Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Marine resources – Scotland – Management'

Thesis: Ph. D., Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2016.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references.
Marine populations are increasingly subjected to changing conditions whether through harvest or through broad-scale habitat change. Historically, few models have accounted for such trends over time, and even fewer have been used to study how trends affect optimal harvests. I developed and analyzed several models that explore, first, endogenous change caused by harvest and, second, exogenous change from factors (such as rising ocean temperatures) outside harvesters' control. In these models, I characterized the profit-or yield-maximizing strategy when harvesting damages habitat in a multispecies fishery, when harvest creates a selective pressure on dispersal, and when rising temperatures cause changes in vital rates. I explore this last case in both deterministic and stochastic environments, and also allow the harvester to learn about unknown parameters of the stock recruitment model while harvesting. I also develop an unambiguous definition of and describe a statistical test for a shift in a species' spatial distribution. My results demonstrate that optimal harvesting strategies in a changing environment differ in important ways from optimal strategies in a constant environment.
by Emily Alison Moberg.
Ph. D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2007.
Title from first page of PDF file (viewed October 3, 2007). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 68-72).

This thesis adopts an interdisciplinary approach. It examines the development of marine and coastal policy in Indonesia and explores how well Indonesia is governing its marine and coastal space and resources and with what effects and consequences. This thesis uses a policy analysis framework, with legislative and institutional activity as the basic unit of analysis. Three factors are identified as having been the major influences on the evolution of marine and coastal policy in Indonesia. These are international law, marine science and “state of the art” marine and coastal management. The role of these factors in the management of the coastal zone, living and non-living marine resources, marine science and technology, the marine environment and relevant international relations are analysed and discussed in the Indonesian case. This thesis concludes that Indonesia’s major challenges in terms of sustainable marine and coastal development are (a) to establish an appropriate management regime, and (b) to formulate and implement a combination of measures in order to attain the objectives of sustainable development. The basic problem is the fact that currently, Indonesia is not a “marine oriented” nation. Therefore, marine and coastal affairs are not at the top of the public policy agenda. Principles of international instruments have influenced the establishment of marine and coastal policy and management in Indonesia. However, in the implementation of sound management practices, Indonesia faces many challenges. The distinctive characteristics of Indonesia as an archipelagic nation underpin the basic philosophy of marine and coastal policy and management. With the increasing priority of marine and coastal policy in national development, science and environmental aspects have been able to play a greater role in policy development. ii A number of lessons can be taken from the Australian experience that may have some relevance to how Indonesia meets the challenges of implementing its new marine and coastal policy. For example, Indonesia needs to follow the lead of Australia, establishing national principles, goals and objectives for the sustainable of Indonesia’s marine and coastal resources and the conservation, protection and restoration of the marine and coastal environment. The solution for major marine and coastal management problems between federal and states, such as Offshore Constitutional Settlement (OCS) and Intergovernmental Agreement on the Environment (IGAE), offer an attractive alternative for the implementation of regional autonomy in Indonesia. Also, there is a need for multi-stakeholder involvement throughout the policy development process. In readiness for the 21st Century, the Guidelines of State Policy (GBHN) 1999 stated a shift of paradigm from ‘terrestrial oriented’ towards ‘marine oriented’ development. Indonesia started to give more priority to marine and coastal development and now faces the challenges posed by the transition from issue analysis and planning to the implementation of policies. One way or the other, it is reasonable to conclude that new forces and new needs are likely to bring change and improvement to marine and coastal governance in Indonesia over the next decade or so. iii

Thesis (M.S. in Information Technology Management)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2006.
Thesis Advisor(s): Glenn Cook. "June 2006." Includes bibliographical references (p. 117-127). Also available in print.

By dealing with aspects of coastal aquaculture and resources management, an analysis is herein presented at the macro-scale using GIS techniques for the coastal zone of Tabasco state, and at the micro-scale with the description of the characteristics of a coastal community located in the Mecoacan estuary. Transfer of appropriate aquaculture technologies and introduction of sustainable farming systems are major challenges. The total area identified for aquaculture development through the GIS modelling accounted for 23 462 ha, 80% of which were located in the Centla Biosphere Reserve (Centla and Macuspana). The suitable area identified through the multi-criteria evaluation provided a structure in which requirements for aquaculture development could be met. An analysis of the fanning systems in the Mecoacan estuary was carried out to understand local attitudes, capabilities and processes and evaluate whether the potential identified by the GIS modelling can be realised. The results from participatory assessments showed that conditions within Mecoacan cooperatives have deteriorated and increasing interest in restructuring the organisations is regarded as a means of integrating employment and income generation alternatives such as aquaculture practices, to support and improve current levels of fisheries production, and to achieve gains in market development. The analysis of the economics of Mecoacan fishermen suggests that rural problems have not yet been engaged in progressive policies. It seems that previous forms of governance have been maintained to shore up power instead of laying the groundwork for viable rural production, as it is clear that some fishermen are competitive while others are not, regardless of whether or not they are associated in cooperatives. The large-scale exploitation of resources, degradation of the environment and increased conflict over resources in coastal communities suggest the need of an integrated multi-sectoral approach. A strategy towards an integrated coastal management for Tabasco coastal zone is discussed, including those related to aquaculture development.

Magister Administrationis - MAdmin
The living marine resources of South Africa belong to the people of the country. With a steady growth of the human population and the subsequent increased demand for food, it is imperative that the resources of our waters are managed for the optimal social and economic development of all South Africans. The ownership of the resources are vested in the state and it is, therefore, the state's responsibility to ensure that the chosen form of fisheries management promotes both sustainability and equity.

Throughout the Pacific, many species of echinoderms and molluscs have cultural value and are harvested extensively in subsistence fisheries. Many of these species are sedentary and often associated with distinct reef-top habitats. Despite the significance of reef habitats and their fauna for fisheries and biodiversity etc, little information has been available on the distribution of habitats and their influence on the reef-top fauna in the Cook Islands. This thesis developed a novel approach to assess the status of the shallow-water reef-tops of Rarotonga, Cook Islands, to provide critical information to fisheries and conservation managers. The approach used remote sensing (aerial photography with ground truthing) to map the spatial arrangement and extent of the entire reef-top habitats accurately, and historical wind data and coastline shape to determine the windward and leeward sides of the island. The benthic habitat maps and degree of wind exposure were used to design and undertake a stratified sampling programme to assess the distribution and abundance of the epibenthic macroinvertebrate fauna of the reef-top. I quantified the distribution and abundance of the epibenthic macroinvertebrates and how they varied with habitat, assessed the effectiveness of a traditional ra�ui (marine protected area) for conserving stocks of Trochus niloticus and other invertebrates, and investigated the reproductive biology and impacts of traditional gonad harvesting on Holothuria leucospilota. There were four major habitat types (rubble/rock, sand/coral matrix, algal rim and sand) identified, the most extensive being rubble/rock (45%) and sand/coral matrix (35%). The degree of exposure to winds was found to correlate with the reef development and habitat distribution. The assemblage composition of each major habitat type differed significantly from every other habitat. The rubble/rock habitat had the greatest substratum heterogeneity and structural complexity, and the highest number of species and individuals. The overall abundance of the fauna was dominated by holothurians (68%) and echinoids (30%), while Trochus niloticus and Tridacna maxima accounted for the remaining 2% of the total invertebrate assemblage. Clear habitat partitioning was also found for adult and juvenile Trochus niloticus and Tridacna maxima. In the traditional fishery for Holothuria leucospilota, the mature gonads of males are harvested by making an incision in the body-wall of the animal, removing the gonads and then returning the animal to the reef to allow regeneration. Monthly collections of H. leucospilota were used to describe the reproductive biology of this species. Gametogenesis and spawning were synchronous between the sexes and spawning occurred annually during summer, when water temperature and photoperiod were at their highest. Although the incision in the body-wall and gonad removal had no impact on the survival of H.leucospilota in experimental cages, their body weight, and general sheltering and feeding behaviors were affected. Gonads took at least 41 days to start regenerating, suggesting a considerable delay in the spawning of fished individuals. In 1998, five Rarotongan communities re-introduced the traditional ra�ui system of resource management, prohibiting all fishing and gathering from their reefs. The performance of the Nikao ra�ui, which had been put in place to allow trochus stocks to increase, was investigated. Comparisons of macroinvertebrate assemblage composition and species density were made between three fishing treatments, i.e. fished areas adjacent to the ra�ui, within the ra�ui after two years of protection, and in the ra�ui after it had been lifted for three weeks to allow a commercial trochus harvest. Analysis of variance on the count data for the twelve most abundant species, and non-metric multi-dimensional scaling indicated that there were no differences in the microhabitat or the invertebrate assemblage composition between the three fishing treatments. However, there were significant differences between the rubble/rock and sand/coral matrix habitat types. The results on the effectiveness of the Nikao ra�ui are equivocal, due to the small sample size, and the variability between samples which was highlighted by the wide confidence intervals. This study highlights the importance of habitat to the macroinvertebrate fauna of the reef-top and the need for accurate habitat maps to increase the cost-effectiveness of future resource surveys, to provide information to management, and for the design of Marine Protected Areas. The mapping and survey methods must be reliable and repeatable in terms of the limitations of time, and the availability of expertise, funding and resources. The results provide important information for fisheries and conservation managers of Rarotonga and other Pacific Islands to better design rigorous sampling programmes for monitoring the status of reef-top resources, and for evaluating and planning Marine Protected Areas.

