Our living oceans: report on the status of U.S. living marine resources, 6th edition

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is dedicated to the stewardship of living marine resources (LMR’s). This is accomplished through science-based conservation and management, and the promotion of healthy ecosystems. As a steward, NMFS has an obligation to conserve, protect, and manage these resources in a way that ensures their continuation as functioning components of healthy marine ecosystems, affords economic opportunities, and enhances the quality of life for the American public. In addition to its responsibilities within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), NMFS plays a supportive and advisory role in the management of LMR’s in the coastal areas under state jurisdiction and provides scientific and policy leadership in the international arena. NMFS also implements international measures for the conservation and management of LMR’s, as appropriate.NMFS receives its stewardship responsibilities under a number of Federal laws. These include the Nation’s primary fisheries law, the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act. This law was first passed in 1976, later reauthorized as the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1996, and reauthorized again on 12 January 2007 as the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act (MSRA). The MSRA mandates strong action to conserve and manage fishery resources and requires NMFS to end overfishing by 2010 in all U.S. commercial and recreational fisheries, rebuild all overfished stocks, and conserve essential fish habitat.

Survey of the shrimp stocks of the Sierra Leone inshore shelf : a summary report outlining objectives, observations and recommendations on the status of the Sierra Leone shrimp fishery

This report gives the species and catch-rates per hour of some commercial shrimp species caught in the course of a short survey of inshore shelf fishing grounds. Species seen in significant quantities were: Parapenneopsis atlantica, Parapenaeus longirostris, Penaeus kerathurus and Penaeus duorarum notialis

Studies on the status of pollution in certain estuarine areas in Kakinada

The BOD levels and saprotrophication of 2 stations in an estuarine habitat at Kakinada India, was studied during one full tidal cycle. Both the stations were found to be heavily polluted by sewage with BOD values ranging between 10.8 and 12.8 ppm at the commercial canal (station 1) and between 4.8 and 8.8 ppm at the mangrove creek (station 2). Tides did not seem to have much influence on the dilution of the pollutants. Based on planktonic indicator species observed and saprobity index which worked out to be 2.75, both the sampling areas are considered as heavily polluted alpha-mesosaprobic zones.

History of the Fisheries of Raritan Bay, New York and New Jersey

Raritan Bay is the body of water bounded by New York and New Jersey and lying immediately south of New York City (Fig. 1). It has close proximity to the most concentrated urban and industrial area in the United States. Its history has been one of extensive multiple use by the surrounding human population. Dating from the precolonial and colonial periods, people have employed many types of gear to catch and gather its once abundant fishes and shellfishes. Its beaches were once popular for sun bathing and swimming, but after the 1940's they were essentially abandoned because the water became too polluted. Another large use has been for pleasure boating and the transit and dockage of merchant, passenger, and military vessels. Channels and basins were dug in the bay, bulkheads and jetties were constructed along its shores, and it was a donor source of sand and gravel for construction projects. It has also been a receptor for large quantities of domestic and industrial wastes and, mainly for this reason, it is one ofthe most deteriorated estuaries in the United States.

Impact of Bashundhara Baridhara Housing Project on the status, abundance and species diversity of fish in Bashundhara Housing lake in Dhaka, Bangladesh

A study on the status of fisheries and environmental impact assessment (EIA) was conducted on Bashundhara Baridhara Housing Project (BBHP), Dhaka, Bangladesh for prediction and measure the effects of housing project related development activities that have already been implemented and planned for future implementation. The project is still under development phase and so far allotted 10,000 plots of different sizes. The study shows that the original water bodies and natural fish production there from have greatly declined due to earth filling carried out for development of land for the housing. The physico-chemical parameters of the existing water body within the project area were found to be suitable for fish farming in the estate. A number of economically important fish species are found available in the existing lake. However, the natural fisheries resources of the existing lake is under great stress due to the changes made in the ecosystem, siltation, construction of building and dumping of house building and household waste materials. This has caused some important fish species of the lake to become critically endangered and vulnerable which have been documented in this paper. Appropriate regulatory and mitigating measures with respect to water management, disposal of construction garbage and other biomedical toxic substances far away from the water bodies are required to be taken to keep the water safe and suitable for fish production as well as for multipurpose use of the lake water.

