Understanding fishery interactions with marine megafauna in the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands commercial fishing fleets operate in waters that support diverse marine megafauna. These circumstances may foster human-wildlife interactions, creating a complex scenario that ranges from beneficial outcomes to challenges for both animal conservation and socio-economic stability. This study explores interactions between small-scale and medium-scale commercial fisheries and cetaceans, elasmobranchs, and sea turtles across the archipelago. Interviews (N = 232) were conducted in 31 fishers' guilds ( cofradías) and associated fish-landing sites to characterize these interactions, including the species and fisheries involved, the mitigation measures in use, fishers' perceptions, and the associated economic losses or megafauna conservation concerns. Three main types of interactions were identified: i) collaborative, ii) prey-on/gear damage by megafauna, and iii) incidental capture of megafauna. The frequency and nature of these interactions varied by fishing technique and the megafauna taxonomic group. Results showed that interactions, including incidental capture, involved protected and threatened taxa. Some of the mitigation measures currently employed by fishers may inadvertently harm megafauna. Reported economic losses varied across the different types of interactions and could potentially affect fishers’ income. We recommend case-specific studies of high-incidence interactions to gather the information required to develop appropriate management solutions. Accurate characterization of interactions between marine megafauna and fisheries is essential to preserve protected species, support sustainable fisheries, and enhance human-megafauna coexistence.