Modification of marine habitats by trawling activities: prognosis and solutions

Fishing affects the seabed habitat worldwide on the continental shelf. These impacts are patchily distributed according to the spatial and temporal variation in fishing effort that results from fishers' behaviour. As a consequence, the frequency and intensity of fishing disturbance varies among different habitat types. Different fishing methodologies vary in the degree to which they affect the seabed. Structurally complex habitats (e.g. seagrass meadows, biogenic reefs) and those that are relatively undisturbed by natural perturbations (e.g. deep‐water mud substrata) are more adversely affected by fishing than unconsolidated sediment habitats that occur in shallow coastal waters. These habitats also have the longest recovery trajectories in terms of the recolonization of the habitat by the associated fauna. Comparative studies of areas of the seabed that have experienced different levels of fishing activity demonstrate that chronic fishing disturbance leads to the removal of high‐biomass species that are composed mostly of emergent seabed organisms. Contrary to the belief of fishers that fishing enhances seabed production and generates food for target fish species, productivity is actually lowered as fishing intensity increases and high‐biomass species are removed from the benthic habitat. These organisms also increase the topographic complexity of the seabed which has been shown to provide shelter for juvenile fishes, reducing their vulnerability to predation. Conversely, scavengers and small‐bodied organisms, such as polychaete worms, dominate heavily fished areas. Major changes in habitat can lead to changes in the composition of the resident fish fauna. Fishing has indirect effects on habitat through the removal of predators that control bio‐engineering organisms such as algal‐grazing urchins. Fishing gear resuspend the upper layers of sedimentary seabed habitats and hence remobilize contaminants and fine particulate matter into the water column. The ecological significance of these fishing effects has not yet been determined but could have implications for eutrophication and biogeochemical cycling. Simulation results suggest that the effects of low levels of trawling disturbance will be similar to those of natural bioturbators. In contrast, high levels of trawling disturbance cause sediment systems to become unstable due to large carbon fluxes between oxic and anoxic carbon compartments. In low energy habitats, intensive trawling disturbance may destabilize benthic system chemical fluxes, which has the potential to propagate more widely through the marine ecosystem. Management regimes that aim to incorporate both fisheries and habitat conservation objectives can be achieved through the appropriate use of a number of approaches, including total and partial exclusion of towed bottom fishing gears, and seasonal and rotational closure techniques. However, the inappropriate use of closed areas may displace fishing activities into habitats that are more vulnerable to disturbance than those currently trawled by fishers. In many cases, the behaviour of fishers constrains the extent of the impact of their fishing activities. Management actions that force them to redistribute their effort may be more damaging in the longer term.     

Food web feedbacks drive the response of benthic macrofauna to bottom trawling

Bottom trawl fisheries have significant effects on benthic habitats and communities, and these effects have been studied intensively in the last decades. Most of these studies have related the changes in benthic community composition to direct effect of trawl gears on benthos, through imposed mortality. This line of argumentation ignores the fact that benthic organisms themselves form a complex food web and that bottom trawling may trigger secondary effects through this food web. We studied the potential consequences of such food web effects using a model of benthic predators, filter feeders, deposit feeders and fish. Our analysis shows how inclusion of ecological interactions complicates the relationship between bottom trawling intensity and the state of the benthic community and causes a non‐linear and non‐monotonic response of the benthic community to trawling. This shows that indirect food web effects can fundamentally alter the response of a benthic ecosystem to bottom trawling, compared to the direct effects of mortality. In light of our results, we argue that indicators of fishing impact on benthos need to account for positive as well as negative effects of bottom trawling, in order to accurately quantify the impact. Our findings highlight that understanding the food web ecology of the benthic ecosystem is crucial for understanding and predicting the effects of trawling on the seafloor. Work that promotes such understanding of the food web ecology seems a more productive research strategy than conducting ever more empirical trawling effect measurements.     

