Fishery trends, resource-use and management system in the Ungwana Bay fishery Kenya

The present study assessed trends in resource-use, partitioning and management in the Ungwana Bay fishery, Kenya, using surplus production models. The fishery is one of East Africa’s important marine fisheries sustaining a bottom trawl commercial fishery and a resident-migrant artisanal fishery. Two models: Schaefer (1954) and Gulland and Fox (1975) were applied to catch-effort data over a 21-year period to model maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and optimal effort (f_MSY) to examine the status of resource exploitation and provide reference points for sustainable management. In the artisanal fishery, model MSYs range from 392-446 t to 1283-1473 t for shrimps and fish respectively compared to mean annual landings of 60 t for shrimp and 758 t for fish. These landings represent <50% of the model MSYs suggesting under exploitation in the sub-sector. Moreover, current fishing effort applied stands at <0.5 f_MSY. On the other hand, mean annual landings in bottom trawl commercial fishery, at about 330 t for shrimps and 583 t and fish represent about 90% of the model MSYs of 352-391 t and 499-602 t for shrimps and fish respectively. Therefore, the bottom trawl commercial fishery is likely under full exploitation. Similarly, the current effort is estimated at >0.7 f_MSY. Resource management in the bay is faced with numerous problems including resource-use conflicts, poor economic conditions in artisanal fishery, poor legislation, and inadequate research augmented by poor reporting systems for catch-effort statistics. Thus, the fishery lacks clearly defined exploitation regimes. Fisheries research and assessment of the marine resources are important for sustainability of the fishery. Moreover, income diversification in the poverty ridden artisanal fishery would go a long way in addressing resource-use conflicts and use of deleterious fishing methods in the sub-sector. Borrowing from the successes of the Japanese community-based fisheries resource management (CBFRM) which has easily resolved numerous fisheries management issues in coastal small-scale commercial fisheries, and the beach management unit (BMU) system which has been applied to the artisanal fisheries of south coast Kenya with enormous benefits, it is envisaged that a hybrid CBFRM-BMU system presents the best approach to sustainable resource-use in the Ungwana Bay fishery.     

The economic sustainability of artisanal fisheries: the case of the trawl ban in the Gulf of Castellammare, NW Sicily

Small-scale fisheries and the communities they support are often given the protection of designated fishing zones from which non-artisanal vessels are excluded. This paper looks at one example of this approach, the trawl ban introduced in the Gulf of Castellammare (NW Sicily), focussing on the economic sustainability of the artisanal fishery currently operating within the protected area. The consequences of lifting the trawl ban and how far this would jeopardise the sustainability of the artisanal fishery are explored via an analysis of the financial viability of trammel net vessels under alternative assumptions concerning catch rates. The paper also investigates fishermen's attitudes towards the trawl ban and their predisposition either to remain in the fishery or to quit in the event of the ban being removed.     

东、黄海底拖网渔业渔捞努力量修正方法的探讨

渔捞努力量在渔业资源研究中是一个重要参数。在以往的东、黄海底拖网渔业资源研究中,投网次数常作为渔捞努力量的度量单位。在底拖网渔业中有很多影响渔捞努力量的因素,其中船型大小、实际捕捞时间的长短以及网具改进是主要因素。本文针对这三个因素应用上海市海洋渔业公司的资料,提出了一种修正方法,并对修正后标准渔捞努力量的效果进行了分析探讨。     

Resolving the discard problem—A case study of the English Nephrops fishery

The phenomenon of discarding was studied using a multidisciplinary approach to allow the integration of biological, social and economic data. The research aimed to evaluate the strength of the case to reduce discarding in a single case study fishery, the English Nephrops fishery; to identify specific objectives for discard reduction; to identify factors that inhibit discard reduction and to determine the best means of achieving those objectives. Changes in trawl structure offered the best solution while having the least impact on fishing opportunities. However, the inadequate level of incentive was identified as the main impediment to discard reduction rather than the lack of technical ability. To implement effective measures to reduce discarding in this fishery, an increased level of incentive is required. Three measures are identified as a means to achieve this.     

