Browsing by Author "Murray, Grant Daniel"

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Open Access
A Policy Evaluation considering the Pacific Salmon Treaty’s Impacts on the Southeast Alaska Chinook Salmon Commercial Troll Fishery
(2021-04-30) Nichols, Carina
Conflicts regarding salmon harvest and conservation have been intensified by the highly migratory nature of the species often moving between the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, and Alaska. Pacific salmon stocks migrate across international boundaries to rear and mature before returning to their river of origin to spawn. Consequently, salmon that spawned in the rivers of one country are subject to interceptions in another country. Negotiated in 1985 between Canada and the U.S., the Pacific Salmon Treaty represents decades of effort toward collaborative management to prevent overfishing and to provide for the optimum production and fair allocation of salmon harvest for Pacific salmon fisheries. This report broadly seeks to understand the impacts international fishery agreements have had on small-scale, community-based fisheries through a case study evaluating the Pacific Salmon Treaty’s impacts on the Southeast Alaska commercial Chinook salmon troll fishery over time. The Southeast Alaska Chinook salmon commercial troll fishery was selected due to its dependence on Chinook salmon as a substantial component of its harvest, as along with the small boat characteristics of the fishery. Chinook salmon negotiations within the Pacific Salmon Treaty have been a chronic source of tension within negotiations, and the impacts of negotiations for the Southeast Alaska Chinook salmon commercial troll fishery have resulted in dramatic reductions in harvest opportunity. Reductions in harvest have not been offset by increased consumer demand and fish prices, although these have increased over time. Domestic rivalry is apparent between Alaska and the southern U.S., and Endangered Species Act listings have further complicated negotiations and U.S. Section relations. The report concludes with policy conclusions and recommendations intended to improve salmon management and impacts to affected stakeholders. Concluding that management actions beyond fishery harvest controls will likely be necessary to support healthy salmon populations, consideration of approaches to salmon conservation outside of Pacific Salmon Treaty jurisdiction is recommended. Recommendations also include improved process transparency, the development of a framework to evaluate long-term impacts to stakeholders resulting from management decisions, and increased accountability to maintain habitat responsibly and for the benefit of all.
Open Access
A Review of Successful Practices in Environmental Education to apply in the design of a Marine Science Curriculum
(2020-04-23) Wright, Walter
Connecting people to natural systems has become an important way of addressing current environmental issues. The need for conservation and protection of these natural systems will have a much greater chance of success if environmental education for students is designed to help link human actions to environmental impacts. This can be a challenge for educators when environmental issues are not directly related to a student’s lifestyle or understood. How to connect environmental issues to anyone that may have little or no understanding of an issue is a challenge for environmental educators. This MP will provide a short review of environmental education - the past, current themes and methods, and ideas for the future. This review will also assist in helping the client, SAILwind (an educational organization which focuses on coastal ecology and environmental issues) by developing an understanding of how environmental education developed and what is currently happening in several selected learning institutions and organizations. Obtaining the background for environmental education, helps in providing appropriate and accurate curriculum for the educational organization SAILwind, to assist them with their goals of protection and conservation. SAILwind is a highly interactive, educational non-profit, using science, adventure, and fun to help people learn about natural systems and to connect their individual actions and habits with impacts on the natural world. This is accomplished through “play with a purpose”, a tagline of the organization. Sailing and kayak trips, stream bed exploration and coastal excursions all are part of the platform using a nature based experience to learn about an ecosystem and to see how humans affect these natural systems. SAILwind needs more curriculum designed around school aged kids to help expand their educational efforts and this MP includes three educational models/programs to be used for school kids in SAILwind’s educational and conservation efforts.
