Over recent decades recreational fisheries have grown substantially throughout the world. Despite this increase, catches from recreational fisheries have often been ignored in fisheries management, although this is now being remedied. Monitoring recreational fisheries can be expensive, and the primary means used for monitoring is angler (creel) surveys, typically funded from sales of fishing licences. The studies presented in this thesis examine different approaches to monitoring recreational trolling fisheries’ catch and effort, where fishing licenses are not required and there are no reporting requirements. I present results from a complemented roving/mail-in survey undertaken during 2013-2014 to estimate recreational effort and catch of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout (S. trutta) in the largest lake in the European Union, Lake Vänern, Sweden. I also evaluate different angler catch reporting methods (mail-in, tournament reports and face-to-face interviews) and compare catch rates within and among spring and fall fishing periods. In addition, mail-in survey data are examined for recall bias.   I estimate that 28.7 tonnes of salmon and trout combined were harvested by the recreational trolling fishery in 2014, more than the commercial and subsistence fisheries combined. Seasonal differences in both recreational effort and catch were observed. Effort, in boat hours, was significantly higher in spring than in fall. Catch rates of trout were higher in fall than in spring, but there were no seasonal differences in catches of salmon. Harvest per boat day did not differ significantly among catch reporting methods, indicating that all three methods could be useful for managers interested in harvest rates. In contrast, total and released catch per boat day differed among reporting methods, with tournament anglers catching more fish in total. Finally, there was little evidence for recall bias in mail-in surveys, indicating that mail-in surveys are useful for collecting unbiased catch data. My study is the most comprehensive angler survey to date for Lake Vänern, and my results should be of immediate use to local fisheries managers and should also be of interest to researchers and managers interested in estimating catch and effort for fisheries at large spatial scales. / Over the past several decades recreational fisheries have grown substantially throughout the world. Until recently, however, recreational catch has been ignored in the management of many important fisheries. The studies presented in this thesis examine different approaches to monitoring recreational trolling fisheries’ catch and effort in Lake Vänern, Sweden, the largest lake in the European Union. Paper I presents results from a complemented roving/mail-in survey, designed to estimate recreational effort and catch of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout (S. trutta). The results show that the recreational trolling fishery today harvests more salmon and trout annually than the commercial and subsistence fisheries combined, and that there are seasonal patterns in effort and catch. Paper II evaluates different angler catch reporting methods (mail-in, tournament reports, and face-to-face interviews), compares catch rates within and among spring and fall fishing periods and examines mail-in data for recall bias. Harvest per boat day did not differ significantly among catch reporting methods, indicating that all three could be useful for estimating harvest rates. However, tournament anglers had higher rates for released catch. Finally, there was little evidence for recall bias in mail-in surveys. In summary, this thesis has developed the framework for a recreational angler survey program for Lake Vänern, and should be of interest to researchers and managers interested in estimating catch and effort for fisheries at large spatial scales.

