SEARM_CLOUD: Socioeconomic artificial reef monitoring cloud based multi-vessel data gathering and analysis to steer stakeholders in the coastal areas

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A bayesian approach to infer the sustainable use of artificial reefs in fisheries and recreation

Publication . Ramos, Jorge; Drakeford, Benjamin; Madiedo, Ana; Costa, Joana; Miguel de Sousa Leitão, Francisco

The presence of artificial reefs (ARs) in the south of Portugal that were deployed a few decades ago and the corroboration of fishing patterns and other activities related to the use of these habitats have not been followed. It is important to note that monitoring the use of ARs was difficult in the past but is currently facilitated by the application of non-intrusive tools. In the present study, an approach is developed where, based on monitoring data from fishing and non-fishing boats, influence diagrams (IDs) are constructed to provide some evidence on fisheries or other use patterns and consequent AR effectiveness as coastal tools. These IDs allow us to infer various usefulness scenarios, namely catches, which are tangible, and satisfaction, which is intangible, and overall assessment of ARs and nearby areas in terms of human activities. After calibrating the Bayesian ID based on monitoring evidence, the obtained model was evaluated for several scenarios. In the base case, which assumes the occurrence of more fishing than recreation (assuming 3:1, respectively), the obtained utility is 18.64% (catches) and 31.96% (satisfaction). Of the scenarios run, the one that obtained the best results in the utility nodes together was the second one. The use of these tailored tools and approaches seems to be of fundamental importance for the adequate management of coastal infrastructures, particularly with regard to the inference of fishing resources and their sustainable use. An adequate interpretation based on the use of these tools implies being able to safeguard the ecological balance and economic sustainability of the communities operating in these areas.

2024-01-17Journal article

Open access

How important are artificial reefs to the tourism industry? A review of the literature

Publication . Ramos, Jorge

The main objective of the present study is to review the published scientific literature related to recreational or tourist activities and artificial reefs (AR). The paper covers different geographical contexts and determines the relevance of AR tourism. The content analysis methodology is in two parts: a protocol for reviewing the literature containing the words "artificial reef(s)" and "tourism" published in four different science portals, and a systematic review of the study objectives in the eligible literature. The results highlight the evolution of and trends in scientific production in the field of AR tourism from 1991 to 2020. While the number of AR papers generally has been increasing in the last decade, there are still few papers covering AR tourism. The results show which countries produce more literature related to AR tourism, the analytical methods used, the focus, the impact factor of the top ten countries, the areas/categories of knowledge covered, and the main tourism journals where papers are published. This literature analysis intends to make a connection between artificial reefs and potential interest aroused in the tourism industry.

2024-08-01Journal article

Open access