simple indicators for sustainable fisheries

Start-up Meeting Presentations

Before and after WP meeting

INCOFISH WP 7

Simple Indicators for Sustainable Fisheries

Project Objectives

INCOFISH WP 7

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Outline

• WP Goal• List of WP members• Brief introduction to indicators concept• WP objectives and deliverables • WP milestones and time table• Open discussion

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WP 7 Goal

Identify, apply, and evaluate the use of indicators that have the potential to end overfishing

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WP 7 Members are:• Joe Ryan • Mauricio Castrejón• Graham Watkins • Birane Samb• Rainer Froese• Amanda Stern-Pirlot• Michael Ballón• Carlos Benites-Rodriguez• Lynne Shannon• Vachira Lheknim• Graham Pierce• Cristina Pita

CABAL S.A., NicaraguaCDFCDFCRODT, SenegalIfM-GEOMARIfM-GEOMARIMARPE, PeruIMARPEMCM DEAT, So. AfricaPSU, ThailandUNIABDN, ScotlandUNIABDN

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Simple indicatorsFisheries management is not working:• Top-down control• Informed solely by info. from fisheries biology• Complex, costly, largely incomprehensible

Simple indicators:• Reflect condition of fishery• Rely on low-cost observations• Can be accepted and applied by stakeholders and public• Conform to “Pressure, State, Response” framework

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“Let them spawn!”• Indicator: Percentage of mature fish in catch

(target = 100%)

• Response: Fish ruler demarcating minimum length for mature fish

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PSR Framework

PRESSURERecruitment Overfishing

(the taking of immature fish)

STATEPercent mature

fish in catchtool: fish-ruler

RESPONSE“Let Them Spawn!”

awareness campaign

Tool: fish-ruler

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WP 7 Objectives• Identify suitable indicators

• Establish parameters needed for indicators for all relevant species/fisheries

• Test management by indicators with stakeholders and public

• Analyze progress and problems

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WP 7 Deliverables• Review of existing indicators and selection of

suitable, simple indicators (Month 7)

• Database to make available the parameters needed for application of indicators (Month 13)

• Web-tool to assist in the application of indicators(Month 19)

• Test of indicators with real-world fisheries and stakeholders—final report (Month 34)

• The Big 5

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WP 7 Milestones

• 1st Workshop (now)

• 2nd Workshop (Month 20)

WP7 Meeting Outcomes

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In attendance: Mauricio Castrejón, CDFVachira Lheknim, PSUChristina Pita, UNIABDNGraham Pierce, UNIABDNHenn Ojaveer, MEICarlos Benites, IMARPEMichael Ballón, IMARPERainer Froese, IfM-GEOMARAmanda Stern-Pirlot, IfM-GEOMAR

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Agreed-upon criteriaIndicators should be:1. Observable by stakeholders, either directly or

through a transparent process2. Understandable3. Acceptable by fishers and public at large4. Efficient and within economic resources for

research on a sustained basis5. Related to management and have responding

management measures (PSR framework)6. Valid—e.g. accurately reflecting the state of the

resource

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Selected Indicators:Indicator Required Data Possible responses

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% of mature fish in catch(goal 100%)

Mean length in pop. or mixed fishery

Lm (also eventually length where 90-100% are mature)

length frequency of catch

Promote capture of mature fish through Fish ruler and info sheet for fish traders

2% of ‘optimum’ size in catch(goal 100%)

Length-frequencies from catch or surveys

Length-weight relationship for species

Same as above

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% “mega spawners” in catch (% size above optimum length plus 10%) (goal 0%)

Mean max. length in pop or mixed fishery

Length-frequencies from catch and surveys

MPAsCampaign “Let Megaspawners live”Only catch cohorts after 1st and before 2nd spawning

4% Bycatch in total catchPossibly “charismatic” spp.

in bycatchBycatch biomass by fishery

Awareness/“propaganda”

campaign

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Probable target fisheries:Galapagos: Lobsters, Sea Cucumbers

Peru Hake, Lumptail Searobin, Peruvian Rock Seabass, Peruvian Banded Croaker

Scotland Haddock, Whiting, Nephrops, Squid,Some Portuguese species?

Thailand Prawns, some fish

Nicaragua Littoral demersals, Lobsters?

Baltic Maybe Zander, Perch, Herring?

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Next Steps:• Each member to assemble data necessary to

apply indicators to his/her fisheries for web portal(L-F, maturity, bycatch)Deadline: Month 13 (Next March/April)

• Start thinking about response implementation

• Keep in touch with other WPs re their indicators—can we draw correlations?

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General RemarksEasy part is first: The harder part is in implementation– most of the concerns among WP members and others concerned approaches to using indicators in mgmt.

We will mostly collaborate with other WP indicator-related objectives in relation to and combination with our selected indicators and overfishing– we’re not an indicator clearinghouse.