Open Access
A Ripe Future? Coastal Climate Perceptions and Adaptations among the Long Island Wine Industry
(2017-04-28) Hall, Emily
Coastal climates have distinctive effects on the growth, quality, and quantity produced of wine grapes. A changing coastal climate could alter these interactions and impact regional wine style and variety. There is a need to understand how growers and wine makers are perceiving and responding to climate change to inform future adaptation strategies. To explore this topic, those in the wine industry on the Eastern End of Long Island, NY were interviewed regarding their perception of 1) how the maritime climate affects viticulture, 2) how that interaction has changed/may change in the future, 3) how they will adapt, and 4) how viticulture affects the local environment. The maritime climate has the perceived effects of moderating land temperature, inducing humidity, and featuring unpredictable weather such as hurricanes and coastal storms. Most respondents believe that the maritime climate has changed over time, allowing for higher quality wine but also greater environmental risk. Industry professionals don’t see extensive adaptation methods as necessary yet, but do seek to utilize sustainable and vigilant vineyard practices to enhance resilience in times of greater risk and uncertainty.
Open Access
Accessibility Improvement for the North Carolina Coastal Reserve
(2023-04-21) Campbell, Peyton
The N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve have 10 sites located around North Carolina that provide the public with recreational, educational, and research experiences within the ecosystems that they manage and preserve. To improve accessibility, this study reviews current accessibility at Reserve sites, provides broad legal background about accessibility in the U.S., provides Reserve history and use goals, and offers recommendations for accessibility improvement for each site where improvement is possible. These recommendations include product recommendations, product cost estimates, site-specific recommendations, and recommendations that apply to all, or most, Reserve sites. Final recommendations include a range of different costs, timeframes, and requirements to implement.
Open Access
An Evaluation Guide for Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
(2020-04-24) Rodriguez, Natalie
Estuarine health is integral to the health of ocean environments (NOAA, 2017). The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration realized this and created a network of protected reserves—the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) (NOAA, n.d.). Environmental education (EE) is integral to NERRS success. These reserves offer unparalleled “living classrooms” for educators, students, and the public (NOAA, 2018). Rookery Bay, a NERR located in Naples, Florida, is home to one of the few undisturbed mangrove forests in the United States. The Environmental Learning Center (ELC) at Rookery Bay is an important resource to the local community provides summer education opportunities and K-12 field trip programming (Rookery Bay, n.d.). Education evaluation for EE programs has become increasingly important as environmental concerns have moved to the forefront of some of the worlds social, political, and economic issues (Thomson, G. & Hoffman, J., n.d.). Evaluation methods can be used to improve environmental education programs and enable continued or improved success in achieving program goals (Thomson, G. & Hoffman, J., n.d.). However, a program evaluation has not yet been done for Rookery Bay’s EE field trip curriculum. The objective of this project was therefore to develop an outcome-based evaluation guide to assess the desired outcomes from visiting students who participate in: (1) 4th grade Estuary Explorers, (2) 7th grade SURVIVORS, and (3) the high school and college students Field-Based Estuarine Studies programs. This was done by completing an education evaluation document analysis, logic models, and informational interviews, to create a retrospective survey which then went through user testing, and expert reviews. This project’s deliverables are a well-informed guide containing the three different grade level surveys as well as guidelines and recommendations for data collection, analysis, and reporting.
Open Access
An Evaluation of Water Quality Parameters and Flow Dynamics in High Rock Lake, North Carolina to Assist in the Development of Nutrient Criteria for Lakes and Reservoirs in the State
(2018-04-26) Rudd, Morgan
High Rock Dam, located in Rowan and Davidson Counties in North Carolina, was constructed on the Yadkin River in 1927. High Rock Lake (HRL) is primarily fed by the Yadkin River and several smaller tributaries, draining a total area of 3974 square miles. HRL has been on the 303d list of impaired waters since 2004 due to elevated levels of turbidity, chlorophyll-a, and pH. North Carolina currently has surface water standards for chlorophyll-a (40 µg/L), turbidity (25 NTU- lakes), and pH (<6 or >9), but not for nutrients. NC DEQ chose HRL as a pilot study to help develop nutrient criteria for lakes throughout the state. There is a high degree of spatial variability in water quality in HRL. Turbidity, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus decrease with increasing proximity to the dam, whereas chlorophyll-a is most elevated within the mid-section of the lake. Phytoplankton taxonomic assemblage varies according to lake section, with the lower-section of the lake experiencing the most elevated levels of cyanobacteria. Riverine discharge appears to influence chlorophyll-a and biovolume, and future studies should aim to identify the impact of discharge on phytoplankton assemblage. An improved understanding of discharge-water quality relationships can help guide nutrient criteria development for the state’s reservoirs, particularly for reservoirs with short residence times (days-weeks).
