Escola Internacional de Doutoramento Pablo Pita Orduna TESE DE DOUTORAMENTO Analyzing key economic, social and governance patterns for the management of complex socioecological systems in data-poor situations Dirixida polos doutores: Sebastián Villasante Larramendi e Manel Antelo Suárez Ano: 2020 1 | Page Analyzing key economic, social and governance patterns for the management of complex socio- ecological systems in data-poor situations Acknowledgments Thanks to all those who, in so different ways, have forced me to move forward. To Diana, Ada, and Elba 3 | Page PhD in Marine Science, Technology and Management. Research area in Economics, Legislation and Management of marine resources Analyzing key economic, social and governance patterns for the management of complex socio- ecological systems in data-poor situations Index of contents Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................... 3 Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... 5 Resumen ...................................................................................................................................... 12 1. Introduction............................................................................................................................. 20 2. Objectives ................................................................................................................................ 25 2.1. Socioecological changes in data-poor small-scale fisheries ............................................. 25 2.1.1. The case of the shell fisheries of Galicia ................................................................... 25 2.1.2. The case of the marine recreational fisheries of Galicia ........................................... 25 2.2. The governance frameworks of marine recreational fisheries in Spain and Galicia ........ 26 2.3. The economic activity of recreational fishing charters in the North Atlantic .................. 26 3. Discussion ................................................................................................................................ 27 4. Conclusions.............................................................................................................................. 31 5. References ............................................................................................................................... 32 Annexes ....................................................................................................................................... 56 Annex I ......................................................................................................................................... 57 Annex II ........................................................................................................................................ 75 Annex III ....................................................................................................................................... 90 Annex IV .................................................................................................................................... 105 Annex V ..................................................................................................................................... 116 Annex VI .................................................................................................................................... 119 4 | Page PhD in Marine Science, Technology and Management. Research area in Economics, Legislation and Management of marine resources Analyzing key economic, social and governance patterns for the management of complex socio- ecological systems in data-poor situations Abstract Information on where and how humans use coastal environments is essential in the planning and management of marine resources. However, knowledge about the interactions between socioeconomic, governance, and ecological patterns of marine socioecological systems is largely unknown. This thesis focuses in the analyses of synergies and trade-offs between services of marine ecosystems and socioeconomic development, studying the local and global implications of how human and biophysical processes interact with the structure and function of coastal ecosystems, and how they affect the availability of food, income, employment, health and equity in coastal communities. In the different publications that make up this thesis, quantitative models and participatory approaches have been used to integrate ecological and socioeconomic dimensions to understand present and future patterns of marine socioecological systems. In this thesis it has been demonstrated that under data-poor management scenarios a combination of different sources of data can be used to document and analyze key changes in small-scale fisheries (SSF), specifically in marine recreational fisheries (MRF) and S-fisheries (small-scale, spatially-structured, targeting sedentary stocks) to inform management and policy. MRF and the shellfish fishery of Galicia (NW Spain) have been selected as cases of study because they are highly relevant fisheries in Europe that are managed in a data-poor environment with urgent needs of updated information by regional policy makers and managers to ensure socioecological sustainability. Special attention has been paid to interrelation between socioeconomic changes and resource exploitation issues. Despite its socioeconomic relevance, the shellfish fishery of Galicia is a paradigmatic example of European S-fishery that is managed in a data-poor environment, with urgent needs of updated social, economic, and ecological information. Long-term changes in the shell fisheries of Galicia were analyzed to help regional policy makers and fisheries managers to improve management. Results were published in the international journal Marine Policy (see Annex I). In this paper (Annex I) there were reconstructed total removals of shellfish species from Galicia for 1950-2017. Data on commercial fishing fleets were obtained from the Pesca de Galicia website (https://www.pescadegalicia.gal), namely, length, power and capacity, main fishing grounds where the Galician fleet is operating (in national waters and international fishing grounds) and fishing gear used (i.e., shellfishing licenses) for all vessels in different homeports for the period 2004- 2016. Data on daily shellfish sales (kilograms, value in € and mean value in €·kg-1) by species for the first-sale markets were also collected from Pesca de Galicia for the period 2003-2015. Data on employment of on-foot shellfishers by cofradía de pescadores (fishers' organizations) were obtained for the period 1998-2017. Thereafter, recent temporary trends in fishing vessel length, capacity and power, the number of commercial shellfishing licenses, employment, catches, and sales value 5 | Page PhD in Marine Science, Technology and Management. Research area in Economics, Legislation and Management of marine resources Analyzing key economic, social and governance patterns for the management of complex socio- ecological systems in data-poor situations were analyzed by using generalized linear models (GLM). Different covariates, error structures and link functions were assessed in the models, which were selected based on Akaike’s information criterion. Catches and sales value were analyzed by means of hierarchical clusters to identify differences between first-sale markets. The similarity percentage, based on a decomposition of Bray-Curtis dissimilarities were used to identify the landed species that contribute most to differences. It was shown that the shellfishing capacity of Galicia, a major fishing power in Europe, has been severely reduced in recent decades (Annex I). The number of vessels has fallen by 13%, vessel length, capacity and engine power have decreased by 10%, 7% and 3%, respectively, while the number of on-foot shellfishers has halved. Landings and sale value of shellfish species have declined in the last decade by 16% and by 13%, respectively. This decline follows a period of recovery from the mid-1980s when coastal fishery management were transferred from the Spanish to the regional government. Production of local clam species has been progressively abandoned in favor of the foreign Japanese carpet shell Ruditapes philippinarum, leading to losses in sales value and increasing market risks. Overfishing, poaching, degradation of habitats, pollution, disease outbreaks and ocean warming may be responsible for the drop in landings and sales value of key species like edible cockle Cerastoderma edule and Atlantic goose barnacle Pollicipes pollicipes. Despite the development of new fisheries, e.g., algae, anemone and harvesting of worms for recreational anglers, the overall declining trend has important socioecological implications for Galician society, because of the traditional link between shell fishing and coastal communities. The socioecological sustainability of this sector requires policies to be developed by the regional government regarding the support of multidisciplinary research, increase control over pollution and poaching, a greater focus on the production of native species, and the strengthening of co-management frameworks. In relation to MRF, in this thesis it was demonstrated that the use of fishers’ ecological knowledge (FEK) is a good approach to develop knowledge of complex socioecological systems