Moored Fish Aggregating Devices
Moored Fish Aggregating Device (MFAD) fisheries have been promoted as a means of increasing fisher incomes, enhancing food security, and shifting fishing pressure from degraded inshore resources towards pelagic fish. However, poorly managed MFAD fisheries can result in negative social and ecological outcomes.
MFADs consist of floating materials anchored in pelagic environments that are designed to capitalize on the natural tendency of fish to aggregate around physical structures in order to seek protection from predation and increase feeding efficiency. By increasing fish densities at known locations, MFADs can reduce fishers’ search costs and increase catch per unit effort making pelagic species, such as tunas and mahi mahi more accessible to small-scale fishers. (Photo Credit: Molly Wilson)
Julia and her colleague Molly Wilson were struck by the amount of attention dedicated to the development of Moored Fish Aggregating Devices (MFADs) in the Caribbean, yet noticed a dearth of research on the topic. In 2018 they were awarded the H. William Kuni Fellowship for interdisciplinary research with two other colleagues from the Bren School, Ignacia Riveria-Hechem, and Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez. This first part of this project aimed to provide an overview of the current status of MFADs in the Caribbean, as well as trends over time (Wilson et al., 2020). The second part of the project sought to guide sustainable MFAD fishery development by identifying optimal social and ecological conditions (Wilson et al. 2022). To network with colleagues in the Caribbean region, the group attended two Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute conferences where they presented their work (the 71st GCFI in San Andrés, Colombia and the 72nd GCFI in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic). They also participated in a Western Central Atlantic Fisheries Commission (WECAFC) Working Group meeting on MFADs in Puerto Rico.
Relevant peer-reviewed publications.
• Wilson MW, Lawson JM, Rivera-Hechem MI, Villaseñor-Derbez JC, Gaines SD. 2022. Evaluating conditions for MFAD fisheries development in the Caribbean and Bermuda. Frontiers in Marine Science. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2022.827068
• Wilson MW, Lawson JM, Rivera-Hechem MI, Villaseñor-Derbez JC, Gaines SD. 2020. Status and trends of Moored Fish Aggregating Device (MFAD) fisheries in the Caribbean and Bermuda. Marine Policy 121: 104148. doi: 10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104148.
Relevant presentations.
• Wilson MW, Lawson JM. 2019. Caribbean FAD Fisheries Status and Trends. 3rd Meeting of the WECAFC/IFREMER Working Group on Fisheries using Fish Aggregating Devices. 30 Apr-2 May 2019. San Juan, Puerto Rico.
• Wilson MW, Lawson JM. 2018. Understanding Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) Proliferation in the Caribbean. Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute Conference. 5-9 Nov 2019. San Andrés, Colombia.
Relevant Awards & Grants.
H. William Kuni Fellowship. 2018-2019. The proliferation of Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) in the Caribbean Sea. With Molly Wilson, Ignacia Riveria-Hechem, and Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez ($15,000)