The earliest article corresponding to the selected criteria was published in 1998. There has been a slight increase in recent years in the number of published articles on fishery-related plant uses based on the knowledge of local people (Fig. 2). South America is the most researched region with 286 use reports followed by Europe (203 use reports), while among the least explored continents were Asia (87), Australia (44), and Africa (14) (Fig. 3).

Summary of the publication year of the studies included in the review

Distribution of the reviewed articles on the world map, red stars mean original reasearch, black stars mean original research combined with other data sources

Most of the publications are original research papers (29 out of 34) in which the information is only based on local ecological knowledge, while the five publications combine original research with other methods such as a literature review (indicated by black stars in Fig. 3). The authors of the reviewed articles refer to the source of fishery-related plant and algae uses as traditional fishery knowledge, traditional ecological knowledge, traditional botanical knowledge, local ecological knowledge, and indigenous technical knowledge.

Most of the reviewed publications are based on (semi-structured) interviews (Fig. 4). Botanical surveys, random sampling questionnaires and structured surveys are less well represented. Nine percent of the publications also rely on secondary sources including those collected from fishers, available records from government agencies such as fisheries, fishers focus group discussions, and reviews of ethnobotanical literature.

The methods of data acquisition reported in the included articles

The respondents (Fig. 5) in the publications involved in determining the fishery-related uses of plants are mostly fishery experts and local experts followed by other local people and institutions. The majority of fishery experts are fishers, while local experts represent people from very diverse professions, including fishery-related artisans among others. Globally, the majority (78%) of the use reports derive from records obtained from ethnobotanical studies involving fishery experts, which comprise less than half (41%) of the reviewed articles (Fig. 6). The institutions involved are academic institutes, biologists, government agencies, and members of organizations such as IUCN CEESP, IUCN GSPFBU, UCSD, and various NGOs.

Knowledge sources reported in reviewed articles

Percentage of use reports from ethnobotanical studies with local fishers globally

A total of 344 plant and algae taxa belonging to 112 botanical families were identified. In ten records, only common name was mentioned, 70 plants were reported at genus level and two records provided plant descriptions (see Additional File 1). Eight records had unidentified families; therefore, only 556 records of use reports were identified to the level of species. Among the most cited plant taxa used were Castanea sativa and Pontederia crassipes (10 use reports each), followed by Ampelodesmos mauritanicus, Arundo donax, Bambusa sp., Nectandra, and Ocotea (8 use reports each), Hymenachne amplexicaulis, Montrichardia linifera, Myrsine guianensis, Myrtus communis, Olea europaea, Rhynchospora corymbosa, and Rugoloa polygonata (6 use reports each).

The fishery-related uses of plants are not region-dependent (Fig. 7). However, they reflect the research effort in each specific region. Specifically, publications in Brazil showed the highest number of reported plant uses (276 out of 634) related to fishery, followed by publications in Italy (171) and India (65). The numbers correspond to the number of publications: Most studies (n = 8: 23.53%) were carried out in Brazil and India, followed by Italy and Indonesia (n = 3: 8.82%), while in other reported regions only one or two studies have been conducted. Most of the diversity also comes from Brazil, where the majority of the plant families are used in a local context.

Frequency of reports on fishery-related uses of plants in reviewed articles per geographical area

Uses were grouped into general categories, such as fishing (44.16%), building and repair (25.07%), habitat (16.25%), and fiber uses (6.47%) and aids in fishing management (6.31%); records concerning plant species causing problems were the least mentioned (Fig. 8).

General categories of fishery-related uses of plants in the world

Figure 9 shows the mostly reported families (minimum 10 occurrences) cited in the studies worldwide; the other 95 families had less than 10 occurrences each, which together constitute more than half of the families reported (Table 2).

Bar graph of the most frequently reported families in all the reviewed studies, indicating the number of reports per family

A total of 41 uses involving 25 genera are shared within different localities, while the remaining uses are utilized in a single region. Figure 10 illustrates the use of similar genera for similar purposes across countries. Within-family diversity can be observed, but there is also species overlap; therefore, some species are used similarly across countries.

