International workshop on methodological evolution to improve estimates of life history parameters and fisheries management of data-poor deep-water snappers and groupers

Knowledge of both the life history characteristics and catch and effort statistics of exploited deep-water fishes such as snappers and groupers is typically limited. This contributes to increased uncertainty in stock assessments and, depending on the diligence in governance, is more likely to result in either highly conservative or unsustainable management arrangements. Developments, challenges and advances in the methods for obtaining life history data for these species were discussed at a workshop in May 2015. The key points raised included nascent methods for otolith sectioning and interpretation, the need for standardised international ageing protocols and the issues and challenges in characterising reproductive maturation, including during non-spawning months due to resource limitations. Strategic research directions are identified to address knowledge gaps and thus better inform fisheries management.     

Assessment of IUU fishing for Southern Bluefin Tuna

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is recognized as one of the largest threats to the sustainability of the world's fisheries. This paper focuses on IUU fishing in the context of unreported catches by members or co-operating non-members of regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) and their implications for scientific assessments of stock status and management advice. A review of Japanese market statistics was undertaken in 2006 by an independent panel in relation to catches of southern bluefin tuna (SBT). Based on this review, the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) concluded that very substantial and continuous unreported catches of SBT had been taken by longline vessels since at least the early 1990s. While uncertainty exists about the fleets contributing to these IUU catches, the assumption used within the CCSBT Scientific Committee is that a significant proportion of these were taken by Japanese longliners. Implications of these unreported catches for the stock assessments by RFMOs are discussed in light of the central role that Japanese vessel reported data have in the assessment of the world's tuna and billfish stocks. Results indicate that it is plausible that the unreported catches of SBT stem from the misreporting of catches as other tuna species and/or the location of fishing effort. The magnitude and extended period of the unreported SBT catches highlight the wide-spread risks of relying on fishery dependent logbook data in the absence of verification. An urgent need exists for minimum standards of verification of catch, effort and landing statistics for use in scientific assessments. The fisheries science community needs to be more pro-active in the development of such standards and the implementation of independent monitoring and verification. In addition, there is a need to reform the operation of the scientific bodies of RFMOs in terms of transparency, the treatment of uncertainty and the burden of proof if they are to be effective in providing objective scientific advice consistent with the intent of international agreements.     

New age-determination method based on fast growth rate of Cape hake Merluccius capensis in Namibia

Namibia’s most important commercial fisheries resource, the shallow-water Cape hake Merluccius capensis, is currently assessed using statistical catch-at-age analysis. Age data obtained from otoliths constitute an important data component of this model. Recent age-validation studies of M. capensis showed that growth was previously underestimated. We investigated this new fast-growth hypothesis (FGH) by using measurements and counts of translucent zones (T1 to T14, from otolith core to edge) on two survey otolith samples covering the entire range of fish lengths. We compared three hypotheses of periodicity of otolith zone formation and show that, if all zones are counted, T2 (at 9.0 mm otolith length), T5, T8, T11 and T14 are most likely to be annuli. A conversion from the slow-growth-hypothesis (SGH, currently used) age data was calculated as: FGH age group = round (0.41[SGH age group] + 0.25), and this formula should be applied to compute and test updated catch-at-age data in a future hake stock assessment. Additional adjustment for the hake stock assessment following the FGH, such as the timing of recruitment in winter and catches in summer, should be considered in future assessments.     

Responses of the fishing sector to transitional constraints: From reactive to proactive change,Yucatan fisheries in Mexico

