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Local problems require local solutions for conserving endangered marine species

By Imran Samad, 22nd January 2025

Fisheries management and the conservation of endangered species often suffer from a lack of understanding of how, where, and when most such species are caught. This reflects the highly dynamic nature of nearshore fisheries comprising small-scale and commercial fishing which is difficult to understand using simple approaches. To overcome this challenge, we developed a new framework combining data from fish-landing site surveys, fisher interviews, GPS loggers, and VHR satellite imagery to estimate both the spatial footprint of different fisheries and their impact on the catch (often incidental) of different sharks, rays, and skates.

Recording catch data along with interviews with boat captain/staff can help assess areas of high bycatch risk. Photo © Imran Samad

While management often generalises the impacts of different fishing gears and habitat features on endangered species, we found weak evidence for it. By comparing two different locations with similar fishing operations but variable environments – Malvan and Visakhapatnam in the west and east coast respectively, we found that similar fishing practices can have different impacts on similar species depending on local contexts. For example, Malvan is a shallow region with a gentle slope compared to Visakhapatnam where the continental slope is much closer to the coast. This resulted in a greater number of large, pelagic species being caught in the same fishing gears (gillnets, hook and lines, and trawlers) in Visakhapatnam, as they occurred much closer to the coastline and so were accessible for capture. Therefore, the overall impacts of fishing gears were different in the two regions.

Large pelagic species such as the tiger shark were commonly caught in Visakhapatnam but were rarer in Malvan. Photo © Imran Samad

Our findings highlight the need for local level assessments of fishery dynamics and species (by)catch to conserve threatened species. Importantly, we recommend that generalisations about fishery impacts should be avoided when devising management guidelines. Instead, our interactions with locals suggest that management should focus on not only smaller regions but also different fisheries (e.g., artisanal vs commercial) separately since their operation dynamics differ significantly. Top-down approaches like spatio-temporal closures may jeopardise local livelihoods but working closely with locals to tailor peculiar solutions can prove useful.

Discussions with fishers not only provide insights into the intricacies and politics of fishing but also their views on management and support required from the government. Photo © Imran Samad

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