Threats perceived by five prominent U.S. commercial fisheries North American Journal of Fisheries Management

Regulations and ecosystem changes can have profound effects on commercial fishermen’s livelihoods. Consequently, there has been an increasing emphasis on including stakeholder inputs and perceptions into fisheries regulatory processes. However, these assessments typically focus on a single fishery and are often limited to a single pressure. We used a public document review followed by focus groups with members of the commercial fishing industry to compare the array of risks across multiple fisheries. Risks that manifested in public domains were largely different—and incomplete—compared to what members of the fishing industry believed were relevant. Further, the fishing industry is concerned with risks that management is not currently designed to address. Finally, despite each fishery having distinct operational, structural, and geographic differences, many of the identified risks were similar or even identical across fisheries. Examining and sharing the lessons learned about risk perceptions across these fisheries highlight both challenges and potential strategies for enhancing fishery resiliency in the United States.