Chapter 11 Oceanographic Influences on the Dynamics of Commercially Fished Populations

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of the increase in synoptic data and advances of the oceanographic processes in the coastal zone off Washington, Oregon, and Northern California to understand the dynamic behavior of exploited fished populations. It presents three examples from the Pacific Northwest: an anadromous fish, a benthic flatfish, and a benthic crustacean. Evaluation of the effect of oceanographic processes on the abundance of fish populations follows statistical analyses of long-term interannual variability or mechanistic analyses of mathematical models and field data. Effective integration of these approaches considers the appropriate temporal and spatial scales and ecological levels of organization. The statistical approach to the understanding of the effects of environment on exploited populations seeks statistical relationships between annual population data and environmental variables. It involves the use of correlation coefficients or linear regression to determine the degree of covariation between time series of annual measures of physical and population variables. The mechanistic approach identifies the actual causal mechanism through which the environment influences a fished population.