The Annual Economic Survey of Federal Gulf Shrimp Permit Holders: Report on the Design, Implementation, and Descriptive Results for 2006

This technical memorandum documents the design, implementation, data preparation, and descriptive results for the 2006 Annual Economic Survey of Federal Gulf Shrimp Permit Holders. The data collection was designed by the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center Social Science Research Group to track the financial and economic status and performance by vessels holding a federal moratorium permit for harvesting shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico. A two page, self-administered mail survey collected total annual costs broken out into seven categories and auxiliary economic data. In May 2007, 580 vessels were randomly selected, stratified by state, from a preliminary population of 1,709 vessels with federal permits to shrimp in offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The survey was implemented during the rest of 2007. After many reminder and verification phone calls, 509 surveys were deemed complete, for an ineligibility-adjusted response rate of 90.7%. The linking of each individual vessel’s cost data to its revenue data from a different data collection was imperfect, and hence the final number of observations used in the analyses is 484. Based on various measures and tests of validity throughout the technical memorandum, the quality of the data is high. The results are presented in a standardized table format, linking vessel characteristics and operations to simple balance sheet, cash flow, and income statements. In the text, results are discussed for the total fleet, the Gulf shrimp fleet, the active Gulf shrimp fleet, and the inactive Gulf shrimp fleet. Additional results for shrimp vessels grouped by state, by vessel characteristics, by landings volume, and by ownership structure are available in the appendices. The general conclusion of this report is that the financial and economic situation is bleak for the average vessels in most of the categories that were evaluated. With few exceptions, cash flow for the average vessel is positive while the net revenue from operations and the “profit” are negative. With negative net revenue from operations, the economic return for average shrimp vessels is less than zero. Only with the help of government payments does the average owner just about break even. In the short-term, this will discourage any new investments in the industry. The financial situation in 2006, especially if it endures over multiple years, also is economically unsustainable for the average established business. Vessels in the active and inactive Gulf shrimp fleet are, on average, 69 feet long, weigh 105 gross tons, are powered by 505 hp motor(s), and are 23 years old. Three-quarters of the vessels have steel hulls and 59% use a freezer for refrigeration. The average market value of these vessels was $175,149 in 2006, about a hundred-thousand dollars less than the average original purchase price. The outstanding loans averaged $91,955, leading to an average owner equity of $83,194. Based on the sample, 85% of the federally permitted Gulf shrimp fleet was actively shrimping in 2006. Of these 386 active Gulf shrimp vessels, just under half (46%) were owner-operated. On average, these vessels burned 52,931 gallons of fuel, landed 101,268 pounds of shrimp, and received $2.47 per pound of shrimp. Non-shrimp landings added less than 1% to cash flow, indicating that the federal Gulf shrimp fishery is very specialized. The average total cash outflow was $243,415 of which $108,775 was due to fuel expenses alone. The expenses for hired crew and captains were on average $54,866 which indicates the importance of the industry as a source of wage income. The resulting average net cash flow is $16,225 but has a large standard deviation. For the population of active Gulf shrimp vessels we can state with 95% certainty that the average net cash flow was between $9,500 and $23,000 in 2006. The median net cash flow was $11,843. Based on the income statement for active Gulf shrimp vessels, the average fixed costs accounted for just under a quarter of operating expenses (23.1%), labor costs for just over a quarter (25.3%), and the non-labor variable costs for just over half (51.6%). The fuel costs alone accounted for 42.9% of total operating expenses in 2006. It should be noted that the labor cost category in the income statement includes both the actual cash payments to hired labor and an estimate of the opportunity cost of owner-operators’ time spent as captain. The average labor contribution (as captain) of an owner-operator is estimated at about $19,800. The average net revenue from operations is negative $7,429, and is statistically different and less than zero in spite of a large standard deviation. The economic return to Gulf shrimping is negative 4%. Including non-operating activities, foremost an average government payment of $13,662, leads to an average loss before taxes of $907 for the vessel owners. The confidence interval of this value straddles zero, so we cannot reject, with 95% certainty, that the population average is zero. The average inactive Gulf shrimp vessel is generally of a smaller scale than the average active vessel. Inactive vessels are physically smaller, are valued much lower, and are less dependent on loans. Fixed costs account for nearly three quarters of the total operating expenses of $11,926, and only 6% of these vessels have hull insurance. With an average net cash flow of negative $7,537, the inactive Gulf shrimp fleet has a major liquidity problem. On average, net revenue from operations is negative $11,396, which amounts to a negative 15% economic return, and owners lose $9,381 on their vessels before taxes. To sustain such losses and especially to survive the negative cash flow, many of the owners must be subsidizing their shrimp vessels with the help of other income or wealth sources or are drawing down their equity. Active Gulf shrimp vessels in all states but Texas exhibited negative returns. The Alabama and Mississippi fleets have the highest assets (vessel values), on average, yet they generate zero cash flow and negative $32,224 net revenue from operations. Due to their high (loan) leverage ratio the negative 11% economic return is amplified into a negative 21% return on equity. In contrast, for Texas vessels, which actually have the highest leverage ratio among the states, a 1% economic return is amplified into a 13% return on equity. From a financial perspective, the average Florida and Louisiana vessels conform roughly to the overall average of the active Gulf shrimp fleet. It should be noted that these results are averages and hence hide the variation that clearly exists within all fleets and all categories. Although the financial situation for the average vessel is bleak, some vessels are profitable. (PDF contains 101 pages)

