Bycatch of lined seahorses (Hippocampus erectus) in a Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawl fishery

Bycatch studies have largely ignored population level effects on fish species of little commercial interest. Here we analyze bycatch of the lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus) in the bait-shrimp trawl fishery in Hernando Beach, Florida, providing the first fisheries data for this species. Based on catch per unit of effort (CPUE), size, sex, and reproductive status of trawled H. erectus, 1) approximately 72,000 seahorses were caught annually by this fleet, from a population of unknown size, 2) trawling affected population cohorts differentially because of temporal and spatial variation in CPUE and population size, and 3) a greater proportion of females than males was removed in trawling. Our findings suggest that trawling may affect seahorse populations through direct mortality, social disruption, and habitat damage. However, the lack of specific abundance or catchability estimates for H. erectus means that the precise impact of trawling on this fish remains uncertain. This paper focuses attention on the need for research and monitoring of small fishes that are caught incidentally in nonselective gear.

Distribution, demography, and discard mortality of crabs caught as bycatch in an experimental pot fishery for toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) in the South Atlantic

Between March 2000 and April 2001 two commercial fishing vessels fished for toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) off South Georgia using pots. A significant number of lithodid crabs (three species of Paralomis spp.) were caught as bycatch. Paralomis spinosissima occurred in shallow water, generally shallower than 700 m. Paralomis anamerae, not previously reported from this area and therefore representing a considerable southerly extension in the reported geographic range of this species, had an intermediate depth distribution from 400 to 800 m. Paralomis formosa was present in shallow waters but reached much higher catch levels (and, presumably, densities) between 800 and 1400 m. Differences were also noted in depth distribution of the sexes and size of crabs. Depth, soak time, and area were found to significantly influence crab catch rates. Few crabs (3% of P. spinosissima and 7% of P. formosa) were males above the legal size limit and could therefore be retained. All other crabs were discarded. Most crabs (>99% of P. formosa, >97% of P. spinosissima, and >90% of P. anamerae) were lively on arrival on deck and at subsequent discard. Mortality rates estimated from re-immersion experiments indicated that on the vessel where pots were emptied directly onto the factory conveyor belt 78–89% of crabs would survive discarding, whereas on the vessel where crabs were emptied down a vertical chute prior to being sorted, survivorship was 38–58%. Of the three, P. anamerae was the most vulnerable to handling onboard and sub-sequent discarding. Paralomis spinosissima seemed more vulnerable than P. formosa.

Estimated ages of red porgy (Pagrus pagrus) from fishery-dependent and fishery-independent data and a comparison of growth parameters

The red porgy, Pagrus pagrus, is an important reef fish in several offshore fisheries along the southeastern United States. We examined samples from North Carolina through southeast Florida from recreational (headboat) and commercial (hook and line) fisheries, as well as samples from a fishery-independent source. Red porgy attain a maximum age of at least 18 years and 733 mm total length. The weight-length relationship is represented by the ln-ln transformed equation: W = 8.85 × 10–6(L)3.06, where W = whole weight in grams, and L = total length in mm. The von Bertalanffy growth equation fitted to the most recent, back-calculated lengths from all the samples is Lt = 644(1 – e –0.15(t + 0.76)). Our study revealed a difference in mean length at age of red porgy from the three sources. Red porgy in fishery-independent collections were smaller at age than specimens examined from fishery-dependent sources. The difference in length-at-age may be related to gear selectivity and have important consequences in the assessment of fish stocks.

Longitudinal logbook survey designs for estimating recreational fishery catch, with application to ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis)

Longitudinal surveys of anglers or boat owners are widely used in recreational fishery management to estimate total catch over a fishing season. Survey designs with repeated measures of the same random sample over time are effective if the goal is to show statistically significant differences among point estimates for successive time intervals. However, estimators for total catch over the season that are based on longitudinal sampling will be less precise than stratified estimators based on successive independent samples. Conventional stratified variance estimators would be negatively biased if applied to such data because the samples for different time strata are not independent. We formulated new general estimators for catch rate, total catch, and respective variances that sum across time strata but also account for correlation stratum samples. A case study of the Japanese recreational fishery for ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis) showed that the conventional stratified variance estimate of total catch was about 10% of the variance estimated by our new method. Combining the catch data for each angler or boat owners throughout the season reduced the variance of the total catch estimate by about 75%. For successive independent surveys based on random independent samples, catch, and variance estimators derived from combined data would be the same as conventional stratified estimators when sample allocation is proportional to strata size. We are the first to report annual catch estimates for ayu in a Japanese river by formulating modified estimators for day-permit anglers.

