Applying the Safe Operating Space (SOS) Approach to Sustainable Commercial Fishing under Varying Lake Levels and Littoral Zone Conditions.

This article focuses on applying the Safe Operating Space (SOS) concept to manage the commercial fishery of Sarotherodon galilaeus (Mango Tilapia) in Lake Kinneret, Israel, using a spatio-temporal Ecospace model based on the Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) modeling suite. The study integrates environmental variables such as lake water level, vegetation cover, and fishing effort to simulate fish biomass and catch under various scenarios, thereby defining SOS boundaries that support sustainable fishery management. Results demonstrate that maintaining sustainable biomass and catch levels depends on managing fishing effort and vegetation cover in relation to fluctuating lake levels, with the model showing high validation accuracy against historical catch data. The authors propose that this SOS-based approach offers a practical, adaptable tool for ecosystem managers to balance ecological and fishery objectives in freshwater and marine environments.