Spatio‐temporal species distribution models can support fisheries assessments and management in marine and freshwater environments. However, the high costs of structured surveys often limit the spatio‐temporal coverage of the data available for modelling. To address this issue, we present a spatio‐temporal modelling approach integrating structured survey data with unstructured presence‐only data, which

Indigenous Peoples have developed knowledge systems that foster respectful and reciprocal relations between humans and other‐than‐human beings, supporting resilient ecosystems and societies. Despite the impacts of colonisation, Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) endure in many parts of the world, and there is growing recognition that IKS can strongly improve fisheries management. During the last 5

Artificial structures deployed in marine environments as reefs are often presumed to increase fish production. However, our literature review found a lack of evidence, with only 12 studies empirically quantifying secondary production at artificial reefs, and only three studies using a control site. We propose the forthcoming large‐scale construction of offshore wind (OSW) energy structures presents

The European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) has a catadromous life cycle, with a single panmictic population that colonises continental Europe and northern Africa yet migrates 5000 to 9000 km to spawn in the Atlantic Ocean. It is unknown how this continental migration is organised so individual eels arrive in time for spawning with conspecifics. This meta‐analysis combined tracking data from 18 water bodies

The growing use of data‐poor fisheries models provides unprecedented access to compelling stock metrics and management scenarios for coral‐reef fisheries. Yet, it remains unclear how well the assumptions surrounding data‐poor models derived from extensive cold‐water fisheries fit the life histories and ecology of tropical coral‐reef fishes. The present study compared the outcomes from length‐based

Mixed‐species fish shoals are common, and form for a variety of reasons. We suggest that short term mixed‐species shoals, that persist for minutes or hours, might form because lone individuals (or small groups) of one species might benefit from joining larger groups of heterospecifics to reduce predation risk. We carried out a literature survey, which revealed that mixed‐species groups seldom contain

This review examines the progression of fish bioacoustics and ecoacoustics, with a focus on the growing application of Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) as a non‐invasive tool for assessing fish biodiversity. As environmental conservation goals intensify globally, particularly with initiatives such as Biodiversity Net Gain, the need for effective methods to monitor aquatic biodiversity has become increasingly

Targeted management interventions can influence marine resource user behaviour, yet some remain ineffective. Behavioural economics may offer valuable insights on this topic by identifying which interventions can effectively change human behaviour and how they can be applied. This systematic review (N = 140) synthesises evidence from behavioural economics studies conducted in a fisheries context. The

Demographic models are vital tools in fisheries management, particularly for data‐limited species such as sharks and rays. However, a significant gap exists in the statistical quantification of productivity metrics related to elasmobranchs. This study addresses this gap by conducting a meta‐analysis of population models for sharks and rays, framed within a scientometric context. We reviewed 91 publications

We explore bottom‐up restoration pathways on the West Florida Shelf using an Atlantis end‐to‐end biogeochemical food web model. We simulate three ecosystem states, the 1990s, the present day, and a restored future ecosystem. The restored ecosystem is informed by current restoration efforts by the Florida Trustee Implementation Group, responsible for administering restoration projects totaling $680

Sustainable commercial fishing makes valuable contributions to coastal regions and broader national benefits. This paper offers three arguments in relation to what is required for the societal benefits of sustainable fisheries to be fully realised and considers each in the context of the UK but with global relevance. First, there is a need to raise the profile of the full range of benefits that are

Across Alaska, there have been synchronous declines in the abundance, mean age, and size of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Salmonidae), a species with immense social and ecological importance. The decline of Chinook salmon, and regulations addressing declines, have drastically impacted people who rely on Alaska's fisheries. Despite their importance, the drivers causing Chinook salmon declines

Animal body size distributions result from interactions of growth, mortality and recruitment. In ecology and fisheries science, theoretical models of fish body size distributions are widely used but rely on life‐history parameters—growth coefficient (K) and natural mortality rate (M)—that remain unknown for most species and are challenging to estimate. Analysing data from underwater visual surveys

The life cycle of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is inherently risky because it relies on the successful migration of larvae and adults across thousands of kilometres of the Atlantic Ocean. In between these migrations, eels need to grow and develop to maximise their potential for successful reproduction. Eels have a number of life‐history characteristics at each life stage that minimise mortality

