The effect of illegal fishing on the sustainability of small scale fisheries

Marine ecosystems, biodiversity and fisheries are under pressure worldwide. To manage these ecosystems and fisheries in a more sustainable way, many scientists and stakeholders advocate the use of an ecosystem-based fishery management (EBFM). The idea underlying EBFM is to account for several complexities, including trophic, habitat and socio-economic interactions. Illegal fishing is an important ingredient among these complexities. We advance the EBFM on the small-scale fishery of French Guiana,by taking into account the high impact of illegal fishing in this case study. To achieve this, we rely on a multi-species resource based dynamics and, multi-fleet model. The model is calibrated using data of fishing landings and efforts from 2006 to 2017 for 3 species and 4 fleets, as well as a Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) study. The model exhibits the impact of illegal fishing on the ecosystem and fishery dynamics. Our results highlight the extensive potential gains in catches and profit linked to the reduction of illegal fishing. Policy recommendations are derived.