Sea Fisheries Research Articles

Cosmology of Labuhan Larung Sesaji Ritual Meaning the Homogeneity Strategic Cost Concept in Blue Sea Fisheries Accounting

Research to reveal the formation of fishermen’s income based on homogeneity strategic cost concept is shown in the labuhan larung sesaji ritual cosmology. This concept gives meaning to the presence of blue sea fisheries accounting. Qualitative methods with a phenomenological approach are used in this study. The results show the homogeneity strategic cost that all stages of labuhan larung sesaji ritual activity or the elements in it (represented by costs) have the same position or importance in generating income. On the basis of this idea, all stages of ritual activities contribute or contribute to fishermen’s income creation of in proportion to costs. So, if amount of costs for ritual activities have occurred, then in fact amount of revenues have been formed or collected, the amount of which is in accordance with income and costs ratio. The homogeneity strategic costs concept contributes to interpreting the presence of blue sea fisheries accounting based on sustainability of marine living resources and fish catches. Accounting based on open access resources, and marine sustainability as marine biota for logistical growth of fish stocks or populations without operating costs for pisciculture.

ВДОСКОНАЛЕННЯ ПОШУКУ СКУПЧЕНЬ РИБИ ЗАСОБАМИ КІНЕМАТИЧНОГО ПРОЕКТУВАННЯ

The article deals with sea and river commercial fisheries. It describes a possible way to increase the efficiency of the movements of fishing vessels when they are looking for accumulations (school) of fish. The improvement of the search movements of ships is based on the use of means and methods of kinematic design, which is part of modern descriptive geometry. In kinematic design, all design components are in independent spatial displacements at different speeds. In this case, the created mathematical dependencies make it possible to determine the coordinates of the spatial displacements of the design object, which here is the wanted accumulation (school) of fish. The basis of the proposed method for searching fish concentrations is the use of an additional search floating facility, such as a boat or motor boat. The fishing vessel and the auxiliary boat are equipped with search sonar equipment. A fishing vessel in the water area of the search area can drift or move at a slow speed along a given trajectory, and the search boat can accompany it and move around it along a circle of a certain radius, due to the range of the search equipment. The aim of the study was to create a methodology for increasing the efficiency of the movement of fishing vessels in search of fish concentrations. Among the main objectives of the study was the development of mathematical dependencies for determining the coordinates of the identified fish aggregations and creating a methodology for an approximate estimate of the volume of fish in its identified aggregation. The advantages of the proposed methodology for improving the search movements of fishing vessels are: - reduction of fuel consumption for the movement of the vessel in the water area of the investigated fish search area; - levelling by the kinematic design of the negative impact of false sonar signals reflected from the bottom of the reservoir. Keywords: marine fishing, fish search, sonar, sketch geometry, kinematic design, search trajectory, mathematical dependence.

The North Sea and Svalbard Fisheries Management Regimes in the Context of Brexit: Divergence and Implications

The North Sea fishery has maintained sound and stable cooperative management over the past four decades. European Union (EU) countries exchange quotas with Norway for fish stocks in their respective fisheries jurisdictions within the framework of the EU Common Fisheries Policy (EU CFP) and the Agreement on Fisheries between the European Economic Community and the Kingdom of Norway. After beginning the Brexit process with a concomitant transitional arrangement, the United Kingdom remained in the EU CFP until the end of 2020. From 2021 onward, the United Kingdom became a completely independent coastal state outside the EU CFP framework. In this context, the long-standing and stable fisheries access and quota exchange system between Norway and the EU will face tensions. The differences among the United Kingdom, the EU and Norway in fisheries also involve quotas and access to the Svalbard Protection Zone. Norway even intends to expand the fisheries conflict to the Arctic Council. To prevent the adverse consequences of conflict spillover and to achieve sustainable development of fisheries and win–win cooperation in fisheries management, the United Kingdom, the EU and Norway launched a series of actions on fisheries issues. In tripartite negotiations, each party has its advantages. Ultimately, win–win cooperation in the fisheries game is the three parties’ expected outcome.