离底拖网的游泳动物群落特征——以兄弟岛渔场为例

为探究离底拖网对游泳动物的群落结构以及捕捞量的影响,于2019年9月和2020年9月在福建海域兄弟岛渔场开展了36网次的底拖网专项试验,通过调整曳纲长度控制底拖网作业过程中的网位变动,分别保持底拖网作业在贴底或离底1 m的状态,以物种组成、渔获量对数均值、优势度、多度谱、多样性等参数,分析和比较了贴底拖和离底拖的游泳动物群落结构变化。结果显示:贴底拖和离底拖游泳动物的种类数分别为126种和79种,贴底拖游泳动物的总尾数和总体质量均为离底拖的3倍,贴底拖的渔获量对数均值比离底拖要高0.36,表明贴底拖网的渔获物以栖息于底层的游泳动物为主;贴底拖的游泳动物多样性、均匀度和丰富度分别为2.81、0.65和10.01,均高于离底拖(2.29、0.60和8.13),经济幼鱼的比例更高,说明贴底拖会对游泳动物的多样性以及幼鱼造成更大的损害;离底拖游泳动物的优势度指数为0.41,高于贴底拖的0.29,其多度谱曲线更陡,说明近底层游泳动物群落优势种分布更集中、数量分布不均匀。研究结果可以为底拖网渔业的科学管理提供依据。     

Incidental catch of marine turtles by Spanish bottom trawlers in the western Mediterranean

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Operational oceanography applied to skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) habitat monitoring and fishing in south‐western Atlantic

Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) ranks third among marine resources that sustain global fisheries. This study delimits the spatiotemporal habitat of the species in the south‐western Atlantic Ocean, based on operational oceanography. We used generalized additive models (GAMs) and catch data from six pole‐and‐line fishing vessels operating during 2014 and 2015 fishing seasons to assess the effect of environmental variables on catch. We also analysed Modis sensor images of sea surface temperature (SST) and surface chlorophyll‐α concentration (SCC) to describe fishing ground characteristics in time and space. Catch was positively related to thermocline depth (24–45 m), SST (22–24.5°C), SCC (0.08–0.14 mg/m³) and salinity (34.9–35.8). Through SST images, we identified that thermal fronts were the main surface feature associated with a higher probability to find skipjack. Also, we state that skipjack fishery is tightly related to shelf break because bottom topography drives the position of fronts in this area. Ocean colour fronts and plankton enrichment were important proxies, accessible through SCC, used to delineate skipjack fishing grounds. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) was higher towards summer (median 14 t/fishing day) due to the oceanographic characteristics of the southern region. High productivity in this sector of the Brazilian coast defines the main skipjack feeding areas and, as a consequence, the greatest abundance and availability for fishing.     

Origins of the bottom trawling controversy in the British Isles: 19th century witness testimonies reveal evidence of early fishery declines

Bottom trawling (nets towed along the seabed) spread around the British Isles from the 1820s, yet the collection of national fisheries statistics did not begin until 1886. Consequently, analysis of the impacts of trawling on fish stocks and habitats during this early period is difficult, yet without this information, we risk underestimating the extent of changes that have occurred as a result of trawling activities. We examined witness testimonies recorded during two Royal Commissions of Enquiry (1863–66 and 1883–85). These enquiries interviewed hundreds of fishers about the early effects of sail trawling and the changes they were witnessing to fish stocks, habitats and fishing practises during this time. We converted all quantitative statements of perceived change in fish stocks and fishing practices to relative change. Witnesses from the north‐east of England interviewed during 1863 revealed an average perceived decline in whitefish of 64% during their careers, which many blamed upon trawling. Between 1867 and 1892, trawl‐landing records from the same location suggest that this trajectory continued, with fish availability declining by 66% during the period. Fishers adapted to these declines by increasing distances travelled to fishing grounds and increasing gear size and quantity. However, inshore declines continued and by the early 1880s even trawl owners were calling for closures of territorial waters to trawling in order to protect fish nursery and spawning grounds. Until now, these testimonies have been largely forgotten, yet they reveal that alterations to near‐shore habitats as a result of trawling began long before official data collection was initiated.     