The state of marine fishery resources globally and particularly in Nigeria is a matter of considerable concern. Hitherto, international and Nigerian fisheries laws, as well as the opinions of legal scholars on how to address this problem, have focused predominantly on overfishing. Meanwhile, scientific literature reveals that increasing ocean temperatures caused by global warming have serious legal and management implications on the sustainable development of marine fishery resources. This thesis argues that sustainability of marine fishery resources is achievable only if states, including Nigeria, adopt a holistic and proactive approach to their management. This approach demands mainstreaming climate change into harvest-based measures by applying precautionary and ecosystem management methods. The approach further requires coastal and fishing states to comply with fisheries and climate change regimes. The management of Norwegian spring spawning herring and Frazer River sockeye was case-studied and the lessons learned are used as a guide to address the adverse impact of climate change on Nigeria’s already overexploited marine fisheries. However, since societies are not the same and documentary data require triangulation, semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain the views of stakeholders in the marine fisheries sector on the major themes investigated. The first part of this thesis covers the introduction, research methodology and an examination of some preliminary issues. Part two ascertains how international fisheries law has addressed the problems of overfishing and climate change. Part three identifies the main lessons from the aforementioned case studies and advocates that states should adopt holistic approaches to compliance in solving the marine fish crisis. Part four investigates the extent to which Nigerian fisheries law has addressed the problems of overfishing and climate change; it also examines Nigeria’s compliance with international fisheries law. The concluding part recommends, in particular, that Nigeria should enforce conservation measures at sea, broaden participation of stakeholders in marine fisheries management and reduce its greenhouse gases emissions.

Valuation draws heavily on the economic theory of demand. This tells us that users have preferences for water and are willing to pay different amounts for units of water put to different uses. Water should be allocated between these uses to the point that equalises the value of the last or 'marginal' unit. In other words, it is impossible to find a higher value for this marginal unit. Application of this principle of equi-marginal returns requires us to have some clarity about water values in competing uses. This is also important since water is rarely free to supply, and therefore suppliers need to charge a price that is in some sense equal to the supply cost and value to achieve full cost recovery. Even though inclusion of this economic rationale in the management of water resources has been a widely accepted principle, and is included in national and the EU policies, the actual practice does not fully reflect this endorsement. While many countries recognise the vital nature of water resources, few, if any, pursue a rigorous analysis of revealing the explicit value of water as a basis for determining whether water is actually being allocated to sectors in order to maximise its overall benefit to society. Aspiring to be the first Hydro Nation, maximising the social return from its water uses ought to be a policy objective in Scotland. This thesis constructs a portfolio of different water uses, estimating the approximate value for each and their current allocation in Scotland. This aims to stimulate an informed debate on actual allocation of water among different uses, relative values and trade-offs of these allocations in Scotland so that alternative allocation scenarios can also be discussed. I then focus on the valuation of water by manufacturing industries, the biggest consumptive use and a significant added value creator in Scotland. I investigate the factors that affect the valuation of water and the responsiveness to prices in manufacturing industries using a meta-analysis technique. These values are obviously not the same for each manufacturing sector due the nature of their use and value of their final output. Some sectors create premium value out of their use. The whisky industry stands out as a water-intensive and high value creating sector, as well as a vital contributor to the rural and overall Scottish economy. It is analysed here as the first case study using water footprint and marginal productivity analyses methods, both analyses highlighting the importance of quality and quantity of local water resources in Scotland and its value to the industry. The second case study is the livestock industry, which has been overlooked in the valuation of water use literature yet is significant for livelihoods in rural Scotland where reduced land capability limits agricultural production options. Following the portfolio of water uses, meta-analysis and case studies that analyse the current situation of value and allocation, I explore how the current situation can be improved through the application of tradability. Currently the main problem in Scotland is not the amount of water used or abstracted, but the pollution reaching water bodies as the result of run-off and leaching from agricultural fields. Therefore, the feasibility of trading water rights is more concerned with the permits to pollute rather than the rights to use. Using a linear optimisation I look into the potential of designing a payment for ecosystem services scheme based on tradability of water pollution in agricultural catchments that are affected by from diffuse pollution. The results indicate that trading schemes help reduce the cost of pollution to all users while creating additional income for farms. For constructing more precise pollution rights and robust schemes more research efforts are required.

The overarching aim of the work presented here is to contribute to the development of a new interdisciplinary approach to fisheries economics for fisheries governance. it is geographically limited to West Africa but results can be used in other areas where small scale fisheries are active and governance rules are not fully implemented. The disciplinary orientations and conceptual frameworks applied in the research are institutional analysis and governance, as well as the assessment of key drivers of change. The new institutional economic theory provided a sound conceptual frame to analyse fisheries as it brings together economics (theory of the firm and social cost theory), law (convention, contracts, etc.) and sociology (sanctions, taboos, customs, traditions, and codes of conduct). Used on its own it provides a good framework for the analysis of the fish chain and relationships between stakeholders (wealth distribution and equity) and the whole governance of fisheries, coastal zones and oceans. Combined with neo-classical tools such as modelling of fishing activities, it provides a good analytical method to predict effects of management measures on fisher strategies. Furthermore, coupled with an ecological model such as ECOPATH or ECOSIM, its gives a holistic modelling tool (integrating ecology, economic and social dimensions) for the assessment of the full costs and benefits (private and public) of fishing practices and policy policies. The research suggests that the key drivers of change are often hidden and therefore not taken into account while designing management measures. Among shaping drivers, research in West Africa shows that international trade and its rules is shaping the orientation and the functioning of small scale fisheries. Fisher migration, which is directly linked to the trade driving effects, is currently one of the major drivers of change of West African fisheries and the most destabilizing factor. The main results, such as the identification of drivers of change (e.g. international trade, migration), and the integration of social, economic and ecological models are currently used by international institutions such as FAO, UNEP, UNDP and the Group of the ACP countries, regional organisations such as ATLFALCO (Ministerial conference of the African Atlantic countries), the Sub-regional Fishery Commission of seven West African countries and at national level by fishery ministries. The future of fisheries governance in West Africa is strongly linked to a better understanding of small scale fisher strategies and the way they react to fishery management. New research activities on co-management have to be developed in order to switch from a strong centralised fishery management process to a local one where fisher communities play a significant role. Aside from this, work has to be continued to implement the integrated approach into the fishery governance system in West Africa and in other world coastal countries.