An increment technique for estimating growth parameters of tropical tunas, as applied to yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares)

ENGLISH: The rate of growth of tropical tunas has been studied by various investigators using diverse methods. Hayashi (1957) examined methods to determine the age of tunas by interpreting growth patterns on the bony or hard parts, but the results proved unreliable. Moore (1951), Hennemuth (1961), and Davidoff (1963) studied the age and growth of yellowfin tuna by the analysis of size frequency distributions. Schaefer, Chatwin and Broadhead (1961), and Fink (ms.), estimated the rate of growth of yellowfin tuna from tagging data; their estimates gave a somewhat slower rate of growth than that obtained by the study of length-frequency distributions. For the yellowfin tuna, modal groups representing age groups can be identified and followed for relatively long periods of time in length-frequency graphs. This may not be possible, however, for other tropical tunas where the modal groups may not represent identifiable age groups; this appears to be the case for skipjack tuna (Schaefer, 1962). It is necessary, therefore, to devise a method of estimating the growth rates of such species without identifying the year classes. The technique described in this study, hereafter called the "increment technique", employs the measurement of the change in length per unit of time, with respect to mean body length, without the identification of year classes. This technique is applied here as a method of estimating the growth rate of yellowfin tuna from the entire Eastern Tropical Pacific, and from the Commission's northern statistical areas (Areas 01-04 and 08) as shown in Figure 1. The growth rates of yellowfin tuna from Area 02 (Hennemuth, 1961) and from the northern areas (Davidoff, 1963) have been described by the technique of tracing modal progressions of year classes, hereafter termed the "year class technique". The growth rate analyses performed by both techniques apply to the segment of the population which is captured by tuna fishing vessels. The results obtained by both methods are compared in this report. SPANISH: La tasa del crecimiento de los atunes tropicales ha sido estudiada por varios investigadores quienes usaron diversos métodos. Hayashi (1957) examinó los métodos para determinar la edad de los atunes interpretando las marcas del crecimiento de las partes óseas o duras, pero los resultados no han demostrado eficacia. Moore (1951), Hennemuth (1961) y Davidoff (1963) estudiaron la edad y el crecimiento del atún aleta amarilla por medio del análisis de las distribuciones de la frecuencia de tamaños. Schaefer, Chatwin y Broadhead (1961) y Fink (Ms.), estimaron la tasa del crecimiento del atún aleta amarilla valiéndose de los datos de la marcación de los peces; ambos estimaron una tasa del crecimiento algo más lenta que la que se obtiene mediante el estudio de las distribuciones de la frecuencia de longitudes. Para el atún aleta amarilla, los grupos modales que representan grupos de edad pueden ser identificados y seguidos durante períodos de tiempo relativamente largos en los gráficos de la frecuencia de longitudes. Sin embargo, ésto puede no ser posible para otros atunes tropicales para los cuales los grupos modales posiblemente no representan grupos de edad identificables; este parece ser el caso para el barrilete (Schaefer, 1962). Consecuentemente, es necesario idear un método para estimar las tasas del crecimiento de las mencionadas especies sin necesidad de identificar las clases anuales. La técnica descrita en este estudio, en adelante llamada la "técnica incremental", emplea la medida del cambio en la longitud por unidad de tiempo, con respecto al promedio de la longitud corporal, sin tener que identificar las clases anuales. Esta técnica se aplica aquí como un método para estimar la tasa del crecimiento del atún aleta amarilla de todo el Pacífico Oriental Tropical, y de las áreas estadísticas norteñas de la Comisión (Areas 01-04 y 08), como se muestra en la Figura 1. Las tasas del crecimiento del atún aleta amarilla del Area 02 (Hennemuth, 1961) y de las áreas del norte (Davidoff, 1963), han sido descritas por medio de una técnica que consiste en delinear las progresiones modales de las clases anuales, en adelante llamada la "técnica de la clase anual". Los análisis de la tasa del crecimiento llevados a cabo por ambas técnicas se refieren al segmento de la población capturada por embarcaciones pesqueras de atún. Los resultados obtenidos por ambos métodos se comparan en este informe.

