Population changes in rattail species on the Chatham Rise

<p>The aim of this project was to conduct a stock assessment to determine the population dynamic characteristics of rattail species taken as bycatch in the hoki, hake and ling fishery on the Chatham Rise. No quantitative assessment of the current size of rattail populations , and how these may have changed over time, has been carried out before. There is interest in the need to quantify the impact of commercial fishing on the rattail populations, as rattails (Macrouridae family) are considered to be an ecologically important species complex in the deep ocean, and there may be the potential for the development of a commercial fishery based on their value as processed fishmeal. The minimum data required for a stock assessment are an abundance index and a catch history. Abundance indices are available for over 20 species of rattail produced from scientific surveys conducted annually on the Chatham Rise since 1992. Catch histories for individual rattail species in the same area are not available. A method was developed to reconstruct commercial catches of rattails from commercial effort data and survey catch and effort data. A surplus production model was fitted to the reconstructed catch data and survey abundance indices, using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods to estimate model parameters and uncertainty. A surplus production model has two components: an observation model for abundance indices and a process model for population dynamics. Maximum likelihood estimation was applied to a model that specified errors for the observations only, and this produced estimates that had wide confidence intervals. A Bayesian approach was then taken to fit a statespace version of the model that incorporates errors associated with the observation and process models. While the Bayesian method produced more plausible parameter estimates (in comparison to the maximum likelihood method) and parameter uncertainty was reduced, our analysis indicated the posterior estimates were highly sensitive to the specification of different priors. There may be several reasons for these results, including: the small number of observations, lack of contrast in the data and mis-specification of the model. Meaningful estimates of the absolute size of rattail populations are not possible with these results, where estimates can vary by orders of magnitude depending on prior specification. This implies that more work needs to be done to develop more effective methods that can be used to help inform decisions regarding the management of these fish populations. Improving data collection, investigating informative priors and extending/respecifying the model are considered worthwhile avenues of future work to improve stock assessments of rattails.</p>

Population changes in rattail species on the Chatham Rise

<p>The aim of this project was to conduct a stock assessment to determine the population dynamic characteristics of rattail species taken as bycatch in the hoki, hake and ling fishery on the Chatham Rise. No quantitative assessment of the current size of rattail populations , and how these may have changed over time, has been carried out before. There is interest in the need to quantify the impact of commercial fishing on the rattail populations, as rattails (Macrouridae family) are considered to be an ecologically important species complex in the deep ocean, and there may be the potential for the development of a commercial fishery based on their value as processed fishmeal. The minimum data required for a stock assessment are an abundance index and a catch history. Abundance indices are available for over 20 species of rattail produced from scientific surveys conducted annually on the Chatham Rise since 1992. Catch histories for individual rattail species in the same area are not available. A method was developed to reconstruct commercial catches of rattails from commercial effort data and survey catch and effort data. A surplus production model was fitted to the reconstructed catch data and survey abundance indices, using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods to estimate model parameters and uncertainty. A surplus production model has two components: an observation model for abundance indices and a process model for population dynamics. Maximum likelihood estimation was applied to a model that specified errors for the observations only, and this produced estimates that had wide confidence intervals. A Bayesian approach was then taken to fit a statespace version of the model that incorporates errors associated with the observation and process models. While the Bayesian method produced more plausible parameter estimates (in comparison to the maximum likelihood method) and parameter uncertainty was reduced, our analysis indicated the posterior estimates were highly sensitive to the specification of different priors. There may be several reasons for these results, including: the small number of observations, lack of contrast in the data and mis-specification of the model. Meaningful estimates of the absolute size of rattail populations are not possible with these results, where estimates can vary by orders of magnitude depending on prior specification. This implies that more work needs to be done to develop more effective methods that can be used to help inform decisions regarding the management of these fish populations. Improving data collection, investigating informative priors and extending/respecifying the model are considered worthwhile avenues of future work to improve stock assessments of rattails.</p>

Penentuan Status Pemanfaatan Ikan Teri (Stolephorus sp) di Perairan Selat Lalang Kecamatan Sungai Apit Kabupaten Siak Provinsi Riau

The anchovies (stolephorus sp) need to be well managed, for although they are open access resources if not properly managed, fisheries resources are poorly maintained and sustainable. One approach to managing fish resources is with a production surplus model. As for the data method used is a secondary data analysis method, which USES a production surplus model. Analysis was done to acquire the best production model that could provide information on the extent of use and the completion of anchovies. Data from catch and catch fish were obtained from the registry service of siak district fisheries and livestock. Analysis suggests that the best surplus production model, which is used to assess the potential for anchovies, is the walter-hilborn model. The level of utilization for 2020 is 70 percent, with a 41% reduction rate. It shows that, anchovies in the lalang strait in the state of moderately expoited.

Application of Surplus Production Model to the Yellowfin Tuna Thunnus albacares in the northern and western parts of Aceh waters

Yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares is one of pelagic fish that has high potential and economic value in Banda Aceh. Utilization of this resource in Banda Aceh is using purse seine units, with the number of purse seines continuously increasing. Therefore, management needs to be done so that optimal productivity can be maintained. This study discusses the estimation of catch and effort at maximum sustainable yield (MSY) of yellowfin tuna based on catch per unit effort (CPUE) and purse seine production in Banda Aceh during 2013-2018. Mathematical analysis was carried out using the equilibrium approach with the Schaefer model. The highest catch of yellowfin tuna reached 191 tons (July) and the average CPUE for yellowfin tuna was 0.796 tons/trip with CMSY of 2,482 tons/year and EMSY of 2,765 trips/year. From 2015 to 2018, the trend of biomass continued to decline and overfishing occurred during this period.