Shared species used within genera across countries

There is a high variety in the fishing general category; however, most of the uses have been recorded in Brazil. Among the most reported families for this category are Myrtaceae, Poaceae, Arecaceae, and Fabaceae. Specifically, the number of families recorded in each use are as follows: catching fish (57), food for fish (36), fish poison (16), fish traps (12), fishing (11), bait (7), illegal fishing (4), fishing gear (5), harvesting fish (1), hooks (1), making fish traps (1), making fishing rods (1), mussel farming (2), to get octopus out of its den (1), to stun fishes (1). With regard to these fishing-related uses, the following taxa are shared among fishers from India, Italy, Brazil, Suriname, the Philippines, Hungary, and Kenya: Acacia, Arundo, Astrocaryum, Brassica, Genipa, Hydrilla, Hydrocharis, Inga, Juglans, Juncus, Musa, Nymphaea, Oryza, Phragmites, Pontederia, Rhizophora, Salvinia Solanum, and Trapa are shared among India, Italy, Brazil, Suriname, the Philippines, Hungary, and Kenya. Specifically, Arundo donax is used in India for catching fish [9] and in Italy as well [47]. The taxon Astrocaryum jauari is used in Brazil as food for fish [7] and in Suriname for catching fish [45]. Brassica juncea is used in India as food for fish [44], while Brassica oleracea is used in Italy as bait [1]. Genipa americana is used for catching fish in Brazil [41] and as bait in Suriname [45]. Hydrilla verticillata is used as food for fish in India [9] and for catching fish in the Philippines and India [50, 53]. Hydrocharis spongia is used as food for fish in Brazil [8], while in Hungary Hydrocharis morsus-ranae is used for catching fish [54]. In Brazil, Inga vera is used for catching fish [41], while Inga virescens is used for fishing [31]. However, in Suriname, Inga disticha is used as food for fish [45]. In Hungary, both Juncus bufonius and Juncus effuses are used for recreational fishing [54]. In Italy, Juncus acutus, Juncus spp., and Juncus maritimus are used in making fish traps [1]. In India, Musa sp. is used for catching fish [51], while in Brazil, specifically, Musa acuminata is used for fishing gear [42]. In India, Oryza sp. is used for catching fish [51] and fish traps [59], while Oryza grandiglumis is used as food for fish in Brazil, while Oryza sativa and more generally Oryza sp. in India [8, 44, 53]. Phragmites australis is used for catching fish and as food for fish in Hungary [54], while in Kenya Phragmites is generally used for making fish traps [58]. In Brazil, the taxa Pontederia crassipes and Pontederia rotundifolia are used as food for fish [8], while in India Pontederia crassipes is used for harvesting fish [51]. Salvinia minima is also used in Brazil as food for fish [8], while Salvinia natans is used in Hungary for catching fish [54]. Solanum viarum is used for catching fish in Brazil [41], while Solanum schomburgkii is used as food for fish in Suriname [45].

Most building and repair uses are reported in Italy, followed by Brazil and Madagascar, and were not reported in other regions. Among the most reported families are Lauraceae, Fagaceae, Fabaceae, and Pinaceae. For this category, the number of families recorded in each use are as follows: build ships (16 citations), build boats (10), tools (7), build canoes (19), dye nets (11), ramps and repair canoes (5 each), barrels and hull (3 each), and build temporary fishing camps, caulking, splash bmattress, repair fishing nets, fishing net floats, and fuel for cooking fish (2 each). The remaining uses are represented by only one family: coloring, constructing boat shelters, covering boats and floats, grilling, make oars, make shifts go faster, masts, paddles, pulleys, ship models, and shrouds.

The use of the genera Pinus and Rhizophora is shared among Brazil, Italy, and Madagascar. Pinus spp. is used in Brazil to build boats [31], while in Italy, it is used in building ships and dye nets [1, 47]. The taxon Rhizophora mangle is used in Brazil to construct boat shelters [30], while in Madagascar, Rhizophora sp. is used for masts [43].

For building boats in Brazil, for instance, Baptista et al. [31] mentioned that the “timbaúva” (Enterolobium contortisiliquum) and “cedro” (Cedrela fissilis) were utilized for boat building, and Hanazaki [60] demonstrated that these species were also used by traditional fishers “caiçaras,” in southern Brazil. It appears that using plant species to make boats was an important activity in the past in many regions of Brazil, as mentioned by local fishers in the state of Alagoas, Northeast Brazil [61]. However, Baptista et al. [32] argued that this had been replaced of new materials, which has caused fishers to lose this knowledge given that, in the past, few fishers reported this plant use. The active of retired fishermen generally know more about wood- and fiber-producing plants [62] and specifically regarding using plants for construction, such as building boats and fishing artifacts [30].