Open Access
Analysis of Oyster Restoration Policy and Practitioner Feedback in the Hudson-Raritan Estuary
(2023-04-28) Krupitsky, Marika
Open Access
Application of a Novel Climate Adaptation Tool for Prioritization of Historic Structures in Coastal National Parks
(2024-04-26) Craddock, Everett
Climate change poses a threat to future resource management in National Parks. For coastal parks, cultural resources such as historic structures are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change-related threats such as sea level rise and hurricane storm surge. In the summer of 2023, a novel tool was created at Cape Hatteras National Seashore to provide a simple methodology for prioritizing historic structures for climate adaptation based on physical vulnerability and historic significance metrics. The goal of this Master's Project is to assess the transferability of the novel climate change adaptation prioritization tool and compare the outputs of this tool to the most common climate change vulnerability assessment protocol used in coastal National Parks. The novel tool transferability assessment was conducted by applying the tool to historic structures in Cape Cod National Seashore and concluded that the current iteration of the tool requires modification for application in other parks due to inconsistencies of data applicability and availability and challenges in interpretation of the tool outputs. The comparison between the novel tool and the vulnerability assessment protocol revealed significant disparities between the assessment methodology and recommendations produced, and analysis of the outputs from both tools revealed substantial added value from significance metrics in the novel tool. Lessons learned from this analysis were used to produce recommendations for the National Park Service in development of climate change adaptation guidelines.
Open Access
Art as a Pathway to Scientific Awareness and Action: Leveraging Art to Communicate Science and Engage Local Communities for the National Estuarine Research Reserve System
(2019-04-24) Horton, Savannah
Scientists are aware of the need to effectively communicate their research to the public, decision-makers, and funders in new and creative ways. Additionally, an ever-growing number of artists are addressing environmental issues, and funders are beginning to see this work as relevant. This is leading to the increase of interdisciplinary collaborations between the arts and sciences. NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) attempts to address environmental concerns and protect estuaries by partnering with 29 coastal states to monitor estuary health and manage coastal resources. To accomplish their goal of encouraging stewardship of estuaries in local communities, the NERRS is seeking new ways to communicate monitoring data, and the threats that face these crucial ecosystems. NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management and the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association (NERRA) have expressed interest in expanding art-science collaborations nationally. Using a literature and case study review, informational interviews, and a survey, this project built upon existing programs within the NERRS to support transitioning the initiative to a national level, with the hope that research and data can become more accessible and relatable to communities throughout the nation. The information included in this report and the client deliverable sought to answer four research questions: 1) what are the benefits and challenges of using art to communicate science?, 2) can art help different learning styles comprehend and retain scientific data and concepts?, 3) what practices have been used to successfully complete art and science collaboratives?, and 4) where and why has the NERRS used art to communicate science in the past? We found that funding does not have strong institutional support, and further research and assessment is needed in order to further art-science collaborations’ impact. However, art-science collaborations can play an important role in increasing stewardship. Therefore, expanding upon art-science collaborations in the NERRS to nationally leverage art could help increase stewardship and engagement among communities. Reserve scientists are extremely interested in participating in art-science collaborations, and in creating an artist-in-residence program at Research Reserves. With increased national support, art-science collaborations could make a significant impact on stewardship and engagement within reserve communities.
Open Access
Assessing Consumer Preferences for Seafood Products in a North Carolinian Community-Supported Fishery
(2023-04-28) Perdana, Rayner
In recent years, Community Supported Fisheries (CSFs) have gained prominence in the North American seafood industry, with Walking Fish CSF in North Carolina being one of the pioneering efforts. However, due to the relatively recent introduction of CSFs, little is known about consumer preferences for seafood products within this sector. This project aims to investigate and compare the preferences of Walking Fish members and the general public for seafood products within the North Carolinian context. The findings reveal that Walking Fish members exhibit a stronger preference for wild-caught seafood products over farmed products compared to the general public, with the exception of bivalves (oysters and clams) and blue crabs. Moreover, Walking Fish customers attach greater importance to specific attributes such as taste, environmental benefits, and freshness when it comes to wild-caught products in comparison to the general public. The study concludes with a discussion on the implications of consumer preferences for the future development of CSFs, such as Walking Fish.