Les organisations et arrangements régionaux de gestion des pêches, qui composent les régimes régionaux de gestion des pêches, se sont progressivement imposés au cours des dernières décennies comme les mécanismes clés de la gouvernance des ressources halieutiques de la haute mer. Leur rôle est d'assurer, notamment à travers l'allocation de quotas de pêche à leurs parties contractantes, mais également à travers l'adoption de mesures techniques, de contrôle et de mise en oeuvre, l'exploitation durable et la conservation des ressources halieutiques de la haute mer. Or pour que les règlementations adoptées dans le cadre de ces régimes régionaux de gestion des pêches soient le plus efficaces possible, il est souhaitable qu'elles ne soient pas remises en cause par des activités de pêche contraires, comme celles que peuvent mener les tiers à ces régimes. L'objectif principal de cette recherche est alors d'analyser la portée et le cadre juridique de l'opposabilité des régimes régionaux de gestion des pêches à l'égard de ces tiers. Différents aspects de l'opposabilité des régimes régionaux de gestion des pêches à l'égard des tiers sont analysés, tout comme sa compatibilité avec le droit international, et notamment avec le principe de pacta tertiis. Pour ce faire, cette recherche s'intéresse entre autres, à l'évolution des mécanismes de gestion des ressources halieutiques de la haute mer, au rôle joué par les instruments universels contraignants et non contraignants, à l'opposabilité des dispositions relatives aux tiers contenues dans les conventions régionales de gestion des pêches, à l'opposabilité des organisations régionales de gestion des pêches et de leur droit dérivé ou encore au comportement des tiers en réaction aux mesures de dissuasion et de contrôle adoptées à leur encontre suite aux activités de pêche des navires battant leur pavillon, qui sont désormais considérées comme une forme de pêche illicite, non déclarée et non réglementée (INN). Enfin, il est également question de tenter d'identifier, si au regard des récentes pratiques des tiers concernés, de nouvelles règles coutumières semblent émerger en ce qui concerne le devoir de coopération à la conservation et à la gestion des ressources halieutiques hauturières. / Over the past decades, regional fisheries management organisations and arrangements, which constitute regional fisheries management regimes, have gradually emerged as key mechanisms to the governance of high seas fishery resources. Their role is to ensure, through the allocation of fishing quotas to their contracting parties, as well as the adoption of technical, control and enforcement measures, the sustainable exploitation and conservation of high seas fishery resources. However, in order to ensure the effectiveness of these regulations, fishing activities, such as third party activities, shall not undermine them. The main objective of this research is therefore to analyse the scope and the legal framework of the opposability of regional fisheries management regimes to third parties. Different aspects of the opposability of regional fisheries management regimes to third parties will be analysed, as well as its compatibility with international law, such as the pacta tertiis principle. This research therefore explores, inter alia, the evolution of high seas fisheries management mechanisms, the role of binding and non-binding universal instruments, the opposability of provisions relating to third party contained in regional fisheries management conventions, the opposability of regional fisheries management organisations and their normative power; as well as third party behaviour in reaction to measures implemented against them to deter and control the activities of vessels flying their flag, which can be considered as a form of illegal, undeclared and unregulated fishing (IUU). Finally this research also seeks to identify, if in the light of recent third party practices, we can identify the emergence of new customary rules concerning the duty to cooperate in the conservation and management of high seas fishery resources.

Genes are the foundation of evolution and biodiversity. The genetic structure of natural populations needs to be understood to maintain exploited resources rationally. This thesis focuses on genetic variability and methods to determine spatial and temporal genetic heterogeneities. Intense human exploitation generates particular challenges to conserve genetic diversity of fishes since it has genetic effects. My research concerns one of our most valuable fish species: the Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus). I analyzed Atlantic herring samples from the North and Baltic Seas. The objectives were to determine: 1) spatial genetic structure, 2) whether allozymes and microsatellites provide similar descriptions of the differentiation pattern, or 3) if they are influenced by selection, 4) factors affecting statistical power when testing for genetic differentiation, and 5) the temporal stability of the genetic structure. The results show: 1) very low levels of spatial genetic differentiation in Atlantic herring; a major component is a difference between the Baltic and North Seas, 2) a concordant pattern with allozymes and microsatellites, 3) that selection influences a microsatellite locus, which can be a low salinity adaptation, 4) that statistical power is substantial for frequently used sample sizes and markers; the difference in power between organelle and nuclear loci is partly dependent on the populations’ stage of divergence, and 5) no changes in amount of genetic variation or spatial genetic structure over a 24-year period; the selection pattern in one microsatellite locus remained. The notion that the large population sizes make herring unlikely to lose genetic diversity may be disputed. I found small local effective population sizes, and the evidence of selection hints of a distinct evolutionary lineage in the Baltic. When Atlantic herring is managed as very large units, there can be detrimental genetic effects if certain population segments are excessively harvested.

