简单渔业生物经济动力学模型的稳定性分析

在一个简单渔业生物经济模型的基础上,研究了该模型在有效平衡点附近位置的局部稳定性。模型中考虑了资源生长和捕捞努力量随时间、资源量、价格等因素的变化,通过该非线性模型在平衡点附近的扰动方程,对其局部稳定性进行了分析,并给出了数值分析的结果。研究表明,模型在平衡点附近的局域是稳定的。该项工作对于分析渔业生物经济系统的特征,揭示模型中各因素之间的相互关系和指导渔业政策的制定等,有一定的借鉴意义。     

Could the obligation to land undersized individuals increase the black market for juveniles: evidence from the Mediterranean?

The latest Green Paper on the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) identified the high level of discards in Europe as one of the structural weaknesses of the current CFP. The new CFP introduces a discard ban in European waters, with an obligation to land all regulated species. The fishing management system in the Mediterranean is based on effort control and technical measures, and this is raising some particular concerns about the effective implementation of the discard ban. With the exception of bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus, Scombridae), there are no quotas in the Mediterranean and this regulation affects all regulated species with the minimum landing size. Under these circumstances, the discard ban may lead to an increase in the amount of juvenile fish caught, because such catches are not counted against a given quota, as is the case in the Atlantic fisheries, and thus, there is no incentive to avoid catching them. On the contrary, the obligation to land the juveniles that are now discarded and their subsequent fishmeal processing might even become commercially interesting. One possible consequence of the new regulation may be an increase in the illegal marketing of fish below the minimum size. The landing, storage and transportation of juveniles will all be legal, and this may simplify their commercialization via the black market. The discard ban and landing obligation should be accompanied by other measures to ensure their successful implementation, including the agreement of the fishing sector to comply with the rules and regulations.     

Weight-length relationships for selected fish species of the small-scale demersal fisheries of the south and south-west coast of Portugal

Weight-length relationships were estimated for 31 fish species from the south and south-west coasts of Portugal. These species, which are mainly sea breams (Sparidae), dominate the catches of the main fixed gears used in this region and account for more than 50% and 40% of the total fish landings by weight and by value.     

Catch length analysis, relation to minimum landing sizes and management implications from a Mediterranean small-scale fishery (Patraikos Gulf, Greece)

Fisheries management in the Mediterranean is planned on the basis of fishing effort allocation, gear technical characteristics and minimum landing sizes (MLSs), the latter being a measure recently updated in the EU Mediterranean fisheries policy. Very few elements on the evaluation of the MLS in regard to the catch and landings of the small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean exist and this is due to both the great heterogeneity of the sector and the lack of systematic monitoring. The catch length composition of five species (Merluccius merluccius, Diplodus annularis, Mullus barbatus, Sepia officinalis and Squilla mantis) from a yearly record of small-scale fishing operations in the Patraikos Gulf (w. Greece, e. Mediterranean) was associated with temporal (season), spatial (depth of fishing, substrate type) and fishery (métier) characteristics by means of general linear models. Smaller individuals appeared in the catch in autumn for all five species indicating this season as suitable if a seasonal fishery closure was established. When length was found to be significantly different between different métiers this was either due to smaller mesh sizes (M. barbatus) or due to gear type (M. merluccius). For all species except S. officinalis, depth significantly affected length of individuals in the catch providing in the case of M. merluccius a clear association of bigger individuals with deeper fishing grounds. Substrate types also affected the length for the species D. annularis, M. barbatus. In relation to MLSs, the sizes of Mullus surmuletus and Scomber japonicus were fully legal, M. merluccius, M. barbatus, Solea vulgaris, Trachurus mediterraneus, Pagellus erythrinus had higher than 80% of the catch over MLS, while D. annularis, Diplodus sargus, Sparus aurata and Pagellus acarne had high fractions of the total catch below MLS. The métiers where undersized individuals appear were identified. Further management implications of the findings are discussed taking into account the current management scheme and the discarding practices in the area.     

