Artisanal fish fences pose broad and unexpected threats to the tropical coastal seascape

Dan A. Exton (), Gabby N. Ahmadia, Leanne C. Cullen-Unsworth, Jamaluddin Jompa, Duncan May, Joel Rice, Paul W. Simonin, Richard K. F. Unsworth and David J. Smith
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Dan A. Exton: Operation Wallacea, Wallace House, Old Bolingbroke
Gabby N. Ahmadia: Oceans Conservation, World Wildlife Fund
Leanne C. Cullen-Unsworth: Cardiff University
Jamaluddin Jompa: Hasanuddin University
Duncan May: Rientraid, Drumbeg Road
Joel Rice: Rice Marine Analytics
Paul W. Simonin: Cornell University
Richard K. F. Unsworth: Project Seagrass
David J. Smith: University of Essex, Colchester

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Gear restrictions are an important management tool in small-scale tropical fisheries, improving sustainability and building resilience to climate change. Yet to identify the management challenges and complete footprint of individual gears, a broader systems approach is required that integrates ecological, economic and social sciences. Here we apply this approach to artisanal fish fences, intensively used across three oceans, to identify a previously underrecognized gear requiring urgent management attention. A longitudinal case study shows increased effort matched with large declines in catch success and corresponding reef fish abundance. We find fish fences to disrupt vital ecological connectivity, exploit > 500 species with high juvenile removal, and directly damage seagrass ecosystems with cascading impacts on connected coral reefs and mangroves. As semi-permanent structures in otherwise open-access fisheries, they create social conflict by assuming unofficial and unregulated property rights, while their unique high-investment-low-effort nature removes traditional economic and social barriers to overfishing.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10051-0

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