The Skimmer & MPA News

• New marine planning and management trainings added to Skimmer database
• Report assesses challenges and opportunities facing ocean economy post-COVID
• New information hub for monitoring, forecasting, managing, researching Sargassum
• New policy brief links ecological connectivity to effective ocean governance
• UN published framework for MSP in high seas
• Review of economic impacts of MSP available
• Guide provides guidance and examples for drafting MSP legislation
• Sharks missing from 19 percent of world’s coral reefs
• Northeast Pacific and Northwest Atlantic experiencing marine heatwaves
• Viral and bacterial outbreaks among marine mammal populations on the rise
• La Niña conditions likely through at least Northern Hemisphere winter
• New ocean ecoprovince classification developed with machine learning
• More research shows microplastic in ocean vastly underestimated (here, here)
• Plastic flow into ocean could triple by 2040, but existing technologies could reduce current flow by 80%
• China revises rules for distant-water fishing fleets to curb illegal fishing, improve sustainability
• No countries meet 2020 targets for ocean-focused sustainable development goal
• COVID-19 pandemic makes achievement of SDG goals more unlikely
• Report suggests ways to strengthen Arctic Ocean management
• Study estimates benefits of protecting 30% of planet would outweigh costs 5:1

Editor’s note: In this series, The Skimmer is taking a look at the various ways that the pandemic is affecting marine ecosystems and their conservation and management. In April, we took an initial look at the impact of the pandemic on fisheries and aquaculture. In this issue, we cover how the pandemic is impacting coastal and marine tourism and the potential impacts of these changes on coastal and marine ecosystems. In future issues, we will examine the pandemic’s impact on plastic pollution, climate change, and more. We will update previous articles as we are able, so if you see critical aspects that we are missing from this and previous articles, please let us know at skimmer [at] octogroup.org.

In many ways, coastal and marine tourism has become a posterchild for the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the earliest and highest-profile cases of the mass spread of the COVID-19 virus happened aboard passenger cruise ships (here, here). Photos of crowded beaches have become synonymous with inadequate social distancing to prevent the virus’s spread. And photos of empty beaches show the devastating impacts of the pandemic on local economies.

The Skimmer asked coastal and marine tourism operators and experts from around the world (Indonesia, Brazil, the Mediterranean, the United States, and more) about the diverse ways that the COVID-19 pandemic is currently affecting coastal and marine tourism, how it is likely to change coastal and marine tourism in the future, and what impacts this is likely to have on coastal and marine ecosystems. Their responses (below) give reasons for both hope and concern.

Editor’s note: Jon Fisher is currently a conservation science officer at The Pew Charitable Trusts where he provides scientific expertise to inform and improve research projects and helps to increase the impact of scientific research. He was formerly a senior conservation scientist at The Nature Conservancy where he led and conducted research as a principal investigator and conducted internal theory of change work. He and co-authors recently published a paper “Improving scientific impact: how to practice science that influences environmental policy and management” in the journal Conservation Science and Practice. Fisher presented a webinar on this research to the OCTO networks (including the EBM Tools Network) in December 2019, and we highly recommend reading the paper and watching the webinar recording.

Skimmer: As you describe in your paper, a lot of scientific research that is intended to be applied isn’t ever used - because decision-makers are unaware of it, aren’t able to access it, don’t understand it, or don’t see it as relevant. Your recent paper outlines practical steps for improving the impact of science on decision making. Could you give us a summary of those steps?

Fisher: Sure, at a high level we recommend four steps:

1. Identify and understand the audience (e.g., a decision-maker with whom you can partner)
2. Clarify the need for evidence (i.e., how new information could lead to action)
3. Gather "just enough" evidence (i.e., so there is enough rigor to be credible without missing key decision-making deadlines or wasting resources on gathering extraneous information)
4. Share and discuss the evidence (i.e., help people learn about your results and motivate them to act on them).

These are guidelines rather than a strict recipe for success because there are many factors that determine the impact that research has. But following these steps improves the odds of research being influential. In fact, we ourselves have found that not following these steps in past projects has led to disappointing outcomes.

Editor’s note: The COVID-19 pandemic is dramatically affecting the lives of many, if not most, of Skimmer readers right now, and it may herald some broad societal changes in the coming years. For the next few months, The Skimmer will take a look at the various ways that the pandemic is affecting marine ecosystems and their conservation and management. We will do this in installments published every 1-2 weeks. In this issue, we take a look at how fisheries and aquaculture are being affected by the pandemic. We will update previous installments of our coverage, so if you see critical aspects that we are missing, please let us know at skimmer [at] octogroup.org (). Many thanks to the EBM Tools Network for some early tips on what was happening at the docks.

“The biggest crisis to hit the fishing industry ever”

• Fisheries and their attendant industries and communities across the globe – ranging from European to UK to South African to Indonesian to North American – are being devastated by problems starting fishing voyages, decreases in demand from large-scale buyers – particularly restaurants, and the shutdown of exports to Asia – particularly China. The head of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations called the COVID-19 pandemic “the biggest crisis to hit the fishing industry ever.”
   