Assessing the impacts of trawling breeding lobsters (Panulirus ornatus) on the catch of the Torres Strait lobster fishery shared between Australia and Papua New Guinea

The shared Torres Strait rock lobster (Panulirus ornatus) fishery provides important income for commercial and traditional fishers in Australia and Papua New Guinea. The lobster stock is first fished in Torres Strait by divers from both countries and then becomes vulnerable to Australian prawn trawlers, followed by Papua New Guinea trawlers during its annual breeding migration. Lobster catch sharing arrangements are governed by the Torres Strait Treaty ratified in 1985, but the sequential trawling of breeding lobsters has been controlled by bilateral agreements. A trawl ban was implemented in 1984 in both countries to conserve the breeding stock, but some trawling has been conducted in the Gulf of Papua since then and there is renewed interest in Papua New Guinea to resume trawling. To evaluate the impact of trawling migratory breeding lobsters on the lobster fishery, a model that combines a cohort depletion model with a stock recruitment relationship was developed in this study. The model showed that when the fishery is fully or over‐exploited by the dive fishery, trawling breeding lobsters would reduce both the spawning stock and the total catch of the fishery. The reduction in catch would increase with increasing fishing mortality. If trawling occurred on the Papua New Guinea side only, a redistribution of catch between Australia and Papua New Guinea would result in a small gain in catch for Papua New Guinea at the expense of the Australian dive fishery. But when fishing mortality reaches a certain level, any trawling in any country will incur catch loss to both countries. For the long‐term sustainability and maximum production of the fishery, regulations should be implemented in both countries under a co‐management scheme of a shared fish stock.     

Investigation into the declining trend in chokka squid Loligo vulgaris reynaudii Catches made by South African trawlers

The trawl fishery, which targets Cape hake Merluccius spp. and Agulhas sole Austroglossus pectoralis, takes chokka squid Loligo vulgaris reynaudii as by-catch. Catch and effort data from the trawl fishery for the period 1978–1996 are used to obtain annual estimates of catch rate (catch per unit effort cpue) for that period. Examination of the cpue trend shows a sharp decline in the early 1980s and, in order to identify factors that could have influenced that decline, the distribution of fishing effort is investigated both temporally and spatially. There is a possible change in the incidence of squid-directed catches over time, but their overall scarcity could have had only a small impact on the annual cpue trend. Further, using distribution of fishing effort to evaluate the effects of possible changes in fishing patterns, rather than changes in resource abundance, on the trend in trawl cpue, it became clear that there had been a contraction of the trawling grounds and changes in fishing patterns in relation to depth over time. Finally, a general linear model (GLM) is developed to quantify the effect on cpue of factors such as vessel characteristic, depth and position of the drag, season and target species, so obtaining a standardized trawl cpue index of chokka abundance. Analysis of that trend reveals a mean 7.7% annual decline for the period investigated, which should be interpreted as a strong sign of resource decline.     

黄海夏季不同取样网具渔获物组成比较分析

根据 2 0 0 0年夏季双拖渔船和“北斗”号专业调查船对应站位拖网调查资料 ,进行了两种不同取样网具情况下渔获物组成的比较分析 ,结果表明 :渔船的单位扫海面积渔获量、几种重要种类的长度范围、平均个体长度、5 0 %选择长度、重量计优势度均高于“北斗”号 ,而渔获种类数则少于“北斗”号 ,且两者种类组成相似性较低 ,仅为 0 .4 5 8;而且“北斗”号的底层、近底层鱼类和无脊椎类占总渔获量的比例高于渔船 ,这主要是由于渔具的选择作用造成的。结果说明应用渔船针对渔业生产进行的渔业资源监测 ,对带鱼、小黄鱼、鱼等重要生产种类是适合的 ,能够反映其资源量状况 ,但对群落结构、生物多样性等生态系统水平上的研究却存在着明显的不足     