Most fisheries management studies have concentrated on understanding resource dynamics and have paid less attention to understanding the dynamics of those who use the resources. This situation limits the knowledge about the fisheries system as a whole and specifically about the viability of management schemes. It is vital to understand how the actors within the fishing sector (fishing firm owners/managers, fishers, fisheries managers, and traders) may respond to changes in fishing resources trends, market dynamics, and fisheries policies before they are implemented. These issues are explored in this paper by applying a longitudinal analysis of the Yucatan Mexico's fishing industry. The analysis is presented within the framework of the theory of change and coping strategies. The study primarily involved interviews during 2008 with the main owners of companies in the fishing industry and with fisheries managers and other stakeholders. Time-series catch data on the main fishing resources are also reviewed to evaluate changes across three historical periods and describe how the actors have perceived and responded to those changes. Given conditions of uncertainty in resource availability, changes in market demand and changes in institutional arrangements, the viability of traditional business and resource management practices are discussed. The analysis presents different kind of triggers that have modified the conditions of the fishing sector and had had impacts on the socio-economic–ecological system in which fisheries are embedded. The need for adaptive strategies in the whole chain of the fisheries business and resource management is stressed, given the current changes and conditions of fisheries. The discussion states a series of actions that could improve the relationships between business practices and fisheries management.     

Current and future use of indicators for ecosystem based fisheries management

Implementing ecosystem based fisheries management (EBFM) will require a suite of ecological indices to track the state of an ecosystem, in addition to monitoring species-abundance for both economically important species, as well as species that are not targeted for harvest. However, EBFM implementation requires an examination of current methods and applications of ecological indices that are being used. This paper identifies four key uses for ecosystem indices in the context of EBFM and discusses the implications of each: (1) motivation for socio-political action, (2) information for individual users to modify their behavior, (3) implementation of decision rules for management evaluation, and (4) discovery of ecosystem functions to advance scientific knowledge. In a fisheries management context, ecological indicators will be linked to decision rules based on the definitions of both “ecosystem overfishing” and the current single-species definitions of overfishing. Two components of common ecological indicators are species weightings (i.e. catch or abundance data by species) and the species-specific ecological attributes (e.g. mortality rates, body size, trophic level). We discuss statistical issues that arise from estimating the parameters in ecological index calculations from both fishery-dependent and independent data and the potential biases introduced by using catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) data, catch data, and abundance estimates. Given the range of biases that arise, often the best estimates of species weightings (abundances) are those derived from fish stock assessments. This implies that progress in EBFM may be best served by increasing the number of species for which single-species assessments are done and to expand the list of species to include species which may not be economically important. The policy framework exists to carry out EBFM; however, future works needs to focus on empirical management strategy simulations, as well as theoretical works to identify management criteria based on those indicators.     

Population abundance and seasonal migration patterns indicated by commercial catch-per-unit-effort of hakes (Merluccius capensis and M. paradoxus) in the northern Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem

We developed generalised additive models (GAMs) to estimate standardised time-series of population abundance indices for assessment purposes and to infer ecological and behavioural information on northern Benguela hakes, Merluccius capensis and M. paradoxus, using haul-by-haul commercial trawl catch-rate data as proxies for hake densities. The modelling indicated that individual ship identifiers should be used rather than general vessel characteristics, such as vessel size. The final models explained 79% and 68% of the variability in the commercial catch rates of M. capensis and M. paradoxus, respectively. The spatial density patterns were consistent and confirmed existing knowledge about these species in the northern Benguela system. Furthermore, seasonal migration patterns were described for the first time and were found to correspond to the known spawning areas and seasons for M. capensis and M. paradoxus. Spatial density patterns were validated using the geostatistical modelling results of fisheries-independent trawl survey data. Improved understanding of the relationships between fleet dynamics and fish movement can be achieved by taking into consideration the present catch-rate model and spatial and seasonal distribution maps. We conclude that the yearly standardised CPUE time-series are problematic as proxies for total stock abundance because of spatial coverage issues. Consequently, such CPUE data should not be used for stock-size assessments and fisheries advice concerning northern Benguela hakes until this is solved. We generally recommend the exclusion of standardised CPUE time-series from stock assessments when important and changing parts of the stock distribution cannot be targeted by the fishery, such as due to closed areas or seasons.     

An overview of socio-economic and ecological perspectives of Fiji's inshore reef fisheries

This paper reviews the socio-economic and ecological context of Fijian reef fisheries. This review is deemed necessary because improved understanding of the state and trends of Fiji's coral reef fisheries on a national level is required for designing an effective management plan for Fiji's inshore reef fisheries. The most important point that emerges from our review is that despite numerous studies of Fiji's reef fisheries, the current status of reef-associated fisheries at the national level is still uncertain due, mainly, to the lack of dependable data on the subsistence fisheries. This in turn leads to uncertainty about how the continuation of fishing, in particular, fishing focused on target species for the coral reef resources trade, will affect fishing communities and the ecosystem.     

