Estimates of Marine Mammal, Sea Turtle, and Seabird Mortality in the California Drift Gillnet Fishery for Swordfish and Thresher Shark, 1996–2002

Estimates of incidental marine mammal, sea turtle, and seabird mortality in the California drift gillnet fishery for broadbill swordfish, Xiphias gladius, and common thresher shark, Alopias vulpinus, are summarized for the 7-year period, 1996 to 2002. Fishery observer coverage was 19% over the period (3,369 days observed/17,649 days fished). An experiment to test the effectiveness of acoustic pingers on reducing marine mammal entanglements in this fishery began in 1996 and resulted in statistically significant reductions in marine mammal bycatch. The most commonly entangled marine mammal species were the short-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus delphis; California sea lion, Zalophus californianus; and northern right whale dolphin, Lissodelphis borealis. Estimated mortality by species (CV and observed mortality in parentheses) from 1996 to 2002 is 861 (0.11, 133) short-beaked common dolphins; 553 (0.16, 103) California sea lions; 151 (0.25, 31) northern right whale dolphins; 150 (0.21, 27) northern elephant seals, Mirounga angustirostris; 54 (0.41, 10) long-beaked common dolphins, Delphinus capensis; 44 (0.53, 6) Dall’s porpoise, Phocoenoides dalli; 19 (0.60, 5) Risso’s dolphins, Grampus griseus; 11 (0.71, 2) gray whales, Eschrichtius robustus; 7 (0.83, 2) sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus; 7 (0.96, 1) short-finned pilot whales, Globicephala macrorhychus; 12 (1.06, 1) minke whales, Balaenoptera acutorostrata; 5 (1.05, 1) fin whales, Balaenoptera physalus; 11 (0.68, 2) unidentified pinnipeds; 33 (0.52, 4) leatherback turtles, Dermochelys coriacea; 18 (0.57, 3) loggerhead turtles, Caretta caretta; 13 (0.73, 3) northern fulmars, Fulmarus glacialis; and 6 (0.86, 2) unidentified birds.

The Marine Life Fishery in Florida, 1990–98

The marine life fishery in Florida is defined as the harvest of live marine specimens (fish and invertebrate species including plants, and also live rock, and live sand) for commercial use, primarily as ornamentals for the aquarium market. This paper summarizes the regulatory measures that have been implemented and the data collected on 318 species between 1990 and 1998. Regional analysis shows the primary collecting areas, and seasonal analysis shows when the majority of landings occur. Statistics on the number of participants provide insight into the size of the industry.

Elasmobranch Landings for the Portuguese Commercial Fishery From 1986 to 2001

Portuguese commercial elasmobranch landings were analyzed for the period 1986–2001. An average of 5,169 (± 795 t) were landed yearly, representing 18 families, 29 genera, and 34 confirmed species. However, annual landings for the fishery generally decreased over time, with a corresponding increase in price per kilogram. The most important group, Raja spp., accounted for 33% of the landings or 26,916 t. They were followed by Centroscymnus coelolepis, Scyliorhinus spp., Centrophorus granulosus, and Centrophorus squamosus (accounting for 12%, 12%, 11%, and 9% of the landings, respectively). In the absence of CPUE data, the comparative trends of landings and price were employed as an indicator of the “status” of specific elasmobranch species. Raja spp., Centrophorus granulosus, Mustelus spp., Torpedo spp., and Squatinidae displayed indications of possible overexploitation, and they merit the focus of future research.

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Sea Turtles in the Western North Atlantic and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico from Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey (MRFSS)

Systematic surveys, along with opportunistic sightings, have provided important information on sea turtle (Cheloniidae and Dermochelydae) distributions, knowledge which can help reduce the risk of harmful human interaction. In 1991 and 1992, the Marine Recreational Fishery Sta- tistics Survey (MRFSS) of the National Ma- rine Fisheries Service, NOAA, provided a unique opportunity to gain additional, synoptic information on the spatial and temporal distribution of sea turtles along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts by asking recreational anglers if they had observed a sea turtle on their fishing trip. During the spring and summer months of those years, as water temperatures warmed, the MRFSS documented an increase in sea turtle sightings in inshore waters and in a northward direction along the U.S. Atlantic Coast and in a westward direction along the northern Gulf of Mexico. This pattern reversed in the late summer and fall months as water temperatures cooled, with sea turtles concentrating along Georgia and both coasts of Florida. Although the MRFSS did not provide species or size composition of sea turtles sighted, and effort varied depending upon location of fishing activity and time of year anglers were queried, it did provide an additional and useful means of ascertaining spatial and temporal distributions of sea turtles along these coasts.

Fishery Management and Local Communities: The Case of Madeira Beach, Florida

This paper uses an industrial organization approach to trace the impact on Madeira Beach, Fla., and surrounding areas of a 1-month closure of the grouper fishery from 15 February 2001 to 15 March 2001. A proposed 2-month closure is also evaluated. This approach identifies the economic relationships in the industry based on both product and place. The empirical analysis measures the losses in employment and income, information that enriches social and anthropological research on fishery-dependent communities. The 1-month closure is estimated to have reduced annual catches landed in Madeira Beach by 9.7–10.1% and annual revenues by 9.3–11.5%. These reductions are associated with a direct loss of about 33 full-time (annualized) jobs and personal income losses between $8 and 12 million in Madeira Beach and Pinellas County over a 10-year period. If the closure occurs for 2 months, annual landings and revenues will be reduced an estimated 17–21% and 20–23%, respectively.