Ecosystem-based management aims to provide a mechanism for achieving a consensus among multi-sectorial activities for sustaining goods and services and achieving ecological, economic and social objectives in an area. The present study adopts innovative methods and approaches aiming to promote a holistic approach towards collaboration and effective conservation management in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). In order to understand the current management needs in the Mediterranean MPAs, a management effectiveness evaluation was conducted in the Mediterranean scale following an existing guide (Tempesta and Otero, 2013). Information was collected through a synthesis and integration of different approaches during the period 2013-2014, and MPA management was evaluated on the basis of 21 indicators that described the general categories: (i) management and legislation; (ii) conservation features; (iii) pressures; (iv) communication and outreach. Case studies were initially assessed separately and were finally compared in order to identify common challenges and good practices in MPA management that may be put forward. Some of the most important problems were the inadequate annual funding; limited surveillance and law enforcement; the inadequate stakeholder engagement and bottom-up approaches; policy gaps and long bureaucratic processes to take action; inadequate monitoring of ecological and socio-economic parameters; limited understanding of human activity threats and impacts along with defining critical thresholds that may assure good environmental status of marine ecosystems. We highly recommend that the evaluation be a cyclic process conducted by a neutral practitioner that will inform management decisions and that results should be disseminated in order to reach a high status of MPA management performance in the Mediterranean. The evaluation of MPA management effectiveness guided the next steps of the study towards addressing realistic MPA needs and providing suggestions to improve MPA management. We focused at Portofino MPA case study (Ligurian Sea, Italy) - the third smallest MPA in Italy hosting rich marine biodiversity and a significant amount of human activities. One of the future targets of the MPA’s consortium is to expand its area in order to improve its capacity to effectively protect vulnerable habitats and the species it hosts. Taking into account the past experience and the inadequate communication and up-to-date information in the area, this initiative is expected to raise conflicts and opposition from users. Hence, Portofino MPA represents a case study of particular interest and relevance with MPAs facing similar issues. Following a holistic methodological approach, an engagement process was carefully designed to provide an insight into the social networks’ characteristics directly involved in supporting stakeholder engagement for sound governance performance and co-management of resources. Enhancing stakeholder engagement from the beginning of the process is essential in order to holistically inform decisions and increase the efficiency of conservation management. It is widely accepted that stakeholder engagement may promote cooperation and the exploration of possible solutions to common problems; facilitate the mitigation of conflicts due to various interests; and enhance coordination and the enforcement of common rules in a more transparent way. A framework to examine structural patterns in social networks and identify central actors with the capacity to serve as communication hubs is suggested to boost information flow and enhance stakeholder participation in decision-making. The approach consists of two powerful tools, Stakeholder Analysis and Social Network Analysis, that their capacity to provide an in-depth knowledge of the complexity of social-ecological systems and the factors that influence the engagement process in MPA management has been recently identified. Identification of stakeholders and their relations in a social network, where information exchange and interaction occurs, may highlight important channels for communication, or indicate key stakeholders with the power to control information flow and influence perceptions. This information may be leveraged to accelerate behaviour, facilitate bridging between organisations, promote deliberation, and improve the diffusion of information in MPA management. The outcomes of the study showed that the social network of the Portofino MPA exhibits a core-periphery structure where some user groups seem to have more privileges regarding access to information and resources in the area. The core of the network keeps the network together, and central stakeholders have the capacity to act as communication hubs and facilitate a two-way information flow that will foster communication, trust and collective learning in natural resource management. However, more effort should be made towards strengthening relationships between actors that may influence or be influenced by decisions relating to the MPA. The adoption of alternative communication strategies that integrate visualisation and user-friendly web platforms, in parallel to personal communication are suggested to involve more actively marginalized actors into decisions, that will increase the network’s cohesion, mitigate the power of central actors and augment plurality and new ideas in the engagement process. Production and synthesis of quantitative and qualitative information, related to conservation features and human activities, is another important aspect in conservation management that negotiation and decisions will be based on. Management of small scale and recreational fishing is one of the most important concerns and challenges that Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have to encounter from a socio-economic, cultural and ecological point of view. Monitoring and assessing fishing activity requires complicated approaches due to the heterogeneity of methods that combine different gears depending on the target species, the season and the characteristics of the area. Many standardized strategies of fisheries management have tried and failed to capture this spatial and temporal heterogeneity, or to provide improved understanding of fishing impacts on the ecosystem components. The present study developed a framework for the monitoring and mapping of recreational and artisanal fishing activity. The framework considers and may be adjusted depending on the MPA management capacity in terms of budget and technology available, personnel available, the level of trust that characterizes the relationship between the MPA and the fishermen, and the willingness of all relevant actors and authorities to provide or collate respectively information. Data from different monitoring strategies and sources were integrated to archive a complete dataset that described different fishing practices in the area. Simple spatial indicators that describe fishing effort were used to map and describe the footprint of each fishing practice on vulnerable habitats, and identify the areas that receive greater fishing pressure. However this is the first step in order to assess the impacts of fishing pressure on vulnerable habitats. Pressure-impact assessments were conducted using spatial analysis in order to holistically inform management decisions on vulnerable habitats such as coralligenous under pressure in Portofino MPA. The approach considers the cumulative impacts caused by different fishing practices and incorporates uncertainty regarding available information following the precautionary principle. Cumulative impacts are based on a conceptual model that identifies the pathways through which activities cause harm and describing the likelihood and consequences of an event. The vulnerability assessment quantifies these causal-chain links between biophysical attributes and to human stressors that are described in the conceptual models. The vulnerability informs on the potential risk of loosing (or degrading) a particular habitat due to a specific pressure, and can provide further support to the assessment of the cumulative impacts caused by different fishing practices operating in an MPA. Coralligenous communities, in terms of coverage, are more abundant in zone B, while Posidonia oceanica meadows dominate in zone C of Portofino MPA. However, a great percentage of the habitat lies outside the MPA borders, which confirms the desire of the MPA management board to expand the area. The areas that receive the highest amount of fishing effort were located between depths of 30-40 m receive the highest fishing pressure at the majority of zone B. The vulnerability assessment revealed that artisanal nets, and both recreational and artisanal bottom longlines, had the highest potential impact on coralligenous habitat, independently from the duration that are active on the seafloor. Other recreational activities that were considered to have high potential impact for coralligenous due to the destructive characteristics of the practice and gear used, or due to the pressure’s high intensity and frequency, were vertical jigging, bottom trolling and big game with a rod and reel. The cumulative impact assessment provided an in depth understanding of combined exposure-effect approaches and identified additional areas in zone C and in greater depths, that fishing activity is necessary to be managed more strictly. Several suggestions were enlisted in order to mitigate fishing impacts on coralligenous habitats, for instance the establishment of additional spatial and temporal closures, prohibition of destructive fishing practices, etc. while policy gaps were also identified in the current management system. The approach takes into account the heterogeneity of techniques and captures the different scale of impacts on benthic habitats in a systematic, transparent and repeatable way, and provides a useful tool that integrates ecological, management and policy interventions. An emerging threat in coastal MPAs is the loss of fishing gears that drift away driven by currents and finally end up on the seafloor covering in some cases a significant amount of fragile benthic habitats like coralligenous. In Portofino MPA this is reported as a common issue and frequently divers retrieve the lost gears and monitor it. To inform the MPA regarding which areas are more susceptible to lost fishing gear, a semi-quantitative spatial analysis was conducted using information from the sea-bottom morphology (depth, slope, Benthic Position Index, rugosity, curvature). The areas identified overlap spatially with areas of high fishing effort, while the local currents agree that most susceptible areas are located in the southern part of Portofino MPA. Although data quality regarding information coming from divers was poor, the suggested analysis may provide useful information in order to focus management actions on specific areas. Finally, the Marxan with Zones conservation planning model was applied on Portofino MPA’s present zoning plan in order to provide alternative solutions for the enlargement and re-zoning of the MPA. Different scenarios concerning the regulation of human activities such as fishing and diving activities taking place at different zones were developed. In our management plan, we set high level conservation targets based on relative EU Directives, the high conservation status of the Portofino MPA (SPAMI) and management objectives. In the present study preliminary results are shown for a single scenario where a 4-zone plan is suggested to the expanded surface area of the MPA, where diving and fishing activity are re-arranged in space and strictly regulated. The suggested zoning plan provided by MARXAN with Zones ensures that high conservation objectives are reached in Portofino MPA with the lowest possible operational cost. Overall, the present study aimed to provide a complete ecosystem-based management approach that considers the social and ecological drivers of the system as complementary components for supporting future conservation initiatives towards collaborative management of resources. The management suggestions of this study provide transparent, comprehensive and efficient plans that can improve the governance and the management of marine resources in the area. Innovative tools and methods were integrated to inform several aspects in the management of marine resources in order to promote a holistic approach towards collaboration and deliberation in MPA management. The developed methodology offers guidance on how to structure and focus efforts for collecting, synthesizing and analyzing of necessary information to inform holistically policymaking and management processes. Results provide useful advise in mitigating the cumulative impacts of human activities and deliver alternative solutions that are based on strict systematic conservation planning principles. Moreover, the study may assist the Portofino MPA to build the social conditions and a future engagement strategy where stakeholders will welcome the conservation initiative for its expansion, however particular effort should be made by the MPA management board towards this direction.

