Timothy McLanahanSenior Conservation Zoologist, Wildlife Conservation SocietyAchieving Sustainability in Coral Reef Fisheries
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The complexity of coral reefs ecosystems and the poverty of many tropical nations increase the difficulty of managing their fisheries, particularly if relying on methods that have worked in wealthy countries with large-scale or industrial fisheries and more alternative employment options. The direct transfer of these methods to poor countries has been difficult to impossible to implement. There are a number of alternatives that are being explored including closed areas, gear, traditional, and collaborative management. I evaluate a number of these alternatives from case studies in East Africa and the Indo-Pacific and present their various strengths and weaknesses. I conclude that each of these tools has their benefits and detriments and that each is an important member of the management tool kit. The users' acceptability of these tools will be critical to their success and achieving sustainability. Nonetheless, a truly sustainable fisheries will require a mix of these methods, and large and permanent closed areasdespite their potential unpopularity among some fishersis one of the essential tools.
Dr. McClanahan is interested in the interdisciplinary field of ecology, fisheries, and the sustainable management of coral reefs but also enjoys crossing sub-disciplines in order to solve broader conservation science issues. Consequently, in the past 20 years his research has evolved from an early focus on prioritizing the effects that humans have on coral reef and the role that marine protected areas play in conserving biological diversity and ecological processes to developing theoretical and simulation models of coral reefs that will help predict and suggest alternatives to reduce detrimental effects to developing practical means to restore degraded reefs through manipulation of the food web and management and most recently he is studying the potential interaction between global climate change and coral reef management. He has published 85 peer-reviewed journal articles, seventeen book chapters, four edited books (2 are in press), and 37 other publications including popular articles, editorials, and book reviews. The International Scientific Information Institute (ISI) reported that he is the second most productive and cited coral reef scientist during the past 10 years. This work has received international attention and, in 1996, he was awarded the Pew Scholars in the Environment Award for this research and conservation efforts.
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