Inter‐ and intra‐specific interactions affecting crustacean trap fisheries—Implications for management

The UK coastal trap fisheries target two key species, European lobster Homarus gammarus (L.) and brown crab Cancer pagurus L. Their stock status is assessed periodically using size‐based, yield‐per‐recruit analysis. Fishery trends are described using landings and, where available, effort data to estimate catch per unit of effort (CPUE), nominally proportional to abundance. Despite being caught together, assessments assume that concurrent capture of these species does not distort their individual CPUE estimates. Here, an in situ experiment tested impacts of inter‐specific and intra‐specific interactions by pre‐loading baited traps with different species and observing subsequent catches. Pre‐loaded European lobster significantly reduced brown crab catches, whereas, other species produced no such effects. The findings highlight the likely inconsistency of using CPUE as an index of abundance if landings data originate from a mixed‐species fishery in which species interactions and targeting behaviour of fishers are unknown or un‐quantified.     

The influence of wind and temperature on the catch rate of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) during spring fisheries off eastern Canada

The effects of wind and temperature on catch rate of American lobster (Homarus americanus) in the Baie des Chaleurs and off Cape Breton Island in Eastern Canada were investigated. Data on lobster catch and the number of trap hauls were available through a fishermen's volunteer logbook program, bottom temperatures were measured from thermistors either moored nearby or placed inside lobster traps and wind measurements were obtained from local airports. In the Baie des Chaleurs and off the east coast of Cape Breton, a positive and significant correlation was found between the mean temperature change during the 24 h prior to the traps being hauled and the change in the average catch of lobsters per trap haul. Catch rates rose with increasing bottom temperatures and fell with declining bottom temperatures. Higher correlations between changes in temperature and catch rates occurred at sites where the temperature variance was greater. The short‐term fluctuations in lobster catch rates corresponding to temperature changes are hypothesized to result from behavioral changes affecting lobster activity. In both study areas, the large temperature variability was mainly forced by alongshore winds producing upwelling and downwelling, consistent with a classical Ekman response. The effect of the winds on lobster catch is shown to be principally due to their influence on ocean bottom temperatures. Along the south coast of Cape Breton, no relationship was found between catch rates and either temperature or wind, perhaps because lower lobster abundance resulted in a lower signal‐to‐noise ratio. The results of this study qualitatively support the observations by fishermen of a wind‐induced effect on lobster catch rates.     

Models for forecasting sandfish catch in the coastal waters off Akita Prefecture and the evaluation of the effect of a 3-year fishery closure

SUMMARY: The sandfish Arctoscopus japonicus in the coastal waters off Akita Prefecture had been landed in amounts of more than 10 000 t continuously from 1963 to 1975. From 1976, however, it began to decrease sharply and fell to only 74 t in 1984. The fishery society of Akita Prefecture closed the fishing from 1 September 1992 to 30 September 1995. Since 1995, the total allowable catch (TAC) allocated in each year has increased. However, the mechanism behind the increment of catch has not been clearly demonstrated. The aim of this study is to elucidate the mechanism behind the increase of catch using catch forecasting models constructed with past water temperature and catch data. The results were as follows: (i) the effect of water temperature in the depth strata 200–300 m, September of year t –1, t –2 and t –3 of station 1 would be important for forecasting the catch in year t; (ii) coastal catch in year t –1 and t –2 would be important for forecasting the catch in year t; (iii) the effect of a fishery closure would be significantly related to the period of the closure and the environmental condition such as water temperature; and (iv) the TAC system would be important for the recovery of stock and to avoid the depletion of abundance.     