Open Access
Assessing Farm-Level Practices for Food Borne Illness Prevention from Raw Oyster Consumption
(2023-04-18) Pipas, Stephanie
The Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is popular as a sustainable and nutrient-rich source of animal protein, and sustains a large coastal economy of aquaculture in North Carolina. With increasingly worsened climate change and environmental conditions, the maintenance of the oyster populations in coastal ecosystems is crucial to biodiversity, water quality, and pH. However, high rates of food borne illness from consumption of raw oysters pose a risk to consumer health. The goal of this study is to assess farm-level practices of oyster aquaculturists used to prevent food-borne illness. The research group for this study is oyster farmers with leases in coastal North Carolina. This paper provides recommendations for improved practices and policy surrounding food-borne illness prevention at the farm-level in North Carolina.
Open Access
Assessing Hatchery Practices: Management of genetic introgression issues and First Nations involvement in Salmon Hatcheries in British Columbia.
(2019-04-13) Palaka, Kelli
In 1977, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) implemented the Salmon Enhancement Program (SEP) in order to address the decline of Pacific salmon stocks. The SEP includes a range of initiatives meant to restore at-risk stocks and increase fish numbers to provide harvest and economic development for communities, including First Nations. Efforts include small hatcheries known as Community Involvement Programs operated by coastal communities, environmental societies and First Nations. Little, however, was known about how these programs address First Nation involvement and rising issues around genetic introgression. This project sought to fill this information gap, which was also of specific interest to the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, a community partner in the project that runs their own hatchery. Interviews were conducted with 18 hatchery employees across 5 management regions in British Columbia. Results show that most decisions around genetic practices are made at DFO and not by hatcheries directly. For First Nations involvement, where decisions are made varies depending on the involvement type; First Nation decision-making and goal-setting for non-First Nation hatcheries is done more broadly through DFO consultation, whereas employment or volunteer involvement is decided at the hatchery level. These results will inform decision-making around Pacific salmon management and First Nations relationships.
Open Access
Building Social Equity into Floodplain Buyouts
(2021-04-30) Lipuma, Sarah
Increasingly frequent flood events have generated greater attention to voluntary floodplain buyouts, a tool to mitigate flood hazards by permanently moving people and properties out of harm’s way. While buyouts hold the promise of reducing flood risk by allowing the land to be used to store stormwater, they can also repeat inequitable practices of the past that have displaced vulnerable communities. Through a literature review, this study discusses the knowledge to date at the nexus between flood risk, social equity, and buyouts. The study uses geospatial tools to identify possible parcels for buyouts in a North Carolina town by focusing on the level of flood risk and proximity to natural areas. The resulting buyout scenarios are compared using a social vulnerability index and physical risk factors. The study concludes with recommendations to land use planners and floodplain managers at the state level for buyout decision-making. Incorporating social vulnerability information into buyout criteria will be valuable to administrators of buyout programs to identify the most at-risk populations, prioritize equity, and direct government funding to buyouts that benefit the entire community.
Open Access
Do Federally-Managed Fish Stocks Have a Better Stock Status Than State-Managed Fish Stocks?
(2023-04-18) Barrows, Katline
This study compared the stock status of 40 federally-managed and 69 state-managed fish stocks in the United States using B/BMSY and F/FMSY data from multiple sources. Results show that federally-managed fish stocks had a statistically significantly better overfishing status than state-managed fish stocks, based on fishing mortality ratios from 2017-2021. The difference may be attributed to the robust management approach adopted by the federal government under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Although more policy analysis is needed, these findings provide insights into how different fisheries management approaches may affect the overall stock status of state and federally managed stocks. These results will be used in ongoing Collaboratory research to understand the stock status of North Carolina fisheries.
