fisheries Archives - Resilient Landscapes

Toward Resilient Rivers: Insights from the Kafue, Magdalena and Atrato River Basins in Zambia and Colombia

Key messages

Forests and fisheries are interconnected, and both are impacted by changes in land use within watersheds.
Watershed functions are affected by climate, land-use change, overfishing, deforestation and forest degradation.
Riparian communities value watersheds but lack political structures for effective integrated management.
Community-based governance of natural resources within watersheds can protect ecosystem services and support livelihoods of riparian communities.
Even where there is little data now, actions can be taken to enhance monitoring and management of watersheds.

Water and aquatic foods in revised principles of agroecology can accelerate food systems transformation

The interaction between climate change and agricultural intensification contributes to biodiversity loss, while widespread degradation of land and water undermine food system productivity. Agroecological principles aim to guide food systems transformation but rarely refer to water or aquatic foods, which are critical elements of nutritious, sustainable and equitable food systems. Here we examine the principles and frameworks presented in agroecological literature and suggest rephrasing of six of the principles to incorporate water, aquatic foods and land- to seascapes. We recommend three cross-sectoral actions that leverage aquatic features in agroecosystems to facilitate more effective transition pathways towards sustainable food systems.

Water and aquatic foods in the 13 agroecological principles

Agroecology is a holistic approach that aims to influence not just food production but food systems in their entirety. Water and aquatic foods are crucial for food security and nutrition and are key elements within agricultural and food systems. In 2019, the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS), High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) on Food Security and Nutrition identified 13 agroecological principles, while in 2014 it had issued a report on sustainable fisheries and aquaculture for food security and nutrition. We bring perspectives from these two HLPE reports together, and bring them up to date, in this evidence note that explores the role of water and aquatic foods in the transformation of food systems through agroecology.

Wild animal attacks and other occupational risks perceived by Indigenous hunters and fishers in the Yangambi landscape

Hunting and fishing support diverse food systems in tropical forest areas, but carry serious occupational risks. Health and safety at work is important to human wellbeing and constitutes an element of Indigenous rights. This issue has received attention in the regulated sector, but needs additional focus in subsistence and informal economies. We draw on semi-structured interviews with Turumbo hunters and fishers in the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve region (DRC) to assess perceptions of occupational risk, especially attacks from wild animals. Fishers were concerned about drowning and cuts, while hunters cited bad weather and injuries from faulty equipment. There was gender-specific perception of risk from wild animals that reflected different roles: women noted snake bites and wasps, while men feared larger animals. Retaliatory behaviors among respondents included killing various species. The risks associated with fishing and hunting in tropical forests should be addressed in policies that consider the wellbeing of the poor.

Community-based monitoring, assessment and management of data-limited inland fish stocks in North Rupununi, Guyana

Inland fisheries are important for food security in communities around the world, especially in developing countries. In North Rupununi, Guyana, the state of exploited stocks is poorly understood, and fishery monitoring and assessment are challenging because diverse fishing gears and target species are distributed across a heterogeneous landscape. This complexity created an opportunity for community-based monitoring (CBM) to support data-limited assessment. Standardised CBM was established for the North Rupununi as part of a new inland fisheries management plan initiated by indigenous community groups with support from the government. Quantitative length-based assessments undertaken for target stocks suggested moderate levels of exploitation consistent with local perception. Our study highlights that local experts and community participants with different levels of training can collect accurate biodiversity data. Further development of CBM is important in North Rupununi. We recommend using local ecological knowledge indicators to track spatial and temporal patterns in exploitation and fish stock status.

An approach to assess data-less small-scale fisheries: examples from Congo rivers

Small-scale fisheries (SSF) account for much of the global fish catch, but data to assess them often do not exist, impeding assessments of their historical dynamics and status. Here, we propose an approach to assess ‘data-less’ SSF using local knowledge to produce data, life history theory to describe their historical multispecies dynamics, and length-based reference points to evaluate stock status. We demonstrate use of this approach in three data-less SSFs of the Congo Basin. Fishers’ recalls of past fishing events indicated fish catch declined by 65–80% over the last half-century. Declines in and depletion of many historically important species reduced the diversity of exploited species, making the species composition of the catch more homogenous in recent years. Length-at-catch of 11 of the 12 most important species were below their respective lengths-at-maturity and optimal lengths (obtained from Fishbase) in recent years, indicating overfishing. The most overfished species were large-bodied and found in the Congo mainstem. These results show the approach can suitably assess data-less SSF. Fishers’ knowledge produced data at a fraction of the cost and effort of collecting fisheries landings data. Historical and current data on fish catch, length-at-catch, and species diversity can inform management and restoration efforts to curb shifting baselines of these fisheries. Classification of stock status allows prioritizing management efforts. The approach is easy to apply and generates intuitive results, having potential to complement the toolkits of researchers and managers working in SSF and engage stakeholders in decision-making processes.

