Minimizing the impact of fishing

Minimizing the impact of fishing is an explicit goal in international agreements as well as in regional directives and national laws. To assist in practical implementation, three simple rules for fisheries management are proposed in this study: 1) take less than nature by ensuring that mortality caused by fishing is less than the natural rate of mortality; 2) maintain population sizes above half of natural abundance, at levels where populations are still likely to be able to fulfil their ecosystem functions as prey or predator; and 3) let fish grow and reproduce, by adjusting the size at first capture such that the mean length in the catch equals the length where the biomass of an unexploited cohort would be maximum (L_opt). For rule 3), the basic equations describing growth in age‐structured populations are re‐examined and a new optimum length for first capture (L_{c_opt}) is established. For a given rate of fishing mortality, L_{c_opt} keeps catch and profit near their theoretical optima while maintaining large population sizes. Application of the three rules would not only minimize the impact of fishing on commercial species, it may also achieve several goals of ecosystem‐based fisheries management, such as rebuilding the biomass of prey and predator species in the system and reducing collateral impact of fishing, because with more fish in the water, shorter duration of gear deployment is needed for a given catch. The study also addresses typical criticisms of these common sense rules for fisheries management.     

澳洲鲭太平洋群系的资源评估与管理策略

澳洲鲭是西北太平洋重要的经济种类,了解和掌握澳洲鲭太平洋群系资源开发状况对确保其可持续利用具有重要的意义。根据日本中央水产研究所提供的1995—2015年澳洲鲭太平洋群系的生产统计和资源调查资料,利用基于年龄结构的实际种群模型和单位补充量产量模型等进行资源量评估,分析澳洲鲭太平洋群系资源利用情况及其管理策略。结果显示,历年澳洲鲭太平洋群系资源量虽有波动但仍保持在较高水平,2015年资源量最高约为65万t;年平均捕捞死亡系数呈波动下降趋势,2015年捕捞死亡系数只有0.15,近五年平均捕捞死亡系数Fcur=0.33,单位补充量亲体量是未开发时的32.7%,不存在生长型捕捞过度,也不存在补充型捕捞过度,处于可持续开发状态。研究还探讨了水温变化引起自然死亡波动以及不同开捕年龄对澳洲鲭太平洋群系资源状况的影响。研究表明,该渔业目前开发和利用程度合理,建议使用F0.1做为管理参考点进行渔业资源的管理。     

Rebuilding Mediterranean fisheries: a new paradigm for ecological sustainability

In Mediterranean European countries, 85% of the assessed stocks are currently overfished compared to a maximum sustainable yield reference value (MSY) while populations of many commercial species are characterized by truncated size‐ and age‐structures. Rebuilding the size‐ and age‐structure of exploited populations is a management objective that combines single species targets such as MSY with specific goals of the ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAF), preserving community size‐structure and the ecological role of different species. Here, we show that under the current fishing regime, stock productivity and fleet profitability are generally impaired by a combination of high fishing mortality and inadequate selectivity patterns. For most of the stocks analysed, a simple reduction in the current fishing mortality (F_cur) towards an MSY reference value (F_MSY), without any change in the fishing selectivity, will allow neither stock biomass nor fisheries yield and revenue to be maximized. On the contrary, management targets can be achieved only through a radical change in fisheries selectivity. Shifting the size of first capture towards the size at which fish cohorts achieve their maximum biomass, the so‐called optimal length, would produce on average between two and three times higher economic yields and much higher biomass at sea for the exploited stocks. Moreover, it would contribute to restore marine ecosystem structure and resilience to enhance ecosystem services such as reservoirs of biodiversity and functioning food webs.     