Open Access
Ensuring sustainability in Hawaii’s offshore aquaculture industry: Environmental, economic, and social considerations for future development
(2022-05-15) Wong, Zoe
Offshore aquaculture, also known as open-ocean fish farming, is an emerging industry in the United States. Hawaii, home to the nation’s only active commercial open-ocean fish farm, has received increased interest and attention as a potential area for growth of the offshore aquaculture industry. State officials will play an important role in guiding the industry’s sustainable development but must take action to avoid the missteps of past projects both in Hawaii and elsewhere. Through background literature research and semi-structured stakeholder interviews, this study seeks to illuminate the environmental, economic, and social considerations that state officials must address and provides policy recommendations for next steps. By formalizing environmental standards for offshore fish farm management, initiating economic research at both state and local scales, committing to meaningful stakeholder engagement with affected communities, and reestablishing a program to oversee development of offshore aquaculture in the state, officials can nurture an industry that enriches Hawaii’s environment, economy, and people.
Open Access
Entanglement: A Community Art Approach to Environmental Education
(2023-05) Mantell, Sydney
Entanglement was first defined in 1997 by David W. Laist, marine mammal expert and policy analyst, as the ways in which loops and openings of marine debris may entrap an animal. Entanglement has documented effects on 354 distinct species and hundreds of thousands of animals die each year. Still, plastic production continues to increase, and most solutions are short-term and focus on disentangling the small fraction of entangled animals we can see. But entanglement is connected to more aspects of our existence than the material threat to marine species. In the field of quantum mechanics, two particles are entangled when the state of one is dependent on the other, regardless of how far apart they are. Even if we are separated from our oceans geographically our lives depend on them. The more my Project progressed, reflecting on entanglement, the more elaborate the meaning of the term became. This complexity is inherent – entanglement is “a means of entangling; that by which a person or thing is entangled; an embarrassment, a snare; a circumstance which complicates or confuses a matter.” My Project aimed to explore these definitions, along with the ways in which our identities are entangled with our daily lives and professions. The academic sciences are especially in need of the practice, as researchers may attempt to remain objective, a characteristic of white supremacy. Alexis Pauline Gumbs is a fellow Black, Queer woman who knows about entanglement. Her book Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals (2021), changed my perspective on my role as a marine scientist. I should not be learning about marine species. Instead, I should be learning from them. Reading Undrowned’s meditations on themes such as slowing down, collaborating, refusing, resting, and staying Black gave me space to reflect on how I could use art as a form of Community-Based Environmental Management (CBEM). Within my graduate studies, there were few opportunities for creative engagement like the critical work that Gumbs practices. To me, environmental management should make connections between the social and natural sciences, arts, policy, humanities, and non-western schools of thought instead of relying on one or two. To address this gap, I formulated two main objectives for my MP: To intentionally create spaces for artistic expression in my community, and 2) To collaboratively communicate the concept of entanglement through artwork. I hypothesized that if I could create these spaces for collaborative artmaking and share those works with others, then people may be inspired to continue creating and reflecting on entanglement. Part of my methodology for my MP involves my own creative practice of fluid painting, a technique I learned alongside my mother Susan. The method involves thinning down acrylic paints then layering all the colors into one cup. Then the paint is plopped, drizzled, or poured onto a canvas, creating unpredictable pieces of art. Just as I had to accept and appreciate the fluidity of my paintings, I had to do the same with my Project as it evolved over the school year. I welcomed the serendipitous connections that informed how I would accomplish my objectives, like my reintroduction to the practice of zinemaking in my