Assessment and management of the trochus fishery at West Nggela, Solomon Islands: An interdisciplinary approach

A proper understanding of the management status of small-scale subsistence and artisanal fisheries requires not only detailed sociocultural study, but comprehensive analysis of the state of the fished population(s), using rigorous stock assessment and other fisheries biology tools. In this article I describe several approaches taken to assess the artisanal trochus fishery at West Nggela. This includes stock density and other data, that demonstrate many reefs are overfished. I discuss the social and economic factors influencing the performance of the fishery. The importance of an understanding of property tenure is dealt with in some detail. An analysis of the various categories of fishers’ ecological knowledge about trochus is also presented, and discussed with respect to the categories of biological and ecological information considered by most fisheries biologists as essential to the assessment and management of a fishery.     

Pretty Good Yield and exploited fishes

While much of traditional fisheries theory has concentrated on maximum or optimum yield, the reality of fisheries management is that biomass yield is only one of the several indicators of fisheries performance, and desired outcomes generally only need to provide something near the maximum possible yield. A range of policies are explored to find those that produce “Pretty Good Yield” defined as sustainable yield at least 80% of the maximum sustainable yield. Such yields are generally obtained over a broad range of stock sizes (20–50% of unfished stock abundance), and this range is not sensitive to the population's basic life history parameters such as natural mortality rate, somatic growth rate, or age at maturity. The most important biological parameter determining this range is the intensity of recruitment compensation. Meta-analysis shows compensation is usually strong and there is reasonably little yield lost at what are now widely accepted definitions of overfishing or risk for most stocks. Similarly, maintaining stocks at 50% of unfished stock abundance for ecological or economic reasons results in little expected loss of yield.     

Current and future trends in fisheries stock assessment and management

There are currently three dominant approaches to fisheries stock assessment: analysis of catch-at-age data; simple models of biomass dynamics (often called surplus production models) that rely only on catch and some index of abundance; and analysis of length frequency data. A key characteristic of all these methods is that they rely primarily on one type of data and ignore most of what is known about the biology of the species in question and what has been learned from fisheries elsewhere. Other information is sometimes included subjectively after the stock assessment is complete. The first major trend in assessment methods is developing ways of incorporating all that is known about the biology of a species into a single unified assessment procedure. The second major development is in methods of incorporating uncertainty in stock assessment, using statistical decision theory. At present few agencies have formal methods for treating the uncertainty inherent in stock assessment, and therefore uncertainty is often ignored. A number of trends in fisheries management are reviewed, including adoption of formal harvest strategies, recognition that fisheries management is a matter of decision-making and risk-taking, and the use of Monte-Carlo evaluation of fisheries management options. Future trends in stock assessment and management will likely include more attention to the behaviour of fishermen in response to regulations, more involvement of user-groups in decision-making, much more allocation of property rights, including complete privatization of some fisheries, and demand for evaluation of cost effectiveness of research and management activities. Threats to commercial fisheries as now known are discussed, including growing allocation to recreational and aboriginal users, environmentalists and the impact of aquaculture.     

From low- to high-value fisheries: Is it possible to quantify the trade-off between management cost,risk and catch?

Fishery managers are faced with the challenge of maintaining sustainable fisheries at the lowest possible cost while conforming to international and national obligations. Given that fisheries range from low to high value, there is a real need to understand how to trade ecological and economic risks, and the various costs associated with their management, against the benefits from catch. Key to this is an understanding of (a) the costs corresponding to a given level of acceptable risk, or conversely, (b) the change in risk given a change in cost investment. This paper first defines biological, economic and ecosystem risk at a whole-of-fishery level, and then develops a simple model to quantify the trade-offs between risk, cost and catch. Using as case studies Australia's federally managed fisheries that range from data-rich to data-poor, risk was quantified for target species in terms of both their limit and target reference points (defined as “biological risk” and “economic risk”, respectively), and for ecosystems in terms of overall ecological impact (defined as “ecosystem risk”). A statistical linear model was used to quantify the risk–cost–catch frontier for each of the three forms of risk. The most parsimonious models were statistically significant for each. However, the management and research costs were mostly positively correlated with risk, indicating that these tended to be reactive to risk, as opposed to risk decreasing in response to increased costs. The only model where this was not the case was for the ecosystem risk, which is probably because these risks have only recently been assessed and the management response to these risks across all the fisheries has so far been limited. For target species risks, it was not possible to develop a model for proactive use. However, the method itself has merit and, if the costs were defined to a greater level of resolution, and/or a time-dynamic modelling approach considered, these issues could potentially be addressed.     

