Alarming incidence of porcupinefish bycatch in the Lamu seascape beach seine fishery: Could this be a sign of an ecosystem imbalance?

Abstract

Overfishing and destructive fishing practices are strongly associated with loss of biodiversity and habitat degradation resulting in the proliferation of non-target and resilient species. In the longterm, this may also lead to an ecosystem imbalance. This short communication documents a worrying trend of high catch ratios of porcupinefish in the Lamu seascape beach seine fishery observed during catch assessment surveys conducted in 2021 – 2023. The increasing incidence high puffer bycatch is alarming fishers due to concerns over economic loss. Unfortunately, there is very limited data and information on the status of the puffer populations and ecosystem impacts within the seascape. A comprehensive study is recommended to better understand patterns of seasonal abundance as well as ecological and socioeconomic impacts. Research on alternative commercial uses of the harvested puffers can also be explored. However, such exploitation must be undertaken with caution considering the potential risk of incentivizing direct targeting which may secondarily encourage increased beach seine fishing effort. As part of a multi-institutional collaboration to restore the critical marine ecosystems of the Lamu seascape, it is hoped that a gear exchange programme will encourage beach seine fishers to exit the fishery and adopt other more environment friendly fishing practices.