Modelling the physical impact of trawl components on the seabed and comparison with sea trials

Quantitative measurement of the response of benthic habitats to impact from towed fishing gears is of great importance to the ecosystem and the long-term management of sustainable fisheries. To date, most studies on the effects of trawling on the benthos have focussed on before/after, control/impact comparative studies. This research has proved important in terms of describing general trends and has identified taxa that suffer high levels of mortality, and habitat types where impact is the greatest. A limitation, however, to this comparative work is the lack of prediction-based methodology and it would be very beneficial to develop a more mechanistic approach that would allow trawling impact on the benthos to be estimated for a wider range of species and habitats. This paper is a first step in this approach and focuses on modelling the physical interaction between gear components and the seabed. In particular the penetration and disturbance to the seabed caused by (i) the roller clump of a twin trawl and (ii) a trawl door, are examined.A finite element (FE) model of the interaction of these components and the seabed is developed using the different soil models and features available within the Abaqus finite element software package. The resulting models are able to predict the penetration depth and sediment displacement associated with each gear component and the predictions are compared with the results obtained during sea trials. The sea trials were undertaken on two sediment types at depths accessible to scientific divers using SCUBA diving techniques who measured and profiled the physical alteration to the seabed following the passage of a roller clump and a trawl door. In addition, drag forces obtained from the sea trials are compared with numerical predictions of the drag related to the soil and the estimated fluid drag. Good agreement between the experimental trials and numerical simulations is found and hence this study provides the basis for investigation of the interaction of other components and sediment types.     

Analysis of bycatch in the South African midwater trawl fishery for horse mackerel Trachurus capensis based on observer data

The South African midwater trawl fishery targets adult horse mackerel Trachurus capensis. The bulk of the catch is taken by a single freezer-trawler, the biggest fishing vessel operating in South African waters. As fishing takes place off the south coast in ecologically sensitive areas, there are concerns about the potential impacts of this fishing operation on non-target species. Fishing behaviour and bycatch of this fishery from 2004 to 2014 were investigated by analysing observer records with regard to catch composition, volume and temporal and spatial patterns. The midwater trawl fishery was estimated to have caught 25 415 tonnes annually, with a bycatch of 6.9% of the total catch, by weight. There are species overlaps with various fisheries, namely the demersal trawl, small-pelagic, line, shark longline and squid fisheries, yet the total bycatch estimates from this fishery are generally small relative to catches taken in the target fisheries. Bycatch species with the highest average annual catches were chub mackerel Scomber japonicus, redeye roundherring Etrumeus whiteheadi, ribbonfish Lepidopus caudatus and hake Merluccius spp. Large-fauna bycatch species included sunfish Mola mola as well as a number of CITES II- and IUCN-listed species, such as Cape fur seal Arctocephalus pusillus, dusky shark Carcharhinus obscurus, smooth hammerhead shark Sphyrna zygaena and thresher sharks Alopias spp. The 97.9% observer coverage is high and the 6.9% bycatch rate low compared to other South African fisheries; however, due to the large size of the individual hauls (average of 46.3 t), the average sampling rate of 1.56% is low. Our analyses suggest that bycatch in the South African midwater trawl fishery has been lower than in other South African fisheries and similar fisheries elsewhere, but due to the combination of high catch volumes and low sampling rates, estimation errors for rare species are high and there is a substantial risk of incidental unmonitored bycatch of rare large fauna and aggregations of small fauna. This could be mitigated by spatio-temporal management of this fishery, to avoid fishing in high-risk areas, and the introduction of an electronic monitoring programme.     