Predicted aquatic and human health risks associated with the presence of metals in the Syr Darya and Shardara Reservoir, Kazakhstan

Due to the decline of the Aral Sea fishery and recent efforts to expand the fisheries sector in Kazakhstan for both local consumption and global export, there is a need to sustain other fisheries in the area, including the Shardara Reservoir, which lies in the Syr Darya basin. Metals are present in the Syr Darya; yet, their impacts on fishery and consumer health remain unclear. Thus, the objectives of this study were to evaluate: 1) the potential impacts of metals on Syr Darya basin fish and 2) the human health risks posed by consumption of Shardara Reservoir fish. The health of the fishery was assessed by comparing surface water metal concentrations to maximum permissible concentrations (MPCs), calculating water quality index (WQI) and degree of contamination (Cd) values, and evaluating gene expression biomarker responses in wild-caught roach (Rutilus rutilus). To assess the risk to consumers, metal concentrations in roach were used to calculate hazard quotients (HQs) and hazard indices (HIs). Water concentrations of Cu, Fe, Mn, Se, Sr and V exceeded MPCs and all sites were classified as highly polluted based upon WQI and Cd values. This, along with site-specific differences in the expression of genes associated with xenobiotic metabolism and oxidative stress in roach, indicates potential risks to the fishery. Though all HQs and HIs were below 1 indicating a lack of significant risk to consumers, Pb levels in roach exceeded MPCs for safe consumption indicating a potential risk. Given the potential risks to the fishery and consumers, the development of pollution monitoring and management programs are warranted. The work presented here provides initial monitoring data that can be used to aid such efforts and also underscores the need to identify environmental stressors that may thwart the anticipated growth of fisheries in this region.

An exploratory analysis of warming effects on wealth in the Barents Sea fisheries

The Barents Sea and Arctic regions in general are facing significant impacts from climate change. A major concern is increasing temperatures. I explore four different scenarios of temperature impacts on the Barents Sea Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), its fishery, and the level of natural capital – wealth – that the fish stock represents. My framework incorporates interaction with the main prey, capelin, under uncertainty in the population dynamics equations and under two relevant management regimes. One regime is based on maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and one is based on ecosystem-based management (EBM). Because of uncertainty over how warming will impact the Barents Sea cod, the investigated scenarios include both positive and negative impacts on parameters in the population dynamics. Wealth under MSY is robust to growth rate impacts, but with impacts on the carrying capacity wealth will change significantly. The EBM regime would increase wealth in all scenarios. Wealth estimates supports appropriate accounting prices for the natural capital stocks—prices that reflect modeled ecosystem and temperature dynamics.

The Rich Get Stronger: The Purse Seine Fishery of the Turkish Straits System

Purse seiners generally try to maximize their revenues by targeting multiple species, starting with the most valuable ones available. The technology and capacity of purse seiners can be exceptionally high for the stocks found in the Marmara Sea, Turkey’s only inland sea, due to its small size and nearly totally enclosed nature. Due to their large capabilities, they are responsible for the majority of catches and hence declines from this sea and thus should be held responsible for the poor state of marine stocks in the region. This study examines the catch compositions, expenses, and revenue sharing of purse seiners by using one representative vessel class for each of the four vessel length categories in the Marmara Sea. Surveys were also conducted with purse seine fishers to assess their perceptions related to fisheries management strategies along with their ideas for transitioning towards sustainable fisheries. As purse seiners are prominent stakeholders in the Marmara Sea fisheries, they should be incorporated into management guidance for effectiveness, along with other stakeholders. This study provides novel socio-economic data along with their perspectives, which may assist in improving policy decisions and capabilities. Our results demonstrate that purse seiners do not consider that their actions are a contributing factor to the current state of the fisheries, they trust in their amassed historical local knowledge, and seem to want to rebuild the resources, however only with minimal rules imposed on their sector.

Wild Fish Welfare in UK Commercial Sea Fisheries: Qualitative Analysis of Stakeholder Views.