Incidental capture and mortality of sea turtles in the industrial double‐rig‐bottom trawl fishery in south‐eastern Brazil

1. Incidental capture by fisheries is one of the principal threats to sea turtles. This study analysed spatial and temporal patterns of sea turtle bycatch, and estimated the direct initial mortality rate of these animals, in the industrial double‐rig‐bottom trawl fishery in south‐eastern Brazil. This is also the first attempt to relate bycatch/at‐sea mortality in bottom trawling to stranded turtles found along the adjacent coast.
2. The fishery was monitored from October 2015 to April 2018 through data collected voluntarily by the captains of eight industrial double‐rig trawlers. Two hundred and one sea turtles were captured during 9362 tows (43,657.52 trawling hours), resulting in a catch per unit effort (CPUE) of 0.0025 ± 0.0032 turtles h^?1 with a standard net of 30.5 m headrope, with no significant difference between the estimated CPUEs for licensed shrimp and demersal fish trawlers.
3. Caretta caretta (52.24%) and Lepidochelys olivacea (38.81%) were the most frequently captured species. According to Generalized Linear Models, C. caretta bycatch was significantly higher during winter, at lower latitudes (?24° to ?23°) and higher longitudes (?42° to ?40°), while the L. olivacea bycatch was significantly higher at higher latitudes (?23° to ?21°). The direct initial mortality rate of sea turtles in the shrimp trawlers was 7.65 ± 3.85%. However, none of the dead individuals subsequently released with plastic tags (n = 10) were found stranded on the coast. Mortality was not significantly related to the depth or duration of the trawling.
4. The results of this study suggest the need for improvements to the current management of the bottom trawl fishery in Brazil, moving from a species‐based to a spatial and seasonal‐based approach. There is also a need to develop turtle excluder devices adapted to local fishing conditions.

     

Trawl fishing impacts on the status of seabed fauna in diverse regions of the globe

Bottom trawl fishing is a controversial activity. It yields about a quarter of the world's wild seafood, but also has impacts on the marine environment. Recent advances have quantified and improved understanding of large‐scale impacts of trawling on the seabed. However, such information needs to be coupled with distributions of benthic invertebrates (benthos) to assess whether these populations are being sustained under current trawling regimes. This study collated data from 13 diverse regions of the globe spanning four continents. Within each region, we combined trawl intensity distributions and predicted abundance distributions of benthos groups with impact and recovery parameters for taxonomic classes in a risk assessment model to estimate benthos status. The exposure of 220 predicted benthos‐group distributions to trawling intensity (as swept area ratio) ranged between 0% and 210% (mean = 37%) of abundance. However, benthos status, an indicator of the depleted abundance under chronic trawling pressure as a proportion of untrawled state, ranged between 0.86 and 1 (mean = 0.99), with 78% of benthos groups > 0.95. Mean benthos status was lowest in regions of Europe and Africa, and for taxonomic classes Bivalvia and Gastropoda. Our results demonstrate that while spatial overlap studies can help infer general patterns of potential risk, actual risks cannot be evaluated without using an assessment model that incorporates trawl impact and recovery metrics. These quantitative outputs are essential for sustainability assessments, and together with reference points and thresholds, can help managers ensure use of the marine environment is sustainable under the ecosystem approach to management.     