Many studies have investigated the impacts of marine cage fish farming on seabed sediments. Most of these studies have focused on organic loading or toxic chemicals used for the treatment of disease, normally for a single or a small number of sites over short time periods. Only very rarely has there been the opportunity to use large data sets consisting of a large number of fish farm sites over a long time scale. In Scotland, localised nutrient impacts have been well documented for marine cage salmon farms, but mixed effects of nutrient and chemicals such as SLICE (the active ingredient of which is emamectin benzoate) have not been investigated in the long term. The aim of this project was to investigate the ecological impacts on sediments from farming activities using very large spatial and temporal data to investigate the long term effects of nutrient and chemical waste. This was achieved using a metadata set collected from 403 sampling stations at 31 fish farms on the west coast of Scotland over a 9 year period. Data consisted of sediment macrofauna, carbon and nitrogen levels, redox potential, particle size for sediment characterisation and sediment concentrations of SLICE. The data was analysed for trends using statistical and multivariate analysis to look for changes in sediment community and related conditions, and the relationships between these parameters were investigated. At sampling stations that were less than 50 metres from the sea cages, 72% of the macrofauna communities were correlated with regard to their species composition and abundance. A significant relationship between the concentration of SLICE and sediment characteristics was represented as: SLICE= 0.000644*(median size particle size) + 0.0311*(C %) – 0.00213*(redox potential) + 1.453. Annelids were the most sensitive to the presence of emamectin benzoate, with the sipunculid Phascolion strombi, the echinoderm Ophiura affinis, and the custaceans Iphinoe, Diastylis and Iphimedia also showing sensitivity. During the data period, there was a clear change in species composition associated with improved seabed conditions. This correlated with biomass changes at the relevant sites, where there was a consequent decrease in nutrient input and SLICE usage. The statistical comparison of the AMBI and ITI indices indicated a 68.9% correlation, but they differed in their ability to indicate levels of organic disturbance. AMBI was shown to correlate more closely with conditions and thus a more reliable index when working with large databases. Univariate and multivariate analysis indicated that a combination of abundance (N), Shannon Wiener (H’) and AMBI, as biological indices for describing the status of the ecological level associated with the carbon percentage and redox potential of sediments gave the most reliable representation of environmental change over a series of sampling stations. In conclusion, the overall results suggest that, in the long-term, sampling stations which contained significant levels of SLICE had a higher impact status than those affected only by nutrient inputs. The accuracy of multiple regression models were increased by adding biotic and abiotic parameters, though fish biomass at the sites were not considered be as important factor for the prediction of impacts. However, this model could be sensitive to natural environmental conditions and variations. In light of these results and conclusions, recommendations can be made both for updating the existed environmental regulation of marine fish farms and in the development of meaningful models to relate sediment conditions to accurate estimations of overall environmental impacts.

Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) production strongly influences the ecosystems, cultures and economies of the Northeast Pacific. Historical variability in population sizes is complex, reflecting natural and human drivers. The nature and extent of such ‘exogenous’ controls on salmon and their nursery ecosystems are poorly understood, a significant impediment to sustainable fisheries management. Novel applications of paleolimnology demonstrate that past sockeye salmon abundances and nursery system ecology can be reconstructed from lake sediments. This thesis focuses on employing these techniques to establish the forcing mechanisms underlying salmon population and ecosystem dynamics, and determine the effects and interactions of fisheries management. I provided the first reconstruction for a southern North American stock, which demonstrated the influences of both conspicuous (e.g. commercial fishery, main-stem damming) and uncertain human impacts (e.g. local damming) on endangered salmon declines. By reconstructing ecological variability at multiple trophic levels, I established that rehabilitative management (e.g. fish stocking) may have permanently altered nursery lake rearing capacity, a change potentially reinforced by recent atmospheric changes. This work highlights significant impediments to ongoing recovery efforts. I extended my analysis of salmon management by exploring the interactive impacts of exotic salmon stocking on a remote northern lake. I demonstrated the utility of long-term data in pre-emptively understanding the complex impacts of stocking by documenting the long-term trajectories in limnological conditions. Integrating modeling, limnological and paleolimnological analyses, I determined that climate change and salmon introductions compound to alter chemical, physical and biological lake variables, ultimately altering ecosystem structure and functioning. Finally I reconstructed salmon abundances over the past six millennia, the longest record and the first Canadian example to date, demonstrating salmon production is cyclical and far more variable than observed in the monitoring record. My analyses established that North Pacific salmon production is forced by ocean-atmospheric teleconnections ultimately linked to climatic variability in the tropical Pacific. Further analyses provided the first evidence for a possible solar forcing of Holocene salmon production on both orbital and higher frequency time scales. Cumulatively this research improves our understanding of the processes underlying variability in Pacific salmon and their natal ecosystems, important to ecologically-informed future management. / Thesis (Ph.D, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2008-09-27 02:41:54.576

