Fecundity trends of Chinook salmon in the Pacific Northwest

Fecundity is an important demographic parameter that contributes to the productivity of anadromous fish stock dynamics. Yet, studies on fecundity patterns in Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) often only include a few years of data, limiting our ability to understand spatio-temporal trends. Here, we used data on 43 hatchery Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha, Salmonidae) populations in Washington State to evaluate whether average fecundity changed over the past three decades. We then used data from a subset of stocks (18) to evaluate the relationship between fecundity and body length. Our results revealed significant changes in fecundity across the 25-year study period with most stocks showing declines in fecundity over the past decade. Results further showed that Chinook salmon have decreased in length over this same period and that annual variation in mean length explains a majority (62%) of annual variation in mean fecundity. Specifically, we estimated that a 1-mm reduction in length results in 7.8 fewer eggs (95% CI = 6.6–8.9). Given that the majority of Pacific Northwest Chinook salmon in the environment and harvested in fisheries originate from hatchery releases and that nearby hatchery and wild populations generally have similar ocean distributions, these results likely reflect patterns for many populations not included. Combined, our results highlight the need to consider changes in body size and egg production when assessing the dynamics of anadromous fish populations and designing management or conservation plans, particularly for depressed populations.     

Warm oceans exacerbate Chinook salmon bycatch in the Pacific hake fishery driven by thermal and diel depth-use behaviours

Fisheries bycatch impacts marine species globally and understanding the underlying ecological and behavioural mechanisms could improve bycatch mitigation and forecasts in novel conditions. Oceans are rapidly warming causing shifts in marine species distributions with unknown, but likely, bycatch consequences. We examined whether thermal and diel depth-use behaviours influenced bycatch of a keystone species (Chinook salmon; Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Salmonidae) in the largest fishery on the US West Coast (Pacific hake; Merluccius productus, Merlucciidae) with annual consequences in a warming ocean. We used Generalized Additive Models with 20 years of data including 54,509 hauls from the at-sea hake fishery spanning Oregon and Washington coasts including genetic information for five salmon populations. Our results demonstrate that Chinook salmon bycatch rates increased in warm ocean years explained by salmon depth-use behaviours. Chinook salmon typically occupy shallower water column depths compared to hake. However, salmon moved deeper when sea surface temperatures (SSTs) were warm and at night, which increased overlap with hake and exacerbated bycatch rates. We show that night fishing reductions (a voluntary bycatch mitigation strategy) are effective in reducing salmon bycatch in cool SSTs by limiting fishing effort when diel vertical movements bring salmon deeper but becomes less effective in warm SSTs as salmon seek deeper thermal refugia during the day. Thermal and diel behaviours were more pronounced in southern compared with northern salmon populations. We provide mechanistic support that climate change may intensify Chinook salmon bycatch in the hake fishery and demonstrate how an inferential approach can inform bycatch management in a changing world.     

Infections by Renibacterium salmoninarum and Nanophyetus salmincola Chapin are associated with reduced growth of juvenile Chinook salmon,Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum), in the Northeast Pacific Ocean

We examined 1454 juvenile Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum), captured in nearshore waters off the coasts of Washington and Oregon (USA) from 1999 to 2004 for infection by Renibacterium salmoninarum, Nanophyetus salmincola Chapin and skin metacercariae. The prevalence and intensities for each of these infections were established for both yearling and subyearling Chinook salmon. Two metrics of salmon growth, weight residuals and plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor-1, were determined for salmon infected with these pathogens/parasites, both individually and in combination, with uninfected fish used for comparison. Yearling Chinook salmon infected with R. salmoninarum had significantly reduced weight residuals. Chinook salmon infected with skin metacercariae alone did not have significantly reduced growth metrics. Dual infections were not associated with significantly more severe effects on the growth metrics than single infections; the number of triple infections was very low and precluded statistical comparison. Overall, these data suggest that infections by these organisms can be associated with reduced juvenile Chinook salmon growth. Because growth in the first year at sea has been linked to survival for some stocks of Chinook salmon, the infections may therefore play a role in regulating these populations in the Northeast Pacific Ocean.     