William Francis Thompson (1888–1965): a Preeminent Fishery Biologist of the Early and Mid Twentieth Century

William Francis Thompson (1888–1965) was a preeminent fishery scientist of the early to mid twentieth century. Educated at Stanford University in California (B.A. 1911, Ph.D. 1930), Thompson conducted pioneering research on the Pacific halibut, Hippoglossus stenolepis, from 1914 to 1917 for the British Columbia Provincial Fisheries Department. He then directed marine fisheries research for the State of California from 1917 to 1924, was Director of Investigations for the International Fisheries Commission from 1924 to 1939, and Director of the International Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission from 1937 to 1942. He was also Director of the School of Fisheries, University of Washing-ton, Seattle, from 1930 to 1947. Thompson was the founding director in 1947 of the Fisheries Research Institute at the University of Washington and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1958. He was a dominant figure in fisheries research of the Pacific Northwest and influenced a succession of fishery scientists with his yield-based analysis of fishery stocks, as opposed to studying the fishes’environment. Will Thompson was also a major figure in education, and many of his former students attained leadership positions in fisheries research and administration.

Reef Habitats in the Middle Atlantic Bight: Abundance, Distribution, Associated Biological Communities, and Fishery Resource Use

One particular habitat type in the Middle Atlantic Bight is not well recognized among fishery scientists and managers, although it is will known and used by recreational and commercial fisheries. This habitat consists of a variety of hard-surface, elevated relief "reef" or reef-like environments that are widely distributed across the predominantly flat or undulating, sandy areas of the Bight and include both natural rocky areas and man-made structures, e.g. shipwrecks and artificial reefs. Although there are natural rock and shellfish reefs in southern New England coastal waters and estuaries throughout the Bight, most reef habitats in the region appear to be man-made reef habitat modification/creation may be increasing. Very little effort has been devoted to the study of this habitat's distribution, abundance, use by living marine resources and associated biological communities (except on estuarine oyster reefs) and fishery value or management. This poorly studied and surveyed habitat can provide fish refuge from trawls and can be a factor in studies of the distribution and abundance of a variety of reef-associated fishery resources. This review provides a preliminary summary of information found on relative distribution and abundance of reef habitat in the Bight, the living marine resources and biological communities that commonly use it, threats to this habitat and its biological resources, and the value or potential value of artificial reefs to fishery or habitat and its biological resources, and the value or potential value of artificial reefs to fishery or habitat managers. The purpose of the review is to initiate an awareness among resource managers about this habitat, its role in resource management, and the need for research.

A History of the Pearl Oyster Fishery in the Archipielago de las Perlas, Panama

The pearl oyster, Pinctada margaritifera mazatlanica, was once found around the Archipielago de las Perlas in Panama in abundance and it supported a substantial fishery by hard hat divers. The products were pearls, shells used for making buttons, and meats used locally for food. After the mid 1920’s, the fishery declined due to overfishing, and by the 1940’s it was nearly gone. The oysters began to repopulate the grounds during the 1970’s, but the oysters remain relatively scarce. Fishing has since resumed on a small scale by skin divers using face masks.

Biological Characteristics and Fishery Assessment of Alaska Plaice, Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus, in the Eastern Bering Sea

Alaska plaice, Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus, is one of the major flatfishes in the eastern Bering Sea ecosystem and is most highly concentrated in the shallow continental shelf of the eastern Bering Sea. Annual commercial catches have ranged from less than 1,000 metric tons (t) in 1963 to 62,000 t in 1988. Alaska plaice is a relatively large flatfish averaging about 32 cm in length and 390 g in weight in commercial catches. They are distributed from nearshore waters to a depth of about 100 m in the eastern Bering Sea during summer, but move to deeper continental shelf waters in winter to escape sea ice and cold water temperatures. Being a long-lived species (>30 years), they have a relatively low natural mortality rate estimated at 0.20. Maturing at about age 7, Alaska plaice spawn from April through June on hard sandy substrates of the shelf region, primarily around the 100 m isobath. Prey items primarily include polychaetes and other marine worms. In comparison with other flatfish, Alaska plaice and rock sole, Pleuronectes bilineatus, have similar diets but different habitat preferences with separate areas of peak population density which may minimize interspecific competition. Yellowfin sole, Pleuronectes asper, while sharing similar habitat, differs from these two species because of the variety of prey items in its diet. Competition for food resources among the three species appears to be low. The resource has experienced light exploitation since 1963 and is currently in good condition. Based on the results of demersal trawl surveys and age-structured analyses, the exploitable biomass increased from 1971 through the mid-1980’s before decreasing to the 1997 level of 500,000 t. The recommended 1998 harvest level, Allowable Biological Catch, was calculated from the Baranov catch equation based on the FMSY harvest level and the projected 1997 biomass, resulting in a commercial harvest of 69,000 t, or about 16% of the estimated exploitable biomass.

