A study of the length at maturity and hooks/gill net mesh selection in Clarias lazera from Lake Chad

The minimum length at first maturity of Clarias lazera was found to be 24 cm (4.8%) for females and 20 cm (1.8%) for males. Fifty percent maturity was attained at length of 28 cm to 30 cm for both sexes; there being little difference among the sexes at this level of maturity. The modal retention lengths for gill nets were: 13 cm for 25.5 mm mesh; 18 cm for 32 mm mesh; 28 cm for 57 mm mesh; and 38 cm for 76 mm mesh. Modal lengths of Clarias lazera caught by various hooks sizes were No. 10 (28 cm); No. 11 (33 cm); Nos. 15 and 16 (28 cm). It is recommended that to protect the clarias fishery in Lake Chad, the use of gill nets of less than 57 mm mesh size and fishing hook No. 16 (and smaller sizes) which caught 43.94% of immature fishes should be discouraged

Size at first maturity of the anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) in Ghanaian waters and suggestions for appropriate mesh size in its fishery

The main length at first maturity of anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus in Ghanaian waters has been estimated using length-frequency and gonad data sampled between June 1983 and September 1986 off Accra and Tema, Ghana. The length at first maturity of these fish is around 5.7 cm (fork length). The minimum mesh size for rational exploitation of the resource in Ghanaian waters is put at about 20 mm (0.8 inch).

Escapement of the Cape rock lobster (Jasus lalandii ) through the mesh and entrance of commercial traps

Metal-framed traps covered with polyethylene mesh used in the fishery for the South African Cape rock lobster (Jasus lalandii) incidentally capture large numbers of undersize (<75 mm CL) specimens. Air-exposure, handling, and release procedures affect captured rock lobsters and reduce the productivity of the stock, which is heavily fished. Optimally, traps should retain legalsize rock lobsters and allow sublegal animals to escape before traps are hauled. Escapement, based on lobster morphometric measurements, through meshes of 62 mm, 75 mm, and 100 mm was investigated theoretically under controlled conditions in an aquarium, and during field trials. SELECT models were used to model escapement, wherever appropriate. Size-selectivity curves based on the logistic model fitted the aquarium and field data better than asymmetrical Richards curves. The lobster length at 50% retention (L50) on the escapement curve for 100-mm mesh in the aquarium (75.5 mm CL) approximated the minimum legal size (75 mm CL); however estimates of L50 increased to 77.4 mm in field trials where trapentrances were sealed, and to 82.2 mm where trap-entrances were open. Therfore, rock lobsters that cannot escape through the mesh of sealed field traps do so through the trap entrance of open traps. By contrast, the wider selection range and lower L25 of field, compared to aquarium, trials (SR = 8.2 mm vs. 2.6 mm; L25 =73.4 mm vs. 74.1 mm), indicate that small lobsters that should be able to escape from 100-mm mesh traps do not always do so. Escapement from 62-mm mesh traps with open entrance funnels increased by 40−60% over sealed traps. The findings of this study with a known size distribution, are related to those of a recent indirect (comparative) study for the same species, and implications for trap surveys, commercial catch rates, and ghost fishing are discussed.

Trends and Potential Interactions Between Pinnipeds and Fisheries of New England and the U.S. West Coast

Long-term trends in the abundance and distribution of several pinniped species and commercially important fisheries of New England and the contiguous U.S. west coast are reviewed, and their actual and potential interactions discussed. Emphasis is on biological interactions or competition. The pinnipeds include the western North Atlantic stock of harbor seals, Phoca vitulina concolor; western North Atlantic gray seals, Halochoerus grypus; the U.S. stock of California sea lions, Zalophus californianus californianus; the eastern stock of Steller sea lions, Eumetopias jubatus; and Pacific harbor seals, Phoca vitulina richardii. Fisheries included are those for Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua; silver hake, Merluccius bilinearis; Atlantic herring, Clupea harengus; the coastal stock of Pacific whiting, Merluccius productus; market squid, Loligo opalescens; northern anchovy, Engraulis mordax; Pacific her-ring, Clupea pallasi; and Pacific sardine, Sardinops sagax. Most of these pinniped populations have grown exponentially since passage of the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972. They exploit a broad prey assemblage that includes several commercially valuable species. Direct competition with fisheries is therefore possible, as is competition for the prey of commercially valuable fish. The expanding pinniped populations, fluctuations in commercial fish biomass, and level of exploitation by the fisheries may affect this potential for competition. Concerns over pinnipeds impacting fisheries (especially those with localized spawning stocks or at low biomass levels) are more prevalent than concerns over fisheries’ impacts on pinnipeds. This review provides a framework to further evaluate potential biological interactions between these pinniped populations and the commercial fisheries with which they occur.

Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus, Trap Selectivity Studies: Mesh Size

Catch rates and sizes of blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, were compared in traps with 2.54 cm (1.0 inch), 3.81 cm (1.5 inches), and 5.08 cm (2.0 inches) square mesh, 2.54 by 5.08 cm rectangular mesh, and 3.81 cm hexagonal mesh. Catch of legal blue crabs by number was significantly greater in the traditional hexagonal mesh trap than in all other trap types. Sublegal catch by number was highest (34.1-63.3% of total) in the 2.54 cm and 3.81 cm square mesh and rectangular mesh traps and lowest in the 5.08 cm square mesh trap. The hexagonal mesh trap had significantly lower catch rates of sublegal blue crabs than all other trap types except the 5.08 cm square mesh. Mean size of blue crabs by trap type exhibited an inverse pattern to that shown by catch of sublegal crabs. The most effective trap to maximize legal catch and minimize sublegal catch was the 3.81 cm hexagonal mesh trap followed by the 5.08 cm square mesh trap.

The Effects of Fish Trap Mesh Size on Reef Fish Catch off Southeastern Florida

Catch and mesh selectivity of wire-meshed fish traps were tested for eleven different mesh sizes ranging from 13 X 13 mm (0.5 x 0.5") to 76 x 152 mm (3 X 6"). A total of 1,810 fish (757 kg) representing 85 species and 28 families were captured during 330 trap hauls off southeastern Florida from December 1986 to July 1988. Mesh size significantly affected catches. The 1.5" hexagonal mesh caught the most fish by number, weight, and value. Catches tended to decline as meshes got smaller or larger. Individual fish size increased with larger meshes. Laboratory mesh retention experiments showed relationships between mesh shape and size and individual retention for snapper (Lutjanidae), grouper (Serranidae), jack (Carangidae), porgy (Sparidae), and surgeonfish (Acanthuridae). These relationships may be used to predict the effect of mesh sizes on catch rates. Because mesh size and shape greatly influenced catchability, regulating mesh size may provide a useful basis for managing the commercial trap fishery.

Report of 2009 Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) Life History Workshop: expanding network capabilities

The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Foundation’s Stranding Response Program (VAQS) was awarded a grant in 2008 to conduct life history analysis on over 10 years of Tursiops truncatus teeth and gonad samples from stranded animals in Virginia. A major part of this collaborative grant included a workshop involving life historians from Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute (HSWRI), NOS, Texas A & M University (TAMU), and University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). The workshop was held at the NOAA Center for Coastal Environmental Health & Biomolecular Research in Charleston, SC on 7-9 July 2009. The workshop convened to 1) address current practices among the groups conducting life history analysis, 2) decide on protocols to follow for the collaborative Prescott grant between VAQS and HSWRI, 3) demonstrate tissue preparation techniques and discuss shortcuts and pitfalls, 4) demonstrate data collection from prepared testes, ovaries, and teeth, and 5) discuss data analysis and prepare an outline and timeline for a future manuscript. The workshop concluded with discussions concerning the current collaborative Tursiops Life History Prescott grant award and the beginnings of a collaborative Prescott proposal with members of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums to further clarify reproductive analyses. This technical memorandum serves as a record of this workshop.

The effect of mesh size on the fishing efficiency of sardine gill nets

The study deals with the effect of mesh size on the fishing power of gill nets. The authors have shown that there can be substantial difference in the out puts of sardine gill nets, of identical design and rigging, but of different mesh sizes, operated under the same conditions.

An interpretation of the data from "The effect of mesh size on the fishing efficiency of sardine gill nets"

The paper "The effect of mesh size on the fishing efficiency of sardine gill nets" [K.M. Joseph and A.V. Sebastian, Fish. Tech; 1(2), 180-182 (1964)] marks an important step in the progress of fisheries technology and biology in India.

Bottom trawl codend mesh selectivity for Bagrus docmac (Forskahl) from Lake Victoria, with some remarks on the proposed trawl fishery

The methods of estimating codend selectivity for alternate hauls are briefly described and applied to Bagrus docmac (forskahl) data from Lake Victoria. Certain inconsistencies are noted and it is postulated that they may be due to differential escapement of larger Bagrus docmac through the trawl meshes when the different codends were fitted. The calculated 50% selection lengths yielded a fair regression on measured weigh give a fork length selection factor of 2.33, consistent with data from the smallest codend mesh size used. The implications of the findings are briefly discussed in relation to the proposed Haplochromis trawl fishery 1971.