Forecasting climate-induced changes in the survival of Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

Effective conservation and management of natural resources requires accurate predictions of ecosystem responses to future climate change, but environmental science has largely failed to produce these reliable forecasts. The future response of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) to a changing environment and continued anthropogenic disturbance is of particular interest to the public because of their high economic, social, and cultural value. While numerous retrospective analyses show a strong correlation between past changes in the ocean environment and salmon production within the north Pacific, these correlations rarely make good predictions. Using a Bayesian time-series model to make successive 1-yr-ahead forecasts, we predicted changes in the ocean survival of Snake River spring/summer chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) from indices of coastal ocean upwelling with a high degree of certainty (R² = 0.71). Furthermore, another form of the dynamic times-series model that used all of the available data indicated an even stronger coupling between smolt-to-adult survival and ocean upwelling in the spring and fall (R² = 0.96). This suggests that management policies directed at conserving this threatened stock of salmon need to explicitly address the important role of the ocean in driving future salmon survival.     

Modelling the impacts of environmental variation on habitat suitability for Pacific saury in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean

We developed habitat suitability index (HSI) models for two size classes of Pacific saury Cololabis saira in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. Environmental data, including sea surface temperature, sea surface height, salinity, and net primary production, and catch and effort data from Taiwanese distant‐water stick‐held dip net fisheries during the main fishing season (August–October) during 2002–2015 were used. Habitat preferences and suitable habitat area differed between size classes. The suitable habitat was located between 40–47.5°N and 145–165°E for large‐sized Pacific saury but encompassed a greater area (35–47°N and 140–165°E) for medium‐sized Pacific saury. Both size classes were affected by substantial interannual variation in the environmental variables, which in turn can be important in determining the potential fishing grounds. We found a significant negative relationship between the suitable habitat area and the Niño3.4 indices with a time‐lag of 6 months for the large‐sized (r = ?0.68) and medium‐sized (r = ?0.42) Pacific saury, respectively, as well as the total landings of Pacific saury by all fishing fleets (r = ?0.46). As remotely‐sensed environmental data become increasingly available, HSI models may prove useful for evaluation of possible changes in habitat suitability resulting from climate change or other environmental phenomena and in formulating scientific advice for management.     

Variation in wind and piscivorous predator fields affecting the survival of Atlantic salmon,Salmo salar,in the Gulf of Maine

Abstract Observations relevant to the North American stock complex of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., suggest that marine mortality is influenced by variation in predation pressure affecting post‐smolts during the first months at sea. This hypothesis was tested for Gulf of Maine (GOM) stocks by examining wind pseudostress and the distribution of piscivorous predator fields potentially affecting post‐smolts. Marine survival has declined over recent decades with a change in the direction of spring winds, which is likely extending the migration of post‐smolts by favouring routes using the western GOM. In addition to changes in spring wind patterns, higher spring sea surface temperatures have been associated with shifting distributions of a range of fish species. The abundance of several pelagic piscivores, which based on their feeding habits may predate on salmon post‐smolts, has increased in the areas that serve as migration corridors for post‐smolts. In particular, populations of silver hake, Merluccius bilinearis (Mitchell), red hake, Urophycis chuss (Walbaum), and spiny dogfish, Squalus acanthias L., increased in size in the portion of the GOM used by post‐smolts. Climate variation and shifting predator distributions in the GOM are consistent with the predator hypothesis of recruitment control suggested for the stock complex.     

Relative importance of habitat and fishing in influencing reef fish communities across seventeen Pacific Island Countries and Territories

Reef fish assessments were undertaken in 17 Pacific islands to describe the status of finfish resources in 63 villages where fishing is mainly artisanal. Surveys were performed by recording the number and size of edible fish species and benthic composition. Fishing impact was described through six proxies representing level of catch, alternative incomes, degree of commercial catch and country economic development derived from a simultaneous socioeconomic assessment. The relative importance of broadly defined habitat (geographical location, island and reef type, substrate composition) and fishing impact in controlling the distribution of fish trophic groups, families and species was measured through multivariate analysis. The extreme faunistic diversity was shown by the large variation in fish density (difference of up to an order of magnitude) and fish biomass (displaying a 20‐fold difference across the region). Herbivores were dominant in the eastern part of the region, at what we classified as complex islands and at islands with small lagoon and at coastal reefs, while carnivores were dominant at oceanic islands and atolls and at outer reefs. Specific habitat associations were shown for Scaridae, Acanthuridae, Siganidae, Balistidae, Lethrinidae, Lutjanidae and Serranidae. Relative importance and size decrease of several fish families (Mullidae, Scaridae, Lutjanidae and Serranidae) were related to high fishing impact. Acanthuridae and Lethrinidae appeared to have a role as opportunistic groups in impacted sites. The relative impact from fishing and habitat on fishes accounted for, respectively, 20 and 30% of variance, demonstrating the effect of human impacts even at such large scale and taking into account only limited fishing impact variables.     