Population Characteristics of Gulf Menhaden, Brevoortia patronus

The status of the gulf menhaden, Brevoortia patronus, fishery was assessed with purseseine landing data from 1946 to 1992 and port sampling data from 1964 to 1992. These data were analyzed to determine growth rates, biological reference points for fishing mortality from yield per recruit and maximum spawning potential analyses, spawner-recruit relationships, and maximum sustainable yield (MSY). Virtual population approaches were used to obtain point estimates of stock size, recruits to age I, spawning stock size, and fishing mortality rates. Exploitation rates ranged between 14% and 45% for age-1 fish, between 30% and 72% for age-2 fish, and between 36% and 71% for age-3 fish. Biological reference points from yield per recruit (FO. I: 0.7-0.9 yr-1) and maximum spawning potential (F20: 1.62.9 yr-l and F30: 1.0-2.1 yr-1) were obtained for comparison with recent estimates of F (0.4-0.8 yr-l). Parameters from Ricker-type spawner-recruit relations were estimated, although considerable unexplained variability remained. Estimates of long-term MSY from fits of the generalized production model ranged between 664,000 metric tons (t) and 897,000 t. Declines in landings since 1988 have raised concerns about the status of the gulf menhaden stock. However, gulf menhaden are short lived and highly fecund. Thus, variation in recruitment to age 1 largely mediated by environmental conditions influences fishing success over the next two years (as age-1 and age-2 fish). Comparisons of recent estimates of fishing mortality to biological reference points do not suggest overfishing. (PDF file contains 26 pages.)

Migrations of yellowfin and skipjack tuna in the Eastern Pacific Ocean as determined by tagging experiments, 1952-1964

