Proceedings International Conference on Fisheries and Aquaculture

CRITIQUE OF GLOBAL POLICIES: MICROPLASTICS IN FISHING AND AQUACULTURE, ASSESSING STRENGHTS AND LIMITATIONS

R Piermarini — 2024-08-02

The escalation of marine litter, particularly microplastics originating from fishing and aquaculture activities, poses a significant threat to global ocean health and aquatic ecosystems. Despite growing awareness, the implementation of effective regulations and strategies to address this issue remains fragmented on a global scale. This article critically evaluates existing policies and proposes comprehensive strategies aimed at mitigating microplastic pollution in the fishing and aquaculture sectors. Drawing upon legislative databases, relevant literature, and expert recommendations, the article highlights the strengths and limitations of current approaches while advocating for a unified global effort towards sustainable marine resource management.

TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN DECISION MAKING AMONG PURSE-SEINE FISHERS IN THE CENTRAL REGION OF GHANA: AN APPLICATION OF THE EXTENDED TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL (TAM3)

IK Asante — 2024-08-02

The introduction of the Sound Navigation and Ranging (SONAR) technology in recent years to help fishers detect changes in bathymetry, or help locate aggregations such as fish schools, underwater formations among others using sound waves transmitted from on-board the vessel has received little attention from the scientific community. With this equipment, crew on board vessels easily identify fish schools, aggregations and bathymetry anomalies for successful purse-seine operations. The study was conducted to determine how purse-seine fishers have adopted SONAR and the factors influencing their adoption decisions. Little empirical data exists on adoption of this technology in Ghana. Utilising the extended technology acceptance model (TAM3), and a validated structured questionnaire, 161 fishers were surveyed from three fishing communities in the Central region of Ghana. With the help of SmartPLS 4.0, partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis. The results showed that, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and subjective norms accounted for 38% of the variance in the behavioural intention of purse-seine fishers to adopt SONAR whiles behavioural intention predicted 8% of the variation in their use behaviour of the technology. The results indicate that, as the fishers perceive SONAR to be useful and easy to use, and important people like vessel owners, family and friends thinking that the fishers should use the technology, these significantly influence their behavioural intention to adopt SONAR and ultimately their adoption behaviour. We recommend that the Fisheries Commission of Ghana should leverage on the characteristics of SONAR as ease of use and usefulness as well as the influence of vessel owners, family and friends to drive its adoption in the study area.

FISHERFOLK AWARENESS AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS PARROTFISH AND ITS CONSERVATION IN POLLILO ISLAND, QUEZON PHILIPPINES

G.M.A. Tolentino — 2024-08-02

Polillo Island is known for its beaches and marine life. However, due to destructive anthropogenic activities, residents notice a decline in natural resources. Especially evident is the decrease in fish catch. The parrotfish benefit a fisherfolk’s livelihood by contributing to daily food sources and income of the fisherfolk. With the decline in its population, local environmental officials are regulating the fishing and consumption of this species. However, stakeholder commitment is crucial in achieving any conservation goal. Understanding fisherfolk attitudes and awareness of the resource and conservation initiatives increases the success rate of policy implementation. This study aims to determine (1) the socio-demographic characteristics of the fisherfolk; (2) their awareness of policies on (a) marine species conservation and (b) the conservation status of parrotfish; (3) their attitudes towards (a) conservation initiatives and marine protection regulations, and (b) their willingness to conserve the parrotfish species. This study also seeks (4) to analyze fisherfolk’s socio-demographic characteristics’ (age, annual income, educational attainment, and fishing experience) relationship to their awareness and attitude toward parrotfish species conservation. Results were analyzed using weighted mean, Pearson R correlation, and ANOVA one-way test. To gather data, a survey was employed in three villages with a sample of 177 fisherfolk who had experienced catching parrotfish. Results show that among the socio-demographic characteristics, fisherfolk’s age and fishing experience are significantly related to their attitude toward conservation initiatives and marine protection regulations. The significance of older and experienced fisherfolk in conservation initiatives should be explored. They should be involved in encouraging new fisherfolk to conserve marine species. At the same time, conservation initiatives must be designed to benefit these experienced fisherfolk.