Fisheries resource management of the daggertooth pike conger,Muraenesox cinereus,using existing limited datasets in the western Seto Inland Sea,Japan

The daggertooth pike conger, Muraenesox cinereus (Forsskål), has become an important fish resource in the western Seto Inland Sea, Japan, since the 1990s. However, introducing sustainable fisheries resource management for this species is difficult in this region because stock assessments have not been performed, and official fisheries statistics for this stock were discontinued after 2007. This study used existing limited data sets to compile the first report for fisheries resource management for this M. cinereus stock. Yield‐per‐recruit analyses showed that increasing fishing pressure above current levels would provide only a minimal increase in expected catch levels. Hence, the current harvest level is considered to represent the upper limit of fishing pressure. Age composition in a given year could potentially be used to forecast landing abundance for the following 2 years. This study provides a basis for establishing effective fisheries resource management strategies for M. cinereus.     

Examining the knowledge base and status of commercially exploited marine species with the RAM Legacy Stock Assessment Database

Meta‐analyses of stock assessments can provide novel insight into marine population dynamics and the status of fished species, but the world’s main stock assessment database (the Myers Stock‐Recruitment Database) is now outdated. To facilitate new analyses, we developed a new database, the RAM Legacy Stock Assessment Database, for commercially exploited marine fishes and invertebrates. Time series of total biomass, spawner biomass, recruits, fishing mortality and catch/landings form the core of the database. Assessments were assembled from 21 national and international management agencies for a total of 331 stocks (295 fish stocks representing 46 families and 36 invertebrate stocks representing 12 families), including nine of the world’s 10 largest fisheries. Stock assessments were available from 27 large marine ecosystems, the Caspian Sea and four High Seas regions, and include the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic and Antarctic Oceans. Most assessments came from the USA, Europe, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Assessed marine stocks represent a small proportion of harvested fish taxa (16%), and an even smaller proportion of marine fish biodiversity (1%), but provide high‐quality data for intensively studied stocks. The database provides new insight into the status of exploited populations: 58% of stocks with reference points (n = 214) were estimated to be below the biomass resulting in maximum sustainable yield (B_MSY) and 30% had exploitation levels above the exploitation rate resulting in maximum sustainable yield (U_MSY). We anticipate that the database will facilitate new research in population dynamics and fishery management, and we encourage further data contributions from stock assessment scientists.     

Report card on ecosystem‐based fisheries management in tuna regional fisheries management organizations

International instruments of fisheries governance have set the core principles for the management of highly migratory fishes. We evaluated the progress of tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (tRFMOs) in implementing the ecological component of ecosystem‐based fisheries management (EBFM). We first developed a best case tRFMO for EBFM implementation. Second, we developed criteria to evaluate progress in applying EBFM against this best case tRFMO. We assessed progress of the following four ecological components: target species, bycatch species, ecosystem properties and trophic relationships, and habitats. We found that many of the elements necessary for an operational EBFM are already present, yet they have been implemented in an ad hoc way, without a long‐term vision and a formalized plan. Overall, tRFMOs have made considerable progress monitoring the impacts of fisheries on target species, moderate progress for bycatch species, and little progress for ecosystem properties and trophic relationships and habitats. The tRFMOs appear to be halfway towards implementing the ecological component of EBFM, yet it is clear that the “low‐hanging fruit” has been plucked and the more difficult, but surmountable, issues remain, notably the sustainable management of bycatch. All tRFMOs share the same challenge of developing a formal mechanism to better integrate ecosystem science and advice into management decisions. We hope to further discussion across the tRFMOs to inform the development of operational EBFM plans.     

Biomass management targets and the conservation and economic benefits of marine reserves

The establishment of no‐take marine reserves has been increasingly promoted as a key measure to achieve conservation and sustainability goals in fisheries. Regardless of the wide range of benefits cited, the effectiveness of reserve establishment depends critically on fisheries management outside the reserves. We construct a bioeconomic model of a fishery that allows for the establishment of a no‐take marine reserve and evaluate how the choice of the off‐reserve management target influences the effectiveness of reserve establishment. We evaluate two biomass targets: (i) B_MSY or the biomass that produces the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and (ii) B_MEY or the biomass that maximizes the net present value of the returns to fishing. The parameterized model shows that, for a wide range of scenarios, the fishery will be better off in terms of both conservation and economic objectives when the no‐take reserve is established in conjunction with the B_MEY target rather than with the B_MSY target. Model results further show that the opportunity cost of securing additional fish biomass, in both deterministic and stochastic environments, is lower when the reserve size is increased under the B_MEY target. This finding is important because marine reserves have been established as a key measure to restore depleted fish stocks, and the results suggest that this objective can be achieved with lower economic costs in a B_MEY managed fishery.     