Ocean robotics in support of fisheries research and management

South Africa’s small-pelagic fishery is a socio-economically important component of the country’s commercial fisheries sector, second in value only to the demersal trawl fishery. Management of this sector relies on infrequent hydro-acoustic surveys, which provide measures of anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus and sardine Sardinops sagax biomass used in the assessments of stock status and in the development of management plans for the sustainable utilisation of these resources. We demonstrate how technological capabilities in ocean robotics at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) could augment the current resource-intensive hydro-acoustic ship-based survey programme and create opportunities for expanding its spatial and temporal resolution. We successfully implement and demonstrate an autonomous wave glider, fitted with a hydro-acoustic sensor and compare the data to a collocated ‘traditional’ ship-based acoustics survey. In the future these autonomous systems approaches could be seen as a means to lessen the cost burden of the ship-based survey, while at the same time with the added advantage of continuous collection over much wider spatial and temporal domains. This could enable a more reflexive stock management approach taking into account the seasonal characteristics of the fishery and its ecosystem. Gliders thus have potential to increase dramatically the quantity of information available to fisheries managers, thereby reducing uncertainty and contributing to improved management of valuable fish resources. They are likely to contribute to improved knowledge of the ecology of small pelagic fish species off the coast of South Africa in a changing climate and should potentially also permit the collection of biomass data for other marine resources currently not routinely monitored.     

The added value of participatory modelling in fisheries management – what has been learnt?

How can uncertain fisheries science be linked with good governance processes, thereby increasing fisheries management legitimacy and effectiveness? Reducing the uncertainties around scientific models has long been perceived as the cure of the fisheries management problem. There is however increasing recognition that uncertainty in the numbers will remain. A lack of transparency with respect to these uncertainties can damage the credibility of science. The EU Commission's proposal for a reformed Common Fisheries Policy calls for more self-management for the fishing industry by increasing fishers' involvement in the planning and execution of policies and boosting the role of fishers' organisations. One way of higher transparency and improved participation is to include stakeholders in the modelling process itself. The JAKFISH project (Judgment And Knowledge in Fisheries Involving StakeHolders) invited fisheries stakeholders to participate in the process of framing the management problem, and to give input and evaluate the scientific models that are used to provide fisheries management advice. JAKFISH investigated various tools to assess and communicate uncertainty around fish stock assessments and fisheries management. Here, a synthesis is presented of the participatory work carried out in four European fishery case studies (Western Baltic herring, North Sea Nephrops, Central Baltic Herring and Mediterranean swordfish), focussing on the uncertainty tools used, the stakeholders' responses to these, and the lessons learnt. It is concluded that participatory modelling has the potential to facilitate and structure discussions between scientists and stakeholders about uncertainties and the quality of the knowledge base. It can also contribute to collective learning, increase legitimacy, and advance scientific understanding. However, when approaching real-life situations, modelling should not be seen as the priority objective. Rather, the crucial step in a science–stakeholder collaboration is the joint problem framing in an open, transparent way.     

