Mahi-mahi metacouplings: quantifying human–nature interactions in dolphinfish (<i>Coryphaena hippurus</i>) fisheries

Fisheries encompass humans and fish, but fisheries researchers rarely model humannature interactions over space and time.I filled this information gap for dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus), a popular, widely distributed species that supports industrial, artisanal, recreational, and subsistence fisheries.Dolphinfish human-nature interactions showed a long-term up-anddown pattern in 1950-2019.Recent declines in catch mirror decreases in abundance and size that have been observed in parts of the species' range.This research provides a robust perspective on the recreational, economic, cultural, and nutritional significance of dolphinfish while creating an approach for evaluating human-nature interactions in fisheries worldwide. Technical Summary (200 words)Fisheries are coupled human and natural systems, but rarely does research examine metacouplings: human-nature interactions within and between adjacent and distant fisheries.I used the metacoupling framework to compare dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) catches in exclusive economic zones (EEZs) in 1950-2019; model interactions and forecast catches of dolphinfish across sectors; and examine management implications of metacouplings.Dolphinfish catches increased in 1950-1998, decreased in 1998-2000, and increased in 2000-2012 before declining in 2012-2019, mirroring recent declines in abundance and size that have been observed in parts of the species' range.The most common fishing-sector interactions were bidirectional positive relationships between small-scale industrial and artisanal fishing, although large-scale industrial fishing negatively affected artisanal catches in some EEZs.Despite the economic and cultural importance of recreational dolphinfish fisheries, industrial fishing accounted for 49% of