<p>Mismatches in the spatiotemporal variability of resource, resource users and management actions breeds inefficiency in the management of marine resources. To date, the spatiotemporal resolution and extent of fisheries management has been largely dictated by logistical and political constraints, and secondarily by the geographic range of the species or meta-population dynamics. Management units are rarely smaller than 1000 km2 in developed coastal fisheries, and management measures generally occur at resolutions larger than 100 km2. From a temporal perspective, the finest resolution of management measures is at best a month but more generally a year. As such, attempts to manage processes and patterns at sub-10 km, sub-1 month resolution often involve some level of spatiotemporal mismatch. To address the obvious spatiotemporal mismatch between a dynamic ocean and static management, to allow for a comprehensive implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management, and to minimize inefficiency in our management of marine resources, we must seek to develop more dynamic management measures that allow managers to address scales, processes and patterns occurring under ten kilometers.</p><p>In this dissertation I apply point pattern processes, cumulative distribution functions, receiver operator characteristic curves, simulated annealing tools, regression models and clustering techniques to develop examples of two dynamic management measures and to compare the efficiency of static versus dynamic management measures. I show that autocorrelation analysis can inform the distances and times used in real-time closures based on move-on rules. Further, I identify optimum bottom temperature threshold values to separate individual species within the Northeast Multispecies Fishery from Atlantic cod. Results demonstrate that dynamic spatiotemporal management measures are widely applicable, and more effective and more efficient than static time-area closures. Unexpected trends in some results due to a changing climate indicate possible increasing thermal overlap between Atlantic cod and many other species in the fishery. Implications of scale in fisheries management and the importance of coarse scale (1 - 10km) ecological patterns to fisheries are discussed.</p> / Dissertation

Tuna are the major marine fishery in Sri Lanka, and yellowfin tuna (YFT) (Thunnus albacares) and skipjack tuna (SJT) (Katsuwonus pelamis) represent 94% of all tuna caught. The tuna catch in Sri Lanka has increased rapidly over recent years and this is true generally for the Indian Ocean. Tuna are a major animal protein source for 20 million people in Sri Lanka, while marine fisheries provide the main income source for most Sri Lankan coastal communities. While the importance of the fishery will require effective stock management practices to be employed, to date no genetic studies have been undertaken to assess wild stock structure in Sri Lankan waters as a basis for developing effective stock management practices for tuna in the future. This thesis undertook such a genetic analysis of Sri Lankan T. albacares and K. pelamis stocks. Samples of both YFT and SJT were collected over four years (2001 - 2004) from seven fishing grounds around Sri Lanka, and also from the Laccadive and Maldive Islands in the western Indian Ocean. Partial mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) ATPase 6 and 8 genes and nuclear DNA (nDNA) microsatellite variation were examined for relatively large samples of each species to document genetic diversity within and among sampled sites and hence to infer stock structure and dispersal behaviour. Data for YFT showed significant genetic differentiation for mtDNA only among specific sites and hence provided some evidence for spatial genetic structure. Spatial Analysis of Molecular Variance (SAMOVA) analysis suggests that three geographically meaningful YFT groups are present. Specifically, one group comprising a single site on the Sri Lankan west coast, a second group comprising a single site on the east coast and a third group of remaining sites around Sri Lanka and the Maldive Islands. Patterns of variation at nDNA loci in contrast, indicate extensive contemporary gene flow among all sites and reflect very large population sizes. For SJT, both mtDNA and nDNA data showed high levels of genetic differentiation among all sampling sites and hence evidence for extensive spatial genetic heterogeneity. MtDNA data also indicated temporal variation within sites, among years. As for YFT, three distinct SJT groups were identified with SAMOVA; The Maldive Islands in the western Indian Ocean comprising one site, a second group comprising a single site on the east coast and a third group of remaining sites around Sri Lanka and the Laccadive Islands. The mtDNA data analyses indicated two divergent (M^ = 1.85% ) SJT clades were present among the samples at all sample sites. SJT nDNA results support the inference that multiple 'sub populations' co-exist at all sample sites, albeit in different frequencies. It appears that variation in the relative frequencies of each clade per site accounts for much of the observed genetic differentiation among sites while effective populations remain extremely large. Based on combined data sets for management purposes therefore, there is no strong evidence in these data to indicate that more than a single YFT stock is present in Sri Lankan waters. For SJT however, evidence exists for two divergent clades that are admixed but not apparently interbreeding around Sri Lanka. The identity of spawning grounds of these two clades is currently unknown but is likely to be geographically distant from Sri Lanka. Spawning grounds of the two distinct SJT clades should be identified and conserved.

