Economic dimension of the collapse of the ‘false cod’ Epinephelus aeneus in a context of ineffective management of the small-scale fisheries in Senegal

Small-scale fisheries are often seen as a solution for ensuring sustainability in marine exploitation. They are viewed as a suitable alternative to industrial fisheries, particularly when considering their social and economic importance in developing countries. Here, we show that the booming small-scale fishery sector in Senegal, in the context of increasing foreign demand, has induced the collapse of one of the most emblematic West African marine fish species, a large grouper Epinephelus aeneus, historically called ‘false cod’ by European fishers. The overexploitation of this species appears to be on account of the increasing effort sustained by a growing international demand and important subsidies, which resulted in a relative stability of the average economic yield per fishing trip and an incentive for continuing targeting this species to almost extinction. It is a critical time for addressing and mitigating the pressure of the small-scale fisheries to prevent declines of fish species that are highly valued by northern markets. A balance between conservation and exploitation is necessary to maintain ecological viability while considering the socio-economic importance of the small-scale fisheries. However, a new strategy is needed for conservation that will consider and articulate simultaneously the concerns regarding unmanaged and growing small-scale fisheries, rampant subsidies and increasing foreign demand.     

Determining primary and companion species in a multi-species fishery: Implications for TAC setting

The use of ITQ management in multi-species fisheries has been the subject of much debate and the complexities and difficulties of managing multi-species fisheries are well known. A major problem is that the species mix in fishery catches may not necessarily match the mix in combined TACs or in quota holdings. While a number of solutions have been proposed or implemented to improve transferability of quota and other incentives to reduce over-quota fishing and discarding, it is surprising that there has been little focus on TAC-setting itself and coordinating this across multiple species/stocks as a means of dealing with some of these issues. In this paper, data were analysed from the trawl sector of the Australian Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery to determine the relationship between primary species and companion species and the implications this has for TAC setting. The primary species is the species being considered when setting an individual species TAC. The companion species are ones that should also be considered when setting the TAC of the primary species, because a considerable proportion of the primary species catch is taken as a companion species non-target catch. The target species in each fishing operation was determined and was used to characterize recent multi-species catch data into primary and companion components. This approach provides an empirical means to examine the impact of individual species TAC decisions across all of the quota species in a fishery.     

Eco-labeling seafood: Addressing impacts to vulnerable seafloor species,communities, habitats and ecosystems in data-poor regions

Certification and eco-labeling schemes for the ecological sustainability of seafood have increased in recent years due, in large part, to consumer demand. While most attention has been focused on the population status and trends of target and bycatch species, the conservation of vulnerable species, communities, habitats and ecosystems (VSCHEs) has not consistently been addressed in an adequate manner, especially in data-poor systems. Unfortunately knowledge of VSCHE distribution patterns is inadequate, and even the leading fishery certification agencies only broadly address impacts to VSCHEs. Little guidance has been given to third party certifiers for gathering and evaluating appropriate information for assessing VSCHEs, and there is no explicitly precautionary method of assessing their vulnerability in an information poor environment. These shortcomings led to significant differences in how the impacts of fisheries on VSCHEs have been evaluated from one assessment to another, potentially resulting in a certified fishery when existing information suggests there are significant impacts. This study develops an explicit approach for data mining and evaluation for the eco-labeling certification process; proposes a precautionary method for assessing vulnerability of VSCHEs based on exposure, sensitivity and resilience and provides an example of how these can be integrated into existing fishery certification frameworks. This overall approach is also amenable for use by governmental agencies to advance conservation of VSCHEs within ecosystem-based management frameworks.     

