Flexible management of fishing rights and a sustainable fisheries industry in Europe

Although overexploitation of commercial fish stocks in European waters has been in the public debate now for more than 20 years, the European Union has so far failed to implement sustainable fisheries management. Millions in subsidies paid to the fishing industry have led to significant excess capacity in the fishing fleet. Various feeble attempts to stop overexploitation of marine resources have failed. The cause is that fishing policy is highly dominated by short-term socioeconomic interests. There is an urgent need for a new fisheries management system in Europe that supports reductions in the fishing fleet, increases responsibility among fishers and guarantees long-term conservation of natural marine resources.Transferable rights to fish have proved a reliable and effective means of creating incentives to conserve marine resources. By strengthening individual fishing rights under flexible quota management systems, the EU Member States could, within the Common Fisheries Policy, make a significant contribution to conserving fish stocks, to reducing excess capacity and to raising the profitability of the fisheries industry. A closer look at existing reservations against a flexible management system shows most of the objections to be overstated or capable of resolution.     

Estimating the effects of technological efficiency on the European fishing fleet

By comparing the real reductions in fishing capacity of the European Union (EU) and the effects of technological efficiency, this paper presents the first comprehensive analysis since the creation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Using a standard methodology and a conservative value of ±4.4% for annual technological progress, the results obtained for tonnage indicated that the EU-13 fleet's fishing capacity was reduced by >4% for only three years (1991, 2004, and 2006) in the 1987–2006 period.     

Quantifying the relative intensity of fishing on New Zealand seamounts

New Zealand seamounts support major fisheries for several deepwater fish species, including orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) and smooth oreo (Pseudocyttus maculatus). Although a high proportion of features in the depth range 500–1000 m have been fished, very little is known about the ecological impacts of bottom trawling on seamounts. The potential impact is likely to be influenced by the spatial extent and frequency of fishing. A new index is presented to assess the relative intensity of trawling on New Zealand seamounts. The fishing effects index (FEI) incorporates information on the density of fishing on the seamount as a proportion of the seabed area and also on tow direction. Detailed fisheries data from more than 250 000 tows were examined to calculate FEI for New Zealand seamounts. The most intensively fished seamounts were on the south Chatham Rise, an area characterised by a large number of relatively small features which were fished serially for orange roughy in the 1980s and 1990s. Other seamounts with high FEI were on the north Chatham Rise, Challenger Plateau, and off the east coast of the North Island. A range of sensitivity analyses indicated that the general rankings of seamounts were relatively robust to the choice of arbitrary thresholds used to assign tows to seamounts.     

基于捕捞努力量的中西太平洋鲣鱼围网渔业入渔预测分析

中西太平洋是全球主要的鲣鱼（Katsuwonus pelamis）围网作业渔场,渔场极易受到海洋环境的影响,但渔场分布在众多岛国的管辖海域,如何科学指导企业准确入渔是重要的研究课题。本文根据1995-2012年中西太平洋鲣鱼围网捕捞生产统计数据,选取产量最高的22个海区（5°×5°）,结合Niño3.4区海表温度距平值（SSTA）和作业海域表温（SST）,研究中西太平洋鲣鱼围网渔场的空间分布规律,同时,以各海区捕捞努力量（作业次数）所占的百分比为入渔指标,建立基于环境因子的入渔决策模型。研究认为,中西太平洋鲣鱼捕捞努力量在纬度方向上主要分布于5°S~5°N,其累计捕捞努力量占所有作业海区的87.4%,其中以130°~140°E经度范围为最高,其捕捞努力量占22个海区的45.08%。入渔指标与Niño3.4区的SSTA、作业海域SST均符合正态模型（P<0.01）,Niño3.4区的SSTA最适值为0.25℃,作业海域SST最适值在29.5℃左右。对预测和实际排名前十的海域进行统计发现,预测值与实际值基本一致。研究认为,所建立的入渔预测模型可有效指导企业的渔业生产,为提高企业生产效率提供支撑。     

Focusing on monofilament nets while overlooking the priorities of artisanal fisheries governance in Senegal

Despite its legal prohibition since 1998, the nylon monofilament net is still widely used in Senegalese artisanal fisheries. To achieve a complete ban on monofilament use, it is necessary to understand the main arguments for its continued use and what alternatives exist. Using a field experiment among local fishers as well as empirical knowledge and a literature review, this article highlights the challenges to the eradication of nylon monofilament. Our study shows that in a context where decision-makers pay too much attention to social, economic and political stakes, the efficiency of nylon monofilament nets confers a major advantage upon which fishers rely, and this counters any regulatory action against this type of gear. Moreover, numerous studies globally have indicated that communication campaigns that focus on the ghost-fishing power of this type of net seem to be inappropriate. We concluded that the issue of continued use of monofilament should be addressed through an integrated fisheries management programme that reduces overcapacity and fosters sustainable fishing practices.     

