Providing Mobile Tools to Report Activity and Scientific Data for Both Inshore Commercial and Recreational Fishers

This session is intended to explore the challenges and opportunities that exist in providing mobile tools to report activity and capture scientific catch and effort data for both inshore commercial and recreational fishers. The nature of inshore and recreational fishing generally means that the ability to have bulky electronic reporting tools doesn’t exist and alternative approaches need to be found. Using fisher mobile devices has enabled the development of highly sophisticated tools to capture data, submit  activity reports and to educate the fishers aiding them in fishing in a compliant manner. The key point being…. tools using fisher mobile devices rather than specific hardware or technology can provide highly sophisticated  solutions that integrate with existing scientific, administration and compliance systems whilst delivering fishers rich data and educational material for their personal use.

Organizer:

John Heskins, Spatial Vision, [email protected]

Pathways for a Sustainable Co-existence of Offshore Energy, Fisheries and Marine Conservation: From Local Empirical Evidence to Global Perspectives

Offshore wind development is central to planning for renewable energy worldwide and reduction of carbon emissions. Existing, proposed, and planned offshore development overlaps with diverse marine ecosystems, and the effects on those ecosystems largely remain unclear and unknown. Potential effects to fish populations and fisheries are varied and could result in increases or decreases in abundance, biomass, and distribution. Offshore wind is at all stages of development globally from planning to decommissioning, so a global gathering of fisheries and conservation expertise offers a unique opportunity for researchers from East Asia, North America, Europe, and elsewhere to share their knowledge and research on co-existence of fish, fishing and offshore wind. This session will broadly address effects of offshore wind on fish, and fisheries, including both commercial and recreational fisheries. Presentations may address but are not limited to: emerging ecological and socio-economic research, innovative methods for assessment, scale considerations, and current regulatory processes.

Organizers:

Mike Pol, Responsible Offshore Science Alliance, [email protected]
Vanessa Stelzenmüller, Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries

Participatory Modelling and Stakeholder Engagement for Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management

Ecosystem-based fisheries management requires a profound understanding of the dynamics and feedbacks that occur within ecological systems, the human systems, and at the social-ecological interface.

A number of different quantitative modelling approaches have been applied to enhance this understanding, such as ecosystem models, bioeconomic models, social-ecological network models, and others.

Involving stakeholders at various steps of the modelling process can greatly improve the level of realism and applicability of the resulting models, while simultaneously facilitating discussions about underlying model assumptions and uncertainties. All of this can help to increase the legitimacy and effectiveness of modelling efforts in fisheries management, especially in the context of (often data-limited) small-scale fisheries.

This session will focus on approaches, challenges, best practices and case study examples that highlight how stakeholder needs, perceptions and knowledge systems can be successfully integrated into the modelling process to promote an effective and sustainable management of fisheries and associated systems.

Organizers:

Giovanni Romagnoni, Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Research, [email protected]
Matthias Wolff, Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Research
Kelly Ortega Cisneros, University of Cape Town
Michael Kriegl, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT Bremen) & Center for Ocean and Society (CeOS Kiel)
Lotta Clara Kluger, Center for Ocean and Society, Christian Albrecht University
Pault Tuda, Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Research

Otoliths and Beyond: Advancing Chemical Tracers in Calcified and Archival Tissues for Sustainable Fisheries

Chemical data stored in fish otoliths and other archival tissues (e.g., scales, shells, fin rays, eye lenses) provide a wealth of information on fish life histories, from natal origins to movements, as well as support growth, trophic, physiological, environmental stress, and biomineralization studies. This multidisciplinary session will welcome contributions on the chemistry of calcified structures, and how otoliths and other archival structures can be used together with emerging technological approaches to support and advance ecological understanding and fisheries management. This session will provide an opportunity to gain insights on novel applications and interpretations of otolith and archival tissue chemistry, highlight successful case studies, discuss management solutions, and how to integrate this information with other complementary approaches. In doing so, we can champion how technological breakthroughs, innovative conceptual frameworks, and interdisciplinary collaborations can be translated into management and monitoring.

Organizers:

Patrick Reis-Santos, The University of Adelaide, [email protected]
Bronwyn Gillanders, The University of Adelaide
Benjamin Walther, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi
Karin Limburg, SUNY-ESF
Susanne Tanner, MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre
Chris Izzo, FRDC – Fisheries Research and Development Corporation

Operationalizing Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management (EBFM) through Inclusive Research, Engagement, and Partnerships

Over the past decade, advances in scientific research have highlighted the importance of managing marine fisheries at ecosystem scales. However, the practice of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) remains patchy across the globe, with gaps and bright spots both evident. One of the biggest challenges encountered is limited engagement between scientists and others who are involved in management decisions. In this session, scientific experts, managers, and other relevant stakeholders will speak to some of the bright spots and past challenges that they’ve encountered while co-designing and integrating scientific knowledge to inform the advancement of EBFM in their respective locations and management contexts. This session will include presentations from a variety of individuals from different countries and different management contexts, followed by a broader group discussion on how to leverage these experiences and approaches to expand the use of EBFM principles and practice more broadly.

