Multi-species and multi-interest management: An ecosystem approach to market squid (Loligo opalescens) harvest in California

Market squid (Loligo opalescens) plays a vital role in the California ecosystem and serves as a major link in the food chain as both a predator and prey species. For over a century, market squid has also been harvested off the California coast from Monterey to San Pedro. Expanding global markets, coupled with a decline in squid product from other parts of the world, in recent years has fueled rapid expansion of the virtually unregulated California fishery. Lack of regulatory management, in combination with dramatic increases in fishing effort and landings, has raised numerous concerns from the scientific, fishing, and regulatory communities. In an effort to address these concerns, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) hosted a panel discussion at the October 1997 California Cooperative Oceanic and Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) Conference; it focused on ecosystem management implications for the burgeoning market squid fishery. Both panel and audience members addressed issues such as: the direct and indirect effects of commercial harvesting upon squid biomass; the effects of harvest and the role of squid in the broader marine community; the effects of environmental variation on squid population dynamics; the sustainability of the fishery from the point of view of both scientists and the fishers themselves; and the conservation management options for what is currently an open access and unregulated fishery. Herein are the key points of the ecosystem management panel discussion in the form of a preface, an executive summary, and transcript. (PDF contains 33 pages.)

Aquiculture and Marketing of the Florida Bay Scallop in Crystal River, Florida

The overall goal of this study was to develop a new fishery resource product through open-water aquaculture for the west coast of Florida that would compete as a non-traditional product through market development. Specific objectives were as follows: I. To grow a minimum of 50, 000 juvenile scallops to a minimum market size of40 mm in a cage and float system in the off-shore waters of Crystal River, Florida. 2. To determine the growth rate, survival, and time to market size for the individuals in this system and area to other similar projects like Virginia. 3. To introduce local fishermen and the aquaculture students at Crystal River High School to the hatchery, nursery, and grow-out techniques. 4. To determine the economic and financial characteristics of bay scallop culture in Florida and assess the sensitivity of projected costs and earnings to changes in key technical, managerial, and market related parameters. 5. To determine the market acceptability and necessary marketing strategy for whole bay scallop product in Florida. (PDF has 99 pages)

A comparison of seafloor habitats and associated benthic fauna in areas open and closed to bottom trawling along the central California Continental Shelf

