Marine fisheries of Karnataka State, India

This contribution provides an overview of the marine capture fisheries off the coast of Karnataka State, India. It covers the main fisheries and fishing gears, production trends (by main species /groups and gears), assessment results and fisheries management. Marine fisheries production in the State increased from about 57,000 t/year during the 1950s to a peak of about 250,000 in 1989, declining to about 150,000 t/year by 1995. Substantive changes have been noted in dominant gears and species groups contributing to the catch between 1980-84 and 1990-95. Results of assessments indicate that many commercially important stocks are overfished, thus requiring a reduction in fishing effort.

Report of the Workshop on Blue Crab Stock Dynamics in Chesapeake Bay, December 13-15, 1982, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory

This workshop was convened to begin building a foundation of understanding for developing and evaluating proposed measures for the rational management of the blue crab fishery in Chesapeake Bay. Our goal was to generate a summary of knowledge of blue crab stock dynamics. Specifically, we intended to address, and hoped to estimate, the basic parameters of an exploited stock - growth, mortality, natality, migration rates, sex ratios and abundance. In one sense these objectives were simply a means for organizing our discussions. A second objective was to compile at the workshop pertinent data held by the major research institutions on Chesapeake Bay so all participants could see the kinds and extent of existing data. As with many stock assessment problems, tailoring an estimating procedure around known existing data can be more productive than deciding on a procedure and then trying to find the required data in someone else's files. Authors of papers contributed to the report: B.S. Hester and P.R. Mundy (p. 50); Qisheng Tang (p. 86); L. Eugene Cronin (p. 111); J.R. McConaugha (p. 128); Cluney Stagg and Phil Jones (p. 153).

Mesophotic coral ecosystems research strategy: international workshop to prioritize research and management needs for mesophotic coral ecosystems, Jupiter, Florida, 12-15 July 2008

On July 12-15, 2008, researchers and resource managers met in Jupiter, Florida to discuss and review the state of knowledge regarding mesophotic coral ecosystems, develop a working definition for these ecosystems, identify critical resource management information needs, and develop a Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems Research Strategy to assist the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other agencies and institutions in their research prioritization and strategic planning for mesophotic coral ecosystems. Workshop participants included representatives from international, Federal, and state governments; academia; and nongovernmental organizations. The Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems Workshop was hosted by the Perry Institute for Marine Science (PIMS) and organized by NOAA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The workshop goals, objectives, schedule, and products were governed by a Steering Committee consisting of members from NOAA (National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science’s Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research, the Office of Ocean Exploration and Research’s NOAA Undersea Research Program, and the National Marine Fisheries Service), USGS, PIMS, the Caribbean Coral Reef Institute, and the Bishop Museum.

Distribution, age, and growth of young-of-the year greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) associated with pelagic Sargassum

Patterns of distribution and growth were examined for young-of-the-year (YOY) greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) associated with pelagic Sargassum in the NW Gulf of Mexico. Seriola dumerili were collected off Galveston, Texas, from May to July over a two-year period (2000 and 2001) in both inshore (<15 nautical miles [nmi]) and offshore zones (15−70 nmi). Relative abundance of YOY S. dumerili (32−210 mm standard length) from purse-seine collections peaked in May and June, and abundance was highest in the offshore zone. Ages of S. dumerili ranged from 39 to 150 days and hatching-date analysis indicated that the majority of spawning events occurred from February to April. Average daily growth rates of YOY S. dumerili for 2000 and 2001 were 1.65 mm/d and 2.00 mm/d, respectively. Intra-annual differences in growth were observed; the late-season (April) cohort experienced the fastest growth in both years. In addition, growth was significantly higher for S. dumerili collected from the offshore zone. Mortality was approximated by using catch-curve analysis, and the predicted instantaneous mortality rate (Z) of YOY S. dumerili was 0.0045 (0.45%/d).

Tag-reporting levels for red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) caught by anglers in South Carolina and Georgia estuaries

A total of 1784 legal-size (≥356 mm TL) hatchery-produced red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) were tagged and released to estimate tag-reporting levels of recreational anglers in South Carolina (SC) and Georgia (GA). Twelve groups of legal-size fish (~150 fish/group) were released. Half of the fish of each group were tagged with an external tag with the message “reward” and the other half of the fish were implanted with tags with the message “$100 reward.” These fish were released into two estuaries in each state (n=4); three replicate groups were released at different sites within each estuary (n=12). From results obtained in previous tag return experiments conducted by wildlife and fisheries biologists, it was hypothesized that reporting would be maximized at a reward level of $100/tag. Reporting level for the “reward” tags was estimated by dividing the number of “reward” tags returned by the number of “$100 reward” tags returned. The cumulative return level for both tag messages was 22.7 (±1.9)% in SC and 25.8 (±4.1)% in GA. These return levels were typical of those recorded by other red drum tagging programs in the region. Return data were partitioned according to verbal survey information obtained from anglers who reported tagged fish. Based on this partitioned data set, 14.3 (±2.1)% of “reward” tags were returned in SC, and 25.5 (±2.3)% of “$100 reward” tags were returned. This finding indicates that only 56.7% of the fish captured with “reward” tags were reported in SC. The pattern was similar for GA where 19.1 (±10.6)% of “reward” message tags were returned as compared with 30.1 (±15.6)% for “$100 reward” message tags. This difference yielded a reporting level of 63% for “reward” tags in GA. Currently, 50% is used as the estimate for the angler reporting level in population models for red drum and a number of other coastal finfish species in the South Atlantic region of the United States. Based on results of our study, the commonly used reporting estimate may result in an overestimate of angler exploitation for red drum.