Commercial scale invertebrate fisheries enhancement in Australia: Experiences,challenges and opportunities

Stock enhancement or “assisted recruitment” for fisheries management in Australia is at an experimental R&D phase. Development of the science has focused largely on finfish targeted by the recreational sector; however it is considered that high value invertebrates will be the best candidates for commercial scale fisheries enhancement. Three main ingredients are required; technical capacity, governance capability, and the ‘correct’ species. The technical capacity needed is in the area of hatchery production and wild release methodologies, whilst the governance capability needed is informed policy that accounts for the complexities and interdisciplinary nature of stock enhancement. In particular, the appropriate articulation of policy to support economic development and integration into wild fisheries is currently lacking. If successful stock enhancement is implemented, the nature of fisheries management changes because the recruitment side of the fisheries equation is under substantial control, rather than just the production side. Management responses will require significant innovation, with a renewed emphasis on understanding the stock, rather than policing the fishers. By way of illustration, recent initiatives and key challenges encountered in Australian invertebrate fisheries are investigated through case studies. An example of a commercially-viable enhancement fishery that reflects solutions to the key challenges is also presented. The review ends with an argument to re-establish the context of stock enhancement in the discipline of ecological enhancement. This is a crucial and positive step forward for it recognises that, in principle, any renewable aquatic ecosystem has the potential to be enhanced instead of just depleted.     

Experimental catches and the precautionary approach: the Southern Bluefin Tuna dispute

Southern Bluefin Tuna (SBT) is a depleted stock with a rebuilding target and timeframe defined by the responsible management body (CCSBT). All recent stock assessments have found that the stock is depleted but large differences exist in estimates of recovery probabilities under current catches. In 1996, CCSBT adopted a set of principles and a process for considering experimental fishing, which are fundamentally consistent with an actively adaptive management policy. Substantial efforts to develop a program in line with these principles did not succeed, partially due to the lack of a decision-making framework. In 1998 and 1999, Japan conducted unilateral experimental fishing arguing that the additional substantial catches could reduce uncertainty in stock assessments and thus were justified. This led to international legal proceedings under UNCLOS, in which preliminary measures were issued preventing further unilateral experimental fishing (these were later rescinded when an UNCLOS arbitral tribunal found that it lacked jurisdiction in the dispute). This decision has been cited as a possible manifestation of industry's “worst fear with the implementation of the precautionary approach”. This paper examines the SBT dispute in relationship to adaptive management and the precautionary approach, Results of recent stock assessments indicate that the Japanese experimental fishing, even if successful, was unlikely to resolve the disparity in estimates of the recovery probabilities or provide an improved basis for management decision making. In this context, it is the absence of a management framework, rather than a fundamental problem with adaptive management, that challenges the compatibility of these experimental fishing catches and the precautionary approach. The real issue in the SBT situation is the standards and burden of proof required if experimental fishing is to be considered.     

The year-class phenomenon and the storage effect in marine fishes

Factors contributing to population growth through strong year-class formation have driven a century of directed research in fisheries science. A central discovery of Hjort's paradigm was that multiple generations overlap and longevity is matched with frequency of strong recruitments. Here, I elaborate on this tenet by examining how intra-population modalities in spawning and early habitat use favour population resiliency. A modern theory that has application is the storage effect [Warner, R.R., Chesson, P.L., 1985. Coexistence mediated by recruitment fluctuations – a field guide to the storage effect. Am. Nat. 125, 769–787], whereby spawning stock biomass accumulates each year so that when early survival conditions are favourable, stored egg production can result in explosive population growth. I review two early life history behaviours that contribute to the storage effect: split cohorts (i.e., seasonal pulses of eggs and larvae) and contingent behaviour (i.e., dispersive and retentive patterns in early dispersal). Episodic and pulsed production of larvae is a common feature for marine fishes, well documented through otolith microstructure and hatch-date analyses. In temperate and boreal fishes, early and late spawned cohorts of larvae and juveniles may have differing fates dependent upon seasonal and inter-annual fluctuations in weather and climate. Often, a coastal fish may spawn for a protracted period, yet only a few days' egg production will result in successful recruitment. In these and other instances, it is clear that diversity in spawning behaviour can confer resilience against temporal variations in early survival conditions. Although many factors contribute to intra-population spawning modalities, size and age structure of adults play an important role. Contingent structure, an idea dating to Hjort (herring contingents) and Gilbert (salmon contingents), has been resurrected to describe the diversity of intra-population modalities observed through otolith microchemical and electronic tagging approaches. Retentive and dispersive behaviours confer resiliency against early survival conditions that vary spatially. Examples of contingent structure are increasingly numerous for diadromous fishes. Here, a nursery habitat associated with a contingent behaviour may make a small contribution in a given year, but over a decade contribute significantly to spawning stock biomass. For flatfish and other marine fishes, contingent structure is probable but not well documented. Proximate factors leading to contingent structure are poorly known, but for diadromous fishes, time of spawning and early life history energetic thresholds is hypothesized to lead to alternative life cycles. Here again time of spawning may lead to the storage effect by hedging against spatial variance in early vital rates. Managing for the storage effect will be promoted by conservation of adult age structure and early habitats upon which both strong and weak year-classes rely.     