This ethnohistorical study identifies maritime resources of southwest Australia which were subject to human exploitation prior to 1901 and provides an overview of how, when and why this took. place by integrating historical, archaeological, ethnographic, and natural-science information. The resources included for discussion arc whales, seals, seabirds, guano, oysters and pearls, and fish. An argument is developed that the socio-spatial relationship which existed between peoples and marine• estuarine species in the region was determined by the physiography and climate. This relationship has always been imperfect, if not chaotic because of the unpredictability of the resources through long and short term cyclic phenomena. Control of access was the key to furthering economic and social advantage for all peoples, and this control could be sustained by a complex matrix of customary beliefs and/or law. An abundant resource could occasionally engender friendly interaction, however ruthless competition, and resource over-exploitation emerged as predominant themes. The study proposes that regardless of cultural origins, the finite nature of southwest Australian maritime and estuarine resources has long been recognised, and the resultant priority of people was to maximise effort at the most opportune times in order to augment socioeconomic advantage.

Marine environmental resource managers and consultants require comprehensive, accurate and current data on the status of marine biodiversity in order to fully evaluate resource consent applications that involve development, impact or encroachment within the marine environment, and for identifying areas of coast appropriate for conservation. The role and efficacy of existing global, national and regional marine biodiversity databases in delivering these types of data are evaluated. Consultation with environmental consultants revealed that none regularly, if ever used any existing marine biodiversity database during their routine consulting activities. Moreover, no existing biodiversity database had appropriate data-mining tools, although each was determined to provide information of value to resource managers and environmental consultants operating at national and regional scales; none was deemed to provide the sort of information required to manage marine resources at a local scale. To achieve the objectives of this research programme, resource managers, data users and data compilers were consulted to determine their ideal data and database requirements. Existing biodiversity data sets that included New Zealand marine biodiversity then were searched or procured, and these data and that of a novel data set of species occurring at 296 intertidal and 25 fringe-saline (effectively freshwater) sites within and proximal to the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park (from Mimiwhangata Bay in the north to Tauranga Harbour in the south) were compared with species inventories from environmental consultants operating in this region. Biodiversity data from the 296 saline, comprising presence/absence data for 713 taxa recorded from the survey region were analysed in detail. Significantly different species assemblages were identified amongst these 296 sites, five intertidal habitats being recognised, each with characteristic species assemblages: marine-hard shores, marine-soft shores, brackish-hard shores, brackish-soft shores, and mangrove shores. Species richness and diversity were consistently higher in marine habitats, and greatest on hard substrata. Most sites host unique assemblages of species. A novel index of species richness is proposed, and although the spatial distribution of richness isn’t particularly revealing, as obvious patterns in the distribution of richness are not apparent, this index has value in that the richness of any shore can be compared and contrasted with that of others throughout the region. Augmenting this richness index is a novel index of species rarity. Based on the frequency of occurrence of taxa on shores throughout the survey region, very rare through to ubiquitous taxa are recognised to routinely occur on almost all shores, regardless of the total species richness. Moreover, very rare to uncommon taxa often comprise a disproportionately high percentage of the total species occurring on any given intertidal shore, in any habitat. Accordingly, alarm bells should ring for reviewers of resource consent applications wherein environmental consultants state that an area subject to development ‘hosts no rare, unique or otherwise remarkable species or ecology.’ Two applications of these novel biodiversity data are demonstrated: the relationship between species richness and regional council consented activities is described, with a negative correlation reported for the intensity of disturbance (using the number of consented activities as a proxy for disturbance) and species richness on marine hard shores; and an appraisal of four selection criteria for marine reserves (naturalness, representativeness, uniqueness and complementarities), wherein the intertidal fauna and flora of no existing or proposed marine reserve appears to be natural, unique or representative, and effort seems to have been spent duplicating certain assemblages of species in reserve networks. The former is intuitively obvious, but the latter is alarming, and the ramifications of it far reaching in terms of conservation of the marine environment. Protocols for conducting biodiversity surveys must be established and implemented to elevate the standards of environmental consultants, resulting value judgements on the composition of species, and the likely and actual effects of these developments on the marine environment to ensure that statements made in reports are based on current data rather than perceptions and client expectations. It is possible that resource consents have been issued based on spurious appraisals of the immediate and cumulative effect of discharge on the environment, or of the relative rarity (or appreciation of this) of species that occur within it. Prior to development of the novel Monalisa data set, no existing database or data set existed that provided the information routinely required by managers and consultants to make informed judgements that affect coastal development throughout the survey region. Recommendations for additional research to build on findings detailed herein are made.

The need for a broader geographical and functional perspective in managing natural resources of the Belize barrier reef system was examined. The small country of Belize in Central America is struggling to increase its economic development and growth. It has an excellent natural resource base, the most dramatic component being the extensive barrier reef system just offshore. The research identified key economic and environmental issues relative to Belize’s reef complex, and analyzed resource management policies and actions taken to date. Development and conservation needs suggest a multiple use strategy aimed at economic and environmental sustainability. Due to areal extent and ecological complexity, the present reactive, small-scale and piecemeal approach is not adequate to realize sustainable utilization of the area’s resources. This research shows the need for a broad spatial and interdisciplinary “coastal zone" perspective, leading to a comprehensive and integrated strategy upon which to base resource planning and management. A strategy for the reef system must be accomplished within the broader context of a national resource management strategy, integrating concerns of economic development and environmental protection. As a component of this national policy, the proposed strategy for the barrier reef system is based on principles of multiple use of resources, coastal zone scope, and sustainability. The research supports a reef system-wide protected area, using a biosphere reserve framework and a customized model planning process to implement the strategy.
Master of Science

