Fishery Performance Research Articles

Comparison of Lake and River Fishery Performance between Two Strains of Steelhead in Eastern Lake Michigan

AbstractManagement of fish species for which alternative genetic strains can be considered should be informed by indicators of strain‐specific fishery performance. We compared how two strains of steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss supported indices of angler satisfaction (catch rate and size) and motivation (effort) in the Lake Michigan basin. We assessed 10 years of recreational angling data collected for the Little Manistee River steelhead strain (LMR‐STS) and Skamania steelhead strain (SKA‐STS), which were tagged and stocked as paired groups in the St. Joseph and Manistee rivers. The LMR‐STS were stocked to enhance fall/winter and spring river fisheries, and SKA‐STS were stocked to create river/inshore summer fisheries; both were also intended to contribute to the recreational fishery of Lake Michigan. Summer angler effort exceeded spring effort on the St. Joseph River, whereas spring effort exceeded summer effort on the Manistee River. In spring river fisheries, catch rates of LMR‐STS were higher than those of SKA‐STS. In summer fisheries on the Manistee River, catch rates of SKA‐STS exceeded those of LMR‐STS. In summer on the St. Joseph River, catch rates of LMR‐STS and SKA‐STS were equivalent. In spring/summer, steelhead of either strain stocked in the St. Joseph River were caught equally among eight of nine ports surveyed. The CPUE of Manistee River‐stocked SKA‐STS was higher than that of LMR‐STS in the Lake Michigan fishery. Catch statistics in both rivers and in Lake Michigan indicate that the two strains provide similar opportunities for trophy‐sized steelhead. Our findings suggest that LMR‐STS are favored for the St. Joseph River fishery and may represent a better total return on investment in the Lake Michigan basin.

Three pillars of sustainability in fisheries

Sustainability of global fisheries is a growing concern. The United Nations has identified three pillars of sustainability: economic development, social development, and environmental protection. The fisheries literature suggests that there are two key trade-offs among these pillars of sustainability. First, poor ecological health of a fishery reduces economic profits for fishers, and second, economic profitability of individual fishers undermines the social objectives of fishing communities. Although recent research has shown that management can reconcile ecological and economic objectives, there are lingering concerns about achieving positive social outcomes. We examined trade-offs among the three pillars of sustainability by analyzing the Fishery Performance Indicators, a unique dataset that scores 121 distinct fishery systems worldwide on 68 metrics categorized by social, economic, or ecological outcomes. For each of the 121 fishery systems, we averaged the outcome measures to create overall scores for economic, ecological, and social performance. We analyzed the scores and found that they were positively associated in the full sample. We divided the data into subsamples that correspond to fisheries management systems with three categories of access-open access, access rights, and harvest rights-and performed a similar analysis. Our results show that economic, social, and ecological objectives are at worst independent and are mutually reinforcing in both types of managed fisheries. The implication is that rights-based management systems should not be rejected on the basis of potentially negative social outcomes; instead, social considerations should be addressed in the design of these systems.

Reducing bycatch through a risk pool: A case study of the U.S. West Coast groundfish fishery

Voluntary collective agreements among fishermen can improve the environmental and economic performance of a fishery, particularly when local leadership, strong incentives, catch accountability, and operational support are in place. Rights-based fisheries, such as Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) systems, incentivize fishermen to act collectively to reduce fishing impacts, enhance stock health, and improve economic outcomes. However, developing cooperatives requires durable contracts, operational capacity, funding, and the ability to track, monitor, and enforce agreed-upon catches and fishing practices. This project focuses on the U.S. West Coast groundfish trawl IFQ fishery, and how the formation of a voluntary collective agreement, in the form of a bycatch risk pool (California Groundfish Collective), achieved improved fishery performance and other ancillary benefits. Up-front investment in the risk pool by a conservation non-governmental organization (NGO) provided both capacity and quota to cover transaction costs and incentivize transition to a cooperative model that was implemented across 5 ports and more than 48,000 km2 of fishing grounds off California. The challenges encountered in developing and operating the risk pool offer insights into designing and implementing voluntary collective agreements. By using spatial fishing plans and technology for collecting and sharing catch information, risk pool members reduced bycatch of overfished species relative to the fleet at large. Risk pool members were also able to use their spatial fishing data to inform a seafood sustainability rating and propose areas for Essential Fish Habitat protection, their quota pounds to support collaborative research on overfished species, and their collective membership to advocate for policy.