Simple SummaryEvery year an estimated 1.5–2.7 billion wild fish are caught by UK commercial sea fishing fleets subjecting most to severe stressors. Scientific research shows that fish are sentient beings, but UK animal welfare laws do not protect commercially caught wild fish. For example, stunning fish before slaughter is rare and gutting them alive is a common practice. There are therefore major welfare issues in wild capture sea fisheries, no laws to protect the welfare of wild fish at sea, and great potential to reform practice to improve the lives of billions of sentient fish. The article investigates this through reporting findings from interviews with 18 experts with a stake in wild fish welfare. The article reviews the UK fishing industry, policy context and scientific evidence that fish are sentient, linked to stakeholder views about what fish experience during wild capture. The article then analyses industry practices, resultant welfare harms and stakeholder attitudes towards them. No participant disputed that fish are sentient and all were able to identify key stressors to fish in different stages of the capture process, together with potential mitigations. Interviews revealed that harms can be worsened by their hidden nature along with conservative industry attitudes towards brutal practices which would be unacceptable in other areas of animal food production. The article raises awareness of an under-researched welfare problem in UK wild capture sea fisheries but should have wider significance to many fishing nations.An estimated 1.5–2.7 billion wild fish are caught by UK commercial sea fishing fleets annually. Most are subjected to severe stressors during capture; stunning is rare and gutting alive is common practice. Fish are recognised in UK law as sentient beings, but commercially caught wild fish are excluded from welfare protections. Animal welfare impacts in wild capture sea fisheries are therefore on a massive scale, with major potential for legislative and market-based reforms. Interviews were conducted with 18 experts working within the fishing and seafood industry, fisheries management, scientific research and animal/fish advocacy organisations. The findings reveal a significant welfare gap between societally acceptable ways to treat sentient animals and the reality of capture fisheries. The participants pointed to harms caused to fish throughout different stages of the capture process caused by combinations of variables from fishing gear and methods to biological, environmental and other factors, noting that all require mitigation. Interviews revealed that the nature of harms may be exacerbated by conservative attitudes towards brutal practices in the industry, driven by profit and efficiency and free from legal restraint. To address the welfare gap, stakeholders favour engagement with the industry to improve understanding of harms and to identify mutually beneficial and shared objectives through alleviating stressors to fish in the capture process. This empirical research is focused on UK wild capture sea fisheries. However, given the dearth of welfare legislation globally, it has significance for fishing nations and the many billions of wild sea fish captured each year around the world.

German fishery’s adaptation to historic events, Western Baltic Sea, 1890–1950

Marine social-ecological systems (SES) have been providing important cultural, social, and economic services for many centuries. They are, however, increasingly threatened by fast changing environmental, ecological, and socio-economic conditions. As historical marine research is increasingly developing into a multidisciplinary endeavour, it offers outstanding points of departure to analyse historic events and the response and adaptation of the respective SES. Such knowledge helps to inform today’s fisheries management and promotes successful management of changing ecosystems. Here, we compile and analyse historical data (1890–1950) of the German Western Baltic Sea fishery SES. This period is characterised by a series of strong impacts due to political, technological, economic, and ecological changes, such as two world wars, a global economic crisis, and other economic or ecological disasters. In our opinion, potential negative effects of those events were in the past attenuated by the system’s high capacity to adapt. However, most of the fishers´ historic options on how to respond and adapt have recently become no longer available. New threats (e.g. climate change) have emerged instead. We conclude that today’s fisheries management needs to integrate options of adaptation by exhausting all present or future opportunities. Adaptive fisheries management should not only focus on environmental change but need to include socio-economic change as well.

Porzucenie nieoznakowanych narzędzi połowowych – instytucja prawa prywatnego w służbie realizacji celów publicznych?

The article discusses the notion of abandonment of fishing gear in the legal regulation of the Sea Fisheries Act of 19 December 2014, in the broader context of the possibility of achieving public goals in private law, the exercise of the owner’s right to abandon a thing, and the impact of public law on private law in the sphere of property law. Firstly, the legal construction of abandonment and the context of Roman law is outlined. Then, the model of abandonment in Polish civil law is discussed (in which the occurrence of the effect of dereliction lies in the sphere of the owner’s will), as well as the modification of this institution in the case of abandonment of fishing gear (in which the occurrence of the effect of abandonment depends on the objective premise indicated by the legislator). It leads to the conclusion that some public goals can be pursued with the support of private law institutions, but the implementation of these goals is derived from highly specified and strict obligations of a public law nature and often involves a limitation of the owner’s rights.