Fish species diversity in the Huanghe Estuary

I~IOXThe Huanghe River is among the largest rivers in the world. It is the cradle of the ChineseciviliZation, and haS a great importance in fisheries. There were some studies on the HuangheRiver fisheries, such as the Repert of the Basic Fishery Biological Su~ of the Huanghai Riber(Anon, 1960), The Fishery Resources Of the Huanghe Riber System (Anon, 1986a). With regard to the fish species diversity in the Huanghe Estuary, there were only some general information from Read of Ichth…     

台湾海峡及其邻近海域鱼类生活史特征及其变化研究

世界范围内,海洋渔业资源广泛面临着过度捕捞的压力.鱼类的不同生活史特征可表征不同的生活史对策,其变化可揭示鱼类种群对渔业捕捞压力的响应.台湾海峡及其邻近海域的主要渔场30多年来面临着过度捕捞的压力,导致了鱼类群落结构发生改变.本研究分析了该海域51种主要经济鱼类的生态参数,系统研究了其生活史特征及其变化.采用主成分分析法可将51种鱼类分成5个不同的生活史对策组,分组结果表明超过60%的鱼类被归纳入第5组,即近r对策组,且多为中上层鱼类.在此基础上收集相关历史数据,对其中25种经济鱼类进行生活史变化分析,讨论不同鱼类种群对渔业开发的响应.分析结果表明,在长期的渔业开发活动下多数鱼类表现出小型化、低龄化、早熟和生长率加快等趋势.此外,本研究计算了每种鱼类的开发率以进一步研究渔业捕捞压力对鱼类种群的影响,发现其中4种底层和近底层鱼类的生活史特征变化显著,提示某些物种可能对捕捞压力更敏感.本研究可为渔业管理和保护提供重要的科学依据.     

Reef fish display station-keeping and ranging behaviour in the Pondoland Marine Protected Area on the east coast of South Africa

This study assessed the role of the Pondoland Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa by evaluating retention versus ‘spillover’ of exploited fishery species that were tagged in a 400 km² no-take zone of the MPA. From April 2006 to July 2010, 2 124 fish comprising 36 species were tagged in the MPA, with an overall recapture rate of 23%. Findings for four important species (Polysteganus praeorbitalis, Chrysoblephus puniceus, Epinephelus andersoni and Epinephelus marginatus) are presented. Recapture rates ranged from 8% to 60% and time-at-liberty from 0 to 1 390 d. Individuals of all four species displayed highly localised station-keeping behaviour. For all four species, the 95th percentile of intra-study site movements was <750 m (linear distance) and many recaptures were within 250 m of the release site, showing that some fish spend most of their time in the MPA's no-take zone. However, some fish moved beyond the boundary of this zone in a north-easterly direction (range 3–1 059 km), where they would be available to the boat-based fishery in KwaZulu-Natal. The combination of resident individuals with some with ranging behaviour suggests that the MPA can provide a conservation role for these species, while exporting some individuals into nearby fisheries.     

Dysfunction by design: Consequences of limitations on transferability of catch shares in the Alaska pollock fishery

The Eastern Bering Sea fishery for pollock is one of the largest fisheries in the world and has often been touted as an example of sustainable fisheries management. Yet, sustainability requires more than protection of the biological productivity of the targeted fish species. It requires preservation of the flows of net social and economic benefits of the fishery, and flexible governance and management institutions that allow for adaptation to changes in fish abundance as well as changes in consumer demand and in the prices of key inputs. From an economic perspective, the Alaska pollock fishery was unsustainable before passage of the American Fisheries Act (AFA) in 1998. The AFA permanently divided the pollock Total Allowable Catch (TAC) giving a 10% allocation to the Community Development Quota (CDQ) program and partitioning the remainder among four fishing sectors. It allowed CDQ to be leased to any sector but largely prohibited leasing or sale between other sectors. These limits on intersectoral transfers have reduced the ability of sectors to respond to changes in the abundance and distribution of pollock, implementation of management measures intended to benefit other species, and changes in the prices of input factors and products. This paper explores these consequences.     

Sea turtle bycatch to fish catch ratios for differentiating Hawaii longline-caught seafood products

Sea turtles can be incidentally caught in pelagic longline fishing gear targeting tuna and swordfish. Bycatch to fish catch (B/C) ratios can differentiate seafood based on sea turtle impacts. This study demonstrates the use of B/C ratios indexed to the weight of fish catch: (1) to report on the significant progress in reducing sea turtle bycatch in Hawaii's swordfish longline sector and (2) to compare Hawaii and other Pacific longline fisheries by number of sea turtle interactions per weight of catch. Hawaii's longline tuna fishery sets the benchmark of 1 sea turtle interaction per 190,000 kg of tuna caught.     