Critical Marine Studies class. Zines, pronounced like “teens,” are interdisciplinary, non-professional, and non-commercial publications that often uplift marginalized voices that are undervalued by mainstream media. With roots in Black feminism and anti-establishment movements of the 1960s and 1970s, zines were used by activists to spark collective action and call attention to issues of environmental injustice. As I learned more about the history and culture associated with zines, I saw the potential in creating a zine for my Project to foster creativity, share perspectives, and reckon with entanglement. But my project is more about the process, the “means of entangling,” than it is about any final deliverable. Entanglement: A Community Art Approach to Education is two-part project, as I developed and hosted Community Co-Creation Events and compiled the attendees’ artwork along with other independent submissions into Entanglement: A Co-Created Community Zine. The Community Co-Creation Events brought people together to make art, challenge our ways of thinking, strengthen interpersonal connections, and meditate on entanglement. For example, in “Doodle & Discuss: Crafting Against Capitalism,” participants paired doodle artmaking with a guided reading discussion of Gumbs’s “end capitalism” meditation that explicitly discusses the threat of marine entanglement to the North Atlantic right whale. While the “products” of the event, the doodles, are included in my zine, the significance of having that space for reflection cannot be fully encapsulated on a page. The Entanglement zine contained submissions from over 30 contributors making more than 20 distinct types of media. I plan to continue the recursive process of zinemaking, creating and adding new pieces to the online blog where the zine will be hosted. Other artists have committed to continue creating and reflecting, as well. For example, my mother, Susan, who has made over 140 collages since my “Collaging & Connecting” Community Co-Creation event in November to the publication of this Report in April. Throughout my MP, I was able to consider our entanglements to oppressive systems, our identities, our communities, and the nonhuman world by collaborating with others. In conclusion, Entanglement: A Community Art Approach to Environmental Education demonstrates ways in which artmaking can build community and encourage deep, recursive learning.
Open Access
Evaluating the Marketing and Conceptualization of Farmed Oysters Along the NC Oyster Trail
(2022-04-22) Nunnally, Kara
North Carolina’s shellfish industry has grown due to increased attention to shellfish farming, specifically for oysters, through legislative actions by the North Carolina General Assembly and support from non-profit organizations, academia, and initiatives like the NC Oyster Trail. By understanding the current marketing and challenges facing NC Oyster Trail sites, the NC Oyster Trail can become a catalyst to support the shellfish aquaculture industry by defining a common language for farmed products, establishing an industry brand management strategy, and impacting consumer purchasing behavior. This report includes a qualitative study of the ways oyster farmers, seafood markets, and restaurants along the NC Oyster Trail advertise farmed oysters to consumers, and recommends strategies for marketing and promoting North Carolina farmed oysters.
Open Access
Fishing for Food
(2019-04-22) Nieman, Cassandra; Rudman, Alexie; Chory, Margaret
Within recreational fishing, there is an understudied population of people who fish for food. Rather than ‘subsistence fishing,’ we use the more inclusive term, ‘fishing for food’ to mean anyone who consumes their catch, whether or not they rely on it. Learning more about this group is important because ‘fishing for food’ is a practice that has socio-cultural characteristics and a range of values associated with it that are distinct from those traditionally associated with recreational fishing. In this study, qualitative data collected through 80 semi-structured interviews with fishers in Carteret County, North Carolina, were used to gather baseline information and characterize the community of those ‘fishing for food’ in this popular fishing community. Our findings revealed that users of the Newport River Pier and Grayden Paul Drawbridge assign a variety of values to fishing at this free public infrastructure, including access to recreation, nutrition, a social community, and mental health benefits. We also found an informal economy of sharing catch on- or off-site that extends the reach of the infrastructure to people beyond those using it directly.
