Dear Colleagues,

The blue economy concept has developed strongly over the last decade or so. By 2030, the global blue economy is expected to be worth more than USD 3 trillion. Fisheries represent one of the oldest sectors of the blue economy, and involve crucial activity for income generation, employment, food security and poverty reduction in some of the world’s poorest countries. Fish remains one of the world’s most traded food commodities, with per capita consumption continuing to increase. However, global fisheries face significant challenges, including the impacts of marine litter, declining stocks, and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activity, all coupled with increasing demand from the world’s growing population. While fisheries are expected to remain a vital sector, particularly for developing countries, further sustainable expansion of the sector will require transformative blue policies.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to address the role of fisheries in a developing blue economy in both developing and developed country contexts. Contributions can be reviews, syntheses and original research relevant to the challenges and opportunities of developing sustainable fisheries under the blue economy concept.

Dr. Ben Drakeford
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fishes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Open AccessArticle

Sampling Error and Its Implication for Capture Fisheries Management in Ghana

by

Temiloluwa Jesutofunmi Akinyemi

,

Denis Worlanyo Aheto

and

Wisdom Akpalu

Fishes 2022, 7(6), 333; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes7060333 - 12 Nov 2022

Viewed by 925

Abstract

Capture fisheries in developing countries provide significant animal protein and directly supports the livelihoods of several communities. However, the misperception of biophysical dynamics owing to a lack of adequate scientific data has contributed to the suboptimal management in marine capture fisheries. This is [...] Read more.

Capture fisheries in developing countries provide significant animal protein and directly supports the livelihoods of several communities. However, the misperception of biophysical dynamics owing to a lack of adequate scientific data has contributed to the suboptimal management in marine capture fisheries. This is because yield and catch potentials are sensitive to the quality of catch and effort data. Yet, studies on fisheries data collection practices in developing countries are hard to find. This study investigates the data collection methods utilized by fisheries technical officers within the four fishing regions of Ghana. We found that the officers employed data collection and sampling procedures which were not consistent with the technical guidelines curated by FAO. For example, 50 instead of 166 landing sites were sampled, while 290 instead of 372 canoes were sampled. We argue that such sampling errors could result in the over-capitalization of capture fish stocks and significant losses in resource rents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fisheries and Blue Economy)

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Recent Advances in Tilapia Production for Sustainable Developments in Indian Aquaculture and Its Economic Benefits

by

Manikandan Arumugam

,

Sudharshini Jayaraman

,

Arun Sridhar

,

Vignesh Venkatasamy

,

Paul B. Brown

,

Zulhisyam Abdul Kari

,

Guillermo I. Tellez

and

Thirumurugan Ramasamy

Fishes 2023, 8(4), 176; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes8040176 (registering DOI) - 24 Mar 2023

Abstract

Tilapia is a widely cultured species native to Africa; these fish are prolific breeders and constitute an economically important fish species supplying higher-quality protein. To meet the global food demand and achieve the UN’s Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDG), the aquaculture industry has conceived [...] Read more.

Tilapia is a widely cultured species native to Africa; these fish are prolific breeders and constitute an economically important fish species supplying higher-quality protein. To meet the global food demand and achieve the UN’s Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDG), the aquaculture industry has conceived of productive solutions with the potential for adaptability, palatability, and profitability. Tilapia may play a vital role with respect to the possibility for sustainability in the nutrition and aquaculture sectors. India contributes to the promotion of aquacultural practices through a structural framework focused on agricultural, environmental, geographical, and socio-economic factors that provide opportunities for tilapia farming. Globally, the Indian aquaculture sector is currently the second largest in terms of aquacultural production but is moving toward different species that meet SDG and facilitate international marketing opportunities. The farming of aquacultural species with innovative technology constitutes an efficient use of resources. Productive research on feeding, disease management, construction, and layout helps overcome the challenges faced in aquaculture. These focused and sustained factors of the aquaculture industry offer a latent contribution to global food security. This review reports on the state of the art, the challenges regarding tilapia aquaculture in India, and the Indian government’s schemes, missions, subsidies, projects and funding related to tilapia production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fisheries and Blue Economy)

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Title：Changes in the distribution of the seapen Funiculina quadrangularis in the central Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean basin) in response to variations of trawling intensity

Author：Michela Martinelli

Abstract：The overexploitation of marine resources, especially by means of bottom trawling, can change or degrade habitats and have a negative impact on marine ecosystems. A variety of management techniques can be adopted also taking into account the presence of sensitive species as ecosystem health indicators. Epibenthic organisms, such as sponges and sea pens are among the most used species to assess the benthic condition. Funiculina quadrangularis is not a target for fishing activities but may be a by-catch due to the the facts that it shares the same habitat (on sandy-muddy sediments) of Norway lobster and Pink shrimps, two of the most important commercial crustacean in the Mediterranean. In fact, F. quadrangularis populations are declining in areas where trawling activities targeting these species are intense.

One of the principal fishing grounds in the Adriatic Sea is the Pomo/Jabuka Pits area, which is shared by the Italian and Croatian fleets and is characterised by three depressions with a maximum depth of around 270 meters. This represents an Essential Fish Habitat as is a nursery area for European hake, hosts a population of small-but-dense Norway lobster and a significant abundance of pink shrimps. This area has been subjected over the years to various management measures to regulate fishing activities. Thanks to a series of UnderWater TeleVision surveys carried out from 2009 to 2011 (except for 2011 and 2018) it was possible to quantify F. quadrangularis abundance distribution and variation in the area and put this in relation with the management measures in place. In total, 3244 minutes of video were analysed for a total of about 85541 m2 of the seabed. The monitored area was split in cells and the average density (n/m2) of F. quadrangularis colonies was calculated for 3 time steps, according to the changes over time of the management actions determining changes in spatial distribution of fishing efforts: BEFORE implementation of measures (before 1 July 2015), INTERMEDIATE period in which the limitations changed in time and space various times  (from 2 July 2015 as 31 August 2017), and AFTER the implementation of a Fishery Restricted Area including zones with different levels of protection  (from 1 September 2017 to 1 January 2020; then become permanent). Indeed F. quadrangularis showed a relatively rapid increase in colonies density in areas totally closed to fishery, even after a short period of closure. These results suggest how the establishment of some management measures can positively influenced an epibenthic community and on the other hand, how F. quadrangularis can be used as an indicator of impact and/or recovery of a habitat.