A mixed method approach to understanding the graying of Maine's lobster fleet

The American lobster, Homarus americanus H. Milne-Edwards, 1837, fishery is the most valuable commercial fishery in the state of Maine (United States), and contributes more than US$666 million to the global market. Although lobster landings are at a historically high level, scientists have identified a myriad of threats that raise concern about the future of this iconic fishery. Numerous literature focuses on the ecological threats to the American lobster fishery, but the changing demographics of lobstermen is understudied. The graying of the fleet has significant implications for the social resilience of the fishery as it can reduce human capital necessary for responding to social and ecological change. An analysis of license data revealed that the average age of lobstermen in this fishery is increasing and fewer young lobstermen are entering the fishery, a pattern that is consistent with the graying of the fleet seen elsewhere. Oral history interviews further reveal insight into drivers contributing to the graying of the fleet. They can also help aid in the resilience of the fishery by protecting the social memory needed for adaptive behavior. Limited entry, escalating costs of entry, and norms that limit exit all contribute to graying of the fleet in this fishery. Further research is needed to better understand potential impacts that graying on the fleet may have on lobstermen behavior and adaptive strategies, and how this may impact fishery performance and resilience.

BÀN VỀ ĐIỀU TRA NGHỀ CÁ THƯƠNG PHẨM Ở BIỂN VIỆT NAM

In fish stock assessment, two approaches have been used to collect data: Fisheries independent survey and fisheries survey. Fisheries independent survey provides scientific information on species composition, catch rate, density, distribution, standing stock biomass and biological information of certain species while fisheries survey supplies primary data for a wide variety of statistical analysis of fisheries performance. In Vietnam, fisheries survey was first developed by project “Assessment of the Living Marine Resources in Vietnam” with the support of DANIA since 1998 as the pilot study in 11 coastal provinces with the purpose of establishing the fisheries statistical system in Vietnam. After the pilot stage, it has been extended to all of 28 coastal provinces and worked effectively since 2000. In 2006, when the project ended, the fisheries statistical system collapsed due to no finance support to continue. Since July 2014, the fisheries data collection network has been recovered with the collaboration of Directorate of Fisheries, Research Institute for Marine Fisheries and Provincial Departments of Capture Fisheries and Marine Resources Protection. The survey design was the logbook base with applying the sampling in space and in time method. This is an overview of the capture fisheries survey in Vietnam with its limitations and challenges.

Comparison of economic analysis with financial analysis of fisheries: Application of the perpetual inventory method to the Finnish fishing fleet

The economic performance of fisheries can be assessed in two ways, which are different by definition: economic or financial analysis. The main difference arises from the distinct treatment of capital costs. Financial analysis is based on explicit costs paid by enterprises, whereas in economic analysis, costs are based on the opportunity costs of production factors. In economic analysis, resource rent is the main interest, not the actual profit from financial statements, and the capital cost relates to the capital employed in the fisheries. To determine the depreciation and opportunity costs, one needs to measure the capital value of the fleet. This paper focuses on the application of the perpetual inventory method (PIM) to the Finnish fishing fleet. The results from economic analysis are compared with those from financial analysis in terms of profitability, and the implications of the PIM estimation for the balance indicators are analysed. It is demonstrated that although the active part of a fleet segment can be creating significant resource rent the segment as a whole may be considered imbalanced. A fleet segment with old vessels may be showing a positive result in financial statements meanwhile the long term economic analysis indicates losses when accounting for the opportunity cost of the capital invested.

The use of spatial management tools in rights‐based groundfish fisheries

AbstractThe role of spatial management, including marine protected areas, in achieving fisheries outcomes alongside conservation goals is debated. In fisheries that fail to meet fishing mortality targets, closed areas are sometimes implemented to reduce fishing mortality. However, fisheries with stronger management, including rights‐based approaches that can address overcapacity and overfishing problems, often employ spatial management as well. Here, we compare the objectives, design, and performance of spatial management in nine temperate demersal fisheries in North America, Oceania, Europe, and Africa that employ rights‐based systems. Common objectives of spatial management included protecting habitat, juveniles, and spawners and reducing discards. Recovering age structure and creating scientific reference sites were less common objectives, despite being widely cited benefits of spatial management. Some fisheries adopted single closures to achieve single objectives, whereas others adopted diverse networks to achieve multiple objectives. Importantly, many spatial protections are implemented primarily through industry initiatives. Environmental change compromised the efficacy of spatial management in some cases, suggesting the need to design spatial management systems that are robust to changing ocean conditions. Fisheries with diverse and extensive spatial management systems have generally healthier fish stocks. Whether this implies that spatial management contributed substantially to fishery performance is unclear due to an absence of large‐scale, long‐term studies aimed at discerning different drivers of success. Although these targeted monitoring studies of closed areas are limited, such studies are necessary to help resolve the ongoing debate and to enable more purposeful design of spatial management for fisheries and conservation.