Os recursos pesqueiros estão sendo sobre-explotados mundialmente. A pesca pode conduzir ao efeito de cascata trófica e essa exploração pode ser insustentável. Por isso políticas de manejo são urgentes, mas faltam dados para subsidiar tais políticas e nesse sentido, estudos com pescadores artesanais através de entrevistas têm colaborado com o conhecimento sobre a dinâmica pesqueira. A pesca artesanal brasileira é a principal atividade econômica ou de subsistência e o pescado é a maior fonte de proteínas para populações caboclas ribeirinhas amazônicas e populações de caiçaras que vivem na área litorânea da Mata Atlântica. Esta pesquisa analisou padrões ecológicos espaciais e temporais na pesca artesanal brasileira em dois ecossistemas: a costa sudeste da Mata Atlântica e a Amazônia fluvial, tendo como base de dados entrevistas realizadas com pescadores ao longo de vários projetos de pesquisa. No capítulo 1 analisou-se a produtividade pesqueira no litoral sudeste. Foi testada a variação da biomassa média capturada citada pelos entrevistados em função de fatores temporais (idade do pescador e data em que ocorreu sua última pescaria) e espaciais (região aonde se localiza a comunidade do pescador entrevistado). Foram analisadas entrevistas com 423 pescadores, que indicaram que: a) houve uma diminuição na quantidade de peixes capturados ao longo do tempo; b) a biomassa capturada não foi influenciada pelo fator espacial; c) não houve influência da idade do pescador na biomassa capturada mencionada. O capítulo 2 abordou a costa sudeste da Mata Atlântica e a Amazônia fluvial. Foram analisadas a composição dos peixes, através dos nomes populares citados e seu nível trófico médio. Foram analisadas entrevistas com 658 pescadores da Amazônia fluvial (de 1987 a 2006) e 821 pescadores da costa sudeste da Mata Atlântica (de 1986 a 2009) (n=1479 entrevistados). Não houve variação do nível trófico segundo o tempo, porém o nível trófico variou de acordo com os fatores espaciais (ecossistema e região), sendo que o fator que mais influenciou essa variação foi região. Na costa sudeste da Mata Atlântica há possível substituição das espécies de nível trófico similar por outras espécies de mesmo valor econômico com o tempo. Na Amazônia fluvial esse padrão de substituição das espécies não foi observado. Conclui-se que a diminuição da biomassa capturada ao longo do tempo somada à substituição de determinadas espécies de peixes capturados na costa da Mata Atlântica, podem indicar que a pesca não está sendo sustentável. Medidas preventivas de manejo pesqueiro devem ser implementadas. / Fisheries resources are being over-exploited worldwide. Excessive fishing can lead to trophic cascades and this exploration may be unsustainable. Therefore, management policies are urgent, but data are lacking to support such policies. In this sense, studies addressing interviews with fishermen have collaborated with the knowledge about the dynamics of fishing. The Brazilian artisanal fishing is the main economic and subsistence activity and the main source of protein for riverine Amazonian Caboclo populations and caiçara populations, who live in the coastal area of the Atlantic Forest. This study examined spatial and temporal ecological patterns in Brazilian artisanal fisheries in two ecosystems: the southeast coast of the Atlantic Forest and the fluvial Amazon; the data was based in interviews with fishermen on the course of several research projects. In Chapter 1 it was analyzed the fishery productivity in the southeastern coast. It was checked the variation in the average biomass of fish captured according to the interviews with fishers, due to temporal factors (fishermen’s age and date of their last fishery) and spatial factors (the region where the community of fishermen interviewed is located). There were analyzed interviews with 423 fishers, indicating that: a) there was a decrease in the biomass of fish caught over time, b) the biomass of fish caught was not influenced by the spatial factor c) there was no influence of age of the fisherman on the biomass of fish caught that was mentioned by them. Chapter 2 addressed the southeast coast of the Atlantic Forest and the Inland freshwater Amazon. It was analyzed the composition of fish caught, through their