This paper identifies, critiques, and offers suggestions for successful fisheries change initiatives to reduce bycatch. Through analysis of interviews and a workshop with fisheries change agents, we identified six themes. The first theme is that definitions of success varied between change initiatives. The other five themes relate to perceptions of best practices for change initiatives. They are the importance of (1) engaging diverse, motivated stakeholders in the initiative, in addition to fishers, (2) identifying and articulating clear benefits to fishers, (3) communicating with fishers early and throughout the initiative, particularly through face-to-face interactions and videos, (4) demonstrating positive change agent qualities, and (5) executing an appropriate and well-timed project. These best practices are widely recognized but have not consistently yielded widespread change. We hypothesize this is partly due to fisheries change agents being financially constrained, not measuring outcomes, and not having the proper training, such as knowledge of change management and human behaviour theories. We highlight one especially promising theory, change readiness, which includes cognitive and affective change readiness. We discuss the need to develop affective change readiness among fishers, given that change management research shows that emotions play an important role in the uptake of new ideas and changes.

Two bycatch reduction initiatives in Australia's Northern Prawn Fishery were evaluated through the lens of a comprehensive change management model. This model combines the constructs of change Type, Readiness, Process, Inertia, and Time, and was developed because gear researchers have a poor record facilitating the voluntary uptake of proven fishing gear, including bycatch reduction devices. This evaluation identified where efforts by gear researchers to facilitate change in this fishery did and did not achieve desired outcomes. It identified differences in change type, precursors to change, and readiness of fishers to change, although extension activities were similar for both initiatives. No attempts were made to influence their affective readiness to change. During the second initiative, the process of overcoming inertia was influenced by a well-respected industry body. With a clear vision and improved fisher readiness to change, achievement of desired outcomes was relatively straightforward and less controversial. The proactive application of this model in the fishing industry awaits. However, this evaluation implies it is a useful road map to guide and inspire change in this industry. In the future, efforts to realize change must include consideration of affective change readiness, establishment of a guiding coalition, and promulgation of a clear vision.

The iconic Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua Linnaeus, 1758) has inspired a substantial body of fishing-gear research across its geographical range, with recent efforts predominately to reduce catches of this species in fisheries where their populations are fragile. Despite their iconic status and long history of study compared to other species, our understanding of cod behaviour during the capture process in a bottom trawl remains frustratingly limited. Much of our understanding is derived indirectly through catch results, supported to a limited extent by direct observations of cod in situ or held in laboratories. In this paper, we describe four research challenges and directions that we consider critical to advance our knowledge of cod behaviour, and ultimately, to improve the selectivity of bottom trawls to reduce catches of cod. These include the resurrection of behavioural research to directly observe and measure their reaction and sensory capabilities, and improved interpretation of their behaviour in response to a bottom trawl. It is also our view that progress in limiting catches of cod should emphasize stimulating avoidance in advance or at the mouth of an approaching bottom trawl, rather than retrospectively attempting to do so after they have entered the trawl mouth.

A team of researchers, fishermen, and a netmaker in New England developed an ultra-low-opening trawl (ULOT) with a goal to reduce catches of overfished Atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua) without loss of catches of other commercially important flatfish species. Use of the ULOT reduced catch rates of Atlantic cod by a mean of 48.0 kg/h (46.8%) compared with the use of a standard bottom trawl. It also reduced catch rates of American plaice (Hippoglossoides platessoides) by a mean of 9.5 kg/h (14.3%) but not catch rates of 3 other commercial species and 1 taxonomic group that also dominated catch. Length-based reductions in catch rates were observed, primarily for undersized American plaice (<30.5 cm in total length [TL]), mid-range yellowtail flounder (Limanda ferruginea) (36- 38 cm TL), and large witch flounder (Glyptocephalus cynoglossus) (>40 cm TL). Mean ULOT headrope height was 0.73 m, and 9.1% of fuel was saved. Economic evaluation indicated that the ULOT can increase profitability and fishing time by 53.7% and 88.1%, respectively, confirming that it is a viable option for fishermen to avoid Atlantic cod while accessing quota of more abundant groundfish species.

The myth of voluntary uptake of proven fishing gear: investigations into the challenges inspiring change in fisheries Stephen Eayrs* and Michael Pol 2 Gulf of Maine Research Institute, 350 Commercial Street, Portland, ME 04101, USA Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, 836 South Rodney French Blvd, New Bedford, MA 02744, USA *Corresponding author: tel: þ1 207 228 1659; e-mail: steve@gmri.org.

