LB 11-151 - Co-management of freshwater fisheries in the Amazon reconciles social and ecological benefits

Background/Question/Methods:

Overfishing is a key problem reducing fish diversity and abundance in several ecosystems, threatening food security and biodiversity conservation worldwide, particularly in freshwater ecosystems, which are under growing pressures and poor management. However, co-management initiatives led by riverine fishing communities have been developed for managing and promoting fisheries sustainability. Yet, the effectiveness of these co-management efforts remains poorly understood. Can they contribute to fisheries sustainability? Here, we assessed the effectiveness of the co-management led by small-scale fishers in the Amazon Basin whereby floodplain lakes are classified for distinct resource uses, from more restrictive (protected lakes) to less restrictive (subsistence and open-access) lakes. We analyzed 1,607 fishing trips that took place in 74 lakes distributed in 30 riverine communities located inside and outside protected areas of the Jurua River, a tributary of the Amazon River. Using linear regression models, we assessed the effect of lake classification on fish catch (kg), fishing revenue ($), and vulnerability of target species. We also analyzed the species composition of the catch to understand fishing pressure on vulnerable species.

Results/Conclusions:

We found that protected lakes provided greater catch and revenue for fishers than the less restrictive lakes. The magnitude of this effect was such that there was no difference on fish catch and revenue across lakes inside and outside protected areas, suggesting that fisheries co-management overrides the effect of protected areas. Further, we found that the species composition of the catch was similar across lakes, but the mean catch of target species was different. Specifically, protected lakes had the largest catches of all species while subsistence lakes the lowest catches; however, open-access lakes had more fishing pressure directed on the most vulnerable species (e.g., Colossoma macropomum and Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum), probably as a result of absence of fishing rules. By protecting floodplain lakes, co-management increases fish catch and supports food security, providing socioeconomic and ecological gains to fishing communities. We recommend improving the government support for co-management initiatives as a foremost path to achieve fisheries sustainability, through providing incentives for conservation and increasing the capacity of community organizations to become government partners. Thus, the effectiveness of co-management reported here points to potentially scalable a change that can smooth the effects of overfishing and reconcile social and ecological benefits in freshwater ecosystems.