Rebuilding Mediterranean fisheries: a new paradigm for ecological sustainability

In Mediterranean European countries, 85% of the assessed stocks are currently overfished compared to a maximum sustainable yield reference value (MSY) while populations of many commercial species are characterized by truncated size‐ and age‐structures. Rebuilding the size‐ and age‐structure of exploited populations is a management objective that combines single species targets such as MSY with specific goals of the ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAF), preserving community size‐structure and the ecological role of different species. Here, we show that under the current fishing regime, stock productivity and fleet profitability are generally impaired by a combination of high fishing mortality and inadequate selectivity patterns. For most of the stocks analysed, a simple reduction in the current fishing mortality (F_cur) towards an MSY reference value (F_MSY), without any change in the fishing selectivity, will allow neither stock biomass nor fisheries yield and revenue to be maximized. On the contrary, management targets can be achieved only through a radical change in fisheries selectivity. Shifting the size of first capture towards the size at which fish cohorts achieve their maximum biomass, the so‐called optimal length, would produce on average between two and three times higher economic yields and much higher biomass at sea for the exploited stocks. Moreover, it would contribute to restore marine ecosystem structure and resilience to enhance ecosystem services such as reservoirs of biodiversity and functioning food webs.     

Effects of flood and drought events on multi‐species,multi‐method estuarine and coastal fisheries in eastern Australia

Abstract Multivariate patterns in commercial fisheries landings, effort and revenue from three adjacent estuarine and coastal systems were examined in eastern Australia between 9‐month periods of flood (September 2000–May 2001) and drought (September 2002–May 2003). Patterns in species landings, methods of fishing effort and revenue per species were significantly different between flood and drought. Spearman’s rank correlations between Bray–Curtis similarity matrices for landings, effort and revenue indicated that patterns in fisheries metrics represented a mixed signal of ecological response and fishers’ harvesting behaviour. Flood and drought events were associated with shifts in the species composition of landings that were reciprocated between estuarine and coastal systems. Estuarine migrant species (e.g. school prawn Metapenaeus macleayi Haswell) primarily contributed to landings during flood, whilst marine estuarine‐opportunist species (e.g. yellowfin bream Acanthopagrus australis Owen) primarily contributed to landings during drought. Flood and drought events redistributed fisheries resources between estuarine and coastal systems, modifying the bioeconomic productivity of commercial fisheries. Results indicated that flood and drought events influence commercial fisheries by modifying landings composition, fishers’ harvesting behaviour and revenue generation.     

Biomass removal by dolphins and fisheries in a Mediterranean Sea coastal area: do dolphins have an ecological impact on fisheries?

• 1. Dolphins are often claimed to compete with fisheries, including through removal of substantial biomass. To calculate the biomass removed by fisheries and the degree of resource overlap with dolphins in a coastal area of Greece, estimates of dolphin abundance based on photographic capture–recapture were combined with an assessment of fishing effort and catch.
• 2. The estimated total biomass consumed annually by local dolphin populations – 15 short‐beaked common dolphins and 42 common bottlenose dolphins – was 15.5 and 89.8 tonnes, respectively. The total biomass removed by the local fishing fleet (307 fishing boats) was 3469.2 tonnes, i.e. about 33 times greater than that removed by dolphins.
• 3. Dolphins removed 2.9% of the total biomass, fisheries 97.1%. Nine purse seiners (representing only 3% of the active fishing fleet) were responsible for 31.9% of biomass removal. Similarity of biomass composition between dolphins and fisheries was expressed by a Pianka index of 0.46 for common dolphins and 0.66 for bottlenose dolphins.
• 4. Overlap differed according to fishing gear. Common dolphin overlap was higher with purse seiners (0.82), and lower with beach seiners (0.31), bottom trawlers (0.11) and trammel boats (0.06). There was virtually no overlap with longliners (0.02). Bottlenose dolphin overlap was higher with trammel boats (0.89) and bottom trawlers (0.75), and lower with longliners (0.38), purse seiners (0.24) and beach seiners (0.18). There was minimal overlap (0.12) between the two dolphin species.
• 5. This study suggests that ecological interactions between dolphins and fisheries in this coastal area have minor effects on fisheries. Conversely, prey depletion resulting from overfishing can negatively affect dolphins. Fisheries management measures consistent with national and EU legislation are proposed to ensure sustainability and to protect marine biodiversity. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

