Fishers Ecological Knowledge of Smooth Hammerhead Sharks with Dr. Julia Mason

This week we are joined by Dr. Julia Mason to talk about fishers ecological knowledge of Smooth Hammerhead sharks in Peru! Why is it important to incorporate fishers into management decisions? Why aren't they always included in the management discussion of species they target? Find out this and more!

We read Dr. Julia Mason's article, Fishers' solutions for hammerhead shark conservation in Peru

Article Summary: Shark populations have been declining worldwide, with heavy implications for the health of our oceans. The increase in regulations put forth by both national and international entities to protect declining shark populations has had limited effectiveness with a major challenge in policymaking coming from a lack of data for small-scale fisheries. In Peru, sharks are mostly caught through small-scale fisheries and are targeted for human consumption rather than strictly for fins. In 2016, Peru implemented a seasonal ban on hammerhead fishing from January to March of each year in an attempt to restrain fishing pressure. However, this seasonal ban does not protect breeding females, which are present in September-December. Smooth hammerheads were the 3rd most caught shark in Peru before this ban, behind the blue shark and shortfin mako. This article aims to better understand fisher perspectives on this ban as well as record their solutions. Mason et al. interviewed boat owners and captains in 3 major Peruvian ports, San Jose, Mancora, and Salaverry. They found that the majority of fishers welcome conservation measures with a smaller percentage objecting, largely due to a lack of transparency and fisher participation in the ban development and implementation process. Additionally, fishers reveal gaps in the ban's effectiveness based on the movement behavior of hammerhead sharks.

You can follow Dr. Julia Mason @JuliaGMason

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