Conceptual framework for integration on renewable energy sources for marine port electrification

In our days electrical energy demand for marine ports in order to cooperate climate change related with zero emissions exhaust gases for the ships has been increased. In order to adapt the situation for the marine port and not use the main grid powered by traditional power stations using fossil fuels, the insertion of renewable energy sources is recommended. The situation created many problems due to variable energy output of renewables and storage system required to be integrated. The authors of this paper propose a decision support framework for the identification and evaluation of the various renewable energy sources and their integration into marine port grid using the Analytic Hierarchy Process and taking into account a number of criteria, as well as, the energy requirements of port activities (i.e.: cold ironing, electrical moving assets, electrical handling devices, etc.). The Kaliningrad sea fishery port (Russia) is used as a case study. The use of hydrogen and hi- pressure as a storage of excessive energy is also to be considered. The proposed framework will advise decision-makers and port stakeholders on choosing the most suitable renewable energy source in the context of a zero-emission port

COVID-19 and the Spanish Celtic Sea fishery: An economic analysis

The Celtic Sea fishing fleet is the largest offshore fleet segment in Spain. Over the last three decades, this fleet has experienced a decrease in its number of vessels. This negative trend was intensified by another disruptive factor: The COVID-19 pandemic. Spain, one of the European countries most affected by this pandemic, implemented restrictive strategies in the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis that also affected fishing activities. The aim of this article is to analyze the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on the profitability, revenues and employment of Spanish shipowning companies whose vessels operate in the Celtic Sea. Through a population sample of 64 companies, the performance of variables such as turnover, total assets, number of employees, return on assets, return on equity or profit margin before interest and taxes has been assessed. The results show a variation of − 25% in turnover, − 10% in the number of employees and − 80% in economic and financial profitability. This is a case of failure of collective action, in which the lack of a contingency plan at the public and private level accentuated the negative consequences of the pandemic, especially in the first state of alarm. In addition, a strong interdependence was detected between the catches of the most valuable species and the activity of the HORECA channel.

Spatio‐temporal turnover and drivers of bentho‐demersal community and food web structure in a high‐latitude marine ecosystem

AbstractAimAssess the spatial and temporal turnover of bentho‐demersal marine fauna by integrating ecological metrics at the community and food web levels and evaluate their main environmental and anthropogenic drivers.LocationBarents Sea.MethodWe analysed data of benthic and bentho‐pelagic fish and megabenthic invertebrates caught in the Barents Sea ecosystem survey in August–September 2009–2017 to characterize the spatial and temporal variability of bentho‐demersal communities and food webs. We used a trait dataset and highly resolved bentho‐demersal food web to calculate community and food web metrics in space and time. We spatially clustered the community and food web based on their properties using archetypal analysis and investigated their co‐variation with environmental and fishing pressure using (hierarchical) redundancy analysis.ResultThe community and food web metrics partitioned the Barents Sea into four sub‐regions where different pressures act on the bentho‐demersal fauna, such as sea ice loss and fisheries. Multiple community metrics (e.g. mean body length and trophic level) varied along an environmental gradient of annual mean sea bottom temperature, trawling intensity and ice‐cover, whereas multiple food web metrics (e.g. nestedness and connectance) varied along an environmental gradient of depth and sediment composition. Communities had higher biomass‐weighted variability in body size and omnivory values in areas where the Atlantic and Arctic water masses mix. Several food web and community metrics co‐varied (e.g. food chain length and mean trophic level). We found no clear temporal trends in the ecological metrics in any of the four sub‐regions, but the metrics had large inter‐annual variability with some local minima or maxima coinciding with high sea temperature and ice‐cover anomalies.ConclusionAnalyses at the community and food web level are seldom integrated in ecological studies, while this integration gives complementary information to assess patterns and drivers of ecosystem state and to better prioritize conservation efforts.

Identifying changes in China's Bohai and Yellow Sea fisheries resources using a causality-based indicator framework, convergent cross-mapping, and structural equation modeling

There is growing evidence that the number of fish stocks that are being harvested at biologically unsustainable levels has increased due to a number of threats. In order to identify the key threats to fisheries resources in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea, a causality-based indicator system of fish stock trends and main influencing factors was developed in this study. The causal relationship and influence degree of the driving factors were determined by using the method of convergent cross-mapping, and the structural equation model of fisheries resources change under the influence of multiple factors was established. The results showed that the path coefficients of anthropogenic factors were 1.25 and 1.00 in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea, respectively, which were obvious higher than that of environmental factors (0.88 and 0.01), so the influence of anthropogenic factors on fisheries resources was greater than that of environmental factors. There are similarities and differences among the key factors affecting the decline of fisheries resources in the two sea areas. For anthropogenic factors, marine catch and mariculture are the main driving forces in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea, followed by the size of marine protected areas. For environmental factors, COD and reactive phosphorus concentration affect the fisheries in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea, respectively. Furthermore, some pertinent suggestions were given in this study according to the characteristics of fisheries resources in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea. These findings will help fisheries managers in China protect fisheries resources and the marine environment more effectively, and provide a research foundation to support the sustainable development of China's fisheries in the context of resources decline and environmental degradation.