     

A model to assess trade-offs between environmental impact and profitability of offshore salmon farms: A case study on Chile

ABSTRACT

In recent decades, aquaculture has emerged as a viable method to help supply the growing global demand for seafood; however, expansion of the industry comes with potential negative impacts. Regulatory decisions governing aspects like aquaculture farming practices and farm siting inherently lead to trade-offs between profitability and the health of the surrounding environment through impacts including pollution, disease, and disturbance from escaped fish. Efficiently and sustainably scaling up aquaculture will require the development of methods for explicitly examining the trade-offs among these impacts and socioeconomic objectives. We developed a model to assess these trade-offs and illustrate the approach with a case study of salmon aquaculture in southern Chile. In the case study we found evidence that all 21 farms with approved permits may be underperforming on both profitability and the protection of ecosystem health. Our model suggests that explicit evaluation of trade-offs can illuminate the potential for improvements on multiple outcomes simultaneously.     

Discarding practices in a Mediterranean small-scale fishing fleet (Patraikos Gulf, Greece)

Abstract  Discarding practices from 110 fishing operations in a Mediterranean small-scale fishing fleet (Patraikos Gulf, western Greece) from August 2004 to July 2005 were analysed. On average, 1 kg of fish was discarded per fishing operation (10% of the catch). The reasons for discarding were: low commercial value (78% of discards), damage at sea before retrieval of the gear (5%), and bad handling on-board (17%). More than half of discards belonged to Spicara flexuosa (L.), Lepidopus caudatus (Euphrasen), Sardinella aurita Valenciennes and Merluccius merluccius (L.). The bulk of discards of each species were associated with a single fishing method (metier). A Generalized Linear Model (Delta-X – error-model) indicated that, when discards were present, significant differences existed in the discard ratio among different métier groups (groups comprising métiers with similar characteristics). Longlines and trammel nets with small mesh-sizes had the highest discard ratios. Discarding practices for the species Diplodus annularis (L.), S. aurita , Squilla mantis (L.), S. flexuosa and Scorpaena scrofa (L.) did not follow a consistent pattern (these species were either fully discarded or fully retained during a fishing operation). The decision seemed to be dependent on market demands rather than fish size. Significant correlation was found between discarded and catch weight, but the presence of many outliers indicated deviance from a case where discards are high when there is an abundant catch. The findings of the study imply that monitoring and management should be carried out preferably on the métier level. Discards could be reduced by technical measures, controlling effort regulations and by improving working conditions on-board fishing vessels.     

Numerical modeling of chaotic behavior for small-scale movements of demersal fishes in coastal water

ABSTRACT:   The presented model involves the application of chaos theory to generate fish movements resulting from environmental stimuli. The model uses three steps within a model neural network such as input stimuli, central decision making and response output resulting in fish movements. The stimuli in the first step include the main abiotic and biotic factors, which could be quantified as an intensity parameter that was then normalized as a ratio between 0 and 1. The decision-making process can be generated using chaos dynamics with the stimuli parameters. The response of fish movements from the output signal representing movement speed and direction of fish can be re-regulated as main movement pattern depending on physiological state or life cycle by third response filtering. The simulation results seen as a movement pattern for sea bream and flounder using this neural chaotic model fitted very well to the observations of fish tracked in the sea by ultrasonic tracking methods. It was also revealed that the fish movement components generated as movement velocity and direction when in tidal flow had similar patterns to those patterns seen in field observations with similar irregular and chaotic variations with time.