Eliminating illegal bottom trawl fishing in the coastal waters of Korea

Illegal bottom trawl fishing using nets with a small mesh size has been one of the most difficult problems to address in fisheries management in Korea. This practice has occurred for the last century, since the Japanese colonial period. The elimination of illegal bottom trawl fishing, regulated in the Fisheries Law (Law No. 10292), was extremely difficult because the number of vessel owners increased to greater than 3000, creating a strong oppositional lobby. Therefore, the Korean government carried out an ‘incentive program’ to buy-back vessels, which has been very effective in eliminating illegal bottom trawl fishing in the coastal waters of Korea.     

Tropical shrimp trawl fisheries: Fishers’ knowledge of and attitudes about a doomed fishery

Tropical shrimp trawl fisheries are unsustainable, and similar sets of management measures are used globally to address the direct and indirect costs of their practices. Yet little is known about shrimp fishers’ perceptions, despite the clear importance of human behaviour in determining the success of fisheries management. This article presents the results of interviews with industrial shrimp trawl fishers from the southern Gulf of California, Mexico, and reveals fishers’ knowledge and attitudes that should be considered when developing management plans for industrial shrimp trawl fisheries. Fishers were asked to comment on problems facing the fishery, management options to address the issues, and the future of the fishery in general. The interviews also elicited new knowledge on effort and valuable components of bycatch, useful to the management process. Among the problems facing the Gulf of California fishery, fishers tended to identify those generated externally—fluctuations in shrimp populations, increases in fishing effort, decreases in shrimp prices and increasing overheads—and thus distance themselves from responsibility for management options. The successes of any mitigation measures for the fishery are likely to depend on proper enforcement and reliable governance, as our study indicates. Should strong enforcement be put in place, then trawl free areas seem to be the most pragmatic way to alleviate problems associated with the fishery; our effort data point to areas that might have greatest acceptance among fishers. A reduction in capacity would clearly complement marine zoning for trawl free areas. In the long run, however, it may be economic extinction of the fishery that reduces pressure on the marine ecosystem.     

Effort changes around a marine reserve: The case of the California Rockfish Conservation Area

This article is an analysis of observed changes in the level of fishing effort and the spatial distribution of fishing effort following implementation of a marine reserve off the California coast. The Rockfish Conservation Area (RCA) closes the area between depth contour based boundaries to commercial trawl fishing. In this analysis, commercial fishing vessels are grouped based on their level of fishing effort within the closed area prior to the closure in order to compare changes in effort levels between groups. The results suggest that the RCA may have had a small effect on the level of fishing effort in the California groundfish trawl fishery. Spatial distribution of fishing effort before and after implementation of the marine reserve is also compared. Some concentration of effort occurred along parts of the closed area boundaries. This pattern suggests the “fishing the line” behavior noted in the marine reserve literature, but other possible explanations exist including the effects of coincident changes in other regulations and changing bioeconomic conditions.     

东海区底拖网渔业主要经济鱼类渔业生物学的初步研究

根据1997~2000年东海区底拖网渔业资源调查资料,分析了18种主要经济鱼类的渔业生物学特征,运用体长频率法估算了von Bertalanffy生长参数、总死亡系数、自然死亡系数、捕捞死亡系数和开发率。结果表明,大部分鱼类已出现个体小型化,15种鱼类的开发率过高,处于超额开发状态,其中,4种为重度超额开发,开发率大于0.8,7种为中度超额开发,开发率介于0.7~0.8之间,4种为轻度超额开发,开发率为0.5~0.7。建议加强保护和管理,以利于鱼类资源的可持续利用。     

水下文物遗址保护与拖网渔业协调发展的问题及对策

水下文物遗址是人类文化遗产的重要组成部分,也是凝聚历史、科学、经济和文化价值的无价瑰宝。拖网捕捞作为最为广泛的渔业活动,会威胁和影响水下文物遗址的保护,因而有必要研究水下文物遗址与拖网捕捞之间的影响和作用关系,以及寻求水下文物遗址保护与拖网渔业利益之间的平衡。我国水下文物遗址保护与拖网渔业之间存在的问题包括水下文物遗址家底不清,拖网捕捞对水下文物遗址的影响研究亟须加强,相关保护管理有待完善等方面。通过注重教育、文旅协调、强化监管、夯实研究等措施,可为水下文物遗址保护与拖网渔业的协调发展提供参考。     