Organizers:

Jason Landrum, Lenfest Ocean Program at The Pew Charitable Trusts
Beth Fulton, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, [email protected]
Keith Sainsbury, University of Tasmania
Charlotte Hudson, Lenfest Ocean Program at The Pew Charitable Trusts

Onboarding Fisheries Scientists to Open Science: Integrating Collaborative and Inclusive Principles into Education, Workforce Development, and Community Management

The world’s fisheries are in a period of rapidly changing ocean conditions; Open Science will help the field adapt by promoting rapid innovation and collaboration to make science transparent, reproducible, and reusable, and inclusive both for scientific community and those impacted by decisions made using this science. Yet these features of Open Science have not typically been part of education training programs and professional development. This session will feature presentations by 4-5 expert panelists followed by a facilitated discussion with panelists and attendees. The panelist presentations will highlight different examples of programs that leverage Open Science principles to create inclusive, collaborative spaces for skills-building in both formal and informal training settings. The open discussion will center on different ways we can promote Open Science within the field of fisheries, and how we ensure equity and access to training in these skills and principles.

Organizers:

Gavin Fay, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, [email protected]
Julia Lowndes, Openscapes
Elizabeth Eli Holmes, NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center

Mobilizing a Basic Income in the Fisheries

Fisheries are crucial to the social and economic well-being of coastal regions and Indigenous communities across North America and globally. However, those who work in the sector, which includes small-scale and subsistence fisheries as well as fish processing, face intensifying social and ecological pressures. This panel session will consider how a Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) may enhance socio-economic sustainability in the fisheries sector. A BIG is an unconditional cash transfer from governments to individuals to enable everyone to meet their basic needs, participate in society, and live with dignity – regardless of work status. This panel will feature scholars and practitioners offering their insights on the potential role, including opportunities and points of tension, of a BIG within their geographies and areas of specialization within fisheries.

Organizer:

Kristen Lowitt, Queen’s University, [email protected]

Mitigating for Dam Effects to Migratory Fish: Balancing Benefits and Costs

Human uses of water—such as for food and energy production—can unintentionally impact aquatic ecosystems and migratory fish species that are valued by society. In particular, the construction and operation of dams have been shown to alter many ecological functions that are important for influencing fish abundance and persistence.  As the reliance on food and energy production for humans continues to grow and other pressures on fish populations increase, mitigating unintentional aquatic ecosystem impacts will become more challenging.  Mitigation for valued species is diverse but often includes actions such as: hatchery production, habitat restoration, management of species interactions, and transporting fish around barriers. The important questions for regulatory agencies are how much mitigation is enough, what type of mitigation is most appropriate, and what level of monitoring is necessary? This symposium attempts to answer these questions in hopes of achieving a balance between energy, food, and fish conservation.

Organizers:

Todd Pearsons, Grant County Public Utility District, [email protected]
Timothy Taylor, Grant County Public Utility District

Market-Based Tools for a Global Sustainable Seafood Future: Solutions for Addressing Equity, Inclusion and Transferability

This session will discuss the transferability of tools in the sustainable seafood movement, examining the challenges, successes, lessons learned and unsolved problems of implementers. Experts will discuss how systems designed in developed Western nations may challenge implementation in developing countries, non-Western geographies, or outside industrial fisheries. The goals will be to consider how issues that impact inclusion – language, culture, religion, nationalism, corruption, gender, literacy, voice and others, have challenged implementation across diverse systems. Do certain tools face enthusiasm versus resistance and why? How can we consolidate knowledge to make efficient use of resources, more accurately foresee challenges and precipitate wins in the field? This panel and the subsequent discussion will be designed to be an honest, forthright – and we hope also humorous – look at the hard work of designers and implementers who have problem-solved successfully, or continue to innovate, to embrace the diverse realities of sustainable seafood.

Managing Fisheries in a World of Shifting Stocks: Integrating Biological, Policy, Behavioural, Social and Economic Aspects

This session will convene discussions on current advances in fisheries management adaptation in response to changes in distribution and productivity of fish stocks due to climate change. These changes are wreaking havoc in established regulations, scientific advice and fishing dynamics, particularly for stocks moving across jurisdictional boundaries and/or fisheries with different sectors or communities competing for access. We invite proposals for talks on case studies as well as broader themes, focusing on governance, policy, human wellbeing, knowledge creation, modelling and data acquisition challenges across a range of regions and/or examples, focusing on problems as well as solutions. Abstracts for contributed talks that bring together perspectives based on multiple disciplines will be prioritised. The session will include a multidisciplinary group of invited panellists to kick off the event, followed by contributed talks, and will conclude with an interactive Roundtable discussion, with the aim of identifying key themes leading to a perspective paper.

Organizers:

Catherine Longo, Marine Stewardship Council, [email protected]
Olaf Jensen, UW Madison
Kanae Tokunaga, Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Tarub Bahri, Food and Agriculture Organisation
Jacqueline Vogel, Environmental Defense Fund
Juliano Palacios Abrantes, University of British Columbia