A tale of two seas: a meta‐analysis of crustacean stocks in the NE Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea

Meta‐analysis of marine biological resources can elucidate general trends and patterns to inform scientists and improve management. Crustacean stocks are indispensable for European and global fisheries; however, studies of their aggregate development have been rare and confined to smaller spatial and temporal scales compared to fish stocks. Here, we study the aggregate development of 63 NE Atlantic and Mediterranean crustacean stocks of six species (Nephrops norvegicus, Pandalus borealis, Parapenaeus longirostris, Aristeus antennatus, Aristaeomorpha foliacea and Squilla mantis) in 1990–2013 using biomass index data from official stock assessments. We implemented a dynamic factor analysis (DFA) to identify common underlying trends in biomass indices and investigate the correlation with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index. The analysis revealed increasing and decreasing trends in the northern and southern NE Atlantic, respectively, and stable or slowly increasing trends in the Mediterranean, which were not related to NAO. A separate meta‐analysis of the fishing mortality (F) and biomass (B) of 39 analytically assessed crustacean stocks was also carried out to explore their development relative to MSY. NE Atlantic crustacean stocks have been exploited on average close to F_MSY and remained well above B_MSY in 1995–2013, while Mediterranean stocks have been exploited 2–4 times above F_MSY in 2002–2012. Aggregate trends of European crustacean stocks are somewhat opposite to trends of fish stocks, suggesting possible cascading effects. This study highlights the two‐speed fisheries management performance in the northern and southern European seas, despite most stocks being managed in the context of the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy.     

Effects of biological,economic and management factors on tuna and billfish stock status

Commercial tunas and billfishes (swordfish, marlins and sailfish) provide considerable catches and income in both developed and developing countries. These stocks vary in status from lightly exploited to rebuilding to severely depleted. Previous studies suggested that this variability could result from differences in life‐history characteristics and economic incentives, but differences in exploitation histories and management measures also have a strong effect on current stock status. Although the status (biomass and fishing mortality rate) of major tuna and billfish stocks is well documented, the effect of these diverse factors on current stock status and the effect of management measures in rebuilding stocks have not been analysed at the global level. Here, we show that, particularly for tunas, stocks were more depleted if they had high commercial value, were long‐lived species, had small pre‐fishing biomass and were subject to intense fishing pressure for a long time. In addition, implementing and enforcing total allowable catches (TACs) had the strongest positive influence on rebuilding overfished tuna and billfish stocks. Other control rules such as minimum size regulations or seasonal closures were also important in reducing fishing pressure, but stocks under TAC implementations showed the fastest increase of biomass. Lessons learned from this study can be applied in managing large industrial fisheries around the world. In particular, tuna regional fisheries management organizations should consider the relative effectiveness of management measures observed in this study for rebuilding depleted large pelagic stocks.     

Yield, growth and mortality rate of the Thai river sprat, Clupeichthys aesarnensis, in Sirinthorn Reservoir, Thailand

The Thai river sprat, Clupeichthys aesarnensis Wongratana, is a clupeid with a short life span, and supports artisanal fisheries in a number of reservoirs in the Mekong Basin. The growth parameters, mortality rates and the status of the Thai river sprat in Sirinthorn Reservoir (28 800 ha), NE Thailand (15°N; 105°E), are presented. The fishery is based on lured lift‐nets, operated 7–14 days in the new moon period, September to April each year. It was shown that the von Bertalanffy growth function (VBGF) model was L_t (mm) = 78.43[1 ? exp{?0.211[t ? (?0.7996)]}] and its growth conformed to an isometric pattern. Natural mortality rate (month^?1) was 0.13 month^?1. Total mortality rates ranged from 0.69 to 1.53 month^?1 depending on the weather and the fishing season. Recruitment was continuous throughout the year but peaked in June and July. The yield per recruit model indicated that the exploitation rate of this fishery is probably too high.     

