Aquatic Ecosystem Science and Applications Seminar

“Sustainable fishery to ensure a future for fish but also for those who depend on them for nutrition, livelihoods and culture“

Luiz Silva
ETH-Zurich

When?

Wednesday 19 June, 12:30-13:30

Where?

SR D1 - MENH [SR Hydrobiologie] (MENH-DG/08)

Bio:  In 2004, Luiz Silva completed his Master degree in vertebrate zoology in the city of Minas Gerais in Brazil. He studied there the migratory behavior of two neotropical fish species at the Rio Grande, Minas Gerais state (Brazil) in an area affected by a cascade of hydropower plants. As a continuation of this study, in 2010, Luiz Silva obtained his PhD in the same university, about behavioral barriers to deter fish from moving into harmful areas in the vicinity of hydropower plants. Then he started his international career. He joined in September 2020 the group of professor Roman Stocker, working as a senior scientist at the Institute of Environmental Engineering, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (ETH-Zurich) in Switzerland.

Abstract: The 2021 World Fisheries Congress in Australia marked the 30th year since the first conference was organized in Greece. This was an important mark to achieve and inspired a group of international researchers and practitioners involved in shaping the conference programme to reflect on the lessons learned from the last 30 years and what to expect for the next 30 years. Reflecting on the past 30 years and looking ahead, key priorities include rethinking management systems, embracing the human dimension of fisheries, improving governance and policy, and promoting equity and inclusion. These reflections were summarized in the review paper: “Towards vibrant fish populations and sustainable fisheries that benefit all: learning from the last 30 years to inform the next 30 years” (COOKE et al., 2023). Written by Luiz Silva and other scientists, this paper will serve as the basis of this presentation. We will discuss some of the key points that we believe are critical to sustaining vibrant fisheries populations and link those with some examples. The focus will be mostly on inland fisheries and present some perspectives particularly related to migratory freshwater fish and their contribution to fisheries in some regions of the globe.