Characterization of small-scale net fisheries off the coast of Guyana.

Fish stocks have declined rapidly over the past half-century due to the increased demand for seafood and unsustainable fishing practices. The incidental capture of non-target species (bycatch) is a pervasive issue in fisheries management and has led to population declines in non-target species worldwide. The fisheries sector in Guyana currently supports the livelihoods of over 10,000 Guyanese and contributes approximately 2% to the country's GDP. Bycatch is believed to be a major threat to Guyana's marine fisheries, especially the small-scale sector, due to a lack of management infrastructure and limited data and monitoring. Here, we assessed bycatch in Guyana's artisanal gillnet and Chinese seine fisheries through vessel observations and semi-structured interviews with local fishers. Most of the discarded species documented had no commercial importance to the fisheries in Guyana. Although no statistical difference was observed among the bycatch rates in the gillnet and Chinese seine fisheries, the latter generally had more discarded individuals, most of which were juveniles. The Shannon-Weiner diversity index showed a greater diversity of bycatch species in the gillnet fisheries compared to the Chinese seine. Jaccard's similarity index indicated a low similarity among the gear types. Even though most fishers were aware of bycatch, they did not view it as a major issue and were not interested in reducing their discards. We recommend a collaborative approach in exploring solutions to ensure the ecological and socioeconomic sustainability of the fisheries sector.

Adapting agriculture to climate change.

The strong trends in climate change already evident, the likelihood of further changes occurring, and the increasing scale of potential climate impacts give urgency to addressing agricultural adaptation more coherently. There are many potential adaptation options available for marginal change of existing agricultural systems, often variations of existing climate risk management. We show that implementation of these options is likely to have substantial benefits under moderate climate change for some cropping systems. However, there are limits to their effectiveness under more severe climate changes. Hence, more systemic changes in resource allocation need to be considered, such as targeted diversification of production systems and livelihoods. We argue that achieving increased adaptation action will necessitate integration of climate change-related issues with other risk factors, such as climate variability and market risk, and with other policy domains, such as sustainable development. Dealing with the many barriers to effective adaptation will require a comprehensive and dynamic policy approach covering a range of scales and issues, for example, from the understanding by farmers of change in risk profiles to the establishment of efficient markets that facilitate response strategies. Science, too, has to adapt. Multidisciplinary problems require multidisciplinary solutions, i.e., a focus on integrated rather than disciplinary science and a strengthening of the interface with decision makers. A crucial component of this approach is the implementation of adaptation assessment frameworks that are relevant, robust, and easily operated by all stakeholders, practitioners, policymakers, and scientists.