Improved practices for forest management and fish smoking in Cameroon’s mangroves

Key messages

Mangrove forests, which serve as breeding grounds for fish and crustacea, contribute to livelihoods of communities living on Manoka Island in Cameroon. In the absence of sustainable management mechanisms, these same mangrove forests and livelihoods are under pressure due to overharvesting of wood for fish smoking.
Sustainable woodfuel value chain options for Manoka were identified through a scoping study and exchanges at a multistakeholder platform, which built the foundation for successful participation.
The improved brick and metal smokehouses, developed and tested in collaboration with a women’s fish-smoking association (AFUMA), reduced wood consumption by 33% and 88%, and smoking time from three days to two days and one day, respectively.
Forest conservation, forest production and reforestation zones were designated by the Manoka Community Forest management institution based on a consensual local land-use plan with stakeholders.
Plan Vivo, as the chosen environmental standard, contributed to the successful submission of a Project Idea Note (PIN) for a planned PES project and to developing the community’s own code of conduct for improved management of mangrove forests.
The sustainability of interventions to reverse the mangrove forest degradation and deforestation trends on the island depends on further appropriation by the local council and other stakeholders, as well as on their capacity to replicate and scale up improved management, harvesting and smoking practices.

Worrying decline of fish in the Congo River: Evidence from a site in Tshopo Province

Key messages

Evidence shows severe decline in many fish species in site along the Congo River in Tshopo Province
Fish are essential sources of nutrients in local diets and important for livelihoods
Urgent need for better management of fisheries before problem becomes even worse
Any management solution will depend on active participation of the fishers themselves

Quantifying the contribution of mangroves to local fish consumption in Indonesia: a cross-sectional spatial analysis

Indonesia has lost more mangroves than any other country. The importance of mangroves for carbon storage and biodiversity is well recognised, but much less is known about what they contribute to the communities living near them who are called on to protect them. Malnutrition in Indonesia is high, with more than a third of children stunted, partly due to poor diets. Fish are nutrient-rich and are the most widely consumed animal source food in Indonesia, making the relationship between mangroves and fish consumption of great importance. Aquaculture is also tremendously important for fish production in Indonesia and has replaced large areas of mangroves over the last two decades. We performed a cross-sectional, spatial analysis in this study. We combined data on fish consumption for rural Indonesian coastal households from the Indonesian National Socioeconomic Survey with spatial data on mangrove forest and aquaculture area from the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry to create a cross-sectional spatial dataset. Using a mixed-effects regression model, we estimated to what extent living in proximity to different densities of mangroves and aquaculture was associated with fresh fish consumption for rural coastal households. Our sample included 6741 villages with 107 486 households in 2008. The results showed that rural coastal households residing near high-density mangroves consumed 28% (134/477) more fresh fish and other aquatic animals, and those residing near medium-density mangroves consumed 19% (90/477) more fresh fish and other aquatic animals, than coastal households who did not live near mangroves. Coastal households that lived near high-density aquaculture consumed 2% (9/536) more fresh fish, and those that lived near medium-density aquaculture consumed 1% (3/536) less, than other rural coastal households.

Technical Report on Site Based Research in Ghana and The Gambia: Land-seascape Food and Nutrition Profiles

Diversified food system strategies can improve food composition and income sources for women oyster harvesting communities dependent on seasonal fishery activities. This study focused on women shellfishers in Densu Estuary, Narkwa Lagoon, and Whin Estuary in Ghana and in Tanbi, Bulock, and Allahein estuaries in The Gambia, and to understand the status and opportunities for increasing the use of biodiversity to meet seasonal food and dietary needs. Research activities included site scoping assessments, 21 focus group discussions in Ghana (5) and The Gambia (16) and 356 random household interviews in Ghana (211) and The Gambia (145). In addition, data validation and feedback discussion meetings were conducted with communities across the six study sites. Overall, assembled data covered household livelihood characteristics, food production, food types, seasonality and expenditure attributes, tree planting, nurseries, species diversity and management, local food portfolios, and oyster and fisheries resource use challenges.

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