Implications of using small meshed gillnets for the sustainability of fish populations: a theoretical exploration based on three case studies

The study explores the impacts of varying gillnet mesh size and fishing level on yield per recruit (Y/R), escapement spawning stock (ESS) and mega‐spawners (MS) of three widely distributed freshwater fishery target species. Y/R is maximised when the optimal length of capture (L_cap) is above the size of maturity (L₅₀). However, the unimodal shape of gillnet selectivity results in lower impacts to ESS and MS with both smaller and larger mesh sizes. Under conditions of moderate exploitation, the fraction of MS was significantly larger if small meshed gillnets were used. This is due to the relatively smaller cumulative vulnerability from small mesh sizes through time, as they target a smaller size range of fish, which also grow more quickly through the vulnerable window due to higher growth rates. Therefore, unlike trawls and beach seines, which select all size classes beyond the minimum length of capture (L_c), small meshed gillnets are not necessarily destructive and may rather promote sustained production by allowing a higher proportion of the spawning biomass to remain in the stock. The work also helps to explain the observation of sustained fish production in many developing countries despite the persistent use of gillnets of small mesh size that target small, under‐sized individuals.     

Rebuilding fish stocks no later than 2015: will Europe meet the deadline?

Maintaining or restoring fish stocks at levels that are capable of producing maximum sustainable yield is a legal obligation under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and has been given the deadline of no later than 2015 in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation of 2002. Here, we analyse stock assessment data of all major fish stocks of the Northeast Atlantic to determine whether Europe will be able to deliver on this commitment, which it has helped to bring about. The analysis shows that, if current fishing pressure continues, 91% of the European stocks will remain below target. If European ministers in charge of fisheries were serious about meeting their obligations, they would have to reduce drastically fishing pressure and halt fishing completely on some stocks. But even if fishing were halted in 2010, 22% of the stocks are so depleted that they cannot be rebuilt by 2015. If current trends continue, Europe will miss the 2015 deadline by more than 30 years. We argue that, from a legal perspective, such repeated enactment of fisheries management measures, which are incapable of maintaining or restoring B_msy, does not comply with the requirements contained in UNCLOS and may constitute a breach of the precautionary principle of European Community law.     

Unintended consequences of climate-adaptive fisheries management targets

Climate change is projected to affect the productivity of global fisheries. Management based on maximum sustainable yield (MSY) has been effective at eliminating overfishing in many regions. However, continuing to use yield-maximizing targets under climate-driven changes in productivity can result in higher anthropogenic pressure on populations subject to climate-related stress than maintaining status quo management targets. We demonstrate this effect using a theoretical example and case studies from snow crab in the eastern Bering Sea and a global marine fisheries database. In these examples, the conservation gain (i.e. biomass in the ocean) of maintaining status quo management targets is larger than the small gain in harvest made through climate adaptation in MSY-based management. The aggregate conservation gain of maintaining management targets increases as the harmful impacts of climate change on productivity worsen. Instead of climate-adaptive MSY-based targets, new management tools are needed to balance conservation and food production in ecosystems of populations displaying non-stationary productivity.     

Biomass removal by dolphins and fisheries in a Mediterranean Sea coastal area: do dolphins have an ecological impact on fisheries?