Some studies provide information not present in other countries, such as fiber-related uses. Among the most reported families are Poaceae, Arecaceae, Cannabaceae, and Fagaceae. The number of families recorded in each use is as follows basketry (10), fish nets (7), ropes (6), weaving fish traps (2), while the remaining uses, such as broom heads and use as cordage in fishing activities are only represented by a single family. These uses related to fibers are reported most in a local Italian contexts, except for Attalea funifera, which is used to make broom heads in Brazil [30].

Habitat-related uses have been mainly reported in Brazil, followed by India, Fiji, and the Philippines, while Peru, Indonesia, Kiribati, Kenya, Spain, and Italy are among the least reported regions. For this category, among the most reported families are Poaceae, Araceae, Hydrocharitaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Cyperaceae. The number of families recorded for each use is as follows: fish habitat (22), stabilize temperature (19), hiding place (18), and stabilize soil (3), while the remaining uses, such as dams of fishponds, help lower the cost of fish feed, protect fish from predators, and provide shade are among the least represented. The use of Phragmites, Pistia, Pontederia, and Salvinia, for the above-mentioned purposes, is shared among Italy, India, Brazil, Kenya, and the Philippines considering dams of fish ponds, fish habitat, hiding place, and stabilize temperature [1, 8, 53, 56, 58]. Specifically, Phragmites australis is used in fishpond dams in Italy [1], while in India Phragmites karka is used as fish habitat [53]. Pistia stratiotes is used as a hiding place and to provide a stable temperature for fish in Brazil [8]. In Kenya and India, this taxon is used as a fish habitat [53, 58]. Pontederia crassipes is used as a hiding place and Pontederia rotundifolia to provide a stable temperature for fish in Brazil [8], while in the Philippines and India, the taxon Pontederia crassipes is used as a fish habitat [46, 56]. Salvinia minima is also used as a hiding place and to provide a stable temperature for fish in Brazil [8]. In addition, in the Philippines, the taxon Salvinia molesta is used as a fish habitat [56].

Most of the aids in fishing management uses have been reported in India, Fiji, Norway, Indonesia, and the Philippines and not in other regions. Among the most reported families are Fabaceae, Poaceae, and Musaceae. For this category, the number of families recorded in each use is as follows: water filter (10 citations), mapping of fish resources (4), control of humus gas, control of snails, signify octopus season, and the control of wild cat (2). The remaining uses are represented by only one family: control disease in fish, reduction of water turbidity, check pH, control algal bloom, control of unwanted fishes, faster in hatching, fish conservation, prevent mortality in transportation, seasonal cues for fish presence, signify sharks giving birth, and site for catching fish. Moreover, in India, the following taxa and uses are mentioned: Acacia sp. to allow the faster hatching of fish eggs, Cocos nucifera to control snails, Musa sp. to control of humus gas and the reduction of water turbidity, Pontederia crassipes to control algal bloom, and Oryza sp. to prevent fish mortality in transportation [44, 59]. In Fiji, however, Citrus reticulata is used as a seasonal cue for fish presence and Erythrina variegate is used to signify octopus season [48].

The plants causing problems are the least mentioned category and have been reported only in some countries, such as Hungary, Indonesia, Kenya, and the Philippines. Although not yet reported in other countries, these plants could be crucial for the management of fisheries across the globe. Among the most reported families causing problems are Hydrocharitaceae and Pontederiaceae. There are four families causing problems for recreational fishing (Ceratophyllaceae, Lythraceae, Menyanthaceae, and Salviniaceae, Hungary [54]), two families contributing to fish kills (Microcystaceae and Pontederiaceae, Philippines [56]), and two families causing problems for fishing activities transportation (Hydrocharitaceae and Pontederiaceae, Philippines [56] and Kenya [58]).

The problems caused by the genus Pontederia are similar in Kenya and the Philippines. In Kenya, Pontederia crassipes is considered invasive as it is causing an increase in other species such as Pistia stratiotes, Azolla pinnata, and Trapa natans [58], while in the Philippines this species is considered to be causing problems for transportation related to fishing activities as well as contributing to fish kill events [56].