福建三沙湾游泳动物种类和数量的季节变化

根据2019年1月、4月、7月和10月四个季度10个站位定置张网调查资料, 对福建三沙湾游泳动物的种类组成及季节变化进行分析研究。结果表明: 调查共获得游泳动物209种, 隶属于3门4纲19目73科144属, 其中鱼类154种, 甲壳类48种, 头足类7种。游泳动物种类数以秋季出现最多, 四个季节共同出现的种类有42种。鲈形目种类最多, 其次是十足目。鱼类适温性以暖水性种类居多, 占71.43%, 暖温性种类次之(27.92%); 生态类型以底层、近底层鱼类居多, 两者合占75.97%。鹰爪虾(Trachypenaeus curvirostris)、大黄鱼(Larimichthys crocea)、棘头梅童鱼(Collichthys lucidus)、红星梭子蟹(Portunus sanguinolentus)和日本蟳(Charybdis japonica)等14个种类是三沙湾游泳动物的优势种类, 季节性优势种居多。三沙湾定置张网调查渔业资源质量密度为111.09 kg/km², 尾数密度为13.72×10³ ind./km², 均以夏季最高, 春季最低。应该进一步加强对三沙湾渔业资源的合理利用和有效保护, 同时重视对外来物种的监测。     

The transition from the Soviet system to a market economy as a cause of instability in the Estonian coastal fisheries sector

This study analyzes how overall changes in political and economic life during the last decade have affected the Estonian coastal fishery of the Baltic Sea. At the beginning of the nineties, the opportunity to export fish to the European market emerged. Opening of this new market resulted in rapidly increasing pressure on fish stocks. Some of the most important coastal fishery resources were over-fished because of high export market demand coupled with insufficient resource management and ineffective control and enforcement mechanisms. The costs associated with fishery have grown much more than the first-buyer prices. Additionally, dynamic development of the Estonian economy has resulted in substantial increases in earnings in other economic sectors and therefore the relative wealth of fishermen has steadily declined. This has resulted in increasing social problems. In conclusion, countries in transition may encounter serious difficulties in the fisheries sector, arising from privatization and economic reforms, which may affect the fisheries even years after the establishment of new ruling principles.     

春季舟山市小干岛附近海域渔业资源调查

为了解舟山市小干岛附近海域渔业资源状况,并为其可持续开发利用提供科学依据,文章于2016年5月(春季)在该海域设置15个站位,进行渔业资源定点拖网调查;采用相对重要性指数以及Shannon-Weaver指数、均匀度指数和丰富度指数,分析该海域的生物种类和生物多样性。研究结果表明:研究区生物种类有47种,为12目31科40属,优势种包括六丝钝尾虾虎鱼等3种,常见种包括日本鼓虾等9种;鱼类在质量和尾数方面都占绝对优势,虾类和蟹类也较多,渔业资源个体较小、经济价值较低;各调查站位的生物量和尾数分布有所不同;与其他海域渔业资源相比,研究区的生物多样性处于中等水平,应加强保护和恢复。     

Choosing a fishery’s governance structure using data poor methods

Multi-species fisheries are complex to manage and the ability to develop an appropriate governance structure is often seriously impeded because trading between sustainability objectives at the species level, economic objectives at the fleet level, and social objectives at the community scale, is complex. Many of these fisheries also tend to have a mix of information, with stock assessments available for some species and almost no information on other species. The fleets themselves comprise fishers from small family enterprises to large vertically integrated businesses. The Queensland trawl fishery in Australia is used as a case study for this kind of fishery. It has the added complexity that a large part of the fishery is within a World Heritage Area, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which is managed by an agency of the Australian Commonwealth Government whereas the fishery itself is managed by the Queensland State Government. A stakeholder elicitation process was used to develop social, governance, economic and ecological objectives, and then weight the relative importance of these. An expert group was used to develop different governance strawmen (or management strategies) and these were assessed by a group of industry stakeholders and experts using multi-criteria decision analysis techniques against the different objectives. One strawman clearly provided the best overall set of outcomes given the multiple objectives, but was not optimal in terms of every objective, demonstrating that even the “best” strawman may be less than perfect.     