ENGLISH: Totals of 59,547 tagged yellowfin and 90,412 tagged skipjack were released during 1952-1964 throughout the range of the fishery in the eastern Pacific Ocean during that period. Most of the fish were released from commercial baitboats, either on regular fishing trips or on chartered trips to catch fish for tagging. There we re 8,397 yellowfin and 4,381 skipjack returned from these releases. There appear to be two main groups of yellowfin in the eastern Pacific Ocean. There is considerable intermingling among the fish of the two groups, however. The fish of the northern group (west coast of Baja California, Gulf of California, and Revillagigedo Islands) first appear in the Revillagigedo Islands in about April, and migrate north along the Baja California coast during the spring and summer and south along that coast during the fall. Recruits to the southern group (Tres Marias Islands to northern Chile) appear at many points or continuously along most of the coast. The fish which first appear in the northern Panama Bight in April migrate rapidly northwest to Central America and Mexico and south to the Gulf of Guayaquil. There also appear to be two main groups of skipjack in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The fish of the northern group (west coast of Baja California, Gulf of California, and Revillagigedo Islands ) perform about the same migration as do the yellowfin of the same area, but most of the skipjack apparently then migrate to the central Pacific Ocean during the fall and/or winter. Recruits to the southern group (Central America to northern Chile) appear mostly in or near the Panama Bight. The fish which first appear in the northern Panama Bight in April migrate rapidly northwest to Central America and south to the Gulf of Guayaquil. The proportions which migrate in these directions vary considerably from year to year, this perhaps being dependent on differences in the sea-surface temperatures. SPANISH: Durante el período de 1952-1964 se liberó a través de todos los límites de distribución de la pesquería en el Océano Pacífico oriental un total de 59,547 aleta amarilla y 90,412 barriletes marcados. La mayoria de los peces fueron liberados de barcos de carnada comerciales, o en viajes regulares de pesca o en viajes en los que se fletaron los barcos para capturar atunes y marcarlos. De estas líberaciones se recapturaron 8,397 aleta amarilla y 4,381 barriletes. Parece que haya dos grupos principales de aleta amarilla en el Océano Pacífico oriental. Sin embargo, existe una entremezcla considerable entre los peces de los dos grupos. Los peces del grupo septentrional (costa occidental de Baja California, Golfo de California y Islas Revillagigedo) aparecen primero en las Islas Revillagigedo alrededor de abril, y durante la primavera y el verano se desplazan al norte a lo largo de la costa de Baja California y durante el otoño al sur a lo largo de la costa. Los reclutas del grupo meridional (Islas Tres Marias hasta el norte de Chile) aparecen en muchas partes o continuamente a lo largo de la mayoría de la costa. Los peces que aparecen primero en la región septentrional del Panamá Bight en abril se desplazan rápidamente al noroeste a la América Central y México y al sur al Golfo de Guayaquil. Parece también que existen dos grupos principales de barrilete en el Océano Pacífico oriental. Los peces del gr upo septentrional (costa occidental de Baja California, Golfo de California e Islas Revillagigedo ) realizan casi la misma migración que el atún aleta amarilla de la misma área, pero aparentemente la mayor parte del barrilete se desplaza luego al Océano Pacífico central durante el otoño y/o en el invierno. Los reclutas al grupo meridional (América Central al norte de Chile) aparecen en su mayoría en el Panamá Bight o cerca a este lugar. Los peces que aparecen primero en la región septentrional del Panamá Bight en abril se desplazan rápidamente al noroeste a la América Central y al sur al Golfo de Guayaquil. Las proporciones que se desplazan en estas direcciones varían considerablemente de año a año; tal vez esto depende en las diferencias de temperatura de la superficie del mar. (PDF contains 227 pages.)

The use of aerial photographs for estimating school sizes of cetaceans

ENGLISH: The accuracy and precision of dolphin school size estimates based on aerial photograph counts were examined using data collected on recent aerial and ship surveys. These estimates were found to be accurate during a 1979research cruise aboard a tuna purse-seiner; dolphin schools were photographed from the ship’s helicopter, encircled with the purse-seine, and then counted as the dolphins were released from the net. A comparison of photographic estimates with these counts indicated that the relationship was fairly close and gave no indication of significantly differing from 1:1. During a 1980 aerial study, photographic estimates from different schools, passes, and camera formats were compared and were found to be quite precise with a standard deviation of approximately 60/0 of school size. Photographic estimates were also compared with estimates made by aerial observers. Most observers tended to underestimate school size, particularly for large schools. The variability among observers was high, indicating that observers should be individually calibrated. SPANISH: Se examinó la exactitud y la precisión de las estimaciones de la magnitud de los cardúmenes de delfines basadas en el cálculo de las fotografías aéreas, usando los datos obtenidos en los últimos reconocimientos aéreos y de los barcos. En 1979, durante un crucero de investigación en un cerquero atunero, se encontró que estas estimaciones eran acertadas; se fotografiaron los cardúmenes de delfines desde un helicóptero del barco, cercados con la red y luego se contaron a medida que se libraban los delfines de la red. Una comparación de las estimaciones fotográficas con estos cálculos indicó que la relación era bastante aproximada y no hubo indicación que se diferenció significativamente de la razón 1:1. Durante un estudio aéreo en 1980, se compararon las estimaciones fotográficas de diferentes del cardúmenes, en los pases y los formatos de las cámaras y se encontró que eran bastante precisos, con una desviación normal de cerca del 60/0 de la magnitud cardumen. Se compararon también las estimaciones fotográficas con las estimaciones realizadas por los observadores aéreos. La mayoría de los observadores tienden a subestimar la magnitud de los cardúmenes, especialmente los cardúmenes grandes. La variabilidad entre los observadores fue elevada, lo que indica que se deben calibrar individualmente los datos de observadores. (PDF contains 39 pages.)

