Tropical sardines and herrings (Family Clupeidae) form important fisheries resources in the Indo-West Pacific region. However knowledge of their biology and ecology is largely scattered across diverse localised studies. In addition, their challenging taxonomy due to numerous, morphologically similar species, coupled with data collected from dispersed, often small-scale and mixed species fisheries, creates difficulties for comparing species-level research and fisheries statistics across the region. This review considers four main groups of tropical marine clupeid species important for Indo-West Pacific fisheries—Sardinella (subg. Sardinella) species (‘Round-bodied Sardinellas’), Sardinella (subg. Clupeonia) species (‘Flat-bodied Sardinellas’), Amblygaster species (‘Tropical Pilchards’), and Herklotsichthys and Escualosa species (‘Tropical Herrings’)—and collates and synthesises existing knowledge on early life history, reproduction, trophic biology, habitat associations and population dynamics. Most research on tropical clupeid biology and ecology in the Indo-West Pacific is concentrated on the Round-bodied Sardinellas (S. longiceps and S. lemuru) from a few major fishery locations; other species-groups have been studied sporadically across their distributions. Characteristics such as maximum size, life span, size at first maturity and some habitat associations are generally similar within species-groups and differ between groups. However differences within the same reported species highlight the importance of continued work to improve taxonomic identification. There remain substantial gaps in knowledge on all species-groups. Regular critical review of specific research topics, such as reproductive parameters and population dynamics, would assist to standardise methods and terminology used, enable consolidation and comparison of findings, identify local research agenda, and help build and improve research on these important tropical species.
Co-management in Timor-Leste local institutions with hierarchical governance of higher and external influences. Initial successes with implementing tara bandu incorporating a small marine closure have stimulated other communities to implement no-take zones-one universally popular but very limited interpretation of co-management. However, we highlight the need for a set of guiding principles to ensure legitimate community engagement, and avoid external appropriation that may reinforce marginalization of certain user groups or customary power hierarchies.
© 2019, International Society for Plant Pathology and Springer Nature B.V. In developing countries, smallscale fisheries are both a pivotal source of livelihood and essential for the nutritional intake of larger food insecure populations. Distribution networks that move fish from landing sites to coastal and inland consumers offer entry points to address livelihood enhancement and food security objectives of rural development initiatives. To be able to utilize fish distribution networks to address national development targets, a sound understanding of how local systems function and are organized is imperative. Here we present an in-depth examination of a domestic market chain in Timor-Leste that supplies small-pelagic fish to coastal and inland communities. We present the market chain's different commodity flows and its distributive reach, and show how social organization strongly influences people's access to fish, by determining availability and affordability. We suggest there is potential to advance Timor-Leste's food and nutrition security targets by engaging with local influential actors and existing social relations across fish distribution networks. We argue that in addition to developing improvements to fish distribution infrastructure, utilizing existing or locally familiar practices, organization and social capital offers opportunity for long term self-sufficiency. Livelihood and food security improvement initiatives involving natural resource-dependent communities are more likely to succeed if they incorporate rural development perspectives, which frame directly targeted interventions ('intentional' development) within broader structural contexts ('immanent' development).
Tropical sardines (Family Clupeidae) are an important component of many marine fisheries in the Indo-West Pacific region. In Timor-Leste, a small, less-developed country within this region, ‘sardiña’ are some of the more commonly caught and consumed fish. Yet there is little published information from Timor-Leste about the species composition of these fisheries, nor their biology or ecology. We document the knowledge of Timorese fishers on nine locally distinguished sardine types that contribute to fisheries, and relate these to at least nine species: four species of ‘Flat-bodied Sardinellas’ (Sardinella subg. Clupeonia spp.), one species of ‘Round-bodied Sardinella’ (Sardinella subg. Sardinella lemuru), two species of ‘Tropical Pilchards’ (Amblygaster spp.) and a ‘Tropical Herring’ species (Herklotsichthys quadrimaculatus), all from the Clupeidae family; and one Dussumieria species from the Dussumieriidae family. We record variations in local sardine names across the country and document aspects of fishers’ knowledge relevant to understanding and managing the fisheries, including local sardine species’ seasonality, habitat, movements, interannual variation, as well as post-harvest characteristics in relation to perishability. In general, local names relate more closely with groups of species than individual species, although some names also distinguish fish size within species-groups. The local knowledge identified in this study has immediate application to inform fisheries monitoring and management, and to identify areas for future research. Notably, Timorese fishers recognize and make use of the strong association between some sardine species-groups and seasonally turbid river plumes. While further research is required to understand the underlying mechanisms of this association, this emphasizes the need to consider coastal fisheries and fisher livelihood impacts when assessing any plans or proposals that may alter river flow or water quality. Fishers also recognize migratory behavior of some sardine species, in particular the Flat bodied Sardinellas (S. gibbosa and others) along the north-west coast of Timor-Leste and across the border into Indonesian West Timor. Such insights complicate and need to be accounted for in initiatives for co-management or community-based management of Timor-Leste’s coastal waters and their fisheries.
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