Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been used as a conservation measure for decades, but critics continue to argue that evidence of their economic benefits is weak, particularly with regard to fisheries.
Given the challenges in establishing MPAs, including objections from fisheries and the frequently small size and sub-optimal location of protected areas, one would expect their economic benefits to be hard to detect.
My new study reviews 81 publications about MPAs in 37 countries. It shows their establishment has resulted in benefits to commercial fisheries in 25 countries and to tourism in 24. These benefits covered a diversity of ecosystems, including coral reefs, kelp forests, mangroves, rocky reefs, salt marshes, mudflats and sandy seabed habitats.
There were 46 examples of economic benefits to fisheries adjacent to a marine protected area. These include increased fish stocks and catch volumes, higher reproduction and larval “spillover” to fisheries outside the MPA. Other studies also reported larger fish and lobsters close to existing MPAs.
Despite claims in the research literature of fishery displacement due to the establishment of an MPA, it seems the benefits outweigh any temporary disruption of fishing activities.[continue...]
The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Barbara Creecy, would like to thank all the stakeholders for their invaluable contributions to the National Biodiversity Economy Strategy received during the Biodiversity Economy and Investment Indaba.
Working together, stakeholders developed a programme of action to address the challenges in the biodiversity sector. They identified key interventions which include sourcing financial support, gaining access to land for biodiversity projects, sourcing human capital development and scientific support, research, and securing market access for their products.
“Participants emphasised that an effective biodiversity economy must be based on growing and sustaining conservation land and seascapes that can sustain both non-consumptive and consumptive uses,”said Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Ms Barbara Creecy.
“Participants also argued that there are diverse successful approaches and enterprises associated with the biodiversity economy, many of which leverage value from otherwise marginal production land- and seascapes, and this diversity enhances ecological resilience and offers further potential for growth” the Minister added.
In the South African context, many participants said that the Biodiversity Sector as a whole urgently requires transformation.[...]
Marine conservation NGO Blue Marine Foundation has taken legal action against the U.K. government, claiming it has breached its own laws by repeatedly setting fishing quotas for more than half of U.K. stocks at levels higher than those guided by scientific advice.
The London, U.K.-based NGO is arguing that the government’s mismanagement of fish stocks is an irresponsible use of national assets and runs counter to the interests of the nation’s fishermen. The organization is also warning this overfishing will lead to the depletion of key species such as mackerel, Celtic Sea cod, monkfish, and Irish Sea whiting.
Author: Jason Holland / SeafoodSource l Read the full article here
Brexit has cost Scotland up to £100 million-a-year in ‘lost’ salmon exports, MSPs will hear from trade body Salmon Scotland’s chief executive Tavish Scott today.
Farming companies have faced increased red tape and costs triggered by the departure from the EU in January 2020. In 2019, there were more than 53,000 tonnes of Scottish salmon exported to the bloc, with the figure falling to 44,000 tonnes in 2023.
Source: fishfarmingexpert l Read the full article here
“Over the last 18 months, ASC has undertaken a strategic business review of internal operations and of current and future operational regions and markets
As a result of this business review, ASC has decided to phase out programme operations and cease investment in China.
Source: SalmonBusiness l Read the full article here
Prodesur SA is responsible for the "Tai-An" vessel, which was reported for illegal fishing
The Government of Argentina, through the Undersecretariat of Fisheries, confirmed a fine of more than 56 million pesos (60,300 euros) to the company Prodesur S.A., responsible for the "Tai-An" vessel, after the "historic confiscation" of nearly 139 tons of illegally caught toothfish, a commodity worth 2.5 billion pesos (more than 2.6 million euros).
Several companies reported that the vessel was illegally capturing toothfish.
Source: Industrias Pesqueras l Read the full article here
(IFOP), together with the Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Subpesca), presented the Oceanographic and Environmental Data Center program in the southern austral zone of Chile.
In February 2024, Vietnam's squid and octopus exports plummeted by 42%. Thus, cumulatively in the first 2 months of 2024, exports of squid and octopus decreased by 1%, reaching 89 million dollars.
The global bluefin tuna market is experiencing lower prices amid weakening demand in Asia.
Wholesale prices for imported bluefin tuna in Japan have fallen significantly in recent months. The wholesale price of imported fresh bluefin tuna at Tokyo's Toyosu market has fallen 23% from its peak in August 2023, reaching US$24.4/kg. Similarly, the wholesale price of imported frozen bluefin tuna fell to US$22.3/kg, representing a decrease of almost US$6.6/kg from the December 2022 peak.
Data from the Japan Fisheries Information Center (JAFIC) indicates a decline in consumption of frozen bluefin tuna. This trend is reflected in retail prices: in February, chu-toro sashimi (medium-fat tuna) imported from Malta sold in Tokyo supermarkets for US$5.32 per 100 grams, a significant reduction from 40% compared to December 2022 prices.
Consumption of bluefin tuna sashimi has declined in major Asian markets, including Japan, South Korea and China. This is also reflected in the 50% year-on-year drop in the average import price of Maltese bluefin tuna fillets, a major producer in the Mediterranean, to US$13/kg. Some importers attribute the drop in prices to the weakening purchasing power of South Korea, traditionally a competitive buyer of Mediterranean tuna.
Vietnam's fish paste and Surimi exports in February 2024 decreased sharply over the same period. By the end of February 2024, exports of this product group decreased by 14%, reaching 37 million USD.
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