Fishing down or fishing up in Chinese freshwater lakes

Changes in mean trophic level (MTL) of catches have been widely used to reflect the impact of industrial fisheries on aquatic ecosystems because this measure represents the relative abundance of fished species across the trophic level spectrum. In this study, fisheries data from six important freshwater lakes at the middle‐lower Yangtze River and Huaihe River reach of Southern China from 1949 to 2009 were used to evaluate changes in catch MTL. After fishery markets opened at 1985, fish catches increased significantly in all the lakes. Lakes Poyang and Dongting, which were dominated by omnivores and connected to the Yangtze River, showed no significant change in catch MTL before and after 1985. Catch MTL in lakes Taihu and Hongze increased significantly due to an increase in the proportion of pelagic zooplanktivorous. Catches in Lake Chaohu were dominated by zooplankton‐feeding lake anchovy, Coilia ectenes Temminck & Schlegel and icefish, Neosalanx taihuensis Chen, while Lake Donghu was dominated by phytoplanktivorous carps. Due to low biodiversity, catch MTL of these two lakes showed no significant change before and after 1985. Both fisheries‐based and human activities‐based drivers influenced the structure and catch MTL of fisheries in Chinese freshwater lakes.     

长江近口段鳗苗捕捞量的时间格局及其与生态因子的GAM模型分析

为研究长江口鳗苗捕捞量与生态因子的相互关系,于2012年汛期对长江靖江段鳗苗的捕捞量进行了监测,采用广义可加模型(GAM)对日捕捞量与水温、潮差、气压、浑浊度等生态因子之间的相关性作了分析。结果显示,靖江段鳗苗汛期为1月下旬—4月上旬,单船总捕捞量为221~443尾,平均(344.8±83.4)尾。1月均值仅0.4尾/d,且空网率高达90.9%;4月为旺汛期,均值10.4尾/d,空网率仅为10.0%。GAM模型显示,潮汐周期—月份交互项、水温和潮差对鳗苗日捕捞量的影响显著,而气压、浊度和月相周期对鳗苗日捕捞量的影响不显著。潮汐周期—月份交互项、水温和潮差对鳗苗日捕捞量的偏差解释率分别为42.4%、19.1%和13.1%,均呈现正相关关系。统计也显示,日捕捞量表现出上、下弦月较低、新月或满月前后较高的半月周期波动。鳗苗捕获的最低水温为6.3℃,而10~15℃为适宜捕捞水温。高潮期和低潮期分别占总捕捞量的76.8%和23.2%。研究表明,长江口鳗苗在借助潮汐流而快速溯河的过程中,部分在口门水域即被捕获,部分滞留在了长江河口段,而影响鳗苗溯河的重要生态因子是潮汐和水温。     

海州湾双斑蟳栖息分布特征与环境因子的关系

为了解双斑蟳栖息分布规律,实验根据2011—2016年多个季度航次在海州湾进行的渔业资源和环境调查数据,采用广义线性模型(GLM)、广义可加模型(GAM)以及随机森林3种物种分布模型(SDMs)方法,结合AIC(akaike information criterion)准则、累积偏差解释率和交叉检验等评判指标筛选和构建了双斑蟳栖息分布模型,并分析了环境因子对双斑蟳分布的影响。结果显示,3种模型在解释因子与响应变量间的关系上基本一致;其中GAM在模型拟合上具有优势,而随机森林的预测性能明显高于传统的GLM和GAM。双斑蟳相对渔获量在年份和月份间的变异性最为显著,两个因子的解释率分别在18%和3.8%以上。水深和表层盐度对双斑蟳资源分布的影响较大,均与双斑蟳相对丰度呈正相关关系;双斑蟳分布总体呈现冬季相对较高,夏季东北部海域高、西南部低的特点,与海州湾水深分布特点基本一致。本研究还根据FVCOM(finite-volume coasta ocean model)模拟环境数据,利用随机森林分布模型估计了双斑蟳在海州湾海域2011年各个季节的空间分布,为渔业资源的开发和保护提供依据。     