The Status of the United States Population of Night Shark, Carcharhinus signatus

Night sharks, Carcharhinus signatus, are an oceanic species generally occurring in outer continental shelf waters in the western North Atlantic Ocean including the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Although not targeted, night sharks make up a segment of the shark bycatch in the pelagic longline fishery. Historically, night sharks comprised a significant proportion of the artisanal Cuban shark fishery but today they are rarely caught. Although information from some fisheries has shown a decline in catches of night sharks, it is unclear whether this decline is due to changes in fishing tactics, market, or species identification. Despite the uncertainty in the decline, the night shark is currently listed as a species of concern due to alleged declines in abundance resulting from fishing effort, i.e. overutilization. To assess their relevance to the species of concern list, we collated available information on the night shark to provide an analysis of its status. Night shark landings were likely both over- and under-reported and thus probably did not reflect all commercial and recreational catches, and overall they have limited relevance to the current status of the species. Average size information has not changed considerably since the 1980’s based on information from the pelagic longline fishery when corrected for gear bias. Analysis of biological information indicates night sharks have intrinsic rates of increase (r) about 10% yr–1 and have moderate rebound potential and an intermediate generation time compared to other sharks. An analysis of trends in relative abundance from four data sources gave conflicting results, with one series in decline, two series increasing, and one series relatively flat. Based on the analysis of all currently available information, we believe the night shark does not qualify as a species of concern but should be retained on the prohibited species list as a precautionary approach to management until a more comprehensive stock assessment can be conducted.

The status of the artisanal fishery of Lake Victoria, Kenya, with notes on improvements to the catch data collection system

Catch and effort assessment surveys have been used to assess trends in fish landings in Kenyan waters of Lake Victoria since 1976. Landings reached a maximum of 200000 t annually in 1989-1991 as Nile perch, Lates niloticus (L.), catches increased due to an expansion in stock size and increased fishing effort. CPUE peaked at 180 kg boat day-1 in 1989 and decreased thereafter with increasing effort. By 1998 total Nile perch catches were half those at the beginning of the decade despite increased effort. Catches of Rastrineobola argentea (Pellegrin) have levelled off despite increased effort.

The Status of Eelgrass, Zostera marina, as Bay Scallop Habitat: Consequences for the Fishery in the Western Atlantic

Zostera marina is a member of a widely distributed genus of seagrasses, all commonly called eelgrass. The reported distribution of eelgrass along the east coast of the United States is from Maine to North Carolina. Eelgrass inhabits a variety of coastal habitats, due in part to its ability to tolerate a wide range of environmental parameters. Eelgrass meadows provide habitat, nurseries, and feeding grounds for a number of commercially and ecologically important species, including the bay scallop, Argopecten irradians. In the early 1930’s, a marine event, termed the “wasting disease,” was responsible for catastrophic declines in eelgrass beds of the coastal waters of North America and Europe, with the virtual elimination of Z. marina meadows in the Atlantic basin. Following eelgrass declines, disastrous losses were documented for bay scallop populations, evidence of the importance of eelgrass in supporting healthy scallop stocks. Today, increased turbidity arising from point and non-point source nutrient loading and sediment runoff are the primary threats to eelgrass along the Atlantic coast and, along with recruitment limitation, are likely reasons for the lack of recovery by eelgrass to pre-1930’s levels. Eelgrass is at a historical low for most of the western Atlantic with uncertain prospects for systematic improvement. However, of all the North American seagrasses, eelgrass has a growth rate and strategy that makes it especially conducive to restoration and several states maintain ongoing mapping, monitoring, and restoration programs to enhance and improve this critical resource. The lack of eelgrass recovery in some areas, coupled with increasing anthropogenic impacts to seagrasses over the last century and heavy fishing pressure on scallops which naturally have erratic annual quantities, all point to a fishery with profound challenges for survival.