Small-scale fisheries threatened: Shared management, communication key to success
Intertidal ecosystems and the small-scale fisheries they support are an important part of coastal economies, environments, and cultures. Globally, fisheries such as the soft-shell clams (Mya arenaria), face multiple stresses related to climate change, invasive species and unsustainable land use.
In a paper published in Ocean and Coastal Management, University of Maine researchers and colleagues show how co-management approaches — based on shared responsibility for resource management among individuals and institutions — can build resilience to socio-environmental change by strengthening the use of science in decision making and promoting adaptive capacities such as learning and leadership.
Read the UMaine News release here.