We describe an investigation into the challenges faced by fishing gear technologists inspiring the voluntary uptake of proven fishing gear by fishers, defined as fishing gear that has satisfied research objectives following field trials between fishers and fishing gear technologists. We applied a multifaceted approach to understand how the uptake rate of this fishing gear can be achieved based on the results of a 3-year ICES-FAO Working Group on Fishing Technology and Fish Behaviour (WGFTFB) topic group on change management in fisheries. This was supported by an online survey and interview of WGFTFB members, comprising mainly of fishing gear technologists and researchers from Europe and North America, and a review of projects in the US Northwest Atlantic to evaluate the performance of fishing gear in close collaboration with fishers. We found that widespread voluntary uptake of proven fishing gear by fishers is rare, and usually takes place over many years if at all. The uptake of this gear was more likely occur in the face of perceived financial benefit or impending regulation, although financial benefit was not always sufficient inducement for fishers change their gear. The effectiveness of outreach programmes to inspire the uptake of this gear was also found to be questionable, and the efficacy of incentives was limited and inconsistent, even if the informational deficit of fishers was low. Few WGFTFB members were found to use change management models such as that by Kotter, and they relied mainly on informal, ad hoc approaches to inspire the uptake of proven fishing gear. Based on our findings we posit a need to (i) examine our assumptions about the behaviour of fishers, (ii) augment communication of the results of fishing gear research, (iii) focus on emotions to overcome motivational deficits, and (iv) consider how the application of change management models can improve the ability of fishing gear technologists to inspire the uptake of proven fishing gear by fishers.

Climate change is affecting marine ecosystems, fish populations, fisheries, and fishing communities around the world. While climate-related changes in fish productivity and distribution have been widely documented, these effects often have not been incorporated into locally-relevant climate assessments. For Northeast US fishing communities from Maine to Virginia, we have developed port-scale assessments of social-ecological vulnerability to climate change based on species vulnerability assessments and distribution projections, current resource use and dependence, and adaptive capacity. In four communities, we work closely with fishing industry participants and municipal leaders to identify adaptation strategies of local interest and evaluate the potential benefits of implementing these strategies through a set of bioeconomic models. We also map barriers and facilitators associated with specific adaptation …

Two bycatch reduction devices (BRDs): a juvenile and trash fish excluder device (JTED) and a square-mesh panel (SMP), were tested in the Persian Gulf shrimp fishery from a small-scale shrimp trawler in October-November 2012. Each device was alternatively tested by using a small-mesh cover net to retain individuals that escaped the BRDs. Three valuable fish speciestigertooth croaker (Otolithes ruber), silver pomfret (Pampus argenteus) and silver sillago (Sillago sihama)were selected for detailed analyses. Average escapement rates by number for commercial species in the trawl nets with either JTED or SMP were calculated as 24% and 33%, respectively. There were significant differences in escapement rates for Otolithes ruber and Sillago sihama between JTED and SMP (p<.05). In both BRDs, Pampus argenteus had the smallest escapement rate. A two-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test detected a significant difference (p<.05) in the length-frequency of Sillago sihama, and Otolithes ruber captured in the codend and cover net equipped with JTED. Selectivity curves of both BRDs indicated that for each species, the length of 50% retention probability (L50) was substantially smaller than the length at maturity (Lm), except for Otolithes ruber. From an ecological perspective, the codend equipped with SMP was superior to the codend equipped with JTED because it retained substantially fewer under-sized fish and had the smallest selection range. It therefore seems that replacing the standard codend with a codend equipped with SMP provides the best outcome for the fishery whereby fishermen will increase their catches of larger fish while simultaneously reducing their under-sized fish catches.

Low quotas of Atlantic cod in the New England groundfish fishery may restrict fishing with trawls for mixed stocks of groundfish. Previous studies using topless trawls (i.e. trawls with a headrope more than 20% longer than the footrope) in this region showed reductions of cod, but also reductions in species of flatfish. In May and June 2011, we tested a topless trawl on a commercial trawler with a much greater headrope to footrope ratio and greater flotation than previous studies in the region. Thirty haul-pairs were successfully conducted and demonstrated a 51% reduction in the catch of cod, with no significant loss of any flatfish species, except for a significant loss of sublegal American plaice. Our results suggest that a topless trawl can be an effective method of cod avoidance for fishermen in the region, without substantial loss of landable flatfish. We infer from the results that: cod rise in response to an approaching trawl footrope and sand cloud; headrope layback may not be a critical value in the effectiveness of topless trawl designs; and, headrope flotation, particularly in the center of the headrope, may be an important factor in retaining flatfish. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Management and technical approaches that achieve a sustainable level of fish production while at the same time minimizing or limiting the wider ecological effects caused through fishing gear contact with the seabed might be considered to be ‘best practice’. To identify future knowledge-needs that would help to support a transition towards the adoption of best practices for trawling, a prioritization exercise was undertaken with a group of 39 practitioners from the seafood industry and management, and 13 research scientists who have an active research interest in bottom-trawl and dredge fisheries. A list of 108 knowledge-needs related to trawl and dredge fisheries was developed in conjunction with an ‘expert task force’. The long list was further refined through a three stage process of voting and scoring, including discussions of each knowledge-need. The top 25 knowledge-needs are presented, as scored separately by practitioners and scientists. There was considerable consistency in the priorities identified by these two groups. The top priority knowledge-need to improve current understanding on the distribution and extent of different habitat types also reinforced the concomitant need for the provision and access to data on the spatial and temporal distribution of all forms of towed bottom-fishing activities. Many of the other top 25 knowledge-needs concerned the evaluation of different management approaches or implementation of different fishing practices, particularly those that explore trade-offs between effects of bottom trawling on biodiversity and ecosystem services and the benefits of fish production as food