Integrated coastal fisheries management

There are two principal threats to sustainable coastal fisheries. The concern which has been evident in most parts of the world for many years is the existence of open access to fisheries which has led to over-capitalization, over-fishing of the resource and, often, conflict. Increasingly in recent years, however, a second threat has become apparent. This is the loss of fish habitat and deterioration of water quality brought about by environmental changes generated in other sectors. Integrated coastal fisheries management addresses these issues through a strategy in which the removal of open access plays the key role, supported by elements such as creation of awareness, local participation in management, training and research, and improved sectoral coordination and planning. It is noted that, very often, the amelioration of the second of the two principal threats may be dependent on the fishery sector resolving the first.     

Spatiotemporal distribution of fish eggs and larvae in the Huanghe(Yellow) River estuary,China in 2005–2016

Decreasing fish resources in estuaries is a subject of anthropogenic activities. Studies of the spatiotemporal distribution of fish eggs and larvae can help identify the status and processes underlying recruitment in a fishery. As the fifth largest river estuary in the world, the Huanghe (Yellow) River estuary (HRE) is a typical estuary that has been seriously aff ected by human activities. Annual surveys on ichthyoplankton and environmental factors were conducted in the months of May of 2005 and 2009-2016 in the HRE to investigate the spatiotemporal distribution of fish eggs and larvae and the associated infl uencing factors. A total of 23 and 20 species of eggs and larvae, respectively, were collected. The dominant orders were Perciformes (51.2%) and Clupeiformes (25.6%). The average number of fish species eggs and larvae were 6.0 and 4.1 in average abundance of 0.91 and 0.13 ind./m^3 , respectively. The dominant species were mainly low-commercial-value small-sized fishes, such as Clupanodon punctatus , Harengula zunasi, and Acanthogobius, whereas certain traditional commercial fishes, such as Trichiurus lepturus , and Clupea pallasii, were not seen. Analysis of the fish egg and larval community revealed four temporal assemblages and two spatial assemblages. Salinity was the main factor on the spatial distribution of ichthyoplankton communities, the species number and Shannon-Weiner diversity index (H′) of the fish egg and larval community near the river mouth with lower salinity were signifi cantly lower than the community far away from the river mouth with higher salinity. In addition, increases of water temperature promoted the number and abundance of fish species eggs, and the areas of abundant prey tended to have a more diversified and abundant of ichthyoplankton species. In overall, overfishing, dam construction, and other human activities were the main drivers that led to the substantial decline in fishery resources in the HRE.     

An assessment of the recreational fishery in the St Lucia estuarine system,KwaZulu-Natal,South Africa

St Lucia is one of the largest estuarine systems in Africa, and attracts thousands of anglers each year. Catchcard data from the National Marine Linefish System for the years 1986–1999 were analysed to determine catch composition, catch per unit effort (cpue) and seasonality of catches by recreational anglers. Because not all anglers completed catch cards, estimates of total catch were made using additional data on the number of private boat outings, the number of boat trailers at boat slipways and the number of boats recorded entering the campsite gates during 1992 and 1993. In all, 27 fish families, constituting 55 species, were recorded by recreational anglers. Dusky kob Argyrosomus japonicus, spotted grunter Pomadasys commersonnii, perch Acanthopagrus berda, Natal stumpnose Rhabdosargus sarba, springer Elops machnata and mini-kob Johnius dorsalis were the most prominent species caught in terms of numbers and mass. Catch rates expressed numerically (fish angler^?1 h^?1) peaked during the summer and early winter. However, in terms of mass, catch rates peaked during late winter and spring, when there were increased landings of large dusky kob. Fluctuations in cpue were linked to salinity and estuary mouth conditions (i.e. mouth closure). Despite annual fluctuations in cpue, regression analysis revealed an overall downward trend for the dominant species (dusky kob and spotted grunter) and a gradual increase for stumpnose, perch and springer, but with the exception of stumpnose, these trends were not significant. Socio-economic aspects of the fishery were also investigated by conducting an independent boat-angler survey. The value of the recreational fishery, in terms of accommodation and direct angler expenditure, was estimated to be in the region of R9 million during 1992. Angler attitudes towards fishing regulations were positive and anglers generally had a good knowledge of the regulations for target species. Based on this assessment, a number of suggestions are made regarding the future management of the recreational fishery at St Lucia.     