拖网选择性对鱼类表型性状的选择作用研究

参照渔业生物学、渔业资源解析学、数量遗传学等有关理论模型,并应用数值模拟方法,对长期选择性捕捞（重点为渔具选择性）是否参与造成了渔业资源的生物学变化（体长、性成熟等）进行某些基础性探索。设计了一个具有一定体长遗传特征的模拟鱼类种群,并利用一种具有固定选择性参数的拖网对其进行长期捕捞。结果表明,多年的持续的捕捞压力使得模拟种群中鱼类体长逐渐减小,减小的幅度随开发率的增大而增大,而终止捕捞后种群的体长并没有发生恢复的迹象,说明这种变化很可能伴随种群遗传的变化,具有自然不可逆性。     

Oceanographic Characteristics of a Multi-Specific Fishing Ground of the Central South Brazil Bight

In the Central South Brazil Bight, a multispecific demersal trawl fishery is conducted by trawlers licensed for the industrial pink shrimp (Penaeus paulensis and Penaeus brasiliensis) fishery. In addition to the pink shrimp, many by-catch species have become increasingly valued in the last two decades. In spite of the importance of this multispecific fishery, the oceanographic characteristics of the inner continental shelf, onshore the 100 m isobath, are poorly known. In this paper we present, for the fist time, monthly oceanographic records taken from December 1995 to May 1997 with the R/V ‘Diadorim’ at two of the main fishing grounds of this region. Water temperature data showed the formation of a strong thermocline during summer, from November to April. This thermal gradient, due to the South Atlantic central water (SACW) intrusion that reaches these shallow waters, disappeared with the homogenization of the water column during autumn and winter, from May to September. This cold and low salinity water does not originate from local river discharges, but also represents an advection of sub-Antartic water mass. After this and during spring, a new thermocline develops, reaching its maximal expression from February to March. A maximal gradient was registered in February 1997, when the temperature dropped from 26°C at 7 m to 16°C at 14 m depth. This result shows that the SACW intrusion is a large-scale phenomenon that regularly influences the whole inner continental shelf up to 20 m. Demersal fishing grounds located in this area were covered during summer by a cold and nutrient-rich mass of water that resulted in an unusual maximum of chlorophyll a values near the bottom (30 m). The homogenization of the water column and the presence of another cold water mass during winter resulted in a strong semi-annual thermal cycle on the bottom. The role of this important oceanographic process in fishery production and dynamics deserves further investigation, but the data presented here show evidence for the importance of this phenomenon.     

Swath mapping of the seafloor and its application to deep-bottom fisheries in New Caledonia

A bottom longline fishery operated in the EEZ of New Caledonia from 1988 to 1991. Fishing focused on five seamounts with summits at depths ranging from 500 to 750 m. The target species was alfonsino, Beryx splendens. As the soundings available from marine charts were not detailed enough, the fishing masters had to make their own charts in order to set the gear in the right location. A series of 11 scientific cruises devoted to a research program on alfonsino was launched in late 1991. During the first scientific cruises, several days were spent mapping the seabed to improve the existing knowledge of the topography of three seamounts by coupling the EDO echosounder depth measurements to the GPS positions. As this procedure is slow, it is applicable to limited areas or, if a wider grid is used, to large zones to locate major structures such as ridges and seamounts. The emergence of the multibeam echosounder has greatly improved seabed mapping performance. This tool seems to fit the requirement of exploratory deep-bottom fishing particularly well, as it covers large areas while providing details of the bottom. The EM 12 was used to obtain bathymetry and imagery of the SE portion of the EEZ of New Caledonia, covering an approximate area of 70,000 km² in two weeks. For depths ranging from 500 to 4,500 m, the results were impressive. They confirmed the known major features and provided greater topographical detail, revealing fine unknown structures. They also provided information on the type of substratum, information which might influence the fishing strategy. Finally, they made it possible to obtain an accurate estimate of the exploitable area which in turn led to new stock estimates.     

