Using Data-Limited Methods to Assess the Status of Bartail Flathead Platycephalus indicus Stocks in the Bohai and Yellow Seas

Lei Zheng,Yuanchao Wang,Shude Liu,Cui Liang,Weiwei Xian

doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.759465

Abstract

We applied Catch and Maximum Sustainable Yield (CMSY), Bayesian Schaefer model (BSM), and Abundance Maximum Sustainable Yield (AMSY) methods to estimate the status of Platycephalus indicus stocks in the Bohai and Yellow Seas, assessed model performance, and determined the impact of priors derived from expert knowledge on the performance of each model. Results showed that P. indicus stock in the Bohai Sea had collapsed, while that in the Yellow Sea stock was recovering. With the input of an expert prior derived from the length-based Bayesian biomass (LBB) estimation method, the CIs of each model narrowed, but the changes in biomass trajectory were not significant, and the estimates of B/BMSY were differed compared with model results using default rules. These three models can be used to evaluate data-limited stocks to reflect stock dynamics when reliable inputs are available. However, the ranges of priors, which are preferably obtained from other stock assessment tools, should be carefully established.

Highlights

Marine fisheries are important for the economy and wellbeing of coastal communities, because they provide food and livelihood security, and traditional cultural identity (FAO, 2005)
According to FAO statistics, world fishery yield experienced a period of rapid growth after World War II, and it has declined since the 1980s and nowadays can only maintain at around 100 million tons each year (FAO, 2020)
The increase of Chinese fishery production by one order of magnitude from 1950 to 2010 could be regarded as a success story (Srinivasan et al, 2012), but the cost is the depletion of its coastal marine fishery resources

Summary

Introduction

Marine fisheries are important for the economy and wellbeing of coastal communities, because they provide food and livelihood security, and traditional cultural identity (FAO, 2005). As the largest fishing country in the world, China accounts for about 15% of the total global fishery production and exceeds the total catch of the two ranking countries (FAO, 2020). The increase of Chinese fishery production by one order of magnitude from 1950 to 2010 could be regarded as a success story (Srinivasan et al, 2012), but the cost is the depletion of its coastal marine fishery resources. Comparatively less information about Chinese fishery status is available, due to the lack of data and experts, which precludes the possibility of fishery resources recovery. It is necessary to evaluate the status of the coastal fishery resources of China

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Results

Conclusion