Fishing with active bottom‐contacting gears (here collectively described as 'bottom trawling') is considered the greatest source of anthropogenic disturbance to marine sediments. However, uncertainties are apparent in studies evaluating the severity of their impacts from fishing with these gears at the global scale. A major uncertainty is the estimation of the area of seabed disturbed by applying European‐based

The importance of connectivity for freshwater organisms is widely recognised, yet in‐stream barriers associated with population declines and increased risk of extinction remain globally ubiquitous. Despite their negative consequences, these barriers can protect aquatic communities by limiting the spread of invasive species, leading to conflicting management goals in some regions. Selective fish passage

Sex‐specific variation in population demography and life‐history traits (e.g., growth, natural mortality) is common in many fish populations. Differences in these processes by sex can dictate population dynamics and influence how harvesters interact with the resource. Across various fisheries management systems, stock assessment models (SAMs), which mathematically represent population age and/or size

Sharks are among the most threatened groups of exploited fishes, comprising common bycatch across many fisheries. Management efforts intended to safeguard threatened species have increasingly focused on retention bans to reduce bycatch mortality. However, the population effects of such measures remain unevaluated across species. We combined available data from 160 studies providing estimates of at‐vessel

Species with complex life cycles, such as anadromous fish that perform spawning migrations between freshwater and the ocean, may be particularly sensitive to global change because freshwater and marine habitats experience distinct shifts in climate and ecosystem dynamics. Abundances of wild steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) have declined across most of their range over the past 40–50 years. We

Small‐scale fisheries (SSF) are commonly governed through co‐management, a widely advocated approach for promoting equitable governance. However, evidence suggests that this governance approach can sometimes exacerbate power imbalances, facilitate elite capture and intensify conflicts. To foster co‐management that successfully enhances equity in SSF governance, it is crucial to understand when and

Scientific advice for fisheries management rarely takes into account how fishers react to regulations, which can lead to unexpected results and unrealistic expectations of the effectiveness of the management measures. Short‐term decisions about when and where to fish are one of the greatest sources of uncertainty in predicting management outcomes. Several models have been developed to predict how fishers

Management of fisheries is complex as it combines environmental, economic and social objectives. The relative importance of these objectives is highly debated and the best approaches to achieving good outcomes are unclear. A lack of global and multi‐dimensional data has largely precluded reviews providing comparisons of performances across systems at a large scale. We review fisheries performance by

Salmonid fishes are one of the best studied fish taxa, but little is known about their biomass distribution. We created a dataset using published material for over 1000 rivers with estimated salmonid biomass, covering 27 countries, and 11 species. The distribution of salmonid biomass and production across streams was skewed to the right with a mean biomass and production of 5.2 g/m2 (range = 0–70.3

Freshwater biodiversity is increasingly imperilled by human activities, with dam construction posing significant threats to fish communities. Species composition changes through introductions and extinctions have been widely reported, yet the long‐term consequences of cascade dam construction on multiple facets of biodiversity remain poorly understood. Moreover, the compensatory effects of species

Mixed fisheries exploit fish stocks that are heterogeneously distributed in space using gears that are not species selective. This poses a challenge for management as catch limits for less productive stocks constrain catches of more productive stocks leading to losses in yield and economic value. Decoupling catches of stocks caught together in mixed fisheries could increase potential yields and may

The world's smallest porpoise—the vaquita (Phocoena sinus)—is on the brink of extinction. Endemic to the upper Gulf of California, it has dwindled to fewer than 19 individuals in 2023. The primary source of mortality is drowning in gillnets set for totoaba (a giant croaker fish). Our review of the past 50 years of efforts to simultaneously attain conservation goals for the vaquita and economic and

Although conditioning strategies are widely used to increase fish post‐release adaptability in stock enhancement projects, their effectiveness has not been systematically evaluated. Using a global‐scale meta‐analysis, we demonstrate that three major conditioning strategies, including environmental enrichment, life skills training and release tactic, can significantly improve fish fitness‐related traits