西北太平洋公海秋刀鱼渔场浮游动物数量分布的初步研究

根据2005年7—10月在北太平洋E 150°~158°56′、N 42°34′~46°25′进行秋刀鱼资源探捕所获得的15个站点浮游动物样本资料,测得甲壳纲的桡足类、端足类、糠虾类、磷虾类,毛颚类、腔肠动物以及被囊动物等的代表种。其中桡足类占绝对优势,隶属于1目4科5属8种。浮游动物生物量4~699 mg/m3,均值168.6 mg/m3。根据浮游动物的种类、分布状况及优势种类的强弱,判断和分析黑潮暖流的强弱趋势,对确定秋刀鱼渔场的南北位置具有重要参考价值。     

Long-term variability in zooplankton biomass in the subarctic Pacific Ocean

Zooplankton collections from the subarctic Pacific were analyzed from two periods (1956–1962 and 1980–1989). In this report, we document: 1) a positive correlation between the intensity of winter winds and subsequent summer zooplankton biomass in the subarctic gyre within these periods; and 2) a doubling of zooplankton biomass and a similar increase in pelagic fish and squid abundance between these two periods of time. Some possible explanations for these changes are considered.     

东南太平洋智利竹筴鱼中层拖网捕捞技术

根据2001年7月至2002年8月我国渔船在东南太平洋的智利竹笑鱼(Trachurus murphyi)渔捞记录和现场收集的资料,对中层拖网捕捞技术进行了分析研究,结果表明：(1)中层拖网主要在夜间作业;捕捞水层主要集中在30～80m水深;网位与鱼群的相对位置可分为5种类型,即鱼群在网口的中间、上纲紧贴在鱼群的上部、下纲紧贴在鱼群的下部、鱼群在上纲的上部和鱼群在下纲的下部。(2)鱼群进网数量可根据网位仪映像加以判断。(3)网位(y)与曳纲长度(x)呈线性关系,其回归方程式为：y=0．4427x-36．604。(4)捕捞效率随拖网速度而增加。(5)较高捕捞效率的表层水温指标为11．5～13．5℃。根据研究结果还对我国今后在东南太平洋智利竹笑鱼捕捞技术改进提出合理化建议。     

东太平洋热带海域大青鲨繁殖生物学特征

人青鲨（Prionace glauca）是一种大型中上层鲨鱼,隶属于真鲨目、真鲨科、人青鲨属．广泛分布在全球热带和温带海域,最大全长可达到300cm,在南海和东海亦有记录。该鱼生活在海洋上层和沿岸海域。大青鲨是金枪鱼延绳钓渔业的重要兼捕对象,占兼捕猫鱼总渔获尾数的50％,是大西洋公海金枪鱼延绳钓兼捕渔获物中的优势鱼种,     

北太平洋公海秋刀鱼渔场初步分析

根据2004年7~11月“中远渔1号”调查船北太平洋公海秋刀鱼渔场探捕调查的生产情况,对秋刀鱼渔场进行分析。结果发现:①秋刀鱼渔场可根据渔场位置分为北部渔场和南部渔场,北部渔场范围为44°~45°N、156°~158°E,南部渔场范围为41°~42°N、150°~151°E,南部渔场的分布范围小于北部渔场。②秋刀鱼的生产以11月份生产最好,平均日产量达22.7t,其中最高日产量为60.42t;8月份的秋刀鱼生产最差,平均日产量为2.95t,与2003年的12.05t反差较大,主要是由于受到渔场环境因子变化的影响,鱼发位置偏至俄罗斯专属经济区内的缘故。③秋刀鱼舷提网作业平均日放网次数达7.6次,最高1天放网次数达到16次,而最高网次产量为11.05t。④秋刀鱼渔获组成以中小型鱼为主,占80%以上,除7月份渔获中特大型秋刀鱼占有较大比例外,其余月份很少有特大级秋刀鱼。⑤在相近的渔场位置,秋刀鱼个体随着生产月份的推迟,鱼体呈变小的趋势。     

