Temporal variation in Lake Balaton and its fish populations

Abstract— Dramatic changes have occurred in Lake Balaton in the last 40–45 years. Variations in water quality have resulted in a decrease in fish and invertebrate diversity. Fish assemblages have changed in response to human-induced eutrophication, environmental perturbations, introduction of exotic fish species, over-fishing and species-habitat interactions. Fish biomass and productivity first increased during the early 1970s with enhanced primary production, then decreased with the reduction of exploitation since the late 1970s and induced intra- and interspecific competition. Previous stable populations began to oscillate, and the majority of stocks became fragile by the mid-1980s. Extinction of native fish and invasion of new alien species alternate. Alien species have transformed the food webs, causing long-lasting ecological changes. Reduced and non-selective exploitation has resulted in higher fish density and lower production rates. Recent studies have revealed differences in the carrying capacity of fish between the littoral zone and the open water areas.     

Profile of a fishery collapse: why mariculture failed to save the large yellow croaker

The large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea), endemic to East Asia was once one of the three top commercial marine fishes of China PR. Heavily exploited since the 1950s, wild stocks were so severely depleted by the 1980s that most individuals subsequently sold originated from hatcheries. After peaking at about 200 000 tonnes in the mid‐1970s, catches of the croaker in China PR declined by over 90% within just 2 decades; according to most decline criteria this would categorize the croaker as “threatened” and management measures, including restocking, were developed. The extensive government‐sponsored mariculture program introduced to address food supply and overfishing in the 1980s, particularly of the croaker, was one of the earliest for marine finfish, not only in China PR, a nation with a rich and highly successful history in aquaculture, but globally. In this first, in‐depth, profile of a key fishery and early mariculture development, we integrate ecological and biological information with the fishing, management, mariculture and economic history to trace the collapse of wild stocks and assess why management and mariculture did not result in wild stock recovery. Evidence strongly suggests that a combination of heavy exploitation of spawning and over‐wintering aggregations, poor management and overfishing pressure were major factors in stock declines, with contributions from pollution, habitat degradation and marine ecosystem shift. Although the croaker proved a highly successful mariculture candidate, with approximately 70 000 tonnes produced in 2005, the highest of any marine fish cultured in China PR, mariculture and restocking have failed to restore croaker stocks and may have, inadvertently, led to biodiversity losses. The detailed history of the croaker is a sobering reminder that successful mariculture, albeit important for food production and livelihoods, is not necessarily a solution to overfishing, and moreover, may have compromised fishery recovery by competing for funds, attention, space, and maybe genetic resources.     

发展我国南极磷虾渔业的探讨

南极磷虾不但资源量巨大，而且营养价值高，已引起世界各国的极大关注。自６０年代初期前苏联进行试捕调查以来，至今已有几十个国家对南极磷虾进行调查研究。前苏联、日本等国先后从７０年代开始对南极磷虾进行商业性捕捞，已形成年捕捞量数十万ｔ的规模。我国是海洋渔业资源不多，渔民人数多及捕捞生产能力较高，渔业技术较发达的国家。国内市场需求水产品数量很大，急切地谋求对外发展。重视发展我国的南极磷虾渔业，积极开发利用     

Identifying historical baseline at the onset of exploitation to improve understanding of fishing impacts

1. Marine communities have long been impacted by human activities, but the quantification of human‐driven changes often relies on recent data. This is because historical data on fish populations are lacking and are challenging to include in contemporary stock and ecological assessments. As a result, the impacts of early fishing pressure on marine communities are generally poorly documented worldwide.
2. Marine communities of Southeast Australia have a relatively short history of exploitation compared with other temperate systems and were sampled before and after the onset of commercial fishing. As such, they provide a rare opportunity to identify historical baselines and to understand ecological changes after the onset of commercial exploitation.
3. This study compares survey data collected around Tasmania, Southeast Australia, in 1909–1910 with data from the 1980s. The period considered precedes the establishment of a trawl fishery in Southeast Australia in 1915, of other important commercial fisheries in Tasmania, and of a fisheries data collection programme in 1984. Nominal catch rates are used to examine changes across all families of demersal fish recorded in catches and generalized linear models are used to estimate and compare standardized indices of abundance between the 1909–1910 and 1980s data for key commercial families.
4. Results show significant, and thus far unreported, fishing‐induced changes in marine communities after the establishment of commercial fishing in the region. Changes mostly relate to shifts in catch composition and steep declines in the abundance of the main commercial families.
5. This study illustrates a method for analysing low‐quality historical catch data and provides estimates of pre‐commercial fishing abundance that can be included in stock and ecological assessments. More broadly, this study demonstrates the significant role of early fishing in shaping marine communities and increases our understanding about general patterns of exploitation that have been difficult to identify with longer but less detailed fishing histories.

     

Survival of rockhopper penguins in times of global climate change

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Transform high seas management to build climate resilience in marine seafood supply

Climate change is projected to redistribute fisheries resources, resulting in tropical regions suffering decreases in seafood production. While sustainably managing marine ecosystems contributes to building climate resilience, these solutions require transformation of ocean governance. Recent studies and international initiatives suggest that conserving high seas biodiversity and fish stocks will have ecological and economic benefits; however, implications for seafood security under climate change have not been examined. Here, we apply global‐scale mechanistic species distribution models to 30 major straddling fish stocks to show that transforming high seas fisheries governance could increase resilience to climate change impacts. By closing the high seas to fishing or cooperatively managing its fisheries, we project that catches in exclusive economic zones (EEZs) would likely increase by around 10% by 2050 relative to 2000 under climate change (representative concentration pathway 4.5 and 8.5), compensating for the expected losses (around ?6%) from ‘business‐as‐usual’. Specifically, high seas closure increases the resilience of fish stocks, as indicated by a mean species abundance index, by 30% in EEZs. We suggest that improving high seas fisheries governance would increase the resilience of coastal countries to climate change.     