Use of remote sensing tools to predict focal areas for sea turtle conservation in the south-western Atlantic

1. Fisheries bycatch of non-target species in the commercial fleet is a major source of anthropogenic injury and mortality for sea turtles and marine megafauna.
2. The Río de la Plata maritime front (RLPMF) and its adjacent international waters – comprising part of the Argentine and Uruguayan exclusive economic zones, is a highly important fishing ground in the south-western Atlantic Ocean as well as feeding and development grounds for sea turtles.
3. This paper analyses the distribution of the bottom and pelagic trawling fishery within the RLPMF using information from Vessel Satellite Monitoring System. With this information, areas of highest trawling intensity were defined and further evaluated their overlap with sea turtle habitat-use areas from available sea turtle satellite tracking information.
4. Results besides identifying high-susceptibility areas for sea turtle bycatch by the commercial trawler fleet along the RLPMF, provide predictive tools to identify vulnerable areas to interaction of sea turtles and the commercial fishing fleet.
5. Implementation of bycatch mitigation measures, such as reduced fishing effort areas by the Argentine and Uruguayan fisheries management agencies has the potential to benefit the fisheries as well as marine megafauna. Furthermore, there is a need for additional research on the impact that this fleet can have on sea turtles present in the area.

     

Essential fish habitats and hotspots of nekto‐benthic diversity and density in the western Mediterranean

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Multi‐decadal climate and fishing predictors of abundance for U.S. South Atlantic coastal fishes and invertebrates

Abundance of marine stocks fluctuates in response to both internal processes (e.g., density dependence) and exogenous drivers, including the physical environment, fishing, and trophodynamic interactions. In the United States, research investigating ecosystem drivers has been focused in data‐rich systems, primarily in the North Atlantic and North Pacific. To develop a more holistic understanding of important ecosystem drivers in the Southeast U.S. continental shelf Large Marine Ecosystem, we applied generalized linear and dynamic linear modeling to investigate the effects of climate and fishing covariates on the relative abundance trends of 71 demersal fish and invertebrate species sampled by a coastal trawl survey during 1990–2013. For the assemblage as a whole, fishing effects predominated over climate effects. In particular, changes in trawling effort within the penaeid shrimp fishery governed abundance trends of bony fishes, invertebrates, and elasmobranchs, a likely result of temporal changes in bycatch mortality. Changes in trawling intensity induced changes in overall community composition and appear to have altered trophic interactions among particular species. Among climate indices investigated, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the Western Bermuda High Index were most prevalent in well‐supported dynamic linear models. Observed annual abundance trends were synchronous among some taxonomically related species, highlighting similar responses to exogenous influences based on life history. This study strengthens the foundation for generating hypotheses and advancing ecosystem‐based fisheries research within the region.     

Indirect effects of bottom fishing on the productivity of marine fish

One quarter of marine fish production is caught with bottom trawls and dredges on continental shelves around the world. Towed bottom‐fishing gears typically kill 20–50 per cent of the benthic invertebrates in their path, depending on gear type, substrate and vulnerability of particular taxa. Particularly vulnerable are epifaunal species, which stabilize the sediment and provide habitat for benthic invertebrates. To identify the habitats, fisheries or target species most likely to be affected, we review evidence of the indirect effects of bottom fishing on fish production. Recent studies have found differences in the diets of certain species in relation to bottom fishing intensity, thereby linking demersal fish to their benthic habitats at spatial scales of ~10 km. Bottom fishing affects diet composition and prey quality rather than the amount of prey consumed; scavenging of discarded by‐catch makes only a small contribution to yearly food intake. Flatfish may benefit from light trawling levels on sandy seabeds, while higher‐intensity trawling on more vulnerable habitats has a negative effect. Models suggest that reduction in the carrying capacity of habitats by bottom fishing could lead to lower equilibrium yield and a lower level of fishing mortality to obtain maximum yield. Trawling effort is patchily distributed – small fractions of fishing grounds are heavily fished, while large fractions are lightly fished or unfished. This patchiness, coupled with the foraging behaviour of demersal fish, may mitigate the indirect effects of bottom fishing on fish productivity. Current research attempts to scale up these localized effects to the population level.     