Maximum Sustainable Yield for the Passur river fishery of Bangladesh by using Surplus-production model

Maximum sustainable yield (MSY), fishing effort (fmsy) and total allowable catch (TAC) of major fishery in the Passur River, Bangladesh were estimated using surplus production model (Schaefer and Fox model) with observation-error estimator based on four years (2011-2014) catch and effort data. Fox model was especially highlighted in this study; the estimated value of MSY was 4.61 kg with corresponding fmsy of 13.51 units (200m2SBN/day). Moreover, the mean value of MSY and TAC with 95% confidence interval in stochastic method was 4.53 kg and 4.08 kg respectively with the 13.22 units of fishing effort (fmsy). The overall results provide clear evidence that the fishery of the Passur River is being overexploited in the months from December to March. Sustainable exploitation of this stock can be assured through reducing present fishing effort. In addition, TAC might be incorporated along with several existing fisheries management measures to ensure the compensation of this stock towards long term sustainability. Bangladesh J. Zool. 48(2): 301-312, 2020

Balancing Model Complexity, Data Requirements, and Management Objectives in Developing Ecological Reference Points for Atlantic Menhaden

Atlantic menhaden is an important forage fish and the target of the largest fishery along the US East Coast by volume. Since 1999, managers at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, stakeholders, and scientists have been interested in developing ecological reference points (ERPs) that account for menhaden’s role as a forage species. To accomplish this, we developed a suite of modeling approaches that incorporated predation on menhaden and changes in productivity over time and allowed for evaluation of trade-offs between menhaden harvest and ecosystem management objectives. These approaches ranged in complexity, from models with minimal data requirements and few assumptions to approaches with extensive data needs and detailed assumptions. This included a surplus production model with a time-varying intrinsic growth rate, a Steele-Henderson surplus production model, a multispecies statistical catch-at-age model, an Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) model with a limited predator and prey field, and a full EwE model. We evaluated how each model could address managers’ objectives and compared outputs across the approaches, highlighting their strengths, weaknesses, and management utility. All models produced estimates of age-1 + biomass and exploitation rate that were similar in trend and magnitude to the single-species statistical catch-at-age model, especially in recent years. While the less complex models were relativity easy to implement and update, they lacked key elements needed to manage multiple species simultaneously. More complex models required a wider array of data and were more difficult to update within the current management time-frames, but produced a more useful framework for managers. Ultimately, an EwE model of intermediate complexity coupled with the existing single-species assessment model was recommended for use in management.

Comparative performance of data-poor CMSY and data-moderate SPiCT stock assessment methods when applied to data-rich, real-world stocks

All fish stocks should be managed sustainably, yet for the majority of stocks, data are often limited and different stock assessment methods are required. Two popular and widely used methods are Catch-MSY (CMSY) and Surplus Production Model in Continuous Time (SPiCT). We apply these methods to 17 data-rich stocks and compare the status estimates to the accepted International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) age-based assessments. Comparison statistics and receiver operator analysis showed that both methods often differed considerably from the ICES assessment, with CMSY showing a tendency to overestimate relative fishing mortality and underestimate relative stock biomass, whilst SPiCT showed the opposite. CMSY assessments were poor when the default depletion prior ranges differed from the ICES assessments, particularly towards the end of the time series, where some stocks showed signs of recovery. SPiCT assessments showed better correlation with the ICES assessment but often failed to correctly estimate the scale of either F/FMSY of B/BMSY, with the indices lacking the contrast to be informative about catchability and either the intrinsic growth rate or carrying capacity. Results highlight the importance of understanding model tendencies relative to data-rich approaches and warrant caution when adopting these models.

Fishery and estimation of Potential yield for Bombayduck Harpodon nehereus along Gujarat coast, India

Bombayduck Harpadon nehereus (Hamilton, 1822) is one of the key fishery resources landed along the Indian coast with uniqueness in distribution and exploitation. The resource is known for discontinuous distribution, majorly along the north-west and north-east coasts of India. Gujarat is the lead state to contribute nearly 64.72% (72,949 t) to the total national landings of the resource (11,2705 t) in 2018. Dolnet gear contributes nearly 95% of the total landings of the resource in the region. The landings and the corresponding catch per unit effort (CPUE) showed a fluctuating trend over the study period of 1994-2014. The catches fluctuated between 35,235 t (2016) and 92,188 t (2004), whereas the CPUE oscillated in the range of 15 to 20 kg h-1 (1998) and 30.76 kg h-1 (2003). The period of 1994-2000 was the most productive period with an average catch of 72,133 t, whereas the succeeding decade was the leanest phase with an average annual catch of 50,035 t. The estimated potential yield (= maximum sustainable yield, MSY) was estimated at 73,700 t and 70,108 t using the Bayesian surplus production model (CMSY & BSM) and basic Schaefer surplus production model respectively. The present catch and exploitation levels were found to be close to the optimum level and a further increase in effort for the resource is not recommended.