Open Access
Investigating Application of a Seafood Recommendation Program for Small-Scale Pacific Salmon Fisheries: A Case Study of a Rights-Based Chinook Fishery
(2024-04-26) Bernaus, Katrina
With thirty-five percent of the world’s marine fish stocks overfished (FAO 2022), eco-recommendation programs have emerged as market-oriented solutions to promote sustainable fisheries, focusing on consumer behaviour to drive changes in fishing (Wakamatsu & Wakamatsu, 2017). However, most seafood certification and recommendation schemes focus on large-scale, industrial fisheries (Wakamatsu & Wakamatsu, 2017). While being small-scale is not inherently sustainable, recent discourse on the importance of small-scale fisheries to sustainable development (Franz et al., 2023) highlights the need to ensure small-scale fisheries are not left behind in defining sustainable seafood or meeting the requirements of existing sustainability definitions. Further, some seafood products are primarily fished by small-scale or community-based operations and therefore mostly left out of seafood certification or recommendations. Here, we explore the Ocean Wise sustainable seafood initiative, a Canadian eco-recommendation program typically applied to large-scale fisheries. Ocean Wise has struggled to include small-scale, rights-based, and Canadian Pacific salmon fisheries in their recommendation program. Their assessment process is also based on Western science and takes a desk-based approach, limiting the knowledge that Ocean Wise’s analysts can include in their assessment. Knowing many small-scale and rights-based fisheries are sustainable in their implementation and that local and Indigenous knowledge can provide substantial information on fishery sustainability, we seek to understand how to best incorporate small-scale salmon fisheries into the Ocean Wise assessment processes. We apply a case study of a chinook (suuhaa) near-terminal fishery on Mowachaht Muchalaht First Nation territory in British Columbia, collecting interviews and performing qualitative analysis. Thereby, we investigate the utility of the Ocean Wise fishery recommendation program for a small-scale, rights-based Pacific salmon fishery and explore how local and Indigenous knowledge holders can supplement and modify the assessment and recommendation process. We gather that the Ocean Wise recommendation program is interesting and useful to respondents in our case study but comes with context-dependent challenges. Overall, the attitude towards the Ocean Wise recommendation program and the idea of a “sustainability” label for the chinook fishery was positive. In particular, fishers were responsive to a potential higher product value and expanded market opportunities. However, infrastructure challenges for the remote fishery would limit the success of only using an eco-recommendation to achieve such benefits. When comparing interview data with Ocean Wise’s framework, we found several synergies between the information interviewees were able to provide. Respondents also provide substantial information about where Ocean Wise Analysts can later seek information to bridge particular data gaps. Our results suggest that the Ocean Wise assessment framework prioritizes socio-ecological sustainability, ecosystem-based management, the inclusion of rightsholders, and responses to environmental risks when assessing small-scale fisheries. Emergent themes in our data also help illuminate how the Mowachaht Muchalaht fishing community defines sustainability and the indicators that may help measure social sustainability in a standardized assessment process. Further, we emphasize the need for an inclusive, adaptable, and fisher-centric approach to seafood recommendations that incorporates community engagement, partnership formation, traditional knowledge, and considerations for historical and contemporary restrictions of indigenous rights in the process. These recommendations are necessary to ensure the sustainability of small-scale fisheries and their inclusion in market-based conservation efforts like seafood recommendation programs. Overall, we recommend Ocean Wise alters their assessment process as follows: 1. Create modifications to emphasize the inclusion of rightsholders in fishery management and allow for multiple data types and knowledge forms to inform assessments 2. Incorporate socio-economic sustainability into the recommendation framework 3. Separate fishers from external, uncontrollable conditions in the assessment process 4. Take a project-based approach in assessments and form partnerships with small-scale fisheries 5. Keep in mind historical and contemporary restrictions of Indigenous rights to access resources in Canada while assessing fishery conditions 6. Coordinate efforts with other sustainable seafood programs to share resources and ensure consistency of modifications to assessment standards across the board
Open Access
Judging Size Limits on Blue Marlin in the Gulf Coast Triple Crown
(2018-04-26) Becker, Nicholas
The main event in Gulf Coast Triple Crown tournaments is the weighing of giant Blue Marlin at the weigh scales. Blue Marlin have to be a certain size to be killed in these tournaments, also known as the size limit. The size limits in these tournaments however, allow smaller Blue Marlin to be weighed each tournament that will not win any prize money or place on the leader board. Thus, they are wasted. Changing a size limit has implications from a social, economic, and biological standpoint. This project analyzed catch data from the tournaments for the past five years as well as interviews with tournament directors, fishermen, and people of the industry to determine what was the best size limit to reduce waste. The final result is a recommendation for the Gulf Coast Triple Crown Tournament Series on what size limit they should employ in their tournaments going forward that makes sense from an economic, biological, and social aspect.

Browsing by Author "Murray, Grant Daniel"

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