公海深海底层渔业国际管理进展

以底拖网为代表的深海底层渔业对深海脆弱海洋生态系统的危害受到国际社会的热切关注。2003年以来联合国大会多次通过决议,呼吁各国各自并通过RFMO/As采取行动,根据预防性原则,采用基于生态系统的管理方法,评估深海底层渔业对脆弱海洋生态系统的影响,若评估表明确有重大不利影响,则应采取有效措施限制深海底层渔业以降低这种影响;FAO主要从技术角度制定了《公海深海渔业管理国际指南》,为管理公海深海渔业和保护脆弱海洋生态系统提出了技术标准和管理框架;RFMO承担着具体执行深海底层渔业管理措施和监督管理的责任,在北大西洋、地中海、南太平洋的公海和南极水域,相关RFMO已采取了暂停部分区域底拖网渔业活动、收集数据、评估底拖网对脆弱海洋生态系统的影响等措施,在北太平洋,新成立的北太平洋渔业管理委员会将公海底层渔业管理作为首要目标。环保非政府组织和部分科学家呼吁禁止公海深海底层渔业,但各国对此的立场尚不一致,产业界大多持反对立场。近期来看,尚难以全面禁止公海的深海底层渔业。中国正在发展公海大洋渔业,需对此密切关注,加强跟踪研究以支撑决策,并应发展和使用选择性渔具和对生态环境无害的作业方式,防止对脆弱海洋生态系统产生损害性影响。     

东海区拖网新伏季休渔渔业生态和资源增殖效果的分析

为了更好地养护和合理利用海洋渔业资源,中国政府于2009年开始实施新的伏季休渔制度,其中从6月1日~9月15日在东海区禁止拖网作业,较原3个月的伏季休渔期提前增加半个月。本研究依据2006~2008年每年6月上半月拖网监测资料,从渔业生态和资源增殖的角度,着重分析研究拖网在6月上半月这一时段休渔的渔业生态效果和资源增殖效果。结果表明,6月上半月禁止拖网作业,主要养护了带鱼、小黄鱼和日本鲭等资源群体,并在一定程度上保护了带鱼的产卵亲体繁殖,对带鱼资源数量的补充起到了增殖作用,同时在较大程度上养护了带鱼和日本鲭幼鱼的自然生长,起到了资源增重作用,但对分布在拖网渔场外的小黄鱼幼鱼保护作用甚微。应用R icher动态综合模型估算,以带鱼为代表种,提前增加半个月伏季休渔期其资源增殖效果较以往3个月伏季休渔期可使年平均资源量增加11.86%,渔获量增加8.06%,平均渔获体重增加9.33%。东海区以拖网占捕捞主导地位的伏季休渔时间的延长,可进一步改善繁殖群体栖息地生态环境。     

First attempts towards the restoration of gorgonian populations on the Mediterranean continental shelf

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Incidental catch of marine turtles by Italian trawlers and longliners in the central Mediterranean

• 1. The fishing effort and turtle catch of vessels harbouring at Lampedusa island and fishing in the wider central Mediterranean area was monitored using a voluntary logbook programme. Two large trawlers were monitored between 2003 and 2005 and six small vessels using trawl nets, pelagic longline or bottom longline were monitored in the summer 2005.
• 2. The observed turtle catch rates of pelagic longline and bottom trawl were among the highest recorded in the basin, and high catch rates by bottom longline were observed too. This suggests that the area contains major oceanic and neritic habitats for the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta in the Mediterranean Sea.
• 3. When fishing effort is considered, these results suggest a very high number of captures by Italian trawlers and longliners in the area, as well as by fleets from other countries. This is reason of concern for the conservation of the loggerhead turtle within the Mediterranean Sea.
• 4. Different fishing gear have different technical/operational characteristics affecting turtle catch and mortality and the present knowledge about associated parameters of these gear varies too.
• 5. All this considered, specific actions are recommended: (i) an awareness campaign to fishermen to reduce post‐release mortality, (ii) technical modifications to pelagic longline gear to reduce turtle catch, (iii) further investigation into turtle bycatch in all fishing gear, with priority given to bottom longline fishing and quantification of mortality caused by trawlers, (iv) assessment of the turtle populations affected by fishing activity in the area, and (v) international cooperation in undertaking threat assessments, and implementing regulations, management measures and monitoring.

Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electrotrawling: a promising alternative fishing technique warranting further exploration

In trawl fisheries, beam trawls with tickler chains, chain mats or bobbin ropes are used to target flatfish or shrimp. High fuel consumption, seabed disturbance and high discard rates are well‐known disadvantages of this fishing technique. These shortcomings are increasingly gaining international public and political attention, especially with the upcoming discard ban in Europe. The most promising alternative fishing technique meeting both the fisherman's aspirations, and the need for ecological progress is pulse fishing with electrotrawls. Here, the mechanical stimulation by tickler chains or bobbins is replaced by electrical stimulation resulting in reduced bottom contact, fuel costs and discards. Although a significant amount of research has been done on electrotrawls and their impact on marine organisms, most data were published in very diverse sources ranging from local non‐peer‐reviewed reports with a limited distribution to highly consulted international peer‐reviewed journals. Therefore, there is a clear need for a comprehensive yet concise and critical overview, covering and summarizing all these data and making these available for the scientific community. This article aims to meet the above goals by discussing the working principle of electric fields, the history of electrotrawls and their current application in the North Sea and impact on marine organisms. It is concluded by elaborating on the opportunities and challenges for the further implementation of this alternative fishing technique.     

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.

     

Environmental associations of shortfin squid Illex argentinus (Cephalopoda: Ommastrephidae) in the Northern Patagonian Shelf

We identified environmental associations (depth, bottom temperature and bottom salinity) of the shortfin squid Illex argentinus in the Northern Patagonian Shelf. Data are from 15 research bottom trawl surveys conducted in the Argentine–Uruguayan Common Fishing Zone (AUCFZ) between 1985 and 1998. Squid distribution in the surveyed area showed significant associations (p < 0.05) mostly with depth and bottom temperature. Bathymetric associations of squid detected in March–April, May–June and July–August cruises revealed a preference of squid for deep depths (80–280 m, intermediate and external shelf) and cool bottom temperatures (4–10 °C, subantarctic water) within the survey area. In contrast, the results observed during November–December cruises showed a preference of squid for shallower depths (70–90 m) and warmer bottom temperatures. The majority of two-way environmental analyses showed significant associations, suggesting the existence of a strong correlation between the environmental factors used in our analyses. The identification of significant associations between squid distribution and bottom temperature seem to be related to the presence of strong thermal gradients within the study area. This could be supporting the existence of an association between I. argentinus with the Brazil–Malvinas confluence front and also with the shelf break front.     

Distribution, abundance and biological interactions of the cutlassfish Trichiurus lepturus in the southern Brazil subtropical convergence ecosystem

The distribution, abundance and biological interactions of the cutlassfish Trichiurus lepturus in the southern Brazil subtropical convergence ecosystem were studied from demersal trawl surveys conducted along the continental shelf and upper slope from Cape Santa Marta Grande (28 °36′S) to Chui (34 °45′S) between 1981 and 1987. Trichiurus lepturus was more abundant at bottom water temperatures of over 16 °C and in the 40–120 m depth range. From late spring to fall, juveniles of 5–30 cm total length (TL) were found in coastal waters, subadults (TL 30–70 cm) mainly in inner shelf waters and adults (TL > 70 cm) in coastal, inner and outer shelf waters. Higher catches of subadults and adults were found associated with thermal fronts in the western boundary of the Subtropical Convergence or with a shelf break upwelling observed in summer. The standing stock in a 58 000 km² shelf area estimated by the swept area method, ranged from 3066 t (±46% CI) in September 1981 to 37814 t (±22% CI) in January 1982. Correlation between occurrences of different size groups of cutlassfishes and other fishes caught in 250 bottom trawl hauls was analyzed. A positive correlation between cutlassfish and juvenile weakfish, Cynoscion guatucupa, was associated with similar spatial distribution but also indicated trophic competition.