• 1. Dolphins are often claimed to compete with fisheries, including through removal of substantial biomass. To calculate the biomass removed by fisheries and the degree of resource overlap with dolphins in a coastal area of Greece, estimates of dolphin abundance based on photographic capture–recapture were combined with an assessment of fishing effort and catch.
• 2. The estimated total biomass consumed annually by local dolphin populations – 15 short‐beaked common dolphins and 42 common bottlenose dolphins – was 15.5 and 89.8 tonnes, respectively. The total biomass removed by the local fishing fleet (307 fishing boats) was 3469.2 tonnes, i.e. about 33 times greater than that removed by dolphins.
• 3. Dolphins removed 2.9% of the total biomass, fisheries 97.1%. Nine purse seiners (representing only 3% of the active fishing fleet) were responsible for 31.9% of biomass removal. Similarity of biomass composition between dolphins and fisheries was expressed by a Pianka index of 0.46 for common dolphins and 0.66 for bottlenose dolphins.
• 4. Overlap differed according to fishing gear. Common dolphin overlap was higher with purse seiners (0.82), and lower with beach seiners (0.31), bottom trawlers (0.11) and trammel boats (0.06). There was virtually no overlap with longliners (0.02). Bottlenose dolphin overlap was higher with trammel boats (0.89) and bottom trawlers (0.75), and lower with longliners (0.38), purse seiners (0.24) and beach seiners (0.18). There was minimal overlap (0.12) between the two dolphin species.
• 5. This study suggests that ecological interactions between dolphins and fisheries in this coastal area have minor effects on fisheries. Conversely, prey depletion resulting from overfishing can negatively affect dolphins. Fisheries management measures consistent with national and EU legislation are proposed to ensure sustainability and to protect marine biodiversity. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

     

Stock assessment of the blue jack mackerel,Trachurus picturatus,in the North‐eastern Atlantic

A total of 49,151 blue jack mackerel, Trachurus picturatus, (Bowdich) was collected in Madeira Island (North‐eastern Atlantic) between 2002 and 2016 to evaluate possible influence of fishing on landings and reproductive parameters. A decreasing trend in the length composition was observed over the study period and length at first maturity decreased by 2.78 cm TL. Maximum yield per recruit decreased from 2002 to 2016 but the corresponding fishing mortality was constant (F_max = 0.4/year). Considering the fishing mortality level in 2016, it is evident that the stock may be exploited beyond its sustainability limit. Amendments of the purse‐seine fishing regulations and implementation of measures to reduce fishing effort are suggested.     

渔业生态系统方法简述

考虑到生态系统状态对渔业的重要影响,渔业生态系统方法(Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries,EAF)把对生态的关注加入渔业管理框架中,并以生态系统管理和渔业管理2个理论为基础,扩展了传统渔业管理的框架:以生态系统健康与人类福利的依存关系为基础,关注多物种管理,均衡生态、人文和制度3个维度的目标,实现渔业的可持续发展。本研究介绍了EAF的由来、定义、基本原则以及功能要素,概述了EAF的实践基础和模型构建的技术路径,对比了EAF与EBFM的异同。虽然EAF的理论和实践仍处于完善和发展阶段,但确为渔业管理的发展方向,介绍EAF对促进我国渔业可持续发展具有重要意义。     

A synthetic control approach to estimate the effect of total allowable catches in the high seas

Total allowable catch restrictions (hereafter referred to as catch quotas) play an important role in maintaining healthy fish stocks. While studies have identified a positive relationship between catch quota implementation and improved stock status, these methods are subject to selection bias as catch quotas are typically applied to stocks that are depleted. We address this challenge using the synthetic control method, which estimates the causal effect of catch quotas on fishing mortality and biomass by predicting a synthetic counterfactual outcome. We focus on high seas stocks (tunas, billfishes, and sharks) managed by tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (tRFMOs), first providing an overview of stock status and current management measures in place. We find that implementation of catch quotas by tRFMOs has more than doubled over the past decade. Second, we predict the hypothetical fishing mortality and biomass trajectory for seven high seas quota-managed stocks in absence of a catch quota. These “synthetic non-quota stocks” are predicted using a weighted selection of high seas non-quota stocks. Credibility of the synthetic non-quota stocks is evaluated through diagnostic checks, and robustness tests assess sensitivity to study design. Five credible fishing mortality synthetic controls are predicted: three add support to the hypothesis that catch quotas successfully reduce fishing mortality, while two find that catch quotas increase fishing mortality. While our analysis is limited in scope, given that all seven quota-managed stocks are managed under a single tRFMO, we highlight the potential for the synthetic control method in fisheries management evaluation.     