Performance Comparison of Three Data-Poor Methods With Various Types of Data on Assessing Southern Atlantic Albacore Fishery

In the world, more than 80% of the fisheries by numbers and about half of the catches have not been formally analyzed and evaluated due to limited data. It has led to the fast growth of data-poor evaluation methods. There have been various studies carried out on the comparative performance of data-poor and data-moderate methods in evaluating fishery exploitation status. However, most studies to date have focused on coastal fish stocks with simple data sources. It is important to pay attention to high sea fisheries because they are exploited by multiple countries, fishing gears and data may be divrsified and inconsistent. Furthermore, a comparison of the performance of catch-based, length-based, and abundance-based methods to estimate fishery status is needed. This study is the first attempt to apply catch-based, length-based, and abundance-based data-poor methods to stock assessment for an oceanic tuna fishery and to compare the performance with a data-moderate model. Results showed that the three data-poor methods with various types of data did not produce an entirely consistent stock status of the southern Atlantic albacore (Thunnus alalunga) fishery in 2005, as the estimated B2005/BMSY ranged from 0.688 to 1.3 and F2005/FMSY ranged from 0.708 to 1.6. The Monte Carlo Catch maximum sustainable yield model (CMSY) produced a similar time series of B/BMSY and F/FMSY and stock status (recovering) to the Bayesian state-space Schaefer model (BSM). The abundance-based method (AMSY) gave the most conservative condition (overfished) of this fishery. Sensitivity analysis showed the results of the length-based Bayesian biomass estimation method (LBB) are sensitive to Linf settings, and the results with higher Linf were similar to those of other models. However, the LBB results with setting Linf at lower levels produced more optimistic conditions (healthy). Our results highlight that attention should be paid to the settings of model parameter priors and different trends implied in various types of data when using these data-poor methods.

A study on standardization through the analysis of the survey on the use of fishery sea anchor

A study on standardization through the analysis of the survey on the use of fishery sea anchor

Managing fisheries for maximum nutrient yield.

Wild‐caught fish are a bioavailable source of nutritious food that, if managed strategically, could enhance diet quality for billions of people. However, optimising nutrient production from the sea has not been a priority, hindering development of nutrition‐sensitive policies. With fisheries management increasingly effective at rebuilding stocks and regulating sustainable fishing, we can now begin to integrate nutritional outcomes within existing management frameworks. Here, we develop a conceptual foundation for managing fisheries for multispecies Maximum Nutrient Yield (mMNY). We empirically test our approach using size‐based models of North Sea and Baltic Sea fisheries and show that mMNY is predicted by the relative contribution of nutritious species to total catch and their vulnerability to fishing, leading to trade‐offs between catch and specific nutrients. Simulated nutrient yield curves suggest that vitamin D, which is deficient in Northern European diets, was underfished at fishing levels that returned maximum catch weights. Analysis of global catch data shows there is scope for nutrient yields from most of the world's marine fisheries to be enhanced through nutrient‐sensitive fisheries management. With nutrient composition data now widely available, we expect our mMNY framework to motivate development of nutrient‐based reference points in specific contexts, such as data‐limited fisheries. Managing for mMNY alongside policies that promote access to fish could help close nutrient gaps for coastal populations, maximising the contribution of wild‐caught fish to global food and nutrition security.

Historical reconstruction of sturgeon (Acipenser spp.) spatiotemporal distribution and causes for their decline in North-Western Europe

