Paradoxical advantages and disadvantages of dive fishing for achieving holistic sustainability

Diving using compressed air technologies, such as SCUBA or hookah, allows for selective and efficient harvest of high value benthic species. These characteristics make dive fishing a strong candidate for achieving economic,... [ view full abstract ]

Diving using compressed air technologies, such as SCUBA or hookah, allows for selective and efficient harvest of high value benthic species. These characteristics make dive fishing a strong candidate for achieving economic, ecological, and social sustainability. Despite several examples of sustainable dive fisheries, others have experienced negative effects including over exploitation of benthic resources and labor, and high levels of diver morbidity and mortality.

Through a qualitative review of dive fisheries in the peer-reviewed and grey literature I compare the benefits and drawbacks of dive fishing for achieving sustainability as compared to alternative methods for harvesting benthic resources, namely breath-hold diving and boat-based gear, such as dredging, tonging, and trawling.  While all fishing types operate at varying levels of sustainability in different contexts, I posit that inherent qualities of dive fishing predispose it to occupy extreme ends of the sustainability spectrum. The results of my study suggest that dive fisheries have potential for great risk, but also great reward. The paradoxical social, ecological, and economic effects of dive fisheries highlights the need for increased attention to this type of fishery.

The advantages and disadvantages of dive fishing for system sustainability vary depending on the alternative harvest type to which it is compared. Yet, dive fishing presents greater physical risk to fishers and allows for more effective harvest of rare and endangered species. Here I present the benefits and drawbacks of dive fishing for holistic sustainability of benthic resource harvest and discuss implications for management considerations and research objectives moving forward.