California Sea Grant College Program

As domestic affluence increases, nations advocate for conservation policies to protect domestic biodiversity that often curtail natural resource production activities such as fishing. If concomitant consumption patterns remain unchanged, environmentally-conscious nations with high consumption rates such as the U.S. may only be distancing themselves from the negative environmental impacts associated with consuming resources and commodities produced elsewhere. This unintended displacement of ecosystem impacts, or leakage, associated with conservation policies has not been studied extensively in marine fisheries. This paper examines this topic, drawing on case studies to illustrate the ways in which unilateral marine conservation actions can shift ecosystem impacts elsewhere, as has been documented in land use interventions. The authors argue that the U.S. should recognize these distant ecological consequences and move toward greater self-sufficiency to protect its seafood security and minimize leakage as well as undertake efforts to reduce ecosystem impacts of foreign fisheries on which it relies. Six solutions are suggested for broadening the marine conservation and seafood consumption discussion to address U.S.-induced leakage.

Cost-effective programs for gathering essential fisheries information (EFI) are critically needed to

improve the data-poor state of fisheries in California and worldwide. The California Marine Life

Management Act (MLMA) recognizes this need and requires development of fishery management

plans (FMPs) that identify suitable protocols for collecting data, and use of the best available

scientific information to inform management. Furthermore, in the United States, several state

and federal laws require the engagement of fishermen and others in fisheries management. To

address these needs, we developed a collaborative at-sea sampling program (CASP) by:

• determining the key regulatory, administrative and operational features of established

collaborative fisheries data collection programs,

• developing a robust sampling design with associated protocols for the commercial

California spiny lobster fishery,

• designing, testing and modifying data collection and management components of the

sampling program, and

• exploring options for sustaining the program into the future.

The goal of the program was to provide a model for generating an ongoing stream of diverse data

and interpretation for integration into management, thereby supporting use of more

sophisticated and robust models for managing California fisheries.

We used the California commercial fishery for spiny lobster, for which an FMP is being developed,

as a test case. This project built upon earlier work by the co-PIs developing a CASP for California’s

southern rock crab commercial fishery (Culver et al. 2010) and by Neilson to implement a lobster

fishery data collection program similar to one used in the New Zealand rock lobster fishery.

Commercial fisheries are an important part of California's economy. In 2011, approximately $201 million dollars in ex-vessel revenue (the amount paid directly to fishermen) came from commercial fishery landings, and more than 120,000 jobs on and off the water were supported by the state's seafood industry (NOAA 2011). Fishing communities from Crescent City to San Diego are the centers of this activity, providing a diverse supply of seafood and a visual reminder of California's maritime heritage.

The Humboldt Bay Stewards hosted a one-day public symposium titled, “Current Perspectives on the Physical and Biological Processes of Humboldt Bay,” on March 15, 2004. The meeting was held in the Wharfinger Building on the Eureka waterfront.

The purpose of the symposium was to examine biological and physical processes to gain a better understanding of Humboldt Bay. The need for the symposium was clear, as there were many plans, projects and studies ongoing at the time.

This profile of the Noyo fishing community describes the history of the area and its fisheries, present-day fishery operations, activities and associated infrastructure. It identifies key regulatory and economic factors highlighted by study participants that interact with and affect the local fishing community. It is intended for use in a range of processes, from local planning and education to state and regional management.

Commercial fisheries are an important part of California's economy. In 2011, approximately $201 million dollars in ex-vessel revenue (the amount paid directly to fishermen) came from commercial fishery landings, and more than 120,000 jobs on and off the water were supported by the state's seafood industry (NOAA 2011). Fishing communities from Crescent City to San Diego are the centers of this activity, providing a diverse supply of seafood and a visual reminder of California's maritime heritage.

Fisheries are integrated social-­‐ecological systems, characterized by dynamic and complex interactions within and between the natural and human environments. California’s 1998 Marine Management Life Act (MLMA) recognizes the role of people in fisheries, and the MLMA Master Plan calls for the inclusion of socioeconomic as well as ecological “essential fishery information” in fishery management plans. However, critical gaps in such information for virtually all fisheries hinder managers’ ability to actively adapt and communities’ ability to plan for the future. This project begins to meet such information needs for the commercial fishery for California halibut, providing an example for other fisheries. We conducted a small collaborative fisheries research (CFR) project that engaged fishery participants, scientists and managers. Our goal was to produce sound social scientific understanding of the human dimensions of the fisheries system that is useful to the fishing, management, and scientific communities. We used an iterative approach, integrating analyses of data from the state’s California Fisheries Information System (CFIS), the literature, and knowledgeable fishery participants, managers and scientists to build understanding about the fishery’s human system and its dynamics. The research focused on the period 2000-­‐2012 to capture recent changes in the fishery and the larger fishery system, with events prior to and since also informing our efforts.

Globally, small-scale fisheries are influenced by dynamic climate, governance, and market drivers, which present social and ecological challenges and opportunities. It is difficult to manage fisheries adaptively for fluctuating drivers, except to allow participants to shift effort among multiple fisheries. Adapting to changing conditions allows small-scale fishery participants to survive economic and environmental disturbances and benefit from optimal conditions. This study explores the relative influence of large-scale drivers on shifts in effort and outcomes among three closely linked fisheries in Monterey Bay since the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act of 1976. In this region, Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax), northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax), and market squid (Loligo opalescens) fisheries comprise a tightly linked system where shifting focus among fisheries is a key element to adaptive capacity and reduced social and ecological vulnerability. Using a cluster analysis of landings, we identify four modes from 1974 to 2012 that are dominated (i.e., a given species accounting for the plurality of landings) by squid, sardine, anchovy, or lack any dominance, and seven points of transition among these periods. This approach enables us to determine which drivers are associated with each mode and each transition. Overall, we show that market and climate drivers are predominantly attributed to dominance transitions. Model selection of external drivers indicates that governance phases, reflected as perceived abundance, dictate long-term outcomes. Our findings suggest that globally, small-scale fishery managers should consider enabling shifts in effort among fisheries and retaining existing flexibility, as adaptive capacity is a critical determinant for social and ecological resilience.