Fish stock assessment of the northern New Caledonian lagoons:1 – Structure and stocks of coral reef fish communities

Lagoon fish in New Caledonia are mainly caught by artisanal fisheries and subsistence fishing. Reef fish are the major component of this catch. The present study aimed at estimating these reef fish standing stocks and at finding the main factors influencing the distribution of these fish. Sampling of 904 stations was stratified according to three zones (north, east and west) and three reef types (barrier, intermediate and fringing). Fish communities exhibited strong heterogeneity in their distribution, showing higher biomass (maximum of 447 g·m^–2) and total standing stock (43 000 tonnes) in the north zone than in the east and west zones. Similarly, observed patterns were dependent on reef types: higher biomass and total standing stock being observed on barrier reefs than on intermediate or fringing reefs. The total standing stocks, which were about 65 000 t, were mainly composed of herbivorous fish families such as the Acanthuridae and Scaridae. The differences in the patterns of distribution of species, individuals and standing stocks between reef types may be explained by variations in terrestrial influences and reef morphology, whereas differences among zones were most likely due to accessibility of fishing areas and fishing pressure. The latter is almost non-existent in the north zone, which can thus be considered to be almost unexploited commercially. This most likely explains the high proportion, 77 %, of long-lived species in the biomass of this zone. The results might have implications in management of reefs elsewhere in the South Pacific, for which similar data are only scarcely available.     

Examining the knowledge base and status of commercially exploited marine species with the RAM Legacy Stock Assessment Database

Meta‐analyses of stock assessments can provide novel insight into marine population dynamics and the status of fished species, but the world’s main stock assessment database (the Myers Stock‐Recruitment Database) is now outdated. To facilitate new analyses, we developed a new database, the RAM Legacy Stock Assessment Database, for commercially exploited marine fishes and invertebrates. Time series of total biomass, spawner biomass, recruits, fishing mortality and catch/landings form the core of the database. Assessments were assembled from 21 national and international management agencies for a total of 331 stocks (295 fish stocks representing 46 families and 36 invertebrate stocks representing 12 families), including nine of the world’s 10 largest fisheries. Stock assessments were available from 27 large marine ecosystems, the Caspian Sea and four High Seas regions, and include the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic and Antarctic Oceans. Most assessments came from the USA, Europe, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Assessed marine stocks represent a small proportion of harvested fish taxa (16%), and an even smaller proportion of marine fish biodiversity (1%), but provide high‐quality data for intensively studied stocks. The database provides new insight into the status of exploited populations: 58% of stocks with reference points (n = 214) were estimated to be below the biomass resulting in maximum sustainable yield (B_MSY) and 30% had exploitation levels above the exploitation rate resulting in maximum sustainable yield (U_MSY). We anticipate that the database will facilitate new research in population dynamics and fishery management, and we encourage further data contributions from stock assessment scientists.     

2019年秋冬季南设得兰群岛南极磷虾集群时空分布特征

为了进一步研究南设得兰群岛附近海域南极磷虾集群时空分布特征,基于2019年秋冬季（4—7月）中国南极磷虾生产渔船声学调查及商业捕捞数据,从时空两个维度对南极磷虾集群中心深度、集群所处水深水温和集群形态进行了分析。结果显示,南设得兰群岛附近海域南极磷虾集群中心深度、集群所处水深水温和集群形态存在明显的时空差异。平均集群中心深度在4—7月总体呈递增趋势(变化范围为34.39～86.12 m),昼夜差异较小(P=0.325),峰值时段为日升阶段(sun rising, SRS)(64.06 m)和夜间(night, NIT)(65.32 m);平均集群中心深度低值区间为62.75°～63.75°S和58.25°～59.75°W,高值区间为61.75°～62.25°S和60.25°～61.75°W。平均集群所处水深水温在4—7月总体呈递减趋势(变化范围为-1.71～-1.50℃),昼夜集群水温差异明显,峰值时段为NIT(夜间)(-1.46℃)和暮光(evening twilight, ETW)(-1.4℃);平均集群所处水深水温低值区间为62.75°～63.75°S和61.25°～61.75°...     

Lessons from the past: the collapse of Jamaican coral reefs

Since Pre-Columbian times, humans have exploited Jamaican marine ecosystems with significant consequences for flora and fauna. This study focuses on the history of reef fish exploitation in Jamaica, from first human occupation to the present day, to determine how past fishing activities contributed to subsequent declines in the coral reef ecosystem. The pattern of declining reef fish populations was nonlinear. Reef fish first declined in prehistoric times but then potentially recovered, following genocide of the native human population. Reduced fishing pressure lasted until the mid-19th century. At that time, depletion of reef fish populations again occurred with a precipitous decline from the 1850s to the 1940s. The final shift from relatively abundant to overfished marine fauna corresponded to subtle changes in fish trap design as well as development of recreational fishing. Government subsidies throughout the second half of the 20th century exacerbated the declines. This analysis shows that local artisanal fisheries with relatively low levels of effort and seemingly subtle shifts in technology can significantly impact the coral reef ecosystem and that declines occurred decades to centuries before modern ecological studies began. This research shows how historical analysis can be a powerful tool to minimize shifted baselines and establish realistic targets for recovery and sustainable management of marine ecosystems.