The decline of fisheries on the Madeira River,Brazil: The high cost of the hydroelectric dams in the Amazon Basin

Despite being considered beneficial by providing a clean and renewable source of energy, the construction of hydroelectric dams has extremely negative implications for Amazonian fisheries. This study investigated the impacts of the Santo Antônio and Jirau hydroelectric dams on the fishery stocks of the Madeira River. This investigation was based on fish catch data from the Z‐31 fishing colony, located in the municipality of Humaitá, in Amazonas State, Northern Brazil. Data were collected daily and provided information on the date of return from each trip, the fish species targeted, and the total catch (kg) between January 2002 and September 2017. The results indicated reductions of 39% in the mean annual catch and 34% in the mean monthly catches. These results highlight the high price paid by local fish communities for the development of hydroelectric power in the Amazon basin.     

海参捕捞装置导航中低成本陀螺仪的降噪研究与试验

针对MEMS陀螺仪输出信号中含有的随机漂移噪声造成海参捕捞装置惯性导航精度明显下降的问题,采用时间序列分析法和Kalman滤波算法,对MEMS陀螺仪随机漂移噪声的削减问题进行研究。以MEMS惯性测量单元的实测数据和三维电子罗盘测量的姿态角为样本,对本研究的低成本陀螺仪的降噪效果进行测试,试验结果表明:1)经过降噪处理后的陀螺仪随机漂移信号的方差比陀螺仪原始采样信号的方差降低1个数量级,显著改善了陀螺仪随机漂移数据的精密度;2)以高精度三维电子罗盘实测的姿态角作为参考基准,将降噪后的陀螺仪随机漂移数据导入捷联惯导姿态更新算法程序,在300s时间内,解算出的俯仰角、横滚角和航向角的均方根误差RMSE全部小于1°;与降噪前相比,相应的俯仰角、横滚角、航向角的RMSE分别降低了170.5、97.6和42.5倍,明显提高了惯性导航精度。     

Salty stories,fresh spaces: Lessons for aquatic protected areas from marine and freshwater experiences

1. Marine protected areas (MPAs) and freshwater protected areas (FPAs), collectively aquatic protected areas (APAs), share many commonalities in their design, establishment, and management, suggesting great potential for sharing lessons learned. However, surprisingly little has been exchanged to date, and both realms of inquiry and practice have progressed mostly independent of each other.
2. This paper builds on a session held at the 7^th World Fisheries Congress in Busan, South Korea, in May 2016, which explored crossover lessons between marine and freshwater realms, and included case studies of four MPAs and five FPAs (or clusters of FPAs) from nine countries.
3. This review uses the case studies to explore similarities, differences, and transferrable lessons between MPAs and FPAs under five themes: (1) ecological system; (2) establishment approaches; (3) effectiveness monitoring; (4) sustaining APAs; and (5) challenges and external threats.
4. Ecological differences between marine and freshwater environments may necessitate different approaches for collecting species and habitat data to inform APA design, establishment and monitoring, but once collected, similar spatial ecological tools can be applied in both realms. In contrast, many similarities exist in the human dimension of both MPA and FPA establishment and management, highlighting clear opportunities for exchanging lessons related to stakeholder engagement and support, and for using similar socio‐economic and governance assessment methods to address data gaps in both realms.
5. Regions that implement MPAs and FPAs could work together to address shared challenges, such as developing mechanisms for diversified and sustained funding, and employing integrated coastal/watershed management to address system‐level threats. Collaboration across realms could facilitate conservation of diadromous species in both marine and freshwater habitats.
6. Continued exchange and increased collaboration would benefit both realms, and may be facilitated by defining shared terminology, holding cross‐disciplinary conferences or sessions, publishing inclusive papers, and proposing joint projects.

     

An assessment of catches of shore sport fishing competitions along the coast of the Maltese Islands: Implications for conservation and management

Competitive shore‐based sport fishing is a popular recreational activity in the Maltese Islands. However, prior to this study, no scientific research surveys had been carried out during sport fishing competitions to investigate catches. Collaboration with Maltese sports fishermen was developed to target sustainable management. Recreational fishing catches were recorded between July 2012 and December 2015 by means of 1,633 roving‐access creel surveys, conducted during 79 sport fishing competitions, totalling a fishing effort of 7,548 hr. A total of 29,916 fish belonging to 80 species from 26 different families were caught at a mean catch‐per‐unit‐effort (CPUE) of 4.16 fish angler/hr (SD ± 3.79) and 0.18 kg angler/hr (SD ± 0.17) but with seasonal variation. Catch‐and‐release practices were implemented by all Maltese sport fishing clubs, however, the mean mortality rate stood at 35.5% (SD ± 42.1), indicating that more effort is required to improve survival of fish. The study outcomes provide conservation recommendations.     

Eurasian perch Perca fluviatilis growth and fish community structure,inside and outside a marine‐protected area in the Baltic Sea

Growth of Eurasian perch Perca fluviatilis L. and fish community structure between sites within a marine‐protected area (MPA) and unprotected sites in the Baltic Sea were examined. Von Bertalanffy, logistic and Gompertz growth models were fitted to P. fluviatilis length at age data, and the logistic model was the most parsimonious for growth between locations. A larger mean maximum size (L_∞) and a smaller instantaneous growth rate (g) were found within the MPA. All three models also predicted that after age seven, fish inside the MPA would be larger. Community structure differed with more P. fluviatilis collected outside of the MPA, and more roach Rutilus rutilus (L.) and bleak Alburnus alburnus (L.) collected inside the MPA. These growth differences may be indicative of recreational fishing effects on P. fluviatilis outside of the MPA, a result of complex interspecific and intraspecific species interactions, or other undetected environmental variation between locations.     