Review of a Small-scale Pelagic Longline Fishery off Northeastern Brazil

The annual catches of four small longliners operating off northeast Brazil from 1983 to 1997 were examined across different areas and locations. The total catch comprised tunas (30%), sharks (54%), billfishes (12%), and other fish species (4%). Fishing strategy and annual composition of catches showed large spatial and temporal variabilities with the dominant catches alternating among yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares; gray sharks, Carcharhinus spp.; and blue shark, Prionace glauca. Catches of blue and gray sharks showed a significant interaction among seamounts, with gray sharks occurring in maximum abundance around those seamounts that had relatively deep summits and low-sloping depth profiles. Results are discussed in terms of the various factors that may have influenced distribution of effort.

Declining Rockfish Lengths in the Monterey Bay, California, Recreational Fishery, 1959–94

California’s Monterey Bay area is an important center of recreational fishing for rockfish of various Sebastes species. The species composition of commercial passenger fishing vessel catches from 1959 to 1994 varied with changes in fishing location and depth. The shift from shallow nearshore locations to deeper offshore locations in the late 1970’s and 1980’s changed the emphasis from the blue rockfish, S. mystinus, of shallow waters to the deeper, commercially fished chilipepper, S. goodei, and bocaccio, S. paucispinis. The mean size of rockfish in the catch increased as the latter species were targeted at greater depths but then declined as stocks of older fish disappeared by the mid 1980’s. During 1960–94 the mean size of all ten leading species in the recreational catch declined. The declines ranged from 1% for canary rockfish, S. pinniger, to 27% for chilipepper. The sizes of the deeper living species declined more than those of shallower species. The low frequency of strong recruitment events and increase in fishing mortality and natural mortality appear to have contributed to the declining mean size. The scarcity of older fish, observed as a drop in mean size to below the size of maturity for 50% of females, leads to concern for future recruitment of the larger species, especially bocaccio, chilipepper, yellowtail rockfish, S. flavidus, and canary rockfish.

The Origin of the Florida Sponge Fishery

Sponges were used domestically by Key West, Fla., pioneers soon after the town was settled in 1822 (Collins, 1887). Fortunately, aroung 1852, it was discovered that Florida sponges were able to compete with imported sponges from the Mediterranean, and they soon became commercially successful (Moore, 1910). These Florida-caught sponges were shipped to markets in New York and sold for domestic cleaning and personal hygiene, as upholstery stuffing and packing material, and for cleaning military cannons.

An Assessment of Fishery Yields from the East China Sea Ecosystem

A first assessment ofimportant East China Sea fisheries was carried out using data from 1956 to 1993. Two different data sets were available: 1) catch and effort data taken from landings and boat registrations and 2) catch and effort data from skipper's logs taken at sea. The two sets provided similar trends in CPUE over the study period. Stocks of high value, low volume species have been fished heavily and now produce very low landings or have been depleted (e.g. small and large yellow croaker). Some high volume and low value species have also been heavily fished (e.g. green filefish) while others (e.g. hairtail) are still producing high landings. Surplus production models were fitted to seven stocks. All showed considerable fluctuations in landings around MSY. The green filefish stock had an estimated MSY of around 160,000 tlyr at an effort of 2,500,000 kw and was depleted by a combination of excessive effort (around 4,000,000 kw in 1993) and marked fluctuations in landings (up to 70,000 tlyr above or below MSY). A sustainable policyfor managing ECS fisheries should address the effects ofboth effort and environmental variation.

The 1996 U.S. Purse Seine Fishery for Tropical Tunas in the Central-Western Pacific Ocean

The U.S. tropical tuna purse seine fleet has fished the central-western Pacific Ocean under the South Pacific Tuna Treaty since 1988. The 1996 fishery was the poorest since the start ofthe Treaty. Fishing effort declined due to the financial collapse of a large fishing enterprise. Catches reached record lows for yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares, and skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis, and continued a declining trend that started in 1995. Catch rates also decreased to the lowest levels since 1991. Whether this declining trend in catch rates is due to reduced availability of fish caused by cyclic ocean environmental changes affecting vulnerability or to reduced abundance from excessive fishing pressure is not yet known and needs to be assessed.

The California Red Sea Urchin, Strongylocentrotus franciscanus, Fishery: Catch, Effort, and Management Trends

California's red sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus franciscanus, catch peaked at 23,577 metric tons (t) in 1988. Since then, catches and CPUE have trended downward at different rates in northern and southern California, with 10,086 t landed statewide in 1995. West coast sea urchin catches and CPUE from British Columbia, Can., to Baja California, Mex., have generally declined during this period which followed a decade of rapid fishery expansion. This expansion was in response to increasing demand from Japan fueled by rising prices based largely on a more favorable export currency exchange rate. West coast stock assessment methods have been based on integrating a combination of fisheries dependent data and population surveys into models at various levels of complexity. California management policy has centered on technical measures such as size limits and seasonal closures and has been largely ineffective in stabilizing declining catches.