北太平洋秋刀鱼生活史和资源渔场研究进展

北太平洋秋刀鱼(Cololabis saira)是中国重要的远洋渔业鱼种,被北太平洋渔业委员会列为优先管理的种类之一。本文回顾和概述了秋刀鱼生活史、种群动力、资源渔场和栖息地适宜性等方面的研究进展,分析和展望了秋刀鱼生长生物学、繁殖生物学、洄游、资源波动和栖息地适宜性等研究现状和未来的发展趋势。主要建议包括:基于耳石微化学信息和最适环境参数的时空分布变动,探索秋刀鱼潜在的洄游路径和模式;建立繁殖栖息地适应性指数模型,分析海洋气候对秋刀鱼补充群体潜在栖息地的影响;建立秋刀鱼集群栖息地适宜性指数模型,开发秋刀鱼渔场渔情速报系统。本文的概述和分析旨在为秋刀鱼渔业资源等相关研究提供参考。     

Plankton abundance and size structure in the northern North Pacific Ocean in early summer

Phyto- and zooplankton abundance and size structure were investigated in the northern North Pacific Ocean (37.0–49.5^oN along 180^o longitude) during June of 1987. The area between 41.5^oN and 47.5^oN was expected to be abundant in phytoplankton since both water column stability and nutrient availability were favourable for phytoplankton growth. Actual phytoplankton abundance was, however, low between 41.5^oN and 45.5^oN. In particular, abundance of net phytoplankton (>10μm) was low although picophytoplankton (<2 μm) was abundant between 41.5^oN and 43.5^oN. The zooplankton community between 41.5^oN and 45.5^oN was characterized by a large amount of net zooplankton and a small amount of microzooplankton. This situation may be best explained by top-down control; that is, net zooplankton grazing suppressed net phytoplankton and microzooplankton abundance. The diminished microzooplankton promoted the increase of picophytoplankton. Because planktivorous Pacific saury were abundant between 40.0^oN and 41.0^oN, it is further speculated that the low biomass of net zooplankton south of 41.0^oN resulted from feeding by Pacific saury. The reduced grazing pressure of net zooplankton may have enhanced the growth of net phytoplankton and microzooplankton in this region.     

Climate effects on size‐at‐age and growth rate of Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Fraser River,Canada

Decline in size‐at‐age of Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) has been observed for many populations across the entire Northeast Pacific Ocean, and identifying external drivers of this decline is important for sustainable management of these ecologically, economically, and culturally valuable resources. We assessed size‐at‐age of 96,939 Chinook Salmon sampled in the Fraser River watershed (Canada) from 1969 to 2017. A broad decline in size‐at‐age was confirmed across all population aggregates of Fraser River Chinook Salmon, in particular since year 2000. By developing a novel probability‐based approach to calculate age‐ and year‐specific growth rates for Fraser River Chinook Salmon and relating growth rates to environmental conditions in specific years through a machine learning method (boosted regression trees), we were able to disentangle multi‐year effects on size‐at‐age and thus identify environmental factors that were most related to the observed size‐at‐age of Chinook Salmon. Among 10 selected environmental variables, ocean salinity at Entrance Island in spring, the Aleutian Low Pressure Index and the North Pacific Current Bifurcation Index were consistently identified as important contributors for four of the seven age and population aggregate combinations. These top environmental contributors could be incorporated into future stock assessment and forecast models to improve Chinook Salmon fisheries management under climate change.     

东太平洋大青鲨年龄与生长的研究

根据2003年7~11月在东太平洋海域(03°~17°S、96°~146°W)金枪鱼延绳钓生产调查中兼捕获取的89 ind大青鲨样本,通过对大青鲨脊椎骨年轮的观察及其生物学特征数据的记录,研究了大青鲨的年龄与生长。结果表明,大青鲨的最大寿命为17.1龄;von Bertalanffy生长参数L∞=292 cm,K=0.16/yr,t0=-1.6yr;大青鲨的生长拐点年龄为5.3yr,拐点体重为55.8kg,拐点叉长为195 cm。     

中国中西太平洋金枪鱼围网渔业的可持续发展

1 中西太平洋金枪鱼资源及其开发现状 1995至2004年全球金枪鱼年产量约维持在4.0×10~6 t,其中65%来自太平洋,而中西太平洋金枪鱼年产量约1.2×10~6～1.3×10~6 t,占太平洋年总产量的46%～50%,因此中西太平洋是世界上最大的金枪鱼产区~([1-3]).     