基于深度学习和时空特征融合的海洋渔船密度预测方法

为了从海量渔船轨迹数据中挖掘隐含的信息和知识,进而为渔业行政主管部门的决策提供科学依据,本研究以AIS渔船轨迹数据为研究对象,提出了一种基于深度学习和面向时空特征融合的海洋渔船密度预测方法：首先,利用渔船轨迹数据集对渔船行驶区域进行网格划分;其次,筛选出渔船高密度区域进行研究,避免数据稀疏性问题;再次,根据渔船轨迹数据的时空分析,构建三维时空融合矩阵;最后,通过卷积循环神经网络模型捕获渔船分布的时间和空间特征,并利用卷积神经网络的堆叠加强对空间特征的学习。实验通过东海海域渔船真实轨迹数据进行具体测试,结果表明渔船密度预测值与真实值非常接近,平均绝对误差为4×10-4,模型较好地拟合了渔船密度分布特征,有效地提高了渔船捕捞热点预测的准确性和鲁棒性。     

Simulating the impacts of fishing on central and eastern tropical Pacific ecosystem using multispecies size-spectrum model

The size-spectrum model has been considered a useful tool for understanding the structures of marine ecosystems and examining management implications for fisheries. Based on Chinese tuna longline observer data from the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean and published data, we developed and calibrated a multispecies size-spectrum model of twenty common and commercially important species in this area. We then use the model to project the status of the species from 2016 to 2050 under five c...     

Performance of a northwestern Mediterranean bottom trawl fleet: How the integration of landings and VMS data can contribute to the implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management

The European Union has established a framework to achieve or maintain good environmental status in the marine environment by 2020. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive requires the application of the ecosystem approach to the management of human activities, covering all sectors having an impact on the marine environment. However, fisheries in the Mediterranean are far from a systematic implementation of an ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM). Aiming to address this issue, this study explores the potential of the relationship between daily yield by vessel (landings and income by species) and vessel position (known via vessel monitoring system) as a tool for fleet management. This approach is possible due to the current dynamics of Mediterranean fleets, with vessels returning daily to the harbour where landings are registered as weight and income by vessel. Moreover, vessels of >15 m total length have been compulsory monitored by VMS since 2005. A bottom trawl fleet that operates in the northwestern Mediterranean was chosen to develop this approach. Different groups of trawlers were identified, which could be linked to the strategies displayed by the fishermen that were mainly driven by the target species dynamics. Accurate knowledge of the fishing targets driving the fleet dynamics and of the fishing strategies at the vessel level (i.e. fishing ground habitat where the fishing pressure is exerted and corresponding landings) are shown to be a feasible tool for fleet management.     

Managing fishing capacity in tuna regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs): Development and state of the art

Overcapacity is a major threat to the sustainability of tuna resources. Diverse actions are being carried out by tuna RFMOs to counteract this problem. This paper reviews and analyses both the historical development of fishing capacity management in tuna RFMOs and their state of the art practices. Despite the fact, that thus far, management measures have not yielded the expected results for capacity reduction, they provide a good basis for improved management of capacity at regional and global levels.     

黄渤海区捕捞结构的研究

根据2010年对黄渤海沿海32个主要渔港、渔村和5家网具生产厂家的实地调查和现场测量资料,结合2009年度三省一市(河北、辽宁、山东、天津)的渔具渔法调查报告以及1983~2009年中国渔业年鉴中记载的捕捞产量分类统计资料,对黄渤海区捕捞结构进行了研究.研究结果表明,黄渤海区主要捕捞品种有30种之多,其中年渔获量超过万吨的有14种鱼类、5种甲壳类、4种头足类、2种海蜇和6种贝类.渔业资源品种的多样性决定了黄渤海区捕捞结构的多样化和多层次的特点,现有9大类19型23式130种网型或作业方式,同时受渔业资源变动的影响,捕捞网具也在变化,不断有旧的渔具消失和新的网具出现.其中,拖网是主要作业方式,贡献率为38.47%~51.79%,且近几年还有上升的趋势;其次为刺网,贡献率从1983年最低时的7.66%逐步上升到目前的30.14%;第三为张网,贡献率从1985年最高时的34.31%下降到目前的10.49%;围网和钓具的贡献率一直较低,均不足4%,其他渔具的贡献率为5.98%~13.30%.目前黄渤海区渔业结构的调整方向应当是减少拖网作业,控制刺网总量,限制张网、陷阱类渔具和地笼,鼓励发展钓渔业     

Artisanal fishing areas and traditional ecological knowledge: The case study of the artisanal fisheries of the Patos Lagoon estuary (Brazil)

One hundred and twenty-four fishing areas were identified and georeferenced according to fishermen's traditional ecological knowledge. Nearly 80% of the designations of the fishing areas were known by fishermen only and are registered for the first time. Fishermen identify fishing areas according to depth, wooden logs used to anchor fixed nets, gradation of water transparency, and traditional use of certain areas. This study reveals the richness of knowledge held by fishermen, it illustrates their solid straight relationship with the natural environment where they live, and shows the potential uses of TEK for fisheries management.