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) requires US fishery management plans to minimize, to the extent practicable, the adverse effects of fishing on essential fish habitats (EFHs). To meet this requirement, fishery managers would ideally be able to quantify such effects and visualize their distributions across space and time. Here, we develop a framework to quantify and assess benthic impacts of the six most common bottom-tending gears (>99% of bottom-tending fishing effort) in New England: otter trawls, scallop dredges, hydraulic clam dredges, gillnets, longlines, and traps. We first conducted a comprehensive review of the habitat impacts literature relevant to Northeast USA fishing gears and seabed types. We then used this information to develop a framework for generating and organizing quantitative susceptibility (based on percent loss of structural habitat from a single interaction with the gear) and recovery (i.e., the time required for recovery of lost structure) parameters for each biological (e.g., sponges, ascidians, mollusks) and geological (e.g., mud burrows, sand ripples, cobble, and boulder piles) feature common to the following five substrates: mud, sand, granule-pebble, cobble, and boulder in low-and high-energy environments.In general, we found that both susceptibility and recovery scores were highest for hydraulic dredges, slightly lower for otter trawls and scallop dredges, and much lower for fixed gears (i.e., gillnets, longlines, and traps). For bottom trawls and scallop dredges, geological features in mud, sand, and cobble-dominated substrates were more susceptible to gear impacts than features found in granule-pebble and boulder substrates. Meanwhile, biological features were largely equally susceptible to impacts across the five substrate types. Average susceptibility scores for both biological and geological substrate features were not affected by energy level. Average recovery times for geological features affected by bottom trawls and dredges were much longer in low-energy granule-pebble, and low-and high-energy cobble and boulder than in mud and sand substrates. Meanwhile, there was no difference among substrates or energy levels for biological feature recovery times. These results collectively suggest that cobble and boulder substrates are the most vulnerable to impacts from mobile bottom-tending gear. Recovery from the relatively minor impacts caused by fixed gear required slightly longer in the three coarser substrate types than in mud and sand. Our findings highlight the importance of considering the resilience of specific components of habitat such as emergent epifauna or geological formations that serve as EFH by providing shelter and a source of food for fish. When coupled with the distribution of geological substrates and energy environments that exist in a particular region, our framework offers fisheries resource managers a tool to assess gear-specific spatial impacts on benthic substrates and identify benthic habitat vulnerability hotspots.

Change is an important feature of commercial fisheries; yet the fishing industry, including fishers, fishery management authorities, and other stakeholders, is, in many respects, highly resistant to change. Examples of this include the application of conservation engineering solutions to bycatch problems and transitions towards ecosystem-based fishery management. A key reason for this resistance may be conditioning, cultural conservatism, and uncertainty. Change is often considered uncontrollable and unpredictable and a threat to established processes and systems that forces individuals to face an unknown future. In the business world, many models of change management have been applied to assist individuals and corporations in responding to an ever-changing environment. While fragments of these models have been applied in a fisheries context, the deliberate application of entire models has not. The application of these models could help to improve many aspects of fishery-dependent data collection such as using fishery-dependent information in stock assessment, implementing technologies such as vessel monitoring systems and electronic logbooks, and sharing information that is traditionally not shared. We present a well-known model for change management and describe how its application in a fisheries context can guide change initiatives and produce enhanced outcomes. We also explore how competing commitments and big assumptions influence a fisher's resistance to change, including conservation engineering initiatives, and posit how this can influence their involvement in the collection of fishery-dependent data.

Abundant cod have supported a commercial fishery in the Gulf of Maine for more than 400 years. In 2008, after decades of overfishing, the Gulf of Maine cod stock appeared poised for recovery as the industry began the transition to a catch share-based management system known as sectors. However, a subsequent assessment in 2011 found that the stock was still overfished. Beginning with the 2013 fishing year, quotas of Gulf of Maine cod will be reduced by 78%, dealing a sharp blow to an already struggling industry. Here, we review potential causes for the lack of recovery of the stock and suggest strategies to build the sustainability of the stock and the industry. We highlight the value of understanding the impact of environmental changes, including rising temperatures and changes in forage fish abundance, and the need to develop a comprehensive picture of stock structure and life history variability. Including environmental conditions and more realistic stock structure in assessment models is necessary to accurately monitor the stock and to design new management strategies. Finally, the steep cut in cod quotas creates a strong incentive for fishermen to reduce their catch of cod while targeting more abundant species such as pollock. Innovations in fishing gear and business planning could help the industry be more profitable by reducing fuel costs and maximizing the value of their catch. The steep challenges facing cod and the cod fishery are shared by many other fisheries, and strategies to understand and rebuild this stock and its fishery should be transferrable to other fisheries struggling to adapt to climate and