Developing an intermediate-complexity projection model for China's fisheries: A case study of small yellow croaker(Larimichthys polyactis) in the Haizhou Bay,China

Projection models are commonly used to evaluate the impacts of fishing. However, previously developed projection tools were not suitable for China's fisheries as they are either overly complex and data-demanding or too simple to reflect the realistic management measures. Herein, an intermediate-complexity projection model was developed that could adequately describe fish population dynamics and account for management measures including mesh size limits, summer closure, and spatial closure. A two-patch operating model was outlined for the projection model and applied to the heavily depleted but commercially important small yellow croaker(Larimichthys polyactis) fishery in the Haizhou Bay, China, as a case study. The model was calibrated to realistically capture the fisheries dynamics with hindcasting. Three simulation scenarios featuring different fishing intensities based on status quo and maximum sustainable yield(MSY) were proposed and evaluated with projections. Stochastic projections were additionally performed to investigate the influence of uncertainty associated with recruitment strengths and the implementation of control targets. It was found that fishing at FMSY level could effectively rebuild the depleted stock biomass, while the stock collapsed rapidly in the status quo scenario. Uncertainty in recruitment and implementation could result in variabilities in management effects; but they did not much alter the management effects of the FMSY scenario. These results indicate that the lack of science-based control targets in fishing mortality or catch limits has hindered the achievement of sustainable fisheries in China. Overall, the presented work highlights that the developed projection model can promote the understanding of the possible consequences of fishing under uncertainty and is applicable to other fisheries in China.     

Fisheries regulation: A survey of the literature on uncertainty,compliance behavior and asymmetric information

Economists normally claim that a stock externality arises within fisheries because each individual fisherman does not take the effect on stock size into account when making harvest decisions. Due to the stock externality, it is commonly argued that fisheries regulation is necessary, but regulatory decisions are complicated by a tremendous amount of uncertainty and asymmetric information. This paper provides an overview of selected parts of the literature on the regulation of fisheries under uncertainty and asymmetric information, and possible areas for future research are identified. Specifically, three main topics are covered. First, the issue of choosing regulatory instruments under uncertainty is discussed. Second, compliance and enforcement problems caused by fisheries regulation are investigated. Third, alternatives to a traditional enforcement policy are presented.     

自然死亡和亲体补充关系对黄鳍金枪鱼资源评估的影响

黄鳍金枪鱼(Thunnus albacares)是全球经济和生态价值最重要的鱼类之一,其资源养护和管理受到各方的高度关注。本文依据年龄结构产量模型研究了印度洋黄鳍金枪鱼的资源状态,着重探讨了其生活史特征的不确定性对资源评估结果的影响。研究结果显示,1960-1985年间印度洋黄鳍金枪鱼资源量保持相对稳定,之后开始逐渐下降,相应的捕捞死亡系数也在2010年之后迅速增加,目前其种群可能存在过度捕捞(F₂₀₂₀/F_MSY>1,SSB₂₀₂₀/SSB_MSY<1)。印度洋黄鳍金枪鱼的资源评估结果对自然死亡系数(M)和亲体-补充量关系陡度参数(h)的改变较为敏感。当h增大时,SSB_MSY和初始SSB(即SSB₀)的变化较大,分别减少了约25.53万t和34.04万t;F₂₀₂₀/F_MSY减小了1.15。当M增大时,F₂₀₂₀/F_MSY、SSB_MSY...