Quantitative incorporation of fishers’ spatial access priorities into strategic conservation planning and fisheries management

Yates, KL; Schoeman, DS

Abstract

Both marine conservation and fisheries management are increasingly incorporating spatial tools such as marine protected areas (MPAs) and seasonal closures. To be able to develop spatial management plans that minimise negative impacts on the fishing community, whilst still fulfilling conservation needs, planners need quantitative data on which parts of the sea are most important to fishers. However, these sorts of data are often lacking or incomplete. Here we show how these data can be obtained through spatial access priority mapping (SAPM), a novel method of participatory mapping that can be used to produce quantitative data for any fishery (Yates & Schoeman, 2013). Unlike the use of remote-sensing data, SAPM actively engages fishers, documenting rather than inferring their priorities. The resultant maps provide a clear visual indication of which areas are most important to fishers and where spatial restrictions might cause greatest conflict. We also show how the quantitative data generated by SAPM can be incorporated into planning software, which allows planners to analyse the relative impact of different management options on the fishing industry and facilitates more holistic conservation planning. This research demonstrates how fishers’ spatial priorities can be incorporated into management in a transparent, quantitative way using SAPM.

Citation

Yates, K., & Schoeman, D. (2014). Quantitative incorporation of fishers’ spatial access priorities into strategic conservation planning and fisheries management. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 72(2), 587-594. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsu122

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Conference Name: ICES ASC 2013
• Start Date: Jan 1, 2013
• Acceptance Date: Jun 17, 2014
• Publication Date: Jul 22, 2014
• Deposit Date: Feb 1, 2017
• Journal: ICES Journal of Marine Science
• Print ISSN: 1054-3139
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Volume: 72
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 587-594
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsu122
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsu122
• Related Public URLs: https://academic.oup.com/icesjms
• Additional Information: Event Type : Conference