The work in this dissertation represents an attempt to investigate multiple temporal and spatial scales of inquiry relating to the variability of marine resources throughout the Gulf of Mexico large marine ecosystem (Gulf LME). This effort was undertaken over two spatial extents within the greater Gulf LME using two different time-series of fisheries monitoring data. Case studies demonstrating simple frameworks and best practices are presented with the aim of aiding researchers seeking to reduce errors and biases in scientific decision making. Two of the studies focused on three years of groundfish survey data collected across the West Florida Shelf (WFS), an ecosystem that occupies the eastern portion of the Gulf LME and which spans the entire latitudinal extent of the state of Florida. A third study was related to the entire area covered by the Gulf LME, and explored a 30-year dataset containing over 100 long-term monitoring time-series of indicators representing (1) fisheries resource status and structure, (2) human use patterns and resource extractions, and (3) large- and small-scale environmental and climatological characteristics. Finally, a fourth project involved testing the reliability of a popular new clustering algorithm in ecology using data simulation techniques. The work in Chapter Two, focused on the WFS, describes a quantitatively defensible technique to define daytime and nighttime groundfish assemblages, based on the nautical twilight starting and ending times at a sampling station. It also describes the differences between these two unique diel communities, the indicator species that comprise them, and environmental drivers that organize them at daily and inter-annual time scales. Finally, the differential responses in the diel, and inter-annual communities were used to provide evidence for a large-scale event that began to show an environmental signal in 2010 and subsided in 2011 and beyond. The event was manifested in the organization of the benthic fishes beginning weakly in 2010, peaking in 2011, and fully dissipating by 2012. The biotic effects of the event appeared to disproportionately affect the nighttime assemblage of fishes sampled on the WFS. Chapter Three explores the same WFS ecosystem, using the same fisheries-independent dataset, but also includes explicit modeling of the spatial variability captured by the sampling program undertaking the annual monitoring effort. The results also provided evidence of a disturbance that largely affected the nighttime fish community, and which was operating at spatial scales of variability that were larger than the extent of the shelf system itself. Like the previous study, the timing of this event is coincident with the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the subsequent sub-marine dispersal of pollutants, and the cessation of spillage. Furthermore, the spatial models uncovered the influence of known spatial-abiotic gradients within the Gulf LME related to (1) depth, (2) temperature, and (3) salinity on the organization of daytime groundfish communities. Finally, the models developed also described which non-spatially structured abiotic variables were important to the observed beta-diversity. The ultimate results were the decomposition of the biotic response, within years and divided by diel classification, into the (1) pure-spatial, (2) pure-abiotic, (3) spatial-abiotic, and (4) unexplained fractions of variation. This study, along with that in Chapter Two, also highlighted the relative importance of the nighttime fish community to the assessment of the structure and function of the WFS, and the challenges associated with adequately sampling it, both in space and time. Because one focus of this dissertation was to develop low-decision frameworks and mathematically defensible alternatives to some common methods in fisheries ecology, Chapter Five employs a clustering technique to identify regime states that relies on hypothesis testing and the use of resemblance profiles as decision criteria. This clustering method avoids some of the arbitrary nature of common clustering solutions seen in ecology, however, it had never been rigorously subjected to numerical data simulation studies. Therefore, a formal investigation of the functional limits of the clustering method was undertaken prior to its use on real fisheries monitoring data, and is presented in Chapter Four. The results of this study are a set of recommendations for researchers seeking to utilize the new method, and the advice is applied in a case study in Chapter Five. Chapter Five presents the ecosystem-level fisheries indicator selection heuristic (EL-FISH) framework for examining long-term time-series data based on ecological monitoring for resources management. The focus of this study is the Gulf LME, encompassing the period of 1980-2011, and it specifically sought to determine to what extent the natural and anthropogenic induced environmental variability, including fishing extractions, affected the structure, function, and status of marine fisheries resources. The methods encompassed by EL-FISH, and the resulting ecosystem model that accounted for ~73% of the variability in biotic resources, allowed for (1) the identification and description of three fisheries resource regime state phase shifts in time, (2) the determination of the effects of fishing and environmental pressures on resources, and (3) providing context and evidence for trade-offs to be considered by managers and stakeholders when addressing fisheries management concerns. The EL-FISH method is fully transferrable and readily adapts to any set of continuous monitoring data.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate tourism capacity, the effectiveness of the management plan and the visitors’ willingness to pay (WTP) for increased conservation effort in the Buccoo Reef Marine Park (BRMP) in Tobago. Non-market contingent valuation was applied to estimate tourists’ WTP, using the data from a survey of 164 tourists. Local residents and government agencies were consulted to evaluate the management plan and the tourism capacity. Eighty-eight percent of local residents stated that the park was not well managed and that they lacked trust in the park agency. The density of tourists was 67-97% more than socially acceptable crowding norm. The tourists were willing to pay an additional entry fee of US$11.72 per person, which would generate additional revenue for the park management. In conclusion, the BRMP management needs modification in order to increase stakeholders’ trust, reduce tourists crowding intensity, and generate additional user-based revenue.

Au Chili, l’une des principales ressources exploitées par les pêcheries artisanales benthiques est le gastéropode marin Concholepas concholepas, plus communément appelé « loco ». Des signes de surexploitation de cette espèce sont apparus à la fin des années 1980 et différents modes de gestion ont été appliqués. Le plan de gestion actuel correspond à la mise en place de droits d’usage territoriaux pour une multitude de petites zones distinctes gérées de manière indépendante. L’un des points clés permettant d’étudier l’efficacité de ce mode de gestion est d’estimer les échelles auxquelles ces zones sont connectées par la dispersion larvaire. L’objectif de cette thèse est d’évaluer ces échelles et les patrons de connectivité du loco le long du Chili. J’ai d’abord mis en évidence des manques dans la connaissance des facteurs influençant potentiellement la connectivité larvaire du loco. J’ai participé à combler ces manques par des expériences en laboratoire montrant un comportement migratoire vertical nocturne des larves de premier stade du loco. Par la suite, j’ai développé un modèle biophysique de dispersion larvaire appliqué au loco en intégrant les effets de plusieurs facteurs hétérogènes le long de la côte chilienne : habitat disponible, fécondité, transport, croissance, migration verticale, et mortalité larvaires. J’ai utilisé ce modèle pour établir des matrices de connectivité entre zones le long du Chili. A partir de ces matrices, j’ai utilisé un algorithme de partitionnement pour définir des sous-populations de loco indépendantes afin d’orienter le mode de gestion actuel du loco vers une échelle plus régionale, en meilleure adéquation avec l’écologie de l’espèce
In Chile, one of the commercial species targeted by benthic fisheries is Concholepas concholepas, commonly named “loco”. It was a highly valuable benthic fishery until the end of the 80’s. Then the resource became over-exploited and different management plans were applied to ensure the sustainability of the fishery. The current management plan is the establishment of territorial users’ rights in distinct areas managed independently. One of the main challenges to ensure the efficiency of this management plan is to estimate the scales at which these areas are connected by larval dispersal. The main objective of the thesis is to evaluate loco connectivity patterns and scales along the Chilean coast. I first highlighted gaps in knowledge of factors potentially influencing larval connectivity of loco. I helped fill these gaps by laboratory experiments showing a nocturnal vertical migration behavior for first stage loco larvae. Subsequently, I developed a biophysical larval dispersal model integrating the effects of several heterogeneous factors along the Chilean coast: available habitat, fecundity, larval transport, growth, vertical migration, and mortality. I used this model to establish connectivity matrices between areas along Chile. From these matrices, I used a clustering algorithm to identify independent loco subpopulations in order to propose a regional management plan, in line with the ecology of the species

Anthropogenic stressors are increasingly changing conditions in coastal areas and impacting important habitats. But, when multiple stressors act simultaneously, their effects on ecosystems become more difficult to predict. In Chesapeake Bay, USA, predictions suggest that anthropogenic stressors from climate change, such as warming temperatures, may increase the frequency and severity of storm events, leading to increased freshwater, nutrient, and sediment inputs. Coastal development, another source of anthropogenic stressors, continues to increase with growing coastal populations, and may lead to altered sediment characteristics, habitat fragmentation, altered food webs, and loss of vegetated habitats. Community processes may interact with stressors, for example, immigration of propagules between habitat patches may alter diversity, and modify community response to stressors. Changes in biodiversity might alter ecosystem functioning and services, but diverse ecosystems may be more stable especially in the face of multiple stressors. Many habitats are vulnerable to anthropogenic stressors, including seagrass systems, which provide many valuable ecosystem services. Understanding how multiple stressors and community processes interact now is key to maintaining ecosystem services in the future. Using a model seagrass (Zostera marina) system, I tested the effects of multiple stressors and their interactions with crustacean grazer immigration and diversity on ecosystem properties in a series of fully-factorial mesocosm experiments. I found that despite grazer species having varied responses to individual stressors, grazing pressure was largely maintained in spite of multiple stressors. More diverse grazer assemblages generally stabilized epiphytic algal biomass in the face of stressors, thereby increasing the resistance stability of this important component of the fouling community. Immigration of crustacean grazers did not interact significantly with stressors, and had little effect overall except to increase grazer biomass. Stressors generally reduced primary producer biomass, although in some cases they favored epiphytic algae. Generally, I did not find interactions among stressors and grazer immigration or diversity, even though diverse grazer assemblages stabilized epiphytic algal biomass. to assess potential impacts of coastal development, I surveyed twenty seagrass beds in lower Chesapeake Bay, VA and assessed local shoreline development effects on adjacent seagrass beds. I sampled primary producers, consumers, water quality, and sediment characteristics in seagrass beds, and characterized development along the adjacent shoreline. I found that development significantly affected sediment characteristics, while epifaunal and epiphytic algal biomass was significantly higher on the Western versus the Eastern side of the bay. Grazer and predator biomass did not differ with either development or bay region. Thus, in seagrass communities, various factors appear to drive sediment and biological community properties on different spatial scales. This may be an important consideration for management, because efforts that incorporate spatial scales of ecosystem processes will likely have more impact. Overall, these results suggest that stressor impacts in seagrass ecosystems generally do not interact but are sometimes context specific, while grazer diversity may have a limited but potentially important role in buffering certain ecosystem properties again stressors. Different factors appear to influence ecosystem properties at various spatial scales, an important consideration for predicting future impacts of multiple anthropogenic stressors in submerged vegetated systems.