The digital frontiers of fisheries governance: fish attraction devices, drones and satellites

ABSTRACTHigh seas fisheries remain one of the least transparent global production practices. Distance from shore, coupled with the highly mobile nature of fish stocks, has put attention on new monitoring, control and surveillance technologies to collect spatially referenced data on the location of fishing vessels, gears and even fish stocks and eradicate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activity. Faced with their nascent implementation, research is yet to address how these technologies are reconfiguring the roles and responsibilities of public and private actors involved in fisheries management, including who collects and controls fisheries related information. In this paper, we compare three monitoring, control and surveillance technologies that are gaining traction in fisheries; the use of private fish attraction devices in oceanic tuna fisheries, unmanned public drones for marine surveillance and global satellite monitoring of fishing vessels. In doing so, we question how different configurations of actors are structuring flows of information and with what effect on sustainability performance of high seas fisheries. We also explore how these technologies configure new (and imagined) geographies of high seas fisheries which challenge existing modes of fisheries management.

Ecosystem approach to fisheries in southern Lake Malawi: Status of the fisheries co-management

The decline of the valuable Chambo (Oreochromis species) in the southern part of Lake Malawi, where an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries is being applied, is a major economic and ecological concern. Annual Chambo fish harvests have continued to show a downward trend especially for the past two decades thereby adversely affecting the livelihoods of many fishers, processors and traders along the value chain. As part of the institutional agenda within the ecosystem approach to fisheries, a key question remains on the status of the fisheries co-management, which was introduced in the area in the mid 1990s. This article applies a fishery performance indicator framework to assess the fisheries co-management in the study area as baseline information for the development of the ecosystem approach to fisheries. The assessment is based on an expert analysis by the author and a review of previous study reports on the fisheries co-management as a governance reform. Results show weak fisheries governance with the existence of several challenges and threats that continue to impact on the ecosystem status like continued use of illegal fishing practices, climate change and unlimited entry. To improve fisheries co-management, the fishing by-laws that were formulated in 2007 need to be approved by Mangochi district authorities within the on-going decentralization process.

Performance of rumpon-based tuna fishery in the Fishing Port of Sendangbiru, Malang, Indonesia

Catch records on FADs-based tuna fishery (hand-line) in the southern of East Java was conducted in fishing base of Sendangbiru, from February 2016 to May 2017. Total 45 rumpon (FADs) were found within space area of 64,081 square nautical miles, with average between FADs distant of 25 nautical miles. All FADs were located outside Fisheries Management Areas, except one FAD of code 31. Hand-line fishery was designed for a maximum fishing trip of 14 days. Total catch biomass mainly determined fishing trip. When catch exceeded 1,000 kg, fishermen tend to turn back although with < 10 days fishing trip. Yellowfin tuna and skipjacks were two main species that formed total catch with average catch biomass varied amongst 425–1,360 kg trip-1. Apart from baby-tuna, yellowfin tuna and albacore within catch were at size class higher than its first maturity stage. However, length-class of skipjack indicated that it still in immature stage. Despite of FAD license, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries neither informed nor aware the position of these FADs.

Chinese market prices of beche-de-mer: Implications for fisheries and aquaculture

Market prices of seafood underpin harvest and management strategies for fisheries and aquaculture. Beche-de-mer (processed, dried sea cucumbers) are highly valued in Asian markets. Market prices of Pacific Island beche-de-mer were previously reported from data collected in 2011. Recent economic slowdown in China and government austerity policy have dampened demand for certain luxury seafood products. This study presents updated data on prices, and relationships with product size, of beche-de-mer from 24 species of Indo-Pacific sea cucumbers sold in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China. Average retail prices were highest in Hong Kong. Prices per individual increased exponentially with increasing beche-de-mer length for three high-value species, Holothuria fuscogilva (white teatfish), H. lessoni (golden sandfish) and H. scabra (sandfish). However, for seven other species, price per unit weight did not relate significantly to product length. Across 20 species, average prices increased by an average of 16.6% from 2011 to 2016, equating to an increase of 2.4% p.a., slightly exceeding China’s average CPI increase over the same period (2.1% p.a.). Products that were traditionally lower value appear more accepted in the marketplace. The analysed relationships offer rationale for large minimum legal size limits to improve the economic performance of fisheries for the high-value species H. fuscogilva, H. lessoni and H. scabra. The disproportionately high prices for larger specimens of these species also challenge a rethink of optimal harvest strategies for aquaculture operations. Lastly, the findings provide evidence of increasing demand and retail prices for these luxury seafood products in an ambiguous market climate.

