale fisheries as a food source and for traditional purposes. While conserving habitats is a key component of a broader and more complex ecosystem approach that includes overfishing and other anthropogenic pressures, in the absence of a holistic approach the chances of success are minimal. / Graduate / 2019-04-18