Eriksson H et al. (2012), Mobility, expansion and management of a multi-s...

ECB-ART-42408

PLoS One 2012 Jan 01;74:e35504. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0035504.

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Mobility, expansion and management of a multi-species scuba diving fishery in East Africa.

Eriksson H , de la Torre-Castro M , Olsson P .

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BACKGROUND: Scuba diving fishing, predominantly targeting sea cucumbers, has been documented to occur in an uncontrolled manner in the Western Indian Ocean and in other tropical regions. Although this type of fishing generally indicates a destructive activity, little attention has been directed towards this category of fishery, a major knowledge gap and barrier to management. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: With the aim to capture geographic scales, fishing processes and social aspects the scuba diving fishery that operate out of Zanzibar was studied using interviews, discussions, participant observations and catch monitoring. The diving fishery was resilient to resource declines and had expanded to new species, new depths and new fishing grounds, sometimes operating approximately 250 km away from Zanzibar at depths down to 50 meters, as a result of depleted easy-access stock. The diving operations were embedded in a regional and global trade network, and its actors operated in a roving manner on multiple spatial levels, taking advantage of unfair patron-client relationships and of the insufficient management in Zanzibar. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: This study illustrates that roving dynamics in fisheries, which have been predominantly addressed on a global scale, also take place at a considerably smaller spatial scale. Importantly, while proposed management of the sea cucumber fishery is often generic to a simplified fishery situation, this study illustrates a multifaceted fishery with diverse management requirements. The documented spatial scales and processes in the scuba diving fishery emphasize the need for increased regional governance partnerships to implement management that fit the spatial scales and processes of the operation.

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Genes referenced: LOC100887844 LOC752814

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	Figure 1. Sea cucumbers from ecosystem to market.a) Aerial view over Ukombe reef, Kwale and Pungume Islands, which were frequently visited fishing grounds by scuba divers in this study, b) Scuba diving fishers catch (Actinopyga miliaris, Bohadscia subrubra, B. vitiensis, Holothuria fuscogilca, H.isuga, H. lessoni, Theleonota ananas, T. anax) in Mkokotoni, Zanzibar, c) sun drying of various varieties of bêche-de-mer in Mtoni, Zanzibar, d) Shark-fins and bêche-de-mer for sale on Queen's Road West in Hong Kong. Photos: Hampus Eriksson.
	Figure 2. Map of Zanzibar (Unguja Island).Villages where the scuba diving fishery was studied are indicated with grey dots.
	Figure 3. Spatial scale of the scuba diving operation and trade in Zanzibar.a) Local routes of operation with point of origin for both shorter and longer (regional) fishing voyages, b) regional geographic scales of operation for fishing voyages and reported areas where exporters in Zanzibar receive catch or products from, c) reported export destinations from exports during 2001–2008.
	Figure 4. Distribution of catch value between target species for high and low season.Sea cucumbers and other target species contribution to total catch value for trips undertaken during high (December) and low (May) season by the five monitored boats in the Zanzibar scuba diving fishery. n = number of trips during each season.
	Figure 5. Catch and value per unit effort.Plot of the species-specific mean catch per unit effort (CPUE: in pieces of catch per trip) and value per unit effort (VPUE: TSZ per trip) for 55 trips undertaken by scuba diving fishing teams during high (December) and low (May) season in Zanzibar. Whiskers are SE confidence intervals. Diving time per trip was between 4–4.5 hours and the number of divers per trip was 4–5. Stars indicate per-piece commercial value where; * = Low value = Medium value * = High value. Data point “sea cucumbers” is the pooled CPUE and VPUE for all sea cucumber species.

References [+] :

Agnew, Estimating the worldwide extent of illegal fishing. 2009, Pubmed