Removing derelict fishing gear from the deep seabed of the East Sea

The East Sea, with an average depth of 1700 m, has long been subject to heavy fishing pressure, resulting in derelict fishing gear. Most derelict fishing gears, such as fishing nets, fishing ropes, and crab pots, sink to the seabed and do not degrade. This gear results in “ghost fishing,” which has adverse impacts on deep benthic habitats. Recently, the Korean government has started to remove derelict fishing gears from the deep seabed of the East Sea by bottom trawling with heavy hooks (50–80 kg) and ropes. A total of 207.8 and 252.2 tons of marine debris in 2009 and 2010, respectively, were removed from the seabed, most of which were derelict fishing gears. Contrary to monitoring surveys and clean-up in shallow waters, removal of marine debris from remote deep habitats is much more difficult and dangerous for removal crews.     

双船中层拖网网位控制的静力学解析

中层拖网是开发利用中上层鱼类资源的重要工具之一,能否有效实施对拖网作业水层的控制,是实现瞄准捕捞和提高捕捞生产效率的关键。本文提出了1种基于有限元原理的拖网曳纲形状与张力的理论计算方法,以期依据中层拖网拖曳过程中不同拖速、曳纲长度和重锤配备条件下曳纲响应的计算机模拟结果,预测拖网可能的作业水层,以实现中层拖网网位控制,为中层拖网曳纲设计和网位调整提供理论依据。     

Assessing the effects of moving to maximum economic yield effort level in the western rock lobster fishery of Western Australia

The western rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus) fishery has been facing significant economic pressure from increasing costs, lower prices as well as predicted reduced catches due to low recruitment. A maximum economic yield (MEY) assessment estimated the fishing effort that would maximise the net present value of profits over 2008/09–2013/14 was about 50%–70% reduction of 2007/08 effort. The assessment accounted for fixed vessel costs and the variable pot lift cost. An important component of this assessment was the use of puerulus settlement time series that provided a reliable predictor of recruitment to the fishery 3–4 years later. This can be contrasted to most MEY assessments that would use an average catch-effort relationship rather than taking into account the expected recruitment. This predictive ability has been particularly useful as there has been a period of unusually low puerulus settlements over the 5 years (2006/07–2010/11) including the lowest two settlements in the 40-year time series. Due to the low settlements, substantial management changes were implemented in 2008/09 and 2009/10 (44% and 73% reduction in nominal fishing effort, respectively compared to 2007/08) to maintain the breeding stock at sustainable levels by having a significant carryover of legal lobsters into future years of lower recruitment. These effort reductions provided a unique opportunity to assess the economic impact of a fishery moving to an MEY effort level over two years. The CPUE increased from 1.1 kg/pot lift in 2007/08 to 1.7 and 2.7 in 2008/09 and 2009/10, respectively. These CPUEs were much higher than the expected levels (1.2 and 1.1, respectively) if the 2007/08 effort had been maintained in these two years. The vessel numbers declined by 14% and 36% in 2008/09 and 2009/10, respectively, compared to 2007/08. The fishery profit increased by AUS$13 and 49 million for 2008/09 and 2009/10, respectively, compared to that estimated if the 2007/08 effort level had continued. This assessment demonstrates the economic benefits of fishing at a level close to that estimated for MEY under an input management regime. The management decision-rule framework is currently based on having the egg production above a threshold reference level to ensure sustainability and now a target reference point based on MEY principles is also being considered.