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A probabilistic model that determines the social ecological system (SES) attributes that lead to successful discard management

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Abstract

The social ecological system (SES) framework is used to investigate the success of discard management, by gathering knowledge from worldwide examples of discard management applications. The literature search confirmed that most efforts aiming to reduce discards were implemented under top-down management schemes. For about half of the case studies where management tools were applied, a reduction of discards was achieved. To determine the attributes that influence the discard management success, a probabilistic classifier model (Naive Bayes Classifier) was used. This revealed that commonly used interventions to reduce discards can be ineffective unless advice is given in alternative forms that have societal acceptance. The role of social cohesion and stakeholder enforcement mechanisms is underlined and increases the odds of meeting successfully the recommendations for achieving sustainable fisheries. A successful combination of attributes that can lead to the minimization of discards requires robust social capital along with top-down measures. Overall, the classification algorithm proves the usefulness of the SES framework to describe the fishery response to managerial efforts that aim to reduce discarding. Establishment of links between fishing communities and scientists are the key for enhancing stakeholder engagement, increasing compliance and minimizing discards.

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Acknowledgements

This work is part of the Ph.D. thesis of the first author, conducted at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and has received funding from the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under Grant Agreement No. 634495 (Project Science, Technology, and Society Initiative to minimize Unwanted Catches in European Fisheries- MINOUW). We are very grateful to Ms. Eliza Andreou and Ms. Christina Kyprianou for proofreading the manuscript. The authors are grateful to two anonymous reviewers and the editorial team for providing comments that helped to improve the quality of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Ichthyology, Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloníki (AUTH), Thessaloníki, Greece

    Maria Christou, Athanassios C. Tsikliras & Konstantinos I. Stergiou

  2. Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), Athens, Greece

    Maria Christou, Vasiliki Sgardeli, George Tserpes & Konstantinos I. Stergiou

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  1. Maria Christou
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  2. Vasiliki Sgardeli
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  3. Athanassios C. Tsikliras
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  4. George Tserpes
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  5. Konstantinos I. Stergiou
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Correspondence to Maria Christou.

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Christou, M., Sgardeli, V., Tsikliras, A.C. et al. A probabilistic model that determines the social ecological system (SES) attributes that lead to successful discard management. Rev Fish Biol Fisheries 30, 109–119 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-020-09593-0

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