Oyster and shoreline restoration is occurring around the globe to recover lost ecosystem services. In the state of Florida, USA, dozens of estuarine habitat restoration projects are underway. These projects have traditionally relied on both natural and man-made materials, including plastics. As the impacts of plastics on marine ecosystems are better understood, practitioners are increasingly focused on plastic-free restoration. To better understand this transition, we surveyed Florida restoration practitioners in April 2021 to capture current non-plastic restoration project trends and their status. Our descriptive survey goals were to understand: (1) what non-plastic materials have been tested, (2) trade-offs between plastic and non-plastic materials (e.g., cost, sourcing, volunteer engagement), and (3) the performance of non-plastic materials. Responses indicated that a variety of non-plastic materials are currently being used, including rock, cement-infused jute structures, cement Reef Balls™ (Reef Ball Foundation, USA), BESE-elements^®, and metal gabions. Overall, these materials are more expensive and equally or more difficult to install than previously popular plastic-based materials. No “best” non-plastic material emerged from our survey in part because many novel materials have been deployed for under three years. Long-term performance under a variety of abiotic and biotic conditions is thus a future research priority.

Natural resource monitoring programs benefit from routine evaluation. Here, Florida’s statewide Freshwater Fisheries Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) program is used to show how stakeholder surveys can be integral to this process. In 2022, an online questionnaire was sent to internal stakeholders, i.e., state agency personnel who collect, enter, or use freshwater fisheries data for fisheries and habitat management purposes. The survey’s primary objective was to evaluate the program at its 15-year mark; secondary objectives were to compare results with a similar survey conducted at the 4-year mark, compare results among respondents based on experience and functional role, and develop recommendations for strategic initiatives to further improve the program. The survey consisted of 43 questions across six sections of program evaluation: demographics; field sampling; data entry, summary, and reporting; management decision support; programmatic views; and additional input. Respondents generally had positive views of the LTM program, but the survey revealed differences among respondents with different functional roles (e.g., fisheries researchers and managers viewed the decisional value, priority, and sample sizes of LTM data more favorably than habitat managers) while highlighting high-priority future initiatives (e.g., database development). Our results demonstrate the utility of stakeholder surveys as an important step in evaluating monitoring programs.

Scientists and policymakers increasingly recognize that recreational fisheries decision making should in some way involve the knowledge of affected stakeholders. There are myriad studies about integrating stakeholder knowledge, but they span broad disciplines and topics. Lacking is (i) simple taxonomies that organize general approaches for integrating knowledge, and (ii) a review and examples of their application to specifically recreational fisheries and specifically diverse stakeholders. This chapter first defines the terms “stakeholders” and “recreational” and recognizes that globally, the decision making for non-commercial fisheries often occurs outside of the North American concept of management agencies and even purely leisure-based fisheries. Most of the chapter reviews common approaches for integrating stakeholder knowledge, from near-complete external governance with minimal input from stakeholders (top-down, command-and-control) to self-governance by stakeholders. Organizationally, we adapt the existing cooperative management continuum to first separate non-participatory from participatory approaches and then separate participatory approaches into those aimed at creating knowledge (to eventually inform future decisions) and those focused on decision making itself. The approaches we consider include observing stakeholders (e.g., via survey), incorporating multiple types of knowing (e.g., local traditional knowledge), collaborative data collection (e.g., citizen science), collaborative modelling (e.g., mental models and quantitative modelling), participatory decision making (co-management proper and the special cases of structured decision making and adaptive management), and finally self-governance (including private management of recreational fisheries). We define each according to a broader literature beyond recreational fisheries, describe the recognized advantages and disadvantages, describe or summarize applications to recreational fisheries, and finally mention relevance for integrating specifically diverse stakeholder knowledge. We then provide advice for how to select different approaches, including situations in which certain approaches are more likely to produce intended consequences. We conclude by describing potential challenges to the more useful integration of diverse stakeholder knowledge and needs in recreational fisheries decision making.

Fisheries managers work with the three components of fisheries—biota, environment, and people—to achieve recreational, stewardship, and socioeconomic goals. Although manipulation of biota and the aquatic environment remains popular (e.g. harvest regulation, protecting or enhancing habitats, and guarding water quality), the human dimension of fisheries must also be considered throughout the fisheries management process. Managers can and should engage fishers in a myriad of ways, from identification of problems to guidance on alternatives, and from measurement of change to evaluation of success. In this chapter, we review common fisheries management goals and objectives; detail information needs stemming from those objectives that can be answered by recreational fishers; suggest areas where increased use or application would more proactively address management objectives; and provide examples of integration of recreational fisher information into the decision-making process. Relevant examples of fisheries management frameworks that require recreational fisher information include the multinational Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean flats fishery; collaborative data collection in United Kingdom sea angling fisheries and Florida Everglades largemouth bass fisheries; co-management of mixed commercial-recreational fisheries in Western Australia; co-operative management of marine fisheries in New Zealand; and co-design of fisheries management plans for UK fisheries

Herbivory can significantly limit seagrass restoration success, leading practitioners to explore the use of exclusion devices to reduce grazing pressure during transplant establishment. To evaluate the performance and practical application of these devices, we combined a quantitative meta-analysis of published studies across the wider Caribbean and tropical Atlantic with a survey of restoration practitioners implementing herbivore exclusion in Florida. Although the use of exclusion devices has gained traction in recent years, often driven by small-scale pilot projects and anecdotal observations, peer-reviewed evidence evaluating their effectiveness remains limited. The synthesis revealed no significant difference in seagrass performance or survival between caged and control treatments, largely due to low sample size. In contrast, practitioner responses underscored support for the effectiveness of exclusion devices, while also identifying recurring challenges. Collectively, our findings highlight the need for large-scale, hypothesis-driven studies employing standardized methodologies to rigorously evaluate the role of herbivory exclusion in seagrass restoration. By linking empirical analysis with practitioner perspectives, this current work provides a foundation for designing, evaluating, and reporting on herbivore exclusion approaches that may improve the standardization and success of future seagrass restoration efforts.