Development and expansion in the marine social sciences: Insights from the global community

A manifesto for coastal landscape governance: Reframing the relationship between coastal and landscape governance

There is an urgent demand for substantial reforms in the governance of coastal regions. Recent research advocates for a transformative shift in European coastal governance system towards a landscape governance approach. This perspective, informed by a narrative literature review on coastal and landscape governance, explores the potential value of coastal landscape governance, drawing on the Council of Europe Landscape Convention. Our results, presented in the form of a manifesto, underscore the need to move beyond political administrative boundaries and address all coastal landscapes as socio-ecological systems. It emphasises the necessity for the State to recognise them as a public and common good, establishing a specific governance arena with dedicated actors and institutions. The manifesto also advocates for landscape justice through knowledge co production, urging transformative change and landscape based regional design to envision alternative futures. Additionally, it calls for regionalising coastal landscape governance and invites scholars from other transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives to contribute to this research agenda.

Public perception and preferences for coastal risk management: Evidence from a convergent parallel mixed-methods study

Coastal ecosystems are exposed to unprecedented levels of human pressure and to the cumulative effects of climate change. Altogether, these threats have been exposing coastal areas to augmented hazardous processes, leaving communities highly vulnerable to coastal risks and challenging the coastal management paradigm. Disregarding public perceptions of coastal risk management may be myopic and, thus, an obstacle to the success of the efforts towards coastal risks' mitigation and adaptation. Therefore, this study aims at comprehensively ascertain public perception and preferences for coastal risk management, through a mixed-methods approach. The quantitative study accounted for 3028 participants that enrolled in the population-based survey. The qualitative study accounted for 320 participants that responded to the e-interview. Data were analysed independently and triangulated for further interpretation. Evidence from this study suggests that citizens prioritize the intrinsic value of coastal systems, when favouring a risk adaptation strategy. Therefore, ecosystem-based adaptation measures were highlighted, in detriment of grey infrastructure. Additionally, and due to the reported high levels of public authorities' distrust, the public seems to urge for a transition from a technocratic to a participatory coastal management, in which public's preferences are legitimized. Consequently, and in order to decentralize coastal governance, citizens demonstrated a proactive disposition to actively engage in coastal management. Findings from this study were discussed in order to provide guidance to the development of tailored coastal management initiatives and policy tools, which are expected to be effective at enhancing coastal communities' resilience to hazardous processes and augmenting citizens' engagement in coastal management.

Towards vibrant fish populations and sustainable fisheries that benefit all: learning from the last 30 years to inform the next 30 years

A common goal among fisheries science professionals, stakeholders, and rights holders is to ensure the persistence and resilience of vibrant fish populations and sustainable, equitable fisheries in diverse aquatic ecosystems, from small headwater streams to offshore pelagic waters. Achieving this goal requires a complex intersection of science and management, and a recognition of the interconnections among people, place, and fish that govern these tightly coupled socioecological and sociotechnical systems. The World Fisheries Congress (WFC) convenes every four years and provides a unique global forum to debate and discuss threats, issues, and opportunities facing fish populations and fisheries. The 2021 WFC meeting, hosted remotely in Adelaide, Australia, marked the 30th year since the first meeting was held in Athens, Greece, and provided an opportunity to reflect on progress made in the past 30 years and provide guidance for the future. We assembled a diverse team of individuals involved with the Adelaide WFC and reflected on the major challenges that faced fish and fisheries over the past 30 years, discussed progress toward overcoming those challenges, and then used themes that emerged during the Congress to identify issues and opportunities to improve sustainability in the world's fisheries for the next 30 years. Key future needs and opportunities identified include: rethinking fisheries management systems and modelling approaches, modernizing and integrating assessment and information systems, being responsive and flexible in addressing persistent and emerging threats to fish and fisheries, mainstreaming the human dimension of fisheries, rethinking governance, policy and compliance, and achieving equity and inclusion in fisheries. We also identified a number of cross-cutting themes including better understanding the role of fish as nutrition in a hungry world, adapting to climate change, embracing transdisciplinarity, respecting Indigenous knowledge systems, thinking ahead with foresight science, and working together across scales. By reflecting on the past and thinking about the future, we aim to provide guidance for achieving our mutual goal of sustaining vibrant fish populations and sustainable fisheries that benefit all. We hope that this prospective thinking can serve as a guide to (i) assess progress towards achieving this lofty goal and (ii) refine our path with input from new and emerging voices and approaches in fisheries science, management, and stewardship.

Complementary Role of Fishers' Experiential Knowledge to Conventional Science in Terms of Species-Specific Biological Traits and Population Changes in Azorean Waters

Combining scientific information with fishers' perceptions may be a robust approach for directing decision-makers working with marine ecosystems. This is particularly the case when baseline data on a vulnerable stock are poor, as the integration of fishers' experiential knowledge can help fill data gaps, as well as inform legitimate management actions, and empower fishing communities in resource management. This study aimed to analyze fishers' knowledge regarding the biology (reproduction, growth, and maximum size) and temporal changes in the abundance and size of six commercially important marine species (red porgy Pagrus pagrus, veined squid Loligo forbesii, blue jack mackerel Trachurus picturatus, blackspot seabream Pagellus bogaraveo, blackbelly rosefish Helicolenus dactylopterus, and European conger Conger conger) in the Azores small-scale communities. Additionally, a comparison between fishers' knowledge and available scientific information was performed to determine the former's value and its possible complementarity with the latter. A total of 105 fishers were surveyed in the nine islands of the archipelago. The results demonstrated a reasonable level of agreement between the information from fishers and scientific literature on the species-specific spawning seasons and growth rates. The median values of size at maturity and maximum length were not statistically different between data sources. Most participants indicated size and abundance trends that were consistent with the literature. This study highlights the usefulness of fishers' perceptions in improving knowledge about species characteristics and temporal changes in commercially exploited stocks, especially when scientific research is limited, but further research should be encouraged to improve the reliability and consistency of these results.

The evolution of ocean literacy: A new framework for the United Nations Ocean Decade and beyond

First introduced in the early 2000s, the concept of ocean literacy has evolved in recent years, not least since its inclusion as a mechanism for change within the United Nations Ocean Decade's goals. Building on early definitions of ocean literacy, there has been increasing recognition of a range of additional dimensions which contribute to an individual or collective sense of 'ocean literacy'. Drawing on existing research, and parallel and supporting concepts, e.g., marine citizenship, ocean connectedness, and public perceptions research, this paper proposes ten dimensions of ocean literacy: knowledge, communication, behaviour, awareness, attitudes, activism, emotional connection, access and experience, adaptive capacity and trust and transparency, and recommends expanding previously recognised dimensions, in a bid to ensure that ocean literacy encompasses diverse knowledges, values and experiences. The paper provides a useful framework for ongoing ocean literacy research, and highlights aspects of ocean literacy which have received limited focus to date.