Norwegens Fischerei 1996: Anlandungen und Erlöse weiter gestiegen

Norway’s sea fishery 1996 ranked 9th world wide. Preliminary data for 1996, as published in the Norwegean journal Fiskets Gang, show a further increase of the total catch by 114 000 tonnes, which now reached 2.63 million tonnes. The value of these landings were 8550 million nkr, up by 381 million nkr. The 5 most caught species were herring, cod, blue whiting and saithe. The 5 highest values, however, were obtained by cod, mackerel, herring, saithe and deepsea prawn. Considerable increases of prices were noted for jack mackerel (+142 %), mackerel (+133 %) and herring (+34 %).

Assessment of consumer acceptance of kilishi of African carp (Labeo coubie Rueppell) and Elephant snout (Hyperopisus bebe occidentalis, Guenther)

This study was carried out to assess consumers' acceptance of kilishi prepared from Labeo coubie and Hyperopisus bebe occidentalis in Sokoto. The organoleptic properties (texture, odour, taste and flavour) of kilishi in its fresh form and under storage for 16 weeks were determined. The mean scores for the organoleptic assessment (6.90 and 7.19 for kilishi of Labeo and Hyperopisus respectively) showed that fish kilishi was highly acceptable. Hyperopisus kilishi recorded slightly higher mean scores for the tested organoleptic properties. The declining pattern of the sensory assessment scores with length of storage indicated that the optimum storage period under the room temperature for kilishi made from the experimental fish species in the study area was 6-8 weeks. Further research on appropriate storage methods is desirable. However, preparation of fish kilishi could be explored as alternative preservation technique to reduce fish spoilage especially during the glut in supply and to diversify fish products

Connecting researchers and research

Libraries have long held an established role in the scholarly research process; however the process of scholarly communication is evolving. Citation management software, institutional repositories, open access and open data mandates have opened up new opportunities and new challenges. Researchers have more responsibility for managing their work, but less time to do it. Libraries are struggling to remain an active part of the scholarly communication process. It has become increasingly difficult for institutions to identify their scholarly output. This presentation will show how MBLWHOI is attempting to meet this challenge with the implementation of, Bibapp, an open source tool to manage campus research.

Food habits of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) off Oregon and northern California, 1986–2007

We described the diet of the eastern stock of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) from 1416 scat samples collected from five sites in Oregon and northern California from 1986 through 2007. A total of 47 prey types from 30 families were identified. The most common prey was Pacific hake (Merluccius productus), followed by salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.), skates (Rajidae), Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata), herrings (Clupeidae), rockfish (Sebastes spp.), and northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax). Steller sea lion diet composition varied seasonally, annually, and spatially. Hake and salmonids were the most commonly identified prey in scats collected during the summer (breeding season), whereas hake and skate were most common in the nonbreeding season. Continued research on Steller sea lion diet and foraging behavior in the southern extent of their range is necessary to address issues such as climate change, interaction with competing California sea lions, and predation impacts on valuable or sensitive fish stocks.