Efficiency of bycatch reduction devices in small otter trawls used in the Florida shrimp fishery

Two bycatch reduction devices (BRDs)—the extended mesh funnel (EMF) and the Florida fisheye (FFE)—were evaluated in otter trawls with net mouth circumferences of 14 m, 17 m, and 20 m and total net areas of 45 m2. Each test net was towed 20 times in parallel with a control net that had the same dimensions and configuration but no BRD. Both BRDs were tested at night during fall 1996 and winter 1997 in Tampa Bay, Florida. Usually, the bycatch was composed principally of finfish (44 species were captured); horseshoe crabs and blue crabs seasonally predominated in some trawls. Ten finfish species composed 92% of the total finfish catch; commercially or recreationally valuable species accounted for 7% of the catch. Mean finfish size in the BRD-equipped nets was usually slightly smaller than that in the control nets. Compared with the corresponding control nets, both biomass and number of finfish were almost always less in the BRD-equipped nets but neither shrimp number nor biomass were significantly reduced. The differences in proportions of both shrimp and finfish catch between the BRD-equipped and control nets varied between seasons and among net sizes, and differences in finfish catch were specific for each BRD type and season. In winter, shrimp catch was highest and size range of shrimp was greater than in fall. Season-specific differences in shrimp catch among the BRD types occurred only in the 14-m, EMF nets. Finfish bycatch species composition was also highly seasonal; each species was captured mainly during only one season. However, regardless of the finfish composition, the shrimp catch was relatively constant. In part as a result of this study, the State of Florida now requires the use of BRDs in state waters.

Opportunistic feeding of longhorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus): Are scallop fishery discards an important food subsidy for scavengers on Georges Bank?

There has been much recent interest in the effects of fishing on habitat and non-target species, as well as in protecting certain areas of the seabed from these effects (e.g. Jennings and Kaiser, 1998; Benaka, 1999; Langton and Auster, 1999; Kaiser and de Groot, 2000). As part of an effort to determine the effectiveness of marine closed areas in promoting recovery of commercial species (e.g. haddock, Melanogrammus aegelfinus; sea scallops, Placopecten magellanicus; yellowtail flounder, Limanda ferruginea; cod, Gadus morhua), nontarget species, and habitat, a multidisciplinary research cruise was conducted by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service. The cruise was conducted in closed area II (CA-II) of the eastern portion of Georges Bank during 19–29 June 2000 (Fig. 1). The area has historically produced high landings of scallops but was closed in 1994 principally for groundfish recovery (Fogarty and Murawski, 1998). The southern portion of the area was reopened to scallop fishing from 15 June to 12 November 1999, and again from 15 June to 15 August 2000. While conducting our planned sampling, we observed scallop viscera (the noncalcareous remains from scallops that have been shucked by commercial fishermen at sea) in the stomachs of several fish species at some of these locations, namely little skate (Raja erinacea), winter skate (R. ocellata), red hake (Urophycis chuss), and longhorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus). We examined the stomach contents of a known scavenger, the longhorn sculpin, to evaluate and document the extent of this phenomenon.

Bycatch of billfishes by the European tuna purse-seine fishery in the Atlantic Ocean

Billfishes are a component of offshore ecosystems; thus it is important to quantify the impact of the tuna fishery on these species in the world’s ocean. The aim of this study was to assess the bycatch of billfishes generated by the tropical tuna purse-seine fishery in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Information on bycatch was collected by observers at sea during the European Union Bigeye Program. With a total of 62 observers’ trips, conducted on Spanish and French vessels between June 1997 and May 1999, this project is the biggest observer program ever carried out in the European tuna purse-seine fishery. This study showed that billfish bycatch by the purse seiners is very low (less than 0.021% of the total tuna catches and less than 10% of the total billfish catches currently reported). A Monte Carlo simulation was performed to account for some uncertainties in the fishing strategies of purse seiners operating in this ocean. One of the findings of this study indicated that the temporary moratorium on fishing with FADs (fish aggregating devices), adopted by the European purse-seine fishery in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, produced a decrease in incidental catches of marlins from 600–700 metric tons (t) to less than 300 t. In contrast, this trend was reversed for sailfishes, for which the bycatch increased from 25 t to 45 t. The difficulty of defining indices that express the conservation status in marine fishes and that gauge key ecosystem parameters and the need to promote an ecosystem approach for large-pelagic-resource management which takes into account biologic and socioeconomic criteria are briefly discussed.

Sustainability of elasmobranchs caught as bycatch in a tropical prawn (shrimp) trawl fishery

The bycatch of Australia’s northern prawn fishery (NPF) comprises 56 elasmobranch species (16 families). The impact of this fishery on the sustainability of these species has not been addressed. We obtained estimates of catch rates and the within-net survival of elasmobranchs. Carcharhinus tilstoni, C. dussumieri, Rhynchobatus djiddensis, and Himantura toshi represented 65% of the bycatch. For most species, >50% of individuals in the bycatch were immature, and some species recruited to the fishery at birth. For all species combined, 66% of individuals in the bycatch died in the trawl net. The relative sustainability of elasmobranchs caught as bycatch was examined by ranking species with respect to their susceptibility to capture and mortality due to prawn trawling and with respect to their capacity to recover once the population was depleted. The species that were least likely to be sustainable were four species of pristids, Dasyatis brevicaudata, and Himantura jenkinsii. These are bottom-associated batoids that feed on benthic organisms and are highly susceptible to capture in prawn trawls. The recovery capacity of these species was also low according to our criteria. Our results provide a valuable first step towards ensuring the sustainability of elasmobranchs that are caught as bycatch by highlighting species for management and research. The effectiveness of turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in reducing elasmobranch bycatch varied greatly among species but was generally not very effective because most of the captured species were small.