Understanding marine connectivity for sustainable fishery management: the case of coastal shrimp fisheries in Mozambique

Sustainable fishery management requires a thorough knowledge of lifetime connectivity for exploited species to accurately define stocks and implement conservation and regulation measures at appropriate scales. This knowledge is especially critical in coastal regions in the Mozambique Channel, where communities rely on marine resources.

In Mozambique more than two-thirds of the rapidly growing population (33 million) live near the coast; penaeid shrimps are a vital component of the local food supply, livelihood and the country’s blue economy. However, shrimp catches have declined dramatically over the last two decades. This decline is attributed to increased artisanal fishing in estuarine nursery areas, removing juveniles before they can grow and recruit into the adult populations offshore, where the industrial fishery operates.

To understand larval connectivity and recruitment in the Sofala Bank region, we have employed a coupled biophysical model that accounts for adverse oceanographic conditions. Our research revealed that offshore eddies activity has an important role on coastal connectivity, and can have opposite effects depending on their locations, resulting in either larval recruitment, loss, or trapping.

These results improve our understanding of local marine functional connectivity patterns and show the necessity to study connectivity at a local scale to assist in developing targeted management strategies for adaptation and resilience, ensuring the sustainability of both commercial and artisanal fisheries.