Fisheries

Tropical fisheries substantially contribute to the well-being of societies in both the tropics and the extratropics, the latter through ‘telecoupling’ — linkages between distant human–natural systems. Tropical marine habitats and fish stocks, however, are vulnerable to the physical and biogeochemical oceanic changes associated with rising greenhouse gases. These changes to fish stocks, and subsequent impacts on fish production, have substantial implications for the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

In Nigeria, like many coastal developing countries, fish is an important source of food for the population, which is currently estimated at 186 million people (World Bank 2016). A recent study estimated that Nigeria ranks third globally for the number of people dependent on coastal fisheries for food and nutrition security, and the demand for fish is growing, alongside growth in population and incomes. However, household fish consumption in Nigeria—measured at 13.3 kg/capita/year—is low compared with the world’s average of 20.3 kg/capita/year (FAO 2018).

Although as of June 1, 2020, Solomon Islands had no coronavirus cases, there was a national economic recession plus restrictions on people’s movement, gatherings, education and business activities. For rural areas, two of the biggest changes have been increased circulation of people—those who moved out of Honiara and back to the provinces—and reduced cash flow. Food trade is impacted by a lack of cash in circulation, meaning reduced marketing of foods in villages and a rise in bartering of fish for other foods.

Meeting notes from the multi-stakeholder meeting in Penang, which was attended by more than 40 representatives of environmental NGOs (ENGOs), social justice NGOs, research organizations, intergovernmental organizations, fishers’ movements, fisher representative platforms and indigenous peoples.

Climate change can alter conditions that sustain food production and availability, with cascading consequences for food security and global economies. Here, we evaluate the vulnerability of societies to the simultaneous impacts of climate change on agriculture and marine fisheries at a global scale.

Our research contributes to understanding actionable knowledge for sustainability using a before-after intervention with fishing and farming community representatives in a situation of conflicting water, energy, food, and livelihoods priorities in rural Cambodia. We explain why reducing uncertainty and building consensus on action through participatory research could potentially catalyze new behavior that promotes sustainability and test how this happens in our intervention.

Efforts to confront the challenges of environmental change and uncertainty include attempts to adaptively manage social–ecological systems. However, critical questions remain about whether adaptive management can lead to sustainable outcomes for both ecosystems and society. Here, we make a contribution to these efforts by presenting a 16-y analysis of ecological outcomes and perceived livelihood impacts from adaptive coral reef management in Papua New Guinea.

Funded by the United States Agency for International Development, this project is led by WorldFish in collaboration with the Fisheries & Animal Resources Development Department of the Indian state of Odisha, along with several private sector companies. Its aim is to improve food and nutrition security in Odisha by increasing the supply of and access to affordable, safe, nutrient-rich fish and fish products for greater consumption.