This study aims to reconstruct the historical spatiotemporal distribution of the anadromous sturgeons, Acipenser sturio and A. oxyrinchus, in NW-Europe (especially in the Rhine, Meuse, Scheldt, and Ems rivers, and in the North Sea), in light of evaluating the possibilities for their reintroduction. It is based on fisheries data from the 14th–twentieth century, consisting of > 5000 records of sturgeon landings and sales (c. 40,000 specimens) from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Luxemburg, France and Switzerland. Most data originate from fisheries in the Rhine-Meuse delta (c. 28,000 specimens, 98% of the Rhine catches). Further upstream, far fewer sturgeons (c. 600 specimens) were reported from the Rhine’s mainstem and its principal tributaries, Mosel, Neckar and Main. Smaller tributaries and the Ems, Meuse, and Scheldt rivers seldom yielded sturgeons. This spatial pattern can be related to the species’ preference for large-river habitat, combined with fisheries activities that were most intensive in the delta areas. Sturgeon catches began to dwindle in the late nineteenth century, at a time when river engineering first strongly affected the sturgeon’s reproductive habitats in the Lower Rhine and delta areas. Also from then onwards, North Sea fishery pressure increased, as trawlers switched from sail to steam-powered propulsion. These sea fisheries harvested all age-classes of sturgeons year-round, including populations from other European rivers. The outcomes strongly suggest that NW-European sturgeon populations were initially impacted by intensive river fisheries, but especially by destruction of reproductive habitat, due to river regulation, and an intensified North Sea fishery, ultimately resulting in total population collapse.

COVID-19 lockdowns reveal the resilience of Adriatic Sea fisheries to forced fishing effort reduction

The COVID-19 pandemic provides a major opportunity to study fishing effort dynamics and to assess the response of the industry to standard and remedial actions. Knowing a fishing fleet’s capacity to compensate for effort reduction (i.e., its resilience) allows differentiating governmental regulations by fleet, i.e., imposing stronger restrictions on the more resilient and weaker restrictions on the less resilient. In the present research, the response of the main fishing fleets of the Adriatic Sea to fishing hour reduction from 2015 to 2020 was measured. Fleet activity per gear type was inferred from monthly Automatic Identification System data. Pattern recognition techniques were applied to study the fishing effort trends and barycentres by gear. The beneficial effects of the lockdowns on Adriatic endangered, threatened and protected (ETP) species were also estimated. Finally, fleet effort series were examined through a stock assessment model to demonstrate that every Adriatic fishing fleet generally behaves like a stock subject to significant stress, which was particularly highlighted by the pandemic. Our findings lend support to the notion that the Adriatic fleets can be compared to predators with medium-high resilience and a generally strong impact on ETP species.

Conflicting interests and growing importance of non‐indigenous species in commercial and recreational fisheries of the Mediterranean Sea

AbstractNon‐indigenous species (NIS) are spreading and reshaping Mediterranean Sea biological communities and fishery resources. The present study used fisheries data and structured interviews to assess the impacts of NIS on recreational and commercial fishers in Cyprus. NIS that have been present in Cyprus for more than two decades were mostly perceived by local fishers as native, NIS with high market value were considered to be beneficial, and venomous or poisonous NIS were considered to be deleterious. Pufferfishes (Tetraodontidae) were identified by fishers as causing significant economic damage, which undermines the sustainability of the commercial fishing sector. The most popular and highly priced NIS were rabbitfishes (Siganus spp.). In terms of commercial landings, six non‐indigenous taxa contributed over a quarter of the total landing value and more than half during the summer season. The results of the present study emphasised the multifaceted interactions of NIS with the fishing sector, and how policy objectives may not align with social and commercial fishery interests.

The Relationship between Environmental Factors and Catch Abundance of Hairtail in the East China Sea Using Empirical Dynamic Modeling

The East China Sea population of hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus, also known as T. japonicus) is a commercially important element of Chinese fisheries. Hairtail has long been widely exploited. Due to overfishing, however, its production declined over the years. One of solutions to this dilemma is to institute reasonable fishery policies. Generally, skillful short-term and long-term prediction of fish catch is a central tool for guiding the development of fishery policy. Accurate predictions require a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between fluctuations in fish catch and variability in both fishing effort and marine environmental conditions. To investigate the combined impact of fishing effort and marine environments on hairtail catch and to develop models to predict hairtail catch, we applied empirical dynamic modeling (EDM) to data on East China Sea fisheries, including hairtail catch, fishing effort, and marine environmental factors. EDM is an equation-free approach that enables the investigation of various complex systems. We constructed all possible multivariate EDM models to investigate the potential mechanisms affecting hairtail catch. Our analysis demonstrates that all key environmental factors (salinity, summer monsoon, sea surface temperature, precipitation, and power dissipation index of tropical cyclones) have an impact on nutrient supply, which we suggest is the central factor influencing hairtail catch. Finally, our comparison of EDM models with parametric models demonstrates that EDM models overwhelmingly outperform parametric models in analysis of these complex interactions.