Commercial Fishery Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Purpose – The objective was to investigate the function of an Indigenous commercial fishery at Norway House Cree Nation as a social enterprise, and to examine its potential to enhance community economic development.
Design/methodology/approach - The research was conducted in three phases and outcome of each phase was used as an input for the next phase. In the first phase, questionnaire surveys were administered among commercial fishing households. In the second phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants, and in the third, with fisheries experts, food development experts, and government officials.
Findings - Norway House Fisherman’s Co-op functions as a social enterprise mainly because (a) commercial fishers contribute to local food security by sharing fish, and (b) the Co-op operates additional businesses which contribute to job creation and community economic development.
Research limitations/implications - The study was carried out in only one community and commercial fishery from northern Manitoba, and the results will not be directly applicable elsewhere.
Practical implications - This research provides recommendations for further development of commercial fisheries at Norway House: (i) fuller use of existing fish resources, (ii) value-added economic development and (iii) creative use of regulatory options.
Originality/value – The Co-op is identified as the engine of community development. It functions well but there are additional opportunities for development, such as reducing the discard of lower value fish, which is consistent with Indigenous Cree cultural values of not wasting resources.

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- Indigenous Peoples, Social Enterprise, Food Security, Co-operatives

The capture of ornamental fish is an important economic activity in Brazil. Most (79 %) of the live aquarium fish exported from this country are captured in the Amazon region, in particular in the basins of the Negro, Xingu, and Tapajós rivers. The capture of ornamental fish in the Xingu basin is now under threat from the impacts caused by the construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, which has resulted in habitat loss and changes in the river's hydrological cycle. An economic assessment of this fishery is needed to determine the magnitude of the possible impacts for the fishers over the long term. The present study estimated the costs and profitability of the fisheries that target ornamental species prior to the impoundment of the river, based on the records of the catches and economic income of 36 vessels. The results were positive, indicating that this activity was economically viable at that time. The harvesting of ornamental fish requires a mean initial investment of US$ 2,640.14, with a net profitability of 28.63 % for wooden canoes and 18.47 % for aluminum boats, providing the fishers with a net income of US$16.80 per fishing day. However, this income is extremely unstable due to the fluctuations in the capturability of the target species over the course of the year, and unpredictable oscillations in the demand for the most commercially valuable species. The predicted changes in the hydrological systems following the construction of the dam will likely result in a decrease in the economic yield of the fishery. Studies of this type are fundamentally important for the establishment of effective public policies for the fishery sector, and the mediation of socio-environmental impacts in the Amazon region.

- by Gregory Prang and +1
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- Ornamental Fish, Costs, Xingu River, Commercial Fishery

Small individuals of the invasive lionfish first made an appearance in St. Thomas' plastic lobster traps with 2.5 mm gaps between slats in late 2009. Larger individuals which could be retained in fish traps (with 5.9 mm mesh size) were not present until mid-2010. By 2012 they were the 19th most common species caught in a trapping study. Catch per Unit effort values from that study and from one of the project fishermen indicate that fish and lobster trap fishermen are removing between 10 and 12,000 lionfish annually. Removal by sport divers has been reported since 2010. Sport Divers are currently removing between 1,200 and 3,000 lionfish annually.

- by david olsen
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- Lionfish, Commercial Fishery

- by Victoria Isaac
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- Fisheries, Ecology, Ornamental Fish, Costs