Species compositions of elasmobranchs caught by three different commercial fishing methods off southwestern Australia, and biological data for four abundant bycatch species

Commercial catches taken in southwestern Australian waters by trawl fisheries targeting prawns and scallops and from gillnet and longline fisheries targeting sharks were sampled at different times of the year between 2002 and 2008. This sampling yielded 33 elasmobranch species representing 17 families. Multivariate statistics elucidated the ways in which the species compositions of elasmobranchs differed among fishing methods and provided benchmark data for detecting changes in the elasmobranch fauna in the future. Virtually all elasmobranchs caught by trawling, which consisted predominantly of rays, were discarded as bycatch, as were approximately a quarter of the elasmobranchs caught by both gillnetting and longlining. The maximum lengths and the lengths at maturity of four abundant bycatch species, Heterodontus portusjacksoni, Aptychotrema vincentiana, Squatina australis, and Myliobatis australis, were greater for females than males. The L50 determined for the males of these species at maturity by using full clasper calcification as the criterion of maturity did not differ significantly from the corresponding L50 derived by using gonadal data as the criterion for maturity. The proportions of the individuals of these species with lengths less than those at which 50% reach maturity were far greater in trawl samples than in gillnet and longline samples. This result was due to differences in gear selectivity and to trawling being undertaken in shallow inshore waters that act as nursery areas for these species. Sound quantitative data on the species compositions of elasmobranchs caught by commercial fisheries and the biological characteristics of the main elasmobranch bycatch species are crucial for developing strategies for conserving these important species and thus the marine ecosystems of which they are part.

Distribution, growth, and mortality of sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) larvae in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Ichthyoplankton surveys were conducted in shelf and slope waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico during the months of May–September in 2005 and 2006 to investigate the potential role of this region as spawning and nursery habitat of sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus). During the two-year study, 2426 sailfish larvae were collected, ranging in size from 2.0 to 24.3 mm standard length. Mean density for all neuston net collections (n=288) combined was 1.5 sailfish per 1000 m2, and maximum density was observed within frontal features created by hydrodynamic convergence (2.3 sailfish per 1000 m2). Sagittal otoliths were extracted from 1330 larvae, and otolith microstructure analysis indicated that the sailfish ranged in age from 4 to 24 days after hatching (mean=10.5 d, standard deviation [SD]=3.2 d). Instantaneous growth coefficients (g) among survey periods (n=5) ranged from 0.113 to 0.127, and growth peaked during July 2005 collections when density within frontal features was highest. Daily instantaneous mortality rates (Z) ranged from 0.228 to 0.381, and Z was indexed to instantaneous weight-specific growth (G) to assess stage-specific production potential of larval cohorts. Ratios of G to Z were greater than 1.0 for all but one cohort examined, indicating that cohorts were gaining biomass during the majority of months investigated. Stage-specific production potential, in combination with catch rates and densities of larvae, indicates that the Gulf of Mexico likely represents important spawning and nursery habitat for sailfish.

Pacific Hagfish, Eptatretus stouti, and Black Hagfish, E. deani: The Oregon Fishery and Port Sampling Observations, 1988-92

In 1988, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife began sampling and monitoring the development of a new fishery for Pacific hagfish, Eptatretus stouti, and black hagfish, E. deani. Hagfish landings by Oregon trap vessels have ranged from 11,695 kg in 1988 to 340,774 kg in 1992. Whole frozen fish were shipped to South Korea for the "eel skin" leather market. From 1988 through 1989, I sampled 924 Pacific hagfish and 897 black hagfish from commercial and research catches. Mean length of fish sampled from commercial landings was 39.6 cmf or Pacific hagfish and 34.5 cm for black hagfish. Weight-length relationships (W=aLb) were calculated for males and females of both species. Fifty percent maturity for male and female Pacific hagfish was 35 cm and 42 cm, respectively, while 50% maturityf or male and female black hagfish was 34 cm and 38 cm, respectively. Examination of gonads for both species indicated that spawning either occurs throughout the year or the spawning period is protracted. Mature females of both species had from one to three distinct sizes of eggs, but they usually carried only one group of eggs over 5 mm in length. Mature Pacific hagfish females averaged 28 eggs over 5 mm in length, and black hagfish females averaged 14 eggs over 5 mm in length. Hermaphroditism was found in 0.2% of the Pacific hagfish examined.