DiscoverTURFs

DiscoverTURFs is designed to bring people together in order to learn, share, and help reverse overfishing. Combining the power of SeaSketch with DiscoverTURFs’ exploratory map, fisheries managers, government officials, non-profit organizations, academics, and you can access site-specific information about TURFs around the world. As part of a graduate student research project, DiscoverTURFs will also analyze the information collected to help uncover common trends in worldwide TURFs.

Photo Credit:

Chalid Nasution/Marine Photobank

Our Project

Currently, small-scale fisheries provide approximately half of all global fish catches and employ nearly 150 million people worldwide. Traditional regulatory management has proven ineffective for many small-scale fisheries, especially those in developing nations. As a result, unique fisheries management strategies are needed to address the overexploitation of small-scale fisheries. Territorial Use Rights in Fisheries (TURFs) seek to empower fishing communities by encouraging active participation in the management of their resources. Unlike other fisheries management techniques, TURFs give certain fishers exclusive access to a specific area and can be quite effective at protecting marine resources and promoting prosperous communities.

Despite the implementation of TURFs around the world, it is still unclear which factors contribute to their success. The various biological, economic, and social factors that affect TURF management are often quite complex and may even be in conflict. This complexity complicates analyses aimed at understanding common TURF characteristics that lead to successful management. In an effort to address this complexity, this project aims to create a comprehensive and centralized database for TURFs worldwide. Using SeaSketch, we collected data about individual TURFs from local managers, government officials, and others. With the information gathered, we created an open-access map that highlights how TURFs are managed and operated in 41 countries around the world. Find our map here!

Finally, we conducted a global analysis aimed at determining the ecological, social, and/or economic attributes that are considered when defining TURF objectives, and how these objectives influence TURF design, implementation, and success. This research will help initiate an understanding of the strategies that are most likely to succeed in any given location, which is critical for effective fisheries management.

Photo Credit:

Timothy Hursley

The Bren Experience

The Bren School of Environmental Science & Management offers a unique professional master's degree that provides students the opportunity to serve the needs of an external client by solving real-world environmental problems.

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Our Client

As Bren School students, we are developing a project for our client, Rare. Rare is an international nonprofit organization that uses mainstream marketing techniques to empower local communities to conserve natural resources. Rare inspires change so people and planet thrive.