BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE. 87(2):000–000. 2011 doi:10.5343/bms.2010.1062 1 Bullein of Marine Science © 2011 Rosensiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science of the University of Miami INGREDIENTS FOR ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES OF FISHERIES BYCATCH RL Lewison, CU Soykan, T Cox, H Peckham, N Pilcher, N LeBoeuf, S McDonald, J Moore, C Safina, and LB Crowder ABSTRACT Minimizing isheries bycatch, the incidental capture of non-target species, is a global environmental challenge. In many regions, bycatch of imperiled species is one of a number of issues that threatens species viability and impedes the development of sustainable isheries. Efectively addressing bycatch of species of conservation concern and improving isheries sustainability require cross-sectoral integration of information on the biological, socioeconomic, and political contexts of each ishery. Several gaps present simultaneous challenges, including: limited engagement with isher communities, a lack of data, a need for more robust analyses of available data, and a need for coordinated governance from local to global scales. Here we present a framework to address isheries bycatch that builds on established methods in community collaboration and engagement, ield-based interviews, quantitative bycatch analyses, and ocean policy governance. Although these individual approaches to reduce bycatch are well established, there has yet to be a comprehensive application of an integrated approach. We review these essential approaches and present a broadly applicable model for their integration. Fishing efort has increased substantially over past decades, leading to concerns regarding the negative impacts on vulnerable, non-target species and habitats (Chu- pendagee et al. 2003, Lewison et al. 2004, Stewart et al. 2010). Incidental capture of non-target individuals, termed bycatch, was identiied as a key issue for species of conservation concern as early as the 1970s (Lo et al. 1982, Coe et al. 1984), but the ability to address this global issue has been hampered by a lack of awareness and engagement with isher communities, insuicient data, the need for improved quantitative methods to analyze bycatch data, and the need for more robust policies to regulate and mitigate bycatch. hese challenges are manifest across the isher- ies development spectrum (small-scale to industrial) although the drivers may vary among isheries. he multidisciplinary nature of these challenges, coupled with the need to work across local to ocean-wide scales, suggests that to address isheries by- catch efectively requires an integrated approach involving researchers from multiple disciplines working with partners from local communities up through international governance regimes. Although this level of cross-sectoral integration has not been achieved, ongoing eforts within each sector serve as examples and templates of how these new approaches are redeining our ability to efectively address the issue of bycatch in small-scale and industrial isheries—both within exclusive economic zones and on the high seas. In some developing Central and Latin American countries, community involvement, coordination, and collaborations have been established to address bycatch in small-scale isheries (Hall et al. 2007, Peckham and Maldonado-Diaz in press), yielding promising results in these focused areas. Combining education, FastTrack ➲ publication