热带大西洋公海金枪鱼延绳钓渔获物上钩率的分析

报道 1 994年 1 1月至 1 996年 1 0月 (4～ 7月除外 )金丰 2号延绳钓船在中部大西洋公海 (0 9°N～ 0 5°S ,1 8°W～ 34°W )钓捕渔获物和各月经济鱼种上钩率的状况。经过鉴定共有 2 7种鱼类和一种海龟。在 2月的北纬渔场和 1 2月上半月在南纬西部渔场 (0 1°S～ 0 5°S ,2 4°W以西 ) ,大眼金枪鱼的上钩率达到高峰值 ,均大于 8‰ ,其它期间在钓捕海域上钩率在 2‰～ 8‰之间 ;在 1 1月、1 2月的北纬渔场和 1 2月上半月在南纬西部渔场 ,黄鳍金枪鱼的上钩率均大于 4‰ ,而在南纬中部渔场 (0 1°S～ 0 5°S ,2 4°W～ 1 8°W )黄鳍金枪鱼的上钩率最低 ,小于 1‰ ;箭鱼的上钩率在钓捕海域大体在 2‰以下 ,其它低经济价值的鱼上钩率几乎都小于 1‰。本文探讨了影响上钩率的因素。     

Evaluation of a boat-mounted electro-trawl as a commercial harvesting system for crawfish

Field experiments were conducted to ascertain if trawling utilizing electrical currents was an effective method of harvesting crawfish.Results suggest that catch efficiency relative to vegetation density is more dependent upon trawl mechanical ability than on relative crawfish abundance. Catch is also dependent upon trawling speed, water depth and time of trawling. Trawling consistently yielded higher catches per area than did conventional traps. Unmarketable individuals and mortality were no different for the two gear types.Trawling could be an effective supplemental harvesting method, but additional work needs to be performed to alleviate electrical and mechanical problems before economic efficiency can be realistic.     

东海带鱼渔获量对捕捞压力和气候变动的响应

为了解捕捞压力和气候变动对东海带鱼渔业产量的共同影响,对1956-2006年东海带鱼渔获量进行了分析.东海带鱼渔获量时间序列可划分成变化趋势和年间变动.变化趋势主要归因于捕捞努力量的单调增长,Fox模型拟合结果,东海带鱼渔获量与捕捞努力量关系显著(P＜0.01).移除趋势后,其年间变动与陆地降水、季风风速、海表水温和热带气旋影响指数相关(P＜0.05).结果表明,气候变动影响到东海带鱼渔获量年间变动:陆地降雨和径流携带大量营养盐进入沿岸生态系统;而季风则驱动营养盐的扩散和循环,影响着营养盐的利用效率;水温的升高不仅有利于带鱼的性腺发育与成熟,还能增加带鱼的饵料供应;热带气旋所形成的水团流动、风生混合、上升流等能促进营养盐供应并增加水域的生物量.从捕捞努力量和气候变量拟合东海带鱼渔获量的结果来看,与实际渔获量显著相关(P＜0.01),并且能够很好地反映出实际带鱼渔获量的变化趋势和年间变动.这说明渔获量的变化受到捕捞效应和气候变动的双重影响,未来气候变化将有利于东海带鱼渔业产量的增加,且渔获量年间变动幅度将会比以往更大.     

The use of at‐sea‐sampling data to dissociate environmental variability in Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) catches to improve resource exploitation efficiency within the Skagerrak/Kattegat trawl fishery

Research into the influence of environmental variables on the behaviour of Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus), and hence catch rates, dates back to the 1960s (e.g., Höglund and Dybern, Diurnal and seasonal variations in the catch‐composition of Nephrops norvegicus (L.) at the Swedish west coast. ICES CM 1965/I46; Simpson, Variations in the catches of Nephrops norvegicus at different times of day and night. Rapport et Proés‐verbaux des Réunions Conseil permanent international pour 1'Exploration de la Mer 156:186). However, the use of fishery‐dependent data in identifying influential factors is relatively limited and only includes a number of papers on a limited dataset (e.g., Redant and De Clark, Diurnal variations in CPUE and length composition of the catches in a Nephrops directed fishery in the Central North Sea. ICES CM 1984/K:3; Maynou and Sardà, Influence of environmental factors on commercial trawl catches of Nephrops norvegicus (L.). ICES J. Mar. Sci. 58:1318). Here, we aimed to dissociate environmental variability in Norway lobster catches to improve resource exploitation efficiency within the Skagerrak and Kattegat trawl fisheries by utilising data collected as part of an extensive at‐sea‐sampling programme spanning 16 years. Catch rates were modelled using Generalized Additive Mixed Models (GAMMs) and considered a range of response variables, including depth, temperature, current speed, season, moon phase and time of day. The results obtained herein showed that time of day, season, depth, temperature, year, trawl type and location all significantly affect catch rates of Nephrops.     