Participatory, collaborative modeling processes represent a unique decision-making technique within natural resources management that allows for the combination of stakeholder involvement with the analytical and predictive power of scientific models. The continued use of participatory modeling within decision-making processes depends in part upon the willingness of stakeholders to participate. Continued participation of stakeholders is key to the persistence and overall success of these processes, and yet limited information exists concerning the impacts of these processes on participants. The consideration of human dimensions advances our understanding of the design and function of participatory modeling processes, including their ability to create consensus outcomes, their capacity to integrate natural and social sciences, and their capability to advance sustainable natural resources policy and management. Within this thesis, I analyzed stakeholders’ advice and communication social networks and their attitudes towards scientific models to better understand the impact of these participatory modeling processes on participants. I found that the development of group cohesion was more heterogeneous than previously thought. While there was a significant increase in advice ties between OysterFutures members, silos of advice within stakeholder groups remained. There was also a high level of between-stakeholder group advice ties that existed prior to the OysterFutures process. This history between stakeholders and stakeholder groups is also thought to have impacted the development of advice ties. Lastly, the transition of the advice network structure over time supports arguments in the literature that suggest that different network structures are necessary at certain time points during participatory processes. Stakeholder group silos also persisted within the communication network. These silos are thought to have helped stakeholder groups develop their own attitude towards scientific models based on their unique “way of knowing”. As a result, attitudes towards models were significantly different between stakeholder groups. This strength of stakeholder group impact on attitudes likely limited overall changes in attitudes towards models over the course of OysterFutures. The importance of considering social network structure of participatory modeling processes was demonstrated through results that certain brokering network positions significantly impacted attitudes towards models. Methods to facilitate more between group communications during participatory modeling processes could help mitigate the strong impact of stakeholder group membership on attitudes. Overall, results for attitudes towards models support the idea that models are acting as “boundary objects” that help facilitate discussion during these processes.

This dissertation investigates social and ecological factors that facilitate effective management of coral reefs as social-ecological systems. Meta-analytical and field-based methods were employed to examine current management challenges and identify strategies that improve management effectiveness and coral reef health. A meta-analysis was used to evaluate biological indicators of reef health in relation to the types of fishing regulations in place (no-take areas, gear restriction areas, and periodic closures) and the actor groups (community-based, co-management, state, private) involved in management efforts for coral reef fisheries throughout the world. Other than enhancement of fish biomass within no-take areas that was significantly greater than in gear restriction areas, most biological indicators benefitted similarly from management techniques of no-take areas and gear restriction areas. Community-based and co-management were the best performing management arrangements for some biological outcomes but require further case studies to verify findings. Investigation of management effects by region indicated that previously degraded reefs received fewer benefits from management implementation than did relatively healthier reefs. For field investigations, the Comoros islands in the Western Indian Ocean served as a model for tropical coral reefs with challenging socioeconomic contexts, high biodiversity, and high vulnerability to coral reef degradation. Empirical study at 21 sites was used to identify the relative effects of natural and anthropogenic threats to coral reefs of the Comoros. Most previous studies of reef health focus on primarily natural factors or a single anthropogenic threat. This study examined suites of natural factors and human activities to identify the relative importance of each on reef health. Human activities including fishing, sand extraction, and beachfront housing and development were the best predictors of reef health status. Most notably, human population and fishing predicted fish richness, abundance, and biomass with seasonal variation in the effects, while site orientation strongly predicted benthic cover. Field studies in the Comoros were also used to investigate the roles of community and state actors in co-management and compare effectiveness of comanagement across sites with varying levels of actor participation. Effective management was found to occur with community or `meta-community' (in this case, a Marine Protected Area in which the efforts of several communities were organized) participation in governance and support of state or external agents, while resilient management that overcame considerable challenges was found to occur only with strong community participation and leadership in governance. External agents were found to contribute to development of meta-community governance structure and initiation of community participation through education and capacity building. The findings from these studies reveal that coral reef management can be improved through context appropriate regulations that address detrimental human activities and through wide acceptance and participation in governance with cooperation among states, communities, and external agents.

Marine unconsolidated sediments constitute the largest ecosystems on earth in terms of spatial coverage, but there are still critical gaps in the science required to support conservation and ecosystem-based management. This is mainly due to the inaccessibility of these ecosystems in wave-exposed environments or deeper waters and the difficulty in observing biota in their three-dimensional sedimentary habitat. Currently, the physical driving processes of intertidal unconsolidated sediment ecosystems are much better understood than those of the subtidal ecosystems. However, these ecosystems are linked through water and sediment movement. This thesis, therefore, considers the continuum of unconsolidated sediment ecosystems across the entire continental shelf (i.e. intertidal to the shelf edge). The aim of this thesis was two-fold; (i) to advance the foundational understanding of biodiversity patterns and driving processes in unconsolidated sediment habitats, and (ii) to apply this knowledge in the development of a systematic conservation plan for marine unconsolidated sediment ecosystems. The South African west coast continental shelf was used as a case study in order to represent Eastern boundary upwelling regions. This study sought to investigate biodiversity patterns in macro-infaunal communities and determine their driving processes for incorporation into habitat classifications and the development of a habitat map. Systematic conservation plans require a map of biodiversity patterns and processes, and quantitative conservation targets to ensure representation of all biodiversity features including habitats.in marine protected areas. This thesis provided these key elements by classifying the unconsolidated sediment habitats and determining habitat-specific evidence-based conservation targets to support conservation of these important ecosystems. The application of these elements was then demonstrated in a systematic conservation plan for the unconsolidated sediment ecosystems of the South African west coast. Diversity patterns were examined using physical and macro-infauna data, ranging from the beach to the shelf edge (0-412 m). These data were analysed to develop two different habitat classifications, namely seascapes derived from geophysical and biophysical data, and biotopes derived from the combination of macro-infaunal and physical data. Multivariate analyses of 13 physical variables identified eight seascapes for the unconsolidated sediment samples from 48 sites on the South African west coast. These were based on depth, slope, sediment type, and upwelling-related processes (i.e. maximum chlorophyll concentration, sediment organic carbon content and austral summer bottom oxygen concentration). Latitude and bottom temperature were not considered major drivers of seascapes on the west coast because latitude closely reflected changes in upwelling-related processes and the temperature range was narrow across the shelf. This study revealed that productivity, a biophysical variable not usually included in geo-physical habitat classifications, played a significant role in the definition of seascapes on the South African west coast. It is therefore recommended that productivity be included in future seascape classifications to improve the utility of these classifications particularly in areas of variable productivity. Seascapes should, however, be tested against biological data to improve the understanding of key physical drivers of communities in unconsolidated sediment ecosystems. Macro-infaunal community distributions were determined along with their physical drivers for the unconsolidated sediments of the South African west coast. A total of 44 828 individuals from 469 taxa were identified from 48 sites representing 46.2 m2 of seafloor. Seven distinct macro-infaunal communities were defined through multivariate analyses and their key characteristic and distinguishing species were identified. These communities reflected five depth zones across the shelf, namely beach, inner shelf (10-42 m), middle shelf (60-142 m), outer shelf (150-357 m) and shelf edge (348-412 m). The processes driving the community structure of these depth zones were postulated to be tides, wave turbulence, seasonal hypoxia, habitat stability and homogeneity, and internal tides and/or shelf break upwelling, with drivers listed in order of increasing influence with depth. The middle shelf was further separated into three distinct communities based on sediment type, sediment organic carbon content and frequency of hypoxia. Variations in water turbulence, sediment grain size, upwelling-related variables and riverine sediment input were identified as the likely primary drivers of macro-infaunal community patterns. This chapter culminated in the development of a biotope classification based on the combination of macro-infaunal communities and their physical habitats (i.e. biotopes). South Africa has developed an expert-derived National Marine and Coastal Habitat (SANMC) Classification System which is used as a biodiversity surrogate in ecosystem assessment and spatial planning. This thesis tested the validity of this classification and the data derived Seascape classification against macro-infauna species abundance and biomass data in an effort to determine how well the different classifications represent macro-infaunal diversity of the west coast. These two classifications were also compared to the Biotope classification which combines macro-infaunal communities with their physical habitats. A canonical analysis of principle coordinates (CAP) was utilised to test the success with which each sample was allocated to the relevant habitat type in each classification. The total allocation success for each classification was used as a measure of effectiveness in terms of representing biodiversity patterns. Both classifications had similar allocation successes of 89-92 percent and 92-94 percent for the Seascape and National Habitat Classification respectively, but either over- or under-classified the macrofauna communities. The Biotope classification had the highest allocation success (98 percent), therefore it is the most accurate reflection of the macrofauna biodiversity patterns on the west coast. A key finding of this study was the increasing accuracy of classifications from physically- to expert- to biologically-derived habitat classifications. In this thesis, the Biotope classification was deemed the best representative of biodiversity patterns and was therefore used to produce the Biotope map for use in spatial assessment and planning. The distinct depth patterns that emerged in both the Seascape and Biotope classifications highlighted the need for further investigation of the relationship between depth and biodiversity. Despite variability in macro-infaunal communities, a general unifying pattern in biodiversity across the shelf was sought. Three relationships between depth and species richness have been described in the literature; namely a unimodal pattern, a positively linear relationship with depth, and no relationship between depth and species richness. These hypotheses were tested on the west coast. Two different species richness metrics were utilised to test the depth-diversity relationship, namely observed species density (spp.0.2m-2) and estimated species richness (spp.site-1). Observed species density increased from the beach to the shelf edge (350 m), then decreased to 412 m. The decline may have been due to difficulty in detecting species at greater depths as a result of sampling challenges. The inclusion of an innovative extrapolative method for estimating species richness (the capture-recapture heterogeneity model) within the Bayesian statistical framework mitigated the effects of species detection heterogeneity and revealed that species richness actually increased continuously across the shelf from beach to shelf edge. Thus the general relationship between depth and species richness is positively linear on the west coast of South Africa The new macro-infauna dataset and biotope map provided the opportunity to develop the first habitat-specific evidence-based conservation targets for unconsolidated sediments of the west coast. Species-Area Relationship (SAR) based conservation targets were developed for the biotopes using a modification of the generally accepted methodology. The accepted methodology has three steps (i) the estimation of total species richness for each habitat using the Bootstrap asymptotic estimator, (ii) the calculation of the slope of the species area curve (i.e. the z-value), and (iii) the calculation of targets representing 80 percent of the species. The inclusion of an innovative extrapolative species richness estimator, the Multi-species Site Occupancy Model (MSOM) provided better species richness estimation than the more conventional bootstrap species richness estimator, even though both are based on species accumulation. The MSOM, applied in the Bayesian statistical framework takes detectability of a species into account.

