Assessment frameworks do not capture the complexity of the social–ecological dynamics of small-scale fisheries (SSF), which support millions of livelihoods yet face persistent sustainability challenges. Reciprocal feedbacks between fish populations and fishers that are central to sustainability remain insufficiently integrated into assessment approaches because conventional fisheries management emphasizes population dynamics,...

Freshwater ecosystems contribute substantially to the global fish catch. However, freshwater fisheries face growing human pressures and are underrepresented in global analyses and conservation strategies. Attempts to reconcile conservation and human welfare goals in fisheries have led to comanagement by the government and local communities, along with other stakeholders, but assessments of its effectiveness in freshwater fishe...

Fish growth is a fundamental biological process driven by a multitude of intrinsic (within-individual) and extrinsic (environmental) factors that underpin individual fitness and population dynamics. Interannual variability in river hydrology regarding the intensity and duration of floods and droughts can induce interannual variations in the biotic and abiotic variables that regulate fish growth. However, the understanding of h...

Small-scale fisheries (SSF) account for much of the global fish catch, but data to assess them often do not exist, impeding assessments of their historical dynamics and status. Here, we propose an approach to assess 'data-less' SSF using local knowledge to produce data, life history theory to describe their historical multispecies dynamics, and length-based reference points to evaluate stock status. We demonstrate use of this...

Species of the genus Pseudoplatystoma, the long-whiskered catfishes, are important in commercial and recreational fisheries in South America, and some species have become key to regional aquaculture. Some species of the genus are under pressure due to overfishing and the negative impacts of dams. Six questions are asked in this review: (i) What species are in the genus, and where are they distributed? (ii) What are the life hi...

Inland fisheries underpin food security in many tropical countries. The most productive inland fisheries in tropical and subtropical developing countries occur in large river–floodplain systems that are often impacted by land cover changes. However, few studies to date have assessed the effects of changes in floodplain land cover on fishery yields. Here, we integrated fisheries and satellite‐mapped habitat data to evaluate the...

Hydrological connectivity regulates the structure and function of Amazonian freshwater ecosystems and the provisioning of services that sustain local populations. This connectivity is increasingly being disrupted by the construction of dams, mining, land‐cover changes, and global climate change. This review analyzes these drivers of degradation, evaluates their impacts on hydrological connectivity, and identifies policy defici...