Climate and stock influences on the spread and locations of catches in the northeast Atlantic mackerel fishery

The poleward movements of northeast Atlantic (NEA) mackerel (Scomber scombrus) catches, possibly linked to climate change, are causing a major international disagreement over quotas. We present an analysis of spatially resolved catch data from 1977 to 2013 that shows how a northward shift is only part of the change in the fishery. There was a 30‐yr trend for declining catches per ICES rectangle (0.5° latitude by 1°‐degree longitude) until 2011–2013. Catches also moved further offshore, to areas of deeper waters. Segmented regressions suggested discontinuities in the temporal pattern of change in catch‐related variables. In particular, the number of ICES rectangles fished rose sharply around 1987. Generalized additive models (GAMs) suggest that much of the movement of fishing activity to areas of deeper water can be associated with variation in the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). GAM models had a lower predictive error than linear or simple autoregressive models of change in catch‐related variables. Although climate indices can be linked to some of the changes in catch, it may be difficult to extrapolate future patterns in the catch: some of the GAM smoothers are non‐linear, and the oceanographic processes linked to climate index values are not homogenous across the area occupied by mackerel. A practical implication of the reported changes in catch since 1977 is that vessels are now reportedly fishing further offshore, which has implications for fuel consumption and profitability of the fishery.     

Inter‐annual variation of the spawning aggregations of the white‐streaked grouper Epinephelus ongus,in relation to the lunar cycle and water temperature fluctuation

The white‐streaked grouper, Epinephelus ongus (Serranidae), which forms spawning aggregations at specific times and sites, has been traditionally targeted by local fishers in the Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa. This study examined the long‐term dynamics of the population and the spawning aggregation of E. ongus, based on the historical catch data for a 20‐yr period. The continuous declines of the catch data suggested a substantial decrease in the population. The analysis of the daily catch data, which reflect the approximate volumetric fluctuation of the spawning aggregation, demonstrated that the distinctive peaks of daily catches appeared consistently over a 20‐yr span at the last quarter moon in the spawning season, in synchrony with the lunar phase as a spawning cue of the species. Contrary to this consistency, there were inter‐annual variations of spawning aggregation formation, which formed once or twice in the two consecutive months in the lunar calendar. The present study indicated that the water temperature before the aggregation period dictated not the only timing of the first spawning aggregation, but also the frequency of spawning aggregation and that the abundance between the first and the second spawning aggregation, represented by catch data, were negatively correlated. Together with previous evidence of gonadal histology, the findings indicated that water temperatures affect the gonadal maturation in the spawning population and control spawning aggregation formation. These facts imply that most individuals join in only a single spawning aggregation in the course of the year and highlight the importance of the spawning aggregation for reproduction of E. ongus.     