西北太平洋鸢乌贼种群遗传结构

为检测西北太平洋鸢乌贼种群遗传结构,采用线粒体DNA细胞色素b基因(Cytb)序列分析方法对鸢乌贼东海群体、南海群体与菲律宾海群体进行遗传变异分析。结果显示,(1)所有群体总的单倍型多样度与核苷酸多样度分别为0.982±0.006、0.012±0.006;菲律宾海群体对应的遗传多样度均最高,分别为0.973±0.014、0.015±0.008;南海群体与东海群体的单倍型多样度分别为0.959±0.026、0.943±0.031,核苷酸多样度均为0.006±0.003。3个地理群体均具有较高的遗传多样性水平。(2)分子方差分析结果显示,34.6%的遗传变异来自于群体间,群体间遗传分化极显著。两两群体间Fst分析表明,西北太平洋鸢乌贼群体间均具有极显著的遗传分化。构建的单倍型邻接系统树和最小跨度树显示,西北太平洋鸢乌贼群体存在明显的系统发育谱系结构(谱系A、B、C),3个谱系单倍型类群间也存在极显著的遗传分化(Fst=0.735~0.805)。(3)中性检验和核苷酸不配对分析结果均表明,谱系B可能经历过近期群体扩张事件,发生群体扩张的时间在10.3~12.5万年前。综合分析认为,西北太平洋鸢乌贼的种群遗传结构模式及系统发育地理格局模式是由其栖息地海洋环境与更新世气候变化共同塑造的。建议在渔业管理上将3个地理群体划分为3个独立的管理单元。     

西北太平洋公海秋刀鱼夏季索饵场浮游动物的分布

根据2005年7-9月于西北太平洋公海秋刀鱼渔场所采集到的浮游动物的有关数据,对调查海域表层浮游动物的组成、数量和分布进行了研究。在30个站点所采集的浮游动物样品中,分别测得甲壳纲、矢足纲、原生动物、腔肠动物的25种代表种,其中以桡足类、箭虫类、端足类、糠虾类和磷虾类的平均丰度最高。浮游动物生物量分布不均匀,近专属经济区和 46º30´N以北各站点的生物量较高,站点平均值为430.06±251.18 mg/m^3,超过500 mg/m^3的站点共有11个。分别利用灰色关联和胃含物法对其与秋刀鱼渔场分布之间的关系进行了探讨。秋刀鱼的平均日产量为7.72±5.25t/d,日均网次产量为0.78±0.33t/net,都与桡足类、端足类、箭虫类的分布关系非常显著。秋刀鱼胃含物样本频数最高依次为桡足类、箭虫类、虾类、端足类、浮蚕类。在浮游动物中,桡足类和箭虫类占绝对优势,出现频率分别达到100%和93.3%,平均生物量为298.56mg/m^3和118.09 mg/m^3,其和占总生物量的高达96.88%,严重影响了总生物量的空间分布,分析认为与中心渔场分布的关系最为显著,因此可将其生物量大小作为确定秋刀鱼中心渔场的重要指标。     

Changes in albacore tuna habitat in the northeast Pacific Ocean under anthropogenic warming

Albacore tuna are widespread in the North Pacific Ocean and the basis of an important commercial fishery. These fish live mainly within a fairly narrow thermal niche range defined by sea surface temperature (SST) isotherms between 14 and 19°C. Because the fish's thermal range coincides with strong latitudinal temperature gradients off the northwest coast of North America, there is a great deal of seasonal and interannual variability in the distribution of these fish, and a significant potential for a new habitat in this region with anthropogenic climate change. We use historical catch and effort data from the Canadian troll fleet to define the fish's thermal niche, and document observed shifts in distribution associated with interannual climate variability. We then use an ensemble of climate model simulations from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project to estimate northward extension of the potential habitat under anthropogenic warming scenarios. A potential new habitat is about half a million square kilometres even under a moderate mitigation scenario. Estimates are smaller for some months of the year in which the fishery is conducted, but as well as opening up new regions, the length of season in which the fishery is active may be extended in the northern part of the range. However, much of the potential new habitat will be in oceanic waters with relatively low productivity. Our estimated area of potential habitat is based on the fish's thermal niche and assumes that other biologically important factors such as food will not be limiting.