The management of coastal resources in South Africa has come under review as a result of the degradation of environmental resources along the coast. The challenge being faced by resource managers is to achieve economic growth while sustaining South Africa’s coastal resource base (Nobel, 2000). The South African government (RSA, 2000) has developed a coastal management strategy to meet this challenge: The strategy involves the inclusion of all stakeholders in the formation of policy regarding the management of coastal resources, in a more integrated approach to coastal management. To effectively achieve this stakeholder inclusion, it has become necessary to decentralize the political, administrative and fiscal authority to conduct coastal management functions. With regard to the need for fiscal decentralisation this thesis considers the possibility of implementing localised environmental surcharges to finance coastal management initiatives. The ability of the White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development (RSA, 2000) to provide theformal institutional structure necessary for the introduction of environmental surcharges is firstconsidered. It is shown that the decentralised management strategy has the potential to create a management style that is transparent and accountability orientated. In addition to this the style is capable of adapting to dynamic local coastal conditions and is therefore an appropriate direction in which to steer coastal management in South Africa. The effectiveness of coastal co-management as an informal institutional arrangement is then examined. Provided that local Coastal Management Fora are created to include all relevant stakeholders and that a source of long term financing is secured co-management has the potential to create the conditions necessary for effective coastal management. With regard to a source of long term financing, local environmental surcharges to finance coastal management initiatives are considered. The public’s willingness to contribute to such a surcharge is analysed in the context of Plettenberg Bay by probing their willingness to pay (WTP) for a Bay Management Plan. A survey instrument is developed to measure the public’s WTP. The design of the instrument is based on the Contingent Valuation (CV) method that is used to analyse the nonmarket benefits that environmental resources (such as Plettenberg Bay) provide the public. It is found that the resident population is willing to pay R15 per month toward a Bay Management Plan whilst domestic and foreign tourists respectively are willing to pay R6 and R22 daily. The aggregation of these WTP estimates yields a total passive use value of between R15 397 900 – R20330 500 annually. This nuclear value of the Bay should be included in the formation of local coastal management policy and provides guidance for the introduction of a local environmental surcharge. A budget for a Bay Management Plan is proposed and a progressive surcharge based on municipal property value is set. To finance the local residents’ share of the budget, a monthly surcharge of R1 would be required of the average valued property. To calculate the domestic and foreign tourist contribution to the budget a schedule of accommodation offering property will be required. However, to finance the entire budget a residential surcharge of approximately R10 would be required of the average valued property. This figure is well below the average resident population WTP of R15, highlighting the fact that an environmental surcharge in Plettenberg Bay is indeed feasible. The difference in reported WTP and the contribution required to finance the Bay Management Plan also highlights that there is scope for experimentation in the introduction of such a surcharge.

Dissertation (MTech( Public Management))--Cape Technikon, Cape Town, 2004
Marine resources play a major role in sustaining the economy and social development of the nation and contribute to national economy, to employment and security of the local community. The South African fisheries management was conducted largel)' with political default. This denied most fishers access to marine resources. Since the democratic election of 1994, the government was left with the challenge to re-allocate rights in a way that would ensure that the under-presentation of historical disadvantaged individuals (HDl's) in the fishing industry would be corrected. The laws and regulations related to marine fisheries were also revised. The Marine Living Resources Act, No. 18 of 1998 attempted transformation in the fishing industry but lacked clear guidelines which led to litigation and crises in the fishing industry as many fishers were unhappy with the whole process. Marine fisheries policy was established and published in 1997 to address those historical imbalances by introducing the fishing right system of allocating rights to represent the national demographics of the country. This report seeks to describe the theory of the South African fishing industry, policy developments and the current status of permit allocation in South Africa. It will also examine the effectiveness in the implementation of the marine fisheries policy for South Africa. It will focus on the distribution of marine resources for commercial fishing purposes.

The coast of Bangladesh, comprising the complex delta of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna river system has immense resources for development. In the concept of present development efforts, this zone is among the most neglected in Bangladesh. It is very often affected by natural calamities and the situation is further aggravated by some man-made hazards, which cause heavy casualties in human lives, cattle, in reducing the size of the coastal areas and in severe damage of properties worth billions of dollars. This thesis envisages looking into the particular issue of non-farm employment. This is more important in an economy in which the land-person ratio is continuously on the decrease and dissemination of intensive crop culture has limitations. This study is exploratory in nature and uses both quantitative and qualitative methods, employing survey interviews for 80 households, 20 key informant interviews and a case study on an organization in order to assess the dynamics and prospects of non-farm employment in the coastal regions of Bangladesh. Findings of the study indicate that practically all of the non-farm field of the entire coastal belt is not yet a government priority. As such, there is need for some persuasive work in formulating some policies to develop sustainable harvests from the abundant maritime resources of the area. This will create provision for non-farm employment as well as producing a vast quantity of exportable commodities for the national well-being. It is expected that it will benefit the people of the area in particular and the entire country in general.