Distribution,body length,and abundance of blue shark and shortfin mako offshore of northeastern Japan,as determined from observed pelagic longline data, 2000–2014

Longline surveys have been conducted in the Northwest Pacific Ocean from 2000 to 2014 using chartered commercial longline vessels. Each year, two cruises were conducted offshore of northeastern Japan from mid‐April to mid‐June. For each longline set during the surveys, onboard scientists collected detailed biological information about the species caught, such as the size and sex, and recorded the catch numbers for all species. Blue shark (Prionace glauca) and shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) have eurythermal distributions, but the application of a generalized additive model (GAM) showed that the sea surface temperatures (SSTs) at catch sites positive for shortfin mako were warmer than those for blue shark. On the basis of the GAM, the probabilities of occurrence of both sharks differed by size category: small sharks had a narrower SST range than that of large sharks. Most catches of both sharks were juveniles, and the nominal catch rate of blue shark was more than 10 times that of shortfin mako. The standardized catch per unit effort (CPUE) for both species was calculated using a generalized linear model (GLM) with negative binomial errors, or a delta‐lognormal GLM. The standardized CPUE for blue shark in the second quarter of the year peaked in the mid‐2000s and then decreased, but it has been increasing since 2012. The CPUE for shortfin mako in the second quarter generally increased, with fluctuations.     

东海带鱼渔获量变动原因分析

利用1951~1984年东海带鱼年渔获量和捕捞努力量资料,以及降雨、风速和海表温度等的时间系列,分析了带鱼渔获量年际变化与捕捞努力量及环境因素的关系,并建立了渔获量对捕捞努力量和环境变量的回归模型。带鱼渔获量随捕捞努力量的变化可用Fox模型拟合(R=0·89,P<0·01),1951~1974年期间,渔获量随着捕捞努力量的增长而不断提高,但自1974年后,随着捕捞努力量的持续增长,渔获量开始下降。排除捕捞效应后的带鱼渔获量波动还与环境因素显著相关,分析结果表明,长江流域和东海沿岸地区年降水量、渤海海域年均风速、长江口年均风速、黄海和东海海表温度(2月)、东海中部年平均海表温度及南部冬季月平均海表温度等环境因子都与之显著相关。包含捕捞努力量和环境变量的渔获量模型的回归系数为0·97,其置信水平达到99%以上。运用1951~1984年的回归模型对1985和1986年的渔获量作出了预测,其预测值与实际渔获量的相对误差均小于5%,验证了其可靠性。研究的结果表明,带鱼渔获量变动不仅与捕捞作用有关,同时还受环境因素的影响,是两者综合作用的结果。     

闽南海区休渔前后张网作业渔获物组成比较分析

本文主要根据2008年闽南海区张网作业渔业资源监测资料，对休渔前后（4月和8月）张网作业渔获物组成进行比较分析。结果表明：2008年休渔前后都以捕经济种类幼鱼为主。4月带鱼、二长棘鲷、刺鲳、鲐鱼、中华管鞭虾等主要经济种类渔获重量占总渔获物重量69．6％，其中带鱼幼鱼数量最多，占总渔获数量的26．2％（每网渔获尾数744ind），居第一位；且个体极小，基本上全为幼鱼，平均体重8．1g。8月带鱼、二长棘鲷、短尾大眼鲷、叫姑鱼、白姑鱼、须赤虾等主要经济种类渔获重量占总渔获物重量50．9％。带鱼数量明显减少（每网渔获尾数226ind），但个体增大，肛长140mm以上占63．6％，平均体重54．5g，比4月增加46．4g。并结合2004、2007年有关资料，较为详细说明休渔前（4月）张网作业对近岸经济幼鱼、幼体损害比休渔结束后（8月）严重，通过休渔对带鱼等经济种类幼鱼资源起了一定保护作用。     

Pikeperch, Stizostedion lucioperca (L.), catch in relation to juvenile density and water temperature in Pärnu Bay, Estonia

Abstract The abundance of 0+ pikeperch, Stizostedion lucioperca (L.), in trawls was compared with water temperature, water level and commercial catches 6–9 years later. The abundance of juveniles in autumn was positively correlated with the water temperature but not with water level in May or in June. The sum of a year abundance of juveniles showed a strong correlation with the catch years later. This abundance and the cumulative water temperature between August and October inclusive in five consecutive years one year prior to recruitment into the commercial fishery explained 86% of the variation in catches. This empirical model indicates that catches of pikeperch depend on both juvenile abundance and water temperature.     

