Protection On The Move: Applying Dynamic Ocean Management To Address Shark Bycatch In Atlantic Canada [graduate project].
Date
2017
Authors
Prior, Jasmine
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Abstract
Description
The Canadian North Atlantic pelagic longline fishery for swordfish and tuna has unintended bycatch of porbeagle, shortfin mako, and blue sharks. This creates concerns for species-at-risk populations, ecosystem health, harvesters safety and economic security. This study proposes that a Dynamic Ocean Management (DOM) application could mitigate the pelagic shark bycatch associated with this longline fishery. The document reviews published information on the focal shark species, the fishery, current marine spatial management tools used in Canada, and theory and applications of DOM. Following this, the study evaluates the attitudes of 14 primary stakeholders towards DOM through stakeholder group governance analysis and semi-structured interviews. The associated stakeholders who participated in the project include one participant from each of the regional RFMOs; NAFO and ICCAT, three participants from DFO, one participant from the Nova Scotia Swordfish Association, four NGO perspectives, two academic perspectives, and two private third-party interest groups. In the interviews, all individuals discussed their views on the bycatch challenge, the desirability and feasibility of applying DOM, and the current efforts undertaken by each group. The results of this study show that a DOM application is seen as a desirable potential solution by most and could be feasible depending on project structure and management style. Therefore, based on the considerations of the governance analyses and interview responses, a management plan is proposed and associated requirements, considerations, and concerns are discussed. Specifically, the plan proposes a management tool in the style of a phone app or website interface. This interface would allow harvesters to geo-tag areas where shark bycatch has impacted their catch in near-real time. When overlaid with other data streams, including historical seasonal data, ocean conditions and species tracking, it allows the whole fleet to strategically plan their next location to set their longlines, with an active consideration to avoid sharks.