Thousands of floating objects, known as drifting fish aggregating devices (dFADs), are released every year by commercial tropical tuna purse seine vessels in the three equatorial oceans to aggregate tuna and increase catch. The escalation in the number of dFADs deployed over the last three decades has caused changes in fishing effort that are poorly reflected in traditional indices of purse seine effort and catch per unit of effort (CPUE). In addition, concerns have been raised regarding the impacts of such high numbers of dFADs being deployed on both catch and bycatch species. I studied two aspects of dFAD deployments in order to clarify how dFADs are used by purse seiners and how they affect the magnitude of bycatch. My specific goals were to determine how often purse seine vessels fish on the dFADs they deploy and how regional dFAD density affects the magnitude of bycatch and catch. I analyzed commercial data, independent observer data, satellite buoy trajectories, and estimated floating object densities from the French tropical tuna purse seine fisheries in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans to examine these relationships. My results indicate that only 2.7-20.6% of dFAD fishing sets were on the dFADs that French purse seiners deployed over the period 2007-2013. Although this percentage increased over time, such a low percentage suggests that French vessels do not primarily increase CPUE by using the dFADs they deploy for directed fishing. If French purse seiners are not mainly using their own dFADs in this manner, then using a metric of nominal effort based on individual vessel activity is unlikely to produce reliable CPUE estimates for the fishery. While information about how often purse seiners fish on their own dFADs could be incorporated into indices of fishing effort, it may be just as important, if not more so, to quantify the collective component of dFAD releases for overall fishing effort. The results for the second objective showed that average dFAD density had a relatively weak relationship with total bycatch biomass. There was no statistically significant effect on mean total bycatch biomass, but dFAD density was related to heteroscedasticity in bycatch biomass. In particular, there was a significant negative relationship between dFAD density and the upper quantiles of the bycatch biomass distribution, suggesting that dFAD density determines the upper bound for bycatch biomass caught per set. These relationships were not constant across species, however, as the five most prevalent bycatch species (i.e., those caught in the greatest number of sets) showed a mix of positive, negative, or no relationships to dFAD density. The total biomass of catch increased significantly as average dFAD density increased both at the mean and throughout the majority of the distribution, although this effect only explained a small fraction of the total variance in catch biomass. at this time, the low amount of variance explained and the inconsistent impact of average dFAD density on bycatch and target species indicate that it would be ineffective to mitigate bycatch levels in these fisheries by attempting to control regional dFAD densities.

In this thesis I examine the limits of community involvement in accomplishing the conservation goals of biodiversity and ecosystem function in resource management by analyzing the multiple interest groups that compose community. Two case studies are presented to accomplish this goal. The first case study is the West Hawaii Fisheries Management Area, where a group of community stakeholders provide management recommendations that are then implemented by the state. The second case study is the Ka’u forest reserve, where community involvement is invited into the management decision-making process but is also limited in its ultimate political power by the state. Through an examination of these cases I find that the ability of community involvement to accomplish conservation goals is limited when powerful interest groups within the community oppose these goals.

Marine and coastal ecosystems face widespread degradation largely because market failure hides the economic value of the goods and services provided by them. Marine protected areas (MPAs) can serve as a structure that ensures the continuing function of marine and coastal ecosystem goods and services. Yet, to be effective and sustainable, MPAs must be able to prove their economic worth and generate revenue. User-fees are a common system used to partially finance multi-use MPAs. This study applies contingent valuation as a method of economic valuation within an MPA in southern Mozambique. The objectives of this study are to determine the willingness to pay of combined user groups and of individual user groups for use of the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve and to investigate the potential for the reserve to increase revenues for conservation through the implementation of a user-fee for marine based activities. The payment card contingent valuation method was employed to determine willingness to pay of dolphin swim tourists, scuba divers and fishermen. Data was collected by face-to-face interviews of 120 respondents within two popular tourist locations in the PPMR. Results show that visitors within the PPMR are mainly South Africans, loyal to the area. Probit and OLS regressions were used to determine the effects of various independent variables on willingness to pay. Results from the Probit model indicate that African residency, activity and environmental awareness were significant factors that influenced visitors being WTP more than R20 per person per day as a user fee within the PPMR. The OLS model examined independent variables that influenced visitors being willing to pay as well as the impact of the variables on the amount visitors were willing to pay. The OLS model found income, African residency and environmental awareness to be significant factors influencing visitors being willing to pay. The mean WTP was R43.75 per person per day. Using data supplied by the PPMR, conservative estimated annual revenues based on the implementation of this fee amount would range between R1.46m – R 3.3m.

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil
The principle aim of this study was to gain insights into the perceptions of the people living in the Cape Agulhas Area of South Africa on the issues of small-scale fishing and the historical claims to fishing rights of the communities living in the fishing villages of Struisbaai and Waenhuiskrans. A further aim was to identify the gap between knowledge and the implementation of fishing rights policies by analysing existing policies on small-scale fishing and thereby identifying possible lessons and guidelines for policy formulation. Key focus areas were the historical recollections of people, their knowledge of past, current and proposed fishing legislation and their opinions, recommendations and guidelines regarding new and proposed policies. A qualitative framework was used for this study, using key informants and the taking of life histories. The two fishing communities served as case studies and life histories were documented using semi-structured interviews. The study drew on previous research in historical practices and indigenous knowledge systems and special attention was given to scientific and archaeological research. The policy processes from 1994 to the present were described and themes were identified in the literature and the life histories. The study found that many of the methods used in earlier years is still used today, passed over from generation to generation.
South Africa

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2005.
Title from first page of PDF file (viewed January 11, 2006). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references ( p. 303-315).

Connectivity is a major contributor to the overall dynamics of marine populations. However, it still remains challenging to describe connectivity on ecologically meaningful scales of time and space. This is a major impediment to evaluating the impacts of marine protected area with respect to fisheries management objectives. This dissertation brings together a wide array of spatial and connectivity information in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) with the goal of 1) understanding the spatial distribution of fish populations and source-sink dynamics and 2) evaluating whether this information can be integrated, through a modeling framework, to identify closed areas that could be beneficial to fisheries management in the Gulf of Mexico. First, a generalized additive modelling (GAM) approach is used to describe the distribution of a large number of species groups (i.e. functional groups) across the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) using a large fisheries independent data set (SEAMAP) and climate scale (decades) oceanographic conditions. Next a numerical Lagrangian particle transport model was developed that incorporates two major connectivity processes; site specific larval production and oceanographic transport for an entire large marine ecosystem and over multiple years. The two components are then combined to develop larval dispersal patterns for the entire GOM and identify areas operating as larval sources and sinks. Last, this information is integrated into an end-to-end ecosystem model to evaluate effectiveness of closing source and sink areas for the management of reef fish fisheries. Closed area managemeny simlautions for reef fish indicated closing reef fish source areas, as opposed to sinks, in the GOM is most efficient method of increasing total biomass and yield. However, the impacts across individual functional groups were site specific. Ultimately, these simulations demonstrate the inclusion of connectivity information could improve fishery management objectives in an ecosystem context.

The research project was developed from an Australian Research Council Grant designed to investigate collaborative commerce and its impact on regional economic development. Through a process of consultation with the industry partner, the South West Group, the research was designed to investigate the drivers and inhibitors of collaborative relationships and the factors that impact on the creation and sustaining of these relationships. The role of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in facilitating and sustaining collaborative relationships and the perceived benefits and drawbacks of collaborative relationships were also investigated. The research sought to identify models of the best adoption of collaborative relationships.

In many ways, coastal marine resources have provided an important source of protein, income and even employment for coastal rural Solomon Islands communities. Fishing, for instance, has always played a very important role in these communities' culture and tradition. Subsistence fishing is traditional in most rural coastal communities. Small-scale fishing is also wide-spread. Traditionally marine areas and resources were managed by the custodians of the adjacent land and the traditional leaders in some local communities. While small-scale fisheries are managed by the Government, much of the enforcement responsibility is in the hands of the community leaders, given the realities of what that Government can provide. This research has explored the interaction between rural coastal livelihoods and marine resource management under Customary Marine Tenure (CMT) in one area of Temotu Province, Solomon Islands. Specifically the research seeks to explore, explain and describe how the livelihoods of the rural coastal villagers influence the use, access and management of marine resources and vice versa. Particular attention has been given to: first exploring the traditional marine resource management under CMT and livelihoods in the three villages; second, how the changes in the villagers' livelihoods system affects the customary marine resource management in the three case study villages; third, how changes in customary marine resource management influences the livelihoods of the villagers and finally the nature of the relationship between livelihoods and customary marine resource management is described for the first time for this part of the Solomon Islands. The research results showed that villagers' livelihoods have changed over the past decade and much of these changes have affected the customary marine resource management in the three case study villages. Consequently, customary marine resource management under CMT is no longer effective. The changes in customary marine resource also have implications on the villagers' livelihoods. For this reason the study argues that when trying to understand the factors affecting customary marine resource, the entire livelihoods system of the people should be considered. The study states that the nature of the interactions between livelihoods and customary marine resource management is a two-way relationship, dynamic and very complex. Should there be further marine resource development, the study suggests that understanding the livelihoods of the people concerned is important for better management.