Relative abundance of snapper (Chrysophrys auratus) across habitats within an estuarine system

Many fish species rely on estuarine nursery habitats as they transition to adult life stages. Quantifying nursery value, however, requires identification of the life stages (often small and short-lived) that utilise nursery habitats, and survey methods that provide comparable estimates across habitats. We focused our surveys on post-settlement snapper (Chrysophrys auratus) using video camera deployments across habitats within a northeastern New Zealand harbour. Post-settlement snapper abundance was higher among structured habitat types relative to bare sediments, with the type of structured habitat not influential. The exception appeared to be for reef habitat (although sampling was limited). Reef sites were structurally complex, but largely inhabited by older life stages (snapper and other fish species). Overall, nursery value for snapper appears to be connected to structure, rather than structure type. This result emphasises the importance of a broadened scope to coastal fishery management, one that incorporates not just fish extraction, but also habitat maintenance or restoration.     

水库鱼产力评价标准与模式的研究

本文在总结国内外已有成果的基础上,运用专家系统和灰色统计方法,初步建立了一套水库鱼产力评价的指标体系、指标权重体系和指标标准体系,首次给出了比较系统和具有普适意义的评价方案;并运用模糊数学方法建立了综合定量评价模式,从而在很大程度上解决了以往评价中由于多指标重迭、交错造成的难判、误判问题,为水库渔业资源的合理开发利用提供了比较科学的依据。     

Global trade in fish and fishery products: An overview

Global trade in fishery products plays a significant role in shaping the harvesting and use of fish, and therefore will be an important part of a transition to sustainable fisheries. This article provides an overview of global trade flows in fish and fishery products as well as future trends affecting the sector. It then moves on to review trade policy measures applied in major producing and importing countries, including tariff, non-tariff measures, and fisheries subsidies. It ends with an overview of recent developments in international frameworks governing trade in fish and fishery products at the global, regional and national levels.     

Interdecadal variability of anchoveta abundance and overcapacity of the fishery in Peru

Paleontological and historical stock abundance estimates indicate that pelagic fish populations inhabiting upwelling ecosystems undergo large interdecadal variations in abundance with amplitudes equal to, if not larger than, the interannual variability. The interdecadal variability is characterized by periods of high and low abundance, termed “pseudo-cycles”, because of their irregular periodicity. Fisheries targeting small pelagic fish suffer from overall overcapitalization, like many other fisheries, but also from an additional overcapitalization problem: a phase displacement between rapid fish population decreases and a slower disinvestment which follows. This lag produces economic hardship.Here we document the fish:fishery relationship for the Peruvian anchoveta. Anchoveta pseudo-cycles of 20 to >100 years are observed, with the present stock abundance most likely located near upper part of the cycle. Fleet overcapacity expressed as the proportion of unused present capacity is estimated at 72% and processing overcapacity at 89%. A simple bio-economic model demonstrates the risks associated with the pseudo-periodicity in fish stock abundance in conjunction with fishery investment, open access, and overcapacity: a timing bomb for the fishing sector. The lag between disinvestment and decrease in fish abundance is quantified. A reduction of the fishing and processing capacity and measures to decrease the investment lag are recommended to limit the social, economical and political tensions that will result from the expected decrease in stock abundance. Finally, some management options to reduce these risks are discussed.     

Free form property rights for fisheries: The decentralized design of rights-based management through groundfish “sectors” in New England

Harvest cooperatives were implemented in several US fisheries over the last decade during a period when US law prohibited implementation of any new individual fishery quota (IFQ) systems. Harvest cooperatives provided an alternative to individual quotas as a means to end the race for fish and increase fishery profitability. The prohibition on new IFQ systems in the US was lifted, but harvest cooperatives remain a more feasible and perhaps a superior alternative to IFQs for some fisheries. The New England Fishery Management Council is on the verge of implementing a new management system for the groundfish fishery based on harvest cooperatives known as “sectors”. This paper describes the New England sector management system and discusses a number of advantages but also some drawbacks relative to IFQs. It argues that a hybrid of the two approaches could have advantages over either.