popular names mentioned by fishers and their mean trophic level. There were analyzed interviews with 658 fishers in the Amazon Basin (from 1987 to 2006) and with 821 fishers in to the southeast coast of the Atlantic Forest (from 1986 to 2009) (n = 1479 fishers). There was no variation in trophic level according to the time since the last fishing trip, and according to the spatial factors (ecosystem and region), and the region was the factor that most influenced the variation in trophic level. On the southeast coast of the Atlantic Forest species with similar trophic levels have been probably replaced by species of similar economic value over time. However, in the freshwater Amazon this pattern of species replacement was not observed. It is concluded that the decrease in biomass captured over time and the replacement of species on the Atlantic coast, may indicate that the fishery has been not sustainable. Preventive fisheries management measures should thus be devised.

Os recursos pesqueiros estão sendo sobre-explotados mundialmente. A pesca pode conduzir ao efeito de cascata trófica e essa exploração pode ser insustentável. Por isso políticas de manejo são urgentes, mas faltam dados para subsidiar tais políticas e nesse sentido, estudos com pescadores artesanais através de entrevistas têm colaborado com o conhecimento sobre a dinâmica pesqueira. A pesca artesanal brasileira é a principal atividade econômica ou de subsistência e o pescado é a maior fonte de proteínas para populações caboclas ribeirinhas amazônicas e populações de caiçaras que vivem na área litorânea da Mata Atlântica. Esta pesquisa analisou padrões ecológicos espaciais e temporais na pesca artesanal brasileira em dois ecossistemas: a costa sudeste da Mata Atlântica e a Amazônia fluvial, tendo como base de dados entrevistas realizadas com pescadores ao longo de vários projetos de pesquisa. No capítulo 1 analisou-se a produtividade pesqueira no litoral sudeste. Foi testada a variação da biomassa média capturada citada pelos entrevistados em função de fatores temporais (idade do pescador e data em que ocorreu sua última pescaria) e espaciais (região aonde se localiza a comunidade do pescador entrevistado). Foram analisadas entrevistas com 423 pescadores, que indicaram que: a) houve uma diminuição na quantidade de peixes capturados ao longo do tempo; b) a biomassa capturada não foi influenciada pelo fator espacial; c) não houve influência da idade do pescador na biomassa capturada mencionada. O capítulo 2 abordou a costa sudeste da Mata Atlântica e a Amazônia fluvial. Foram analisadas a composição dos peixes, através dos nomes populares citados e seu nível trófico médio. Foram analisadas entrevistas com 658 pescadores da Amazônia fluvial (de 1987 a 2006) e 821 pescadores da costa sudeste da Mata Atlântica (de 1986 a 2009) (n=1479 entrevistados). Não houve variação do nível trófico segundo o tempo, porém o nível trófico variou de acordo com os fatores espaciais (ecossistema e região), sendo que o fator que mais influenciou essa variação foi região. Na costa sudeste da Mata Atlântica há possível substituição das espécies de nível trófico similar por outras espécies de mesmo valor econômico com o tempo. Na Amazônia fluvial esse padrão de substituição das espécies não foi observado. Conclui-se que a diminuição da biomassa capturada ao longo do tempo somada à substituição de determinadas espécies de peixes capturados na costa da Mata Atlântica, podem indicar que a pesca não está sendo sustentável. Medidas preventivas de manejo pesqueiro devem ser implementadas. / Fisheries resources are being over-exploited worldwide. Excessive fishing can lead to trophic cascades and this exploration may be unsustainable. Therefore, management policies are urgent, but data are lacking to support such policies. In this sense, studies addressing interviews with fishermen have collaborated with the knowledge about the dynamics of fishing. The Brazilian artisanal fishing is the main economic and subsistence activity and the main source of protein for riverine Amazonian Caboclo populations and caiçara populations, who live in the coastal area of the Atlantic Forest. This study examined spatial and temporal ecological patterns in Brazilian artisanal fisheries in two ecosystems: the