帆张网渔获物组成及其多样性分析

根据2007年12月～2008年6月在东海北部和黄海南部海域调查所获取的资料,分析了帆张网作业渔获物组成及其多样性特征。结果显示,调查采获的鱼类41种,甲壳类22种,头足类3种。其中主要渔获物由小黄鱼（Pseudosciaena polyactis）、带鱼（Trichiurus haumela）、细条天竺鱼（Apogon lineatus）、太平洋褶柔鱼（Todarodes pacificus）、长枪乌贼（Loligo bleekeri）和细点圆趾蟹（Ovalipes punctatus）等10个种类组成,其质量占总样品质量的79.86%。对小黄鱼和带鱼进行体长和体质量组成分析得出,其幼鱼比例分别为97.20%和61.00%。物种种类丰度和多样性指数值显示,鱼类1月较高,而4、5和6月相对较低;甲壳类在5月较高,而4月相对较低。现行的帆张网渔获物中幼鱼比例较高,对经济幼鱼资源的损害较严重。     

Tracing possible drivers of synchronously fluctuating species catches in individual logbook data

Abstract Recreational fisheries statistics can provide valuable information on the dynamics of fish stocks and their exploitation. For some reservoirs in the Czech Republic, there are conspicuous synchronous fluctuations in catches of different species that might be caused by fishing skills and strategies. This study describes a method that could detect signatures of such phenomena in individual logbooks. It classifies anglers by species reported during 1 year and compares the resulting angler groups by group size, fishing effort, catch per unit effort (CPUE) and annual catch. The method is illustrated by data from one reservoir, showing that the number of generalist anglers who caught several species was higher than expected. Generalists also had higher catches and effort but lower CPUE than specialists who caught only one of the species. The results indicate that generalist anglers with a low degree of specialisation and high effort could contribute to long‐term correlations in species catches.     

Standardising the CPUE for the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Illex argentinus</Emphasis> fishery in the Southwest Atlantic

The catch per unit effort (CPUE) is a widely used index for assessing the abundance of exploited populations in fishery management. To obtain appropriate CPUE values, it is essential to standardise catch-effort data from fisheries. This task is particularly important for squid fisheries because squid generally have a short life-span and are vulnerable to environmental variability, and thus effective fishery management should take such factors into account. In this study, we analysed unit catches of paired vessels operating under similar fishing conditions to calculate their relative fishing power (RFP) in order to standardise the CPUE of the Taiwanese fleet jigging for Illex argentinus in the Southwest Atlantic. To evaluate the appropriateness of the method, we used a logbook dataset covering eleven years (1993–2003), in which 93.5% of the total catch during the period was included. The results indicate that 98.7% of the fishing effort can be standardised according to the estimated RFP. Compared to nominal CPUE, the standardised CPUE values projected an explainable temporal pattern, indicating an increasing trend in abundance from 1995 to 1999 and a subsequent sharp plunge from 1999 to 2003. However, the RFP was not related to apparent physical factors of the vessel, such as gross tonnage or vessel length. Our evaluations suggest that the RFP method is appropriate for standardising the CPUE, so that it can serve as an abundance index that reflects the annual recruitment size of the squid fishery, because the quality of the method can potentially take possible affecting factors into account in order to satisfy the general assumptions of standardisation criteria. However, the effects of varying the settings of parameters should be carefully examined prior to applying this standardisation method to other squid fisheries.     

闽南渔场蟹笼作业渔获组成和主要种类

2010年1-12月(休渔除外)在闽南海区蟹笼作业渔船上每月采样一次,分析样品10批,累计重量111.37 kg.对该渔获进行种类鉴定、组成分析,结果表明:渔获物中共出现72个种,其中鱼类40种、蟹类23种、口足类3种、头足类3种、螺类2种、虾类1种;重量比例为蟹类占45.80％、鱼类占44.46％、口足类占6.47％...