Bioeconomic modelling of grey seal predation impacts on the West of Scotland demersal fisheries

Abstract The role grey seals have played in the performance of fisheries is controversial and a cause of much debate between fishers and conservationists. Most studies focus on the effects of seal damage to gears or fish and on prey population abundance but little attention is given to the consequences of the latter for the fisheries. We develop a model that quantifies the economic impact of grey seal predation on the West of Scotland demersal fisheries that traditionally targeted cod, haddock and whiting. Three contrasting fishing strategy scenarios are examined to assess impacts on equilibrium fleet revenues under different levels of seal predation. These include status quo fishing mortality (SQF, steady state with constant fishing mortality), open access fishing (bioeconomic equilibrium, BE) and the maximum economic yield (MEY). In all scenarios, cod emerges as the key stock. Large whitefish trawlers are most sensitive to seal predation due to their higher cod revenues but seal impacts are minor at the aggregate fishery level. Scenarios that consider dynamic fleet behaviour also show the greatest effects of seal predation. Results are sensitive to the choice of seal foraging model where a type II functional response increases sensitivity to seal predation. The cost to the fishery for each seal is estimated.

Development Performance of Agriculture and Fisheries as Leading Program of Local Government and their Impact on People’s Lives in Gorontalo Province, Indonesia

This research discusses two problems, namely the construction performance of agricultural and fisheries development and (2) their impact on community. The research employed qualitative research. The results showed that attainment of agricultural performance in the last five years, gave a quite significant impact on community. Along with the extensive development of the harvest and production, especially for commodity corn, growing on average per year (2012-2016) of 54.8% reached 548,220 tons each year. Agricultural performance has given the economic impact to farmers, with contribution of agricultural sector in gross regional product of Gorontalo Province (30.35% per annum). For the fisheries sector, the fisheries development is shown by the last of five years (2012- 2016), both capture fisheries or fishing areas, the average growing 59,228.6 tons per year. The performance of this economic impact on fishing communities, demonstrated by the contribution of fisheries to GDP of the Province (2012-2016) of 20.06% per year, and per capita income grew an average of Rp 12.51% per year. The second performance of the program impact was significant for society, particularly in the field of education, which is shown by the development of the school's participation numbers, the rate of literacy, and the use of education facilities of community expenditure above 95%.

The evolution of fisheries in Portugal: A methodological reappraisal with insights from economics

Interpretation of fisheries data can be considerably affected by missing or naïve analyses of economic variables. We analyze the case of Portugal, showing how considering the effects of inflation reverses previous conclusions regarding the evolution of fish prices and revenues (fisheries performance). We further emphasize the importance of variables related to economic drivers, such as the prices of substitute goods for understanding the demand for fish, and of exchange rates as a determinant of fish imports. We call for a stronger contribution from economics and greater interdisciplinary scrutiny of a crosscutting scientific area such as fisheries research.

Market price trends of Latin American and Caribbean sea cucumbers inform fisheries management

Market price trends of seafood can inform fishery management measures and strengthen the bargaining power of fishers. The four-sided sea cucumber Isostichopus badionotus and donkey dung sea cucumber Holothuria mexicana are heavily exploited in small-scale fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean for export to China. We recorded prices and sizes of the dried sea cucumbers from 41 lots in 28 shops in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China. Market value ranged 132–358 US$ kg−1 for I. badionotus, and 16–209 US$ kg−1 for H. mexicana. The relationship between product length and price per kg was weak for both species, revealing large variability in the marketplace. Price per individual increased linearly with product length for H. mexicana, and increased nonlinearly for I. badionotus indicating that large specimens were disproportionately more valuable than small ones. Thus, the economic performance of fisheries, especially those for I. badionotus, could be optimised by strictly enforcing large minimum size limits. High market value identifies I. badionotus as a species of conservation concern. A large difference between reported prices received by fishers and market retail prices suggests substantial scope for upgrading value chains of small-scale export fisheries.