southeast coast of the Atlantic Forest and the fluvial Amazon; the data was based in interviews with fishermen on the course of several research projects. In Chapter 1 it was analyzed the fishery productivity in the southeastern coast. It was checked the variation in the average biomass of fish captured according to the interviews with fishers, due to temporal factors (fishermen’s age and date of their last fishery) and spatial factors (the region where the community of fishermen interviewed is located). There were analyzed interviews with 423 fishers, indicating that: a) there was a decrease in the biomass of fish caught over time, b) the biomass of fish caught was not influenced by the spatial factor c) there was no influence of age of the fisherman on the biomass of fish caught that was mentioned by them. Chapter 2 addressed the southeast coast of the Atlantic Forest and the Inland freshwater Amazon. It was analyzed the composition of fish caught, through their popular names mentioned by fishers and their mean trophic level. There were analyzed interviews with 658 fishers in the Amazon Basin (from 1987 to 2006) and with 821 fishers in to the southeast coast of the Atlantic Forest (from 1986 to 2009) (n = 1479 fishers). There was no variation in trophic level according to the time since the last fishing trip, and according to the spatial factors (ecosystem and region), and the region was the factor that most influenced the variation in trophic level. On the southeast coast of the Atlantic Forest species with similar trophic levels have been probably replaced by species of similar economic value over time. However, in the freshwater Amazon this pattern of species replacement was not observed. It is concluded that the decrease in biomass captured over time and the replacement of species on the Atlantic coast, may indicate that the fishery has been not sustainable. Preventive fisheries management measures should thus be devised.

abstract: Consideration of both biological and human-use dynamics in coupled social-ecological systems is essential for the success of interventions such as marine reserves. As purely human institutions, marine reserves have no direct effects on ecological systems. Consequently, the success of a marine reserve depends on managers` ability to alter human behavior in the direction and magnitude that supports reserve objectives. Further, a marine reserve is just one component in a larger coupled social-ecological system. The social, economic, political, and biological landscape all determine the social acceptability of a reserve, conflicts that arise, how the reserve interacts with existing fisheries management, accuracy of reserve monitoring, and whether the reserve is ultimately able to meet conservation and fishery enhancement goals. Just as the social-ecological landscape is critical at all stages for marine reserve, from initial establishment to maintenance, the reserve in turn interacts with biological and human use dynamics beyond its borders. Those interactions can lead to the failure of a reserve to meet management goals, or compromise management goals outside the reserve. I use a bio-economic model of a fishery in a spatially patchy environment to demonstrate how the pre-reserve fisheries management strategy determines the pattern of fishing effort displacement once the reserve is established, and discuss the social, political, and biological consequences of different patterns for the reserve and the fishery. Using a stochastic bio-economic model, I demonstrate how biological and human use connectivity can confound the accurate detection of reserve effects by violating assumptions in the quasi-experimental framework. Finally, I examine data on recreational fishing site selection to investigate changes in response to the announcement of enforcement of a marine reserve in the Gulf of California, Mexico. I generate a scale of fines that would fully or partially protect the reserve, providing a data-driven way for managers to balance biological and socio-economic goals. I suggest that natural resource managers consider human use dynamics with the same frequency, rigor, and tools as they do biological stocks. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Applied Biological Sciences 2014