Generic harvest control rules for European fisheries

In European fisheries, most stocks are overfished and many are below safe biological limits, resulting in a call from the European Commission for new long‐term fisheries management plans. Here, we propose a set of intuitive harvest control rules that are economically sound, compliant with international fishery agreements, based on relevant international experiences, supportive of ecosystem‐based fisheries management and compatible with the biology of the fish stocks. The rules are based on the concept of maximum sustainable yield (MSY), with a precautionary target biomass that is 30% larger than that which produces MSY and with annual catches of 91%MSY. Allowable catches decline steeply when stocks fall below MSY levels and are set to zero when stocks fall below half of MSY levels. We show that the proposed rules could have prevented the collapse of the North Sea herring in the 1970s and that they can deal with strong cyclic variations in recruitment such as known for blue whiting. Compared to the current system, these rules would lead to higher long‐term catches from larger stocks at lower cost and with less adverse environmental impact.     

Retrospective analysis of the influence of environmental drivers on commercial stocks and fishing opportunities in the Irish Sea

Irish Sea fisheries have undergone considerable change in recent years following the decline of commercially important finfish stocks and their slow response to management's recovery plans. In 2015, the fishing industry called for a holistic exploration into the impact of environmental change and food web effects to identify the drivers underpinning stock dynamics. In this study, we identify correlations between large‐scale climatic indicators, temperature, primary and secondary productivity, and fish recruitment in the Irish Sea and incorporate them into an Ecopath with Ecosim food web model co‐created by scientists and fishers. Negative correlations were found between the North Atlantic Oscillation winter index (NAOw) and large zooplankton abundance and between the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and the recruitment of cod (Gadus morhua) and whiting (Merlangius merlangus). Using correlation analyses to direct the addition of environmental drivers to the Irish Sea ecosystem model improved the models fit against observed biomass and catch data and revealed the indirect impacts of environmental change as mitigated through trophic interactions. Model simulations suggest that historic environmental change suppressed the overall production of commercial finfish, limiting opportunities for the fishing industry, whilst also dampening the rate of stock recovery despite marked reductions in fishing effort. These results suggest that failure to account for ecosystem information may lead to misconceived expectations and flawed fisheries management; therefore, there is a need to operationalize ecosystem information through management procedures to support fisheries advice.     

Gear restrictions create conservation and fisheries trade-offs for management

Gear-based management for coral reef fisheries is often overlooked in the scientific literature. Empirical studies have demonstrated the conservation benefits of gear-restricted areas (i.e. prohibiting fishing gears), which can support greater biomass than unrestricted areas and protect species that play key functional roles. However, population dynamics of functional feeding groups of reef fishes under specific gear-restriction regimes remains uncertain. Here, we constructed a multi-species, length-based fisheries model to observe relative biomass and catch of reef fishes under various gear-restriction management scenarios. We used fishery-dependent and fishery-independent data to determine the catchability of functional groups and selectivity of size classes for hook-and-line, net and spear fishing, which are widely used gear types on coral reefs globally. Our model revealed trade-offs involved with gear-restriction management such that no single management strategy was able to maximize biomass or catch of all functional groups simultaneously. Also, we found that spear fishing (i.e. prohibiting hook-and-line and net fishing) maintained the highest total biomass summed across functional groups, whilst hook-and-line fishing (i.e. prohibiting net and spear fishing) and a ban on spears maintained the lowest biomass. However, hook-and-line fishing generated the highest catch-per-unit-effort. Our model results were primarily driven by differential growth rates, maximum per capita production of recruits, and catchability of functional groups targeted by each fishing gear. We demonstrate that gear restrictions can be a critical management tool for maintaining biomass and catch of certain functional groups but will likely require additional management to protect all key functional feeding groups of coral reef fishes.