Integrating Science-Based Co-management, Partnerships, Participatory Processes and Stewardship Incentives to Improve the Performance of Small-Scale Fisheries

Small scale fisheries are critically important for the provision of food security, livelihoods, and economic development for billions of people. Yet, most of these fisheries appear to not be achieving either fisheries or conservation goals, with respect to creating healthier oceans that support more fish, feed more people and improve livelihoods. Research and practical experience have elucidated many insights into how to improve the performance of small-scale fisheries. Here, we present lessons learned from five case studies of small-scale fisheries in Cuba, Mexico, the Philippines, and Belize. The major lessons that arise from these cases are: 1) participatory processes empower fishers, increase compliance, and support integration of local and scientific knowledge; 2) partnership across sectors improves communication and community buy-in; 3) scientific analysis can lead fishery reform and be directly applicable to co-management structures. These case studies suggest that a fully integrated approach that implements a participatory process to generate a scientific basis for fishery management (e.g., data collection, analysis, design) and to design management measures among stakeholders will increase the probability that small-scale fisheries will implement science-based management and improve their performance.

Impact evaluation of a fisheries development project

A number of fisheries development projects are undertaken every year in recognition of the important role fisheries play in many coastal communities. The objectives vary, but typically go beyond a limited focus on fisheries management and the ecosystem. This makes it difficult to evaluate the contribution of a project, particularly in data poor environments such as most developing countries. This paper used the recently developed Fisheries Performance Indicators (FPIs) to evaluate the impact of a World Bank development project in a Liberian coastal community. FPIs are designed to capture economic and social performance of a fisheries system in addition to the management and environmental impacts. The results show improvements in most ecological dimensions, and also in many social and economic dimensions targeted by the project. Hence, the project intervention appears to be positive. However, some indicators, particularly in relation to general governance in Liberia, showed a negative development which was not caused by the project.

Options for integrating ecological, economic, and social objectives in evaluation and management of fisheries

AbstractThere has been growing international attention in recent years to the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries, Ecologically Sustainable Development, and similar initiatives that demand a comprehensive evaluation of the social, economic, and ecological performance of fisheries. However, the practical integration and application of these aspects continue to present a significant challenge for management. Progress to date has been limited by gaps in governance, objectives, disciplinary breadth, and methods. In this study, we develop an inventory of the methods that have been proposed to be able to incorporate ecological, economic, and social objectives and to provide a more comprehensive evaluation of fisheries and management. Our inventory includes both a description of the range of methods, and an evaluation against a set of criteria related to their utility in an applied, decision support context.

Measuring change in productivity of a fishery with the Bennet–Bowley indicator

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has undertaken to measure the economic performance of fisheries that have implemented catch shares as a management strategy. Among the metrics used, chang ...

CATCH RATE AND CATCH COMPOSITION OF FISH TRAWL BASED IN SIBOLGA, NORTH SUMATERA

To obtain data and information of fish trawl fishery performance operated in the Indian Ocean, a research was carried out through observation on board by observers as well as port sampling inSibolga Fishing Port by enumerators in September 2007, with the aimed to study the performance fish trawl fishery. These include fleet structure, trawl net design and construction, catch, fishing trip, fishing ground, and fishing operation. Results of research showed that there were 71 registered fish trawlers in Sibolga Fishing Port and only 25 boats active due to increasing of fuel price. The fleet structure of fish trawler consist of boat with size 31-114 GT which can be classified into 3 categories i.e. small(&lt;60 GT), medium (60-150 GT), and large fish trawler (&gt;150 GT). Design and construction of fish trawl net indicated that fish trawl net operates in the Indian Ocean was high opening trawl with head and ground rope of 27.8-41.5 m and 29,7-45.8 m, respectively. Fishing trip generally 10-12 days with effective days 7-9 days per trip and the number of net setting was 5-6 times each day. The fishing grounds of fish trawl based in Sibolga were the coastal waters area with maximum depth of 91 m. At least 40 species of fishes and shrimps identified during research and dominant fish species was ponyfish (Leiognathus spp.) threadfin bream (Nemipterus spp.), tall fin goatfish (Upeneus spp.), seacatfish (Arius sp.) as well as yellow striped goatfish (Upeneus vitattus). The average of catch of fish trawler fleet in the year of 2007 was 249.3 kg/haul and that number seems smaller than average of catch/haul previous years. This situation indicates that decreasing of catch per haul of fish trawlers based in Sibolga continues occurring and in other hand price of fuel raises significantly so that big fish trawlers size 150 GT with engine power more than 600 HP are not able to continue their fishing operation.