  • In some countries, fishing vessels are stuck in port due to measures intended to decrease the spread of COVID-19, while in others countries, lack of demand for product, border closings, and trouble gathering crews and supplies are keeping fishers at home. Satellite data suggest that fishing activity has decreased dramatically – as much as 80 percent – in China and West Africa. Offshore fleets that can spend extended periods of time at sea because they can process and freeze fish at sea and/or offload catch to transshipment vessels seem to be maintaining effort, however.
     
  • Sales and prices for premium seafood products that are generally sold to restaurants – such as lobster, crabs, scallops, and wild salmon – have been hit particularly hard. US Maine lobster, which would normally sell for $10 a pound (boat price) at this time of year, is currently selling for under $3 a pound.
     
  • Many grocery stores have shut down their fish counters and are only selling the most popular, prepackaged seafood items to make restocking easier and satisfy demand for less perishable products. Fishing groups are starting to explore ways to increase direct sales of fresh seafood to consumers, but current direct-sale markets and supply lines are insufficient to deal with the mass quantities of fresh seafood that are now available.
     
  • Pandemic stories from the fisheries sector highlight the intense globalization and complexity of the seafood trade. Many countries, such as the UK, Canada, and the US export most of the catch from their domestic fisheries while importing most of the seafood that their residents eat. (Some catch is exported to take advantage of lower labor costs for processing fish and then reimported.) These complicated trade patterns are a massive liability to the industry as the pandemic shuts down normal trade routes.
     
  • Even as nations start to relax measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and open businesses and industries, safety concerns may continue to dog the seafood sector. Fishing vessels and crowded seafood processing facilities do not easily allow for physical distancing, and both commercial and recreational fisheries are potential vectors of COVID-19 to remote communities.
     
• As with other environmental issues, the impacts of the pandemic on fisheries depend on local circumstances. Some Kenyan fishers are experiencing a temporary boost in sales and prices as local buyers switch from frozen Chinese fillet imports to local catch from Lake Victoria. This boom is unlikely to be long-term, however, because Kenya typically only produces a third of the fish that it consumes, relying on China for much of the difference. Restrictions on imports from China may soon lead to more widespread protein shortages for the country.
   
  • Similar shortages of aquatic foods and increases in prices are likely to occur in many other areas, harming poor consumers who depend on seafood for protein and essential micronutrients.
     
  • And, in general, already vulnerable and marginalized small-scale fishers and the industries and communities that depend on them (e.g., fish vendors and fish processors) are likely be devastated by the pandemic as their access to coastal areas is restricted and fish markets are affected by shutdowns. There is relatively little news coverage of the impact of the pandemic on small-scale fishers, and Too Big To Ignore (a global research partnership) and the Ocean Frontier Institute are currently working to document how the pandemic is affecting small-scale fishers.
     
• The extent of the COVID-19 pandemic on recreational fisheries is not yet clear, but some recreational fisheries, including all recreational fisheries in the Mediterranean, have been closed.
   
• For some fisheries, decreases in fishing effort from commercial and recreational fisheries for an extended period of time could allow marine stocks to recover. If fishing effort stopped for a full spawning cycle, the biomass of some species, such as herring, could nearly double. However, the pandemic is also having some negative impacts on fisheries sustainability and management.
   
  • In some areas, fishing pressure is increasing on species that are commonly canned or frozen, e.g., small pelagics and tuna.
    
  • There are currently mass migrations of city dwellers to rural areas in some countries (e.g., in India and Kenya) due to urban shutdowns to slow the spread of COVID-19. These migrations may place further pressure on marine stocks and coastal ecosystems that are already stressed. Fishing is often an “occupation of last resort” when other employment opportunities and sources of income and food are limited.
     
  • Some countries are extending their fishing seasons, halting stock assessment surveys, and decreasing fisheries monitoring, both from onboard observers and fishing patrols. NOAA Fisheries in the US recently issued an emergency action allowing it to waive requirements for fisheries observers onboard vessels and at fish processing plants for the next six months if it is deemed necessary to protect public health and safety (e.g., of fishers and observers) and maintain fish supply to markets.
     
  • Many fisheries science and management meetings are being cancelled.
     
  • Leading seafood sustainability rating organization Seafood Watch has had to substantially reduce its workforce through layoffs and furloughs.
     
• Marine aquaculture is being affected by many of the same factors as fisheries, including lack of demand for fresh seafood and trade restrictions. In addition, fish farmers are incurring expenses to continue feeding stocks that they are not harvesting, and they are running into problems importing brood stock.
   
• What else might the future hold for fisheries? A thought piece from the Center for Strategic and International Studies suggests some possibilities:
   
  • The reshoring of fisheries processing to avoid trade restrictions associated with the pandemic
  • Upticks in IUU fishing due to decreased monitoring
  • Increased transshipments at sea to enable longer trips to deal with restricted access to ports and decrease the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission to crews
  • Increases in human rights violations, including possible marooning of crew members displaying symptoms of disease.
     
• The UN Food and Agricultural Organization has a host of recommendations for mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the fisheries and aquaculture sectors and seafood consumers. Some recommendations include:
   
  • Government purchases of excess seafood supply for institutions such as prisons
  • Restricting fishing to levels that match demand to keep prices level
  • Direct financial assistance to fishing vessel owners and crews
  • Increased access to credit programs and loan forgiveness for seafood industry businesses
  • Reducing trade restrictions on food items
  • Increasing remote monitoring and surveillance of fishing activity.