A practical framework to evaluate the feasibility of incentive-based approaches to reduce bycatch of marine mammals and other protected species

Fisheries bycatch is one of the biggest threats to marine mammal populations and an important conservation and management problem worldwide. Conventional marine mammal bycatch mitigation approaches typically rely on top-down, command-and-control regulations that often fail to create desired incentives for fishers to avoid bycatch. There is growing recognition of the need to explore alternative approaches that encourage behavioral change through the creation of an appropriate set of incentives – both economic and social – towards bycatch reduction. This study introduces a practical framework that aims to evaluate a range of dimensions related to the feasibility and durability of incentive-based approaches to mitigate marine mammal bycatch. We use this framework to examine seven case studies where incentive-based measures have been implemented or proposed, demonstrating both its applicability in a variety of contexts and usefulness in ex-ante assessment of alternative bycatch mitigation options. Our analysis underscores important operational aspects to consider in implementing such approaches, including the need for fine-scale data collection, the importance of a credible threat such as a fishery closure or loss of market access, the involvement of fishers in solution development, and the pivotal role of collective organizations in addressing marine mammal bycatch issues which almost always are complex and multi-faceted.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Marine Policy
Published
2025-03-12
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2025.106661
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Marine animal studies overview
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.72
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

A practical framework to evaluate the feasibility of incentive-based approaches to reduce bycatch of marine mammals and other protected species

Annie Cudennec, Nicolas Bécu, Kathryn D. Bisack, Manuel Bellanger et al.
1 citations
Marine Policy
Marine animal studies overview
1.72
article

A practical framework to evaluate the feasibility of incentive-based approaches to reduce bycatch of marine mammals and other protected species

Annie Cudennec, Nicolas Bécu, Kathryn D. Bisack, Manuel Bellanger, Vincent Ridoux, Sophie Gourguet, C. Tara Marshall, Clara Ulrich, Sigrid Lehuta, Fabienne Daurès, David G. Reid, Lisa Taylor Ballance, Olivier Thébaud, Dale Squires, Benjamin Dudouet, Rebecca Lent
article en
1 citations

Abstract

Fisheries bycatch is one of the biggest threats to marine mammal populations and an important conservation and management problem worldwide. Conventional marine mammal bycatch mitigation approaches typically rely on top-down, command-and-control regulations that often fail to create desired incentives for fishers to avoid bycatch. There is growing recognition of the need to explore alternative approaches that encourage behavioral change through the creation of an appropriate set of incentives – both economic and social – towards bycatch reduction. This study introduces a practical framework that aims to evaluate a range of dimensions related to the feasibility and durability of incentive-based approaches to mitigate marine mammal bycatch. We use this framework to examine seven case studies where incentive-based measures have been implemented or proposed, demonstrating both its applicability in a variety of contexts and usefulness in ex-ante assessment of alternative bycatch mitigation options. Our analysis underscores important operational aspects to consider in implementing such approaches, including the need for fine-scale data collection, the importance of a credible threat such as a fishery closure or loss of market access, the involvement of fishers in solution development, and the pivotal role of collective organizations in addressing marine mammal bycatch issues which almost always are complex and multi-faceted.

Marine PolicyVol. 177
NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (US), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Public Policy Institute of California (US), Oregon State University (US), Ifremer (FR), Université de Bretagne Occidentale (FR), University of Aberdeen (GB), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (ES), International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (DK), University of California San Diego (US), LIttoral ENvironnement et Sociétés (FR), NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Northeast Fisheries Science Center (US), Marine Institute (IE), Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (FR), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), La Rochelle Université (FR)
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 19%
Marine animal studies overview
1.72
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.