Effects of a hook ring on catch and bycatch in a Mediterranean swordfish longline fishery: small addition with potentially large consequences

1. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a circle hook ring on catch rates of target fish species and bycatch rates of sea turtles, elasmobranchs, and non‐commercial fish in a shallow‐set Italian swordfish longline fishery.
2. Results were compared from 65 sets from six commercial fishing vessels totalling 50 800 hooks in which ringed and non‐ringed 16/0 circle hooks with a 10° offset were alternated along the length of the longline. In total, 464 individuals were caught in the 4 years of experiment, with swordfish (Xiphias gladius) comprising 83% of the total number of animals captured. Catch rates of targeted swordfish were significantly higher on ringed hooks (CPUE_{ringed hooks} = 8.465, CPUE_{non‐ringed hooks} = 6.654).
3. Results indicate that ringed circle hooks captured significantly more small‐sized swordfish than non‐ringed circle hooks (27.7% vs. 19.5%, respectively).
4. For species with sufficient sample sizes, the odds ratio (OR) of a capture was in favour of ringed hooks; significantly for swordfish (OR = 1.27 95%CI 1.04–1.57), and not significantly for bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) (OR = 1.50, 95%CI 0.68–3.42) nor for pelagic stingray (Pteroplatytrigon violacea) (OR = 1.13, 95%CI 0.54–2.36). All six loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) and three of the four blue sharks (Prionace glauca) were captured on ringed hooks, however, the small sample sizes prevented meaningful statistical analysis.
5. In summary, results from this study suggest that the addition of a ring to 16/0 circle hooks confers higher catchability for small‐sized commercial swordfish, and does not significantly reduce catch rate of bycatch species and protected species in a Mediterranean shallow pelagic longline fishery.
6. These findings should motivate fisheries managers to consider factors in addition to hook shape when aiming to promote sustainable fishing practices. The presence of a ring has the potential to negate some conservation benefits.

Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Recreational fisheries in Portofino Marine Protected Area,Italy: Some implications for the management

Since the 1970s, recreational fishing has become a mass hobby in Italy, reaching a large number of people, who, using modern equipment, increased their harvesting capacity, provoking serious conflicts with the professional fisheries. Recreational fishing is strictly regulated inside Italian Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and is generally allocated to local residents, mainly to reduce the tensions caused by limitations of access to the resources. The aim of this study was to provide an analysis of recreational fishing activities within the Portofino MPA (Mediterranean Sea), to assess the possible impact on the local fish stocks and to plan potential management actions. Furthermore, some serious inconsistencies on the minimum lengths of fish caught as defined by law relative to the minimum size of first reproduction are discussed. Since 2014, all anglers exploiting the Portofino MPA have been obliged to fill out a logbook. The compilation of these was not completely satisfactory, when compared with a group of reliable anglers whose catches were accurately monitored, but allowed for estimated yields of about 24 kg/angler/yr. After 15 years of protection, the fish biomass has increased within the Portofino MPA, generating a positive spillover effect. At the same time, it has attracted many anglers whose gross harvesting was estimated at about 8 t/year, representing about the 8% of the total yield of the local small‐scale fishery.     

The large‐scale stocking of young anadromous whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) and corresponding catches of returning spawners in the River Tornionjoki,northern Baltic Sea

Stocking and fishing effort are two important potentially conflicting factors in fish stock management that require appropriate assessment to ensure a sustainable fishery. In the River Tornionjoki, which discharges into the northern Baltic Sea, a summer‐ascending whitefish, Coregonus lavaretus L., stock has long been a target by traditional dipnet fishing. Enhancement stocking of young whitefish started in the River Tornionjoki in the 1970s after a collapse in catches, with millions of age‐0 whitefish stocked annually in the river, but after about three decades, the stocking rates were considerably reduced. As a result, dipnet catches of whitefish in the Kukkolankoski Rapids rose simultaneously, peaking in the 1980s and 1990s, and then subsequently decreased. There was a significant positive correlation between stocking intensity and catch, both in weight and in numbers, revealing a strong relationship between whitefish releases and dipnet catch. Changes in gillnet fishing effort in the sea affected dipnet catches in weight as well as in mean size of captured whitefish. When the combined effect of stocking and gillnet effort was evaluated, only stocking significantly affected dipnet catches.     

Does full protection count for the maintenance of β‐diversity patterns in marine communities? Evidence from Mediterranean fish assemblages

1. Although it is widely recognized that protection may enhance size, abundance, and diversity of fish, its effect on spatial heterogeneity of fish assemblages and species turnover is still poorly understood.
2. Here the effect of full protection within a Mediterranean marine protected area on β‐diversity patterns of fish assemblages along a depth gradient comparing a no‐take zone with multiple unprotected areas is explored. The no‐take zone showed significantly higher synecological parameters, higher β‐diversity among depths, and lower small‐scale heterogeneity of fish assemblages relative to unprotected areas.
3. Such patterns might likely depend on the high level of fishing pressure outside the no‐take zone, as also abundance‐biomass curves seemed to indicate. Results suggested that full protection could play a role in maintaining high β‐diversity, thus reducing the fragility of marine communities and ecosystems, and spatial heterogeneity may represent a reliable predictor of how management actions could provide insurance against undesirable phase shifts.