Although the eco‐evolutionary consequences of dispersal and exploitation are increasingly recognised, consideration of these effects and how they interact for management and conservation remains limited. We addressed this gap by examining population exploitation within a metapopulation framework, using Atlantic salmon as a case study. We compared eco‐evolutionary consequences of alternative exploitation

Social learning is common among vertebrates, including fish. Learning from others reduces the risk and costs of adaptation. In some longer‐lived species, social learning can lead to the formation of persistent groups that pass learned adaptations from one generation to the next (culture). Variations in learned adaptations are subject to natural selection, leading to a second, fast‐paced, fine‐scale

Fjords provide valuable research opportunities for marine scientists. They are excellent natural infrastructure for climate impact studies associated with hypoxic episodes and consequences for mesopelagic and deep‐sea ecosystems involving oceanographic circulation processes and basin water renewals. Repeated sampling from the same populations is possible, making fjords excellent systems for developing

Marine fisheries are crucial to the economy, livelihood, food security and culture of coastal nations and communities, significantly contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. A decade ago, T. J. Pitcher and W. W. L. Cheung highlighted the dichotomy in the perception of fisheries' status, concluding that long‐term sustainability and benefits to people were threatened by overexploitation

Species distribution models (SDMs) are critical to the adaptive management of fisheries under climate change. While many approaches projecting marine species range shifts have incorporated the effects of temperature on movement, there is a need to incorporate a wider suite of ecologically relevant predictors as temperature‐based SDMs can considerably under‐ or over‐estimate the rate of species responses

Climatic variability significantly impacts global fisheries by altering oceanographic conditions, potentially affecting fishing yields and species composition, and studying climate change's effects is crucial for understanding marine ecosystems, predicting disruptions and informing sustainable management strategies. Hence, this study examined the impact of climatic variability on pelagic predators

Effective management of shark bycatch is urgently needed to reverse widespread population declines, especially in longline fisheries that are estimated to be responsible for half of global shark catch. Management of shark catch typically focuses on the safe release of landed sharks, with limited attention to reducing the initial catch. Where controls on fishing effort or catch do exist, management

Ecosystem models predict changes in productivity and status for multiple species, and are important for incorporating climate‐linked dynamics in ecosystem‐based fisheries management. However, fishery regulations are primarily informed by single‐species stock assessment models, which estimate unexplained variation in dynamics (e.g., recruitment, survival, fishery selectivity, etc) using random effects

The coexistence between offshore wind and fisheries has raised questions about potential impacts on species that are fished. We systematically evaluated the offshore wind farm (OWF) literature for evidence of effects leading to impacts on commercial fisheries species. First, we collated evidence of environmental effects of OWFs on fisheries species and then determined whether these could be interpreted

Modern management of fish stocks is based on integrating the precautionary approach with the maximum sustainable yield framework. It relies on accurate estimation of precautionary limits, defined as levels of spawning biomass where a stock has reduced reproductive capacity, and harvesting targets aimed to maximise future yields. Therefore, it is heavily depending on productivity assumptions. Most fish

The stress‐coping ability (SCA) is one of the core aspects of fish welfare and is of vital importance for fish production in the aquaculture industry and for fish fitness in hatchery release. Environmental enrichment (EE), a method of introducing external stimuli into the husbandry environment, has been recently proposed to improve fish SCA, but the present experimental evidence is mixed, and the reasons

Changes in population demographic structure can have tangible but unknown effects on management effectiveness. Fishery management of Pacific salmon is often informed by estimates of the number of spawners expected to produce maximum sustainable yield (SMSY), implicitly assuming that reproductive output per spawner does not change over time. However, many salmon populations have experienced long‐term

Fishes inhabiting the mesopelagic zone of the world's oceans are estimated to account for the majority of the world's fish biomass. They have recently attracted new attention because they are part of the biological carbon pump and have been reconsidered as a contribution to food security. Hence, there is an urgent need to understand how environmental conditions and species interactions shape their

Billions of fishes are kept in captivity for research and food production world‐wide, with a strong impetus for maintaining high welfare standards. Accordingly, the importance of empirical research into the welfare and husbandry of captive fishes is increasingly acknowledged in both science and aquaculture, alongside growing public and governmental interest. Physical enrichment can have an important

The threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, has undergone dramatic increases in abundance in parts of its historical native range, and it is also undergoing a major range expansion. We review available information and discuss the vectors and sources of the species' range expansions, the genetic characteristics of recently founded populations and the ecological consequences of both stickleback

Fisheries bycatch poses one of the most significant threats to sea turtles. Although various methodologies have been developed to mitigate sea turtle bycatch in swordfish and tuna longline fisheries, the effectiveness and interactions remain uncertain. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive meta‐analysis, encompassing 41 studies focused on sea turtles and 36 studies on tunas, swordfish and sharks

The risk of predation is an important driver that tailors life histories in various ways. Using an evolutionary model based on hormonal control, we study how different predation regimes affect adaptive risk‐taking and growth in fish populations. Growth, metabolism and foraging in the modelled fish are regulated by three simplified hormone functions: growth hormone, orexin, and thyroid hormone. A dynamic

Several previous studies of marine fish stocks have demonstrated time‐varying recruitment productivity and indicated that including time‐varying parameters can track process variation in recruitment. Few studies have synthesized signal‐to‐noise ratios and underlying reasons for time‐variation across stocks and regions. Using Peterman's productivity method (PPM), we provide a broad synthesis of time‐varying

Robust estimates of the relative efficacies of alternative management interventions are essential for developing evidence‐informed fisheries bycatch policy. Bycatch is a major threat to the conservation of albatrosses and other pelagic seabirds. Branchline weighting is one approach prescribed by regional fisheries management organisations and the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

Home range size is a fundamental trait that can affect the probability of fish being harvested and, at the same time, may be affected by fishing. The relationship between home range size and fishing will impact the effectiveness of fully protected areas (FPAs), as it will influence the number of fish moving into fished areas, affecting both spillover and edge effects. One hypothesis is that individuals

Tagging fishes with internal or external electronic tracking devices (acoustic, radio, satellite, or archival tags) is invaluable to behavioural, ecological, and welfare research, but may have adverse effects on the animals studied. While short‐term responses to tagging (e.g., days to weeks) have often been investigated, less information is available on longer‐term impacts (e.g., months to years) and

Fishing communities globally continue to face poor health and safety outcomes, driving the expansion of fisheries occupational health and safety (OHS) interventions. However, narrowly focused OHS interventions that neglect the social and structural determinants of health may have unintended consequences. We illustrate this problem through a case study from the UK where a recent OHS intervention, the

There have been few documented extinctions of fished species, but many bioeconomic models predict that open‐access incentives make extinction possible. Open‐access multi‐species fisheries can cause species' extinction if other, faster‐growing species maintain profits at fatal effort levels. Even target species can be profitably harvested to extinction if their prices rise sufficiently as they are depleted

Climate change is leading to global increases in extreme events, such as drought, that threaten the persistence of freshwater biodiversity. Identification and management of drought refuges, areas that promote resistance and resilience to drought, will be critical for preserving and recovering aquatic biodiversity in the face of climate change and increasing human water use. Although several reviews

A new policy in the Pantanal wetland, Brazil, aims to economically displace thousands of artisanal fishers from one‐third of the region. The legislation disregards several FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainability in Small‐Scale Fisheries' guiding principles (SSF guidelines). Considering that 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of these guidelines, this policy represents a significant setback

The potential threat of fisheries on seabed carbon is a topic of growing concern, yet existing literature presents inconsistencies leaving experts divided on the topic. We conducted a global meta‐analysis to synthesize the current knowledge and quantify how demersal fishing impacts various biogeochemical properties. Direct impact studies revealed overall reductions in chlorophyll‐a (Chl‐a, 17%), phaeopigments

Historical information has provided key insights into long‐term ecological change to marine species and ecosystems, with value to fisheries. Yet, pathways to integrate these diverse data sources into fisheries decision‐making have not been clear. Here, we identify an array of biological, ecological, and social information suitable for contemporary science‐based decision‐making, derived from local ecological

Forecasting the recruitment of fish populations with skill has been a challenge in fisheries for over a century. Previous large‐scale meta‐analyses have suggested linkages between environmental or ecosystem drivers and recruitment; however, applying this information in a management setting remains underutilized. Here, we use a well‐studied database of groundfish assessments from the West Coast of the