Executive Summary: A number of studies have shown that mobile, bottom-contact fishing gear (such as otter trawls) can alter seafloor habitats and associated biota. Considerably less is known about the recovery of these resources following such disturbances, though this information is critical for successful management. In part, this paucity of information can be attributed to the lack of access to adequate control sites – areas of the seafloor that are closed to fishing activity. Recent closures along the coast of central California provide an excellent opportunity to track the recovery of historically trawled areas and to compare recovery rates to adjacent areas that continue to be trawled. In June 2006 we initiated a multi-year study of the recovery of seafloor microhabitats and associated benthic fauna inside and outside two new Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) closures within the Cordell Bank and Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuaries. Study sites inside the EFH closure at Cordell Bank were located in historically active areas of fishing effort, which had not been trawled since 2003. Sites outside the EFH closure in the Gulf of Farallones were located in an area that continues to be actively trawled. All sites were located in unconsolidated sands at equivalent water depths. Video and still photographic data collected via a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) were used to quantify the abundance, richness, and diversity of microhabitats and epifaunal macro-invertebrates at recovering and actively trawled sites, while bottom grabs and conductivity/temperature/depth (CTD) casts were used to quantify infaunal diversity and to characterize local environmental conditions. Analysis of still photos found differences in common seafloor microhabitats between the recovering and actively trawled areas, while analysis of videographic data indicated that biogenic mound and biogenic depression microhabitats were significantly less abundant at trawled sites. Each of these features provides structure with which demersal fishes, across a wide range of size classes, have been observed to associate. Epifaunal macro-invertebrates were sparsely distributed and occurred in low numbers in both treatments. However, their total abundance was significantly different between treatments, which was attributable to lower densities at trawled sites. In addition, the dominant taxa were different between the two sites. Patchily-distributed buried brittle stars dominated the recovering site, and sea whips (Halipteris cf. willemoesi) were most numerous at the trawled site though they occurred in only five of ten transects. Numerical classification (cluster analysis) of the infaunal samples also revealed a clear difference between benthic assemblages in the recovering vs. trawled areas due to differences in the relative abundances of component species. There were no major differences in infaunal species richness, H′ diversity, or J′ evenness between recovering vs. trawled site groups. However, total infaunal abundance showed a significant difference attributable to much lower densities at trawled sites. This pattern was driven largely by the small oweniid polychaete Myriochele gracilis, which was the most abundant species in the overall study region though significantly less abundant at trawled sites. Other taxa that were significantly less abundant at trawled sites included the polychaete M. olgae and the polychaete family Terebellidae. In contrast, the thyasirid bivalve Axinopsida serricata and the polychaetes Spiophanes spp. (mostly S. duplex), Prionospio spp., and Scoloplos armiger all had significantly to near significantly higher abundances at trawled sites. As a result of such contrasting species patterns, there also was a significant difference in the overall dominance structure of infaunal assemblages between the two treatments. It is suggested that the observed biological patterns were the result of trawling impacts and varying levels of recovery due to the difference in trawling status between the two areas. The EFH closure was established in June 2006, within a month of when sampling was conducted for the present study, however, the stations within this closure area are at sites that actually have experienced little trawling since 2003, based on National Marine Fishery Service trawl records. Thus, the three-year period would be sufficient time for some post-trawling changes to have occurred. Other results from this study (e.g., similarly moderate numbers of infaunal species in both areas that are lower than values recorded elsewhere in comparable habitats along the California continental shelf) also indicate that recovery within the closure area is not yet complete. Additional sampling is needed to evaluate subsequent recovery trends and persistence of effects. Furthermore, to date, the study has been limited to unconsolidated substrates. Ultimately, the goal of this project is to characterize the recovery trajectories of a wide spectrum of seafloor habitats and communities and to link that recovery to the dynamics of exploited marine fishes. (PDF has 48 pages.)

The Vietnamese shrimp trade: livelihoods analysis of stakeholders and market chain analysis

Aquaculture and capture fisheries in Vietnam have been increasing fast in the last decade, especially aquaculture growth rate is 12% for the 1999 – 2003 period, contributing a significant part into the hunger eradication and poverty reduction1. Vietnam is to be ranked into one of the countries potential to produce the aquatic economic in the world, and the fact is that, after 40 years of establishing, the fisheries sector has made remarkable contributions to the country. By the list, at the moment the aquatic products make up about 4 - 5% of GDP and create job opportunities for over 3 three million employees (VASEP, 2004), in which the largest contribution is from shrimp farming. [PDF contains 124 pages.]

Aquaculture and marketing of the Florida Bay Scallop in Crystal River, Florida

The overall goal of this study was to develop a new fishery resource product through open-water aquaculture for the west coast of Florida that would compete as a non-traditional product through market development. Specific objectives were as follows: I. To grow a minimum of 50, 000 juvenile scallops to a minimum market size of40 mm in a cage and float system in the off-shore waters of Crystal River, Florida. 2. To determine the growth rate, survival, and time to market size for the individuals in this system and area to other similar projects like Virginia. 3. To introduce local fishermen and the aquaculture students at Crystal River High School to the hatchery, nursery, and grow-out techniques. 4. To determine the economic and financial characteristics of bay scallop culture in Florida and assess the sensitivity of projected costs and earnings to changes in key technical, managerial, and market related parameters. 5. To determine the market acceptability and necessary marketing strategy for whole bay scallop product in Florida. (PDF has 99 pages.)

Market survey of the periwinkle Tympanotonus fuscatus in Rivers State: Sizes, prices, trade routes and exploitation levels

Tympanotonus fuscatus was collected from 23 markets through Rivers State (Nigeria), a few in neighbouring states, and from an unexploited population at Buguma. The size distribution of shells was determined,and information on prices and trade routes was also obtