{"id":1101,"date":"2025-04-03T13:57:09","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T13:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/researchsupport\/?page_id=1101"},"modified":"2025-06-08T20:17:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-08T20:17:00","slug":"phase-iv-4","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/researchsupport\/phase-iv-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Phase IV – By Catch Assessment and Mitigation in Western Indian Ocean Fisheries"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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By Catch Assessment and Mitigation in Western Indian Ocean Fisheries<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Key Words<\/h6>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Southwestern Indian Ocean, Turtle exclusion devices, small-scale fisheries, marine megafauna, bycatch mitigation, elasmobranchs, marine mammals, sea turtles, fisheries governance, sustainable fisheries management, catch assessment.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Lead Institution<\/h6>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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  • Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, Kenya<\/span><\/li>
  • Institute of Fisheries Research, Zanzibar, Tanzania<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    December 2014 – November 2018<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Abstract <\/h6>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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    While there are considerable industrial marine fisheries in the southwestern Indian Ocean (SWIO), notably for tunas and crustaceans, regional Scale Fisheries (SFF) are of greater social importance, employing > 0.5 million fishers and contributing > 70% of regional marine fisheries\u2019 catches. Despite often being overlooked, SSF may impact marine ecosystems, thus, they reflect the global challenge of balancing conservation goals with communities\u2019 dependence on marine resources. Marine megafauna (elasmobranchs, marine mammals, and sea turtles) are vulnerable to fisheries and play important roles in marine ecosystems. Yet, little is known of the interactions between SWIO SSF and these species. This lack of information was the main driver for the WIOMSA\/MASMA-funded BYCAM project. The overall aim of BYCAM was to provide for future sustainable fisheries by creating a baseline estimate of current marine megafauna exploitation and subsequently developing and testing methods for the mitigation of vulnerable megafauna catches and to provide recommendations for future governance and management. BYCAM focussed on three fisheries with known bycatch problems: semi-industrial prawn trawls, small-scale coastal longlines, and gillnets.<\/span><\/p>

    BYCAM provides a much-needed first independent quantitative assessment of SFF catch in the SWIO region and demonstrates that current FAO data for elasmobranch catches are seriously underreported, whilst catches of both marine mammals and sea turtles are ongoing. The implication of catch underestimates in official data is that vulnerable elasmobranch species may be overexploited and, further, that the livelihood strategies of those relying on this catch are under threat. The project also demonstrates the need for a multi-method approach towards assessing marine megafauna interactions with SSF in the SWIO and other data-poor areas. The low-cost mitigation methods developed and trialled in the project to reduce bycatch of vulnerable megafauna are promising. Funding has been secured, and new trials with the bottle alarm and acoustic reflectors are underway. Further, there is considerable scope for more widespread use and implementation of TEDs in SWIO prawn trawls. The project has taken the first steps towards building governance frameworks to promote sustainable fisheries management within the WIO.<\/span><\/p>



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    The project aimed to assess and enhance fisheries monitoring and management across the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) by collecting and evaluating data on prawn trawl, coastal gillnet, and longline fisheries from Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, and Mozambique. It included gathering bycatch data for elasmobranchs, marine mammals, and sea turtles, and assessing the effectiveness of existing bycatch mitigation methods. The project also evaluated socio-economic perceptions and the importance of these species while analyzing life history parameters of high bycatch megafauna. Additionally, productivity-susceptibility analyses were conducted, alongside trials of various bycatch mitigation techniques. An updatable spatial database was created to map fisheries effort and bycatch levels, leading to informed recommendations for sustainable management and governance reforms in the region.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    \u2022 Conducted a quantitative assessment of small-scale fishery (SSF) catches in the SWIO.
    \u2022 Evaluated and reported on underreported FAO data for elasmobranch catches.
    \u2022 Investigated ongoing catches of marine mammals and sea turtles within the SSF context.
    \u2022 Developed and tested low-cost mitigation methods for vulnerable megafauna.
    \u2022 Implemented trials with bottle alarms and acoustic reflectors to reduce bycatch.
    \u2022 Promoted the use of TEDs (Turtle Excluder Devices) in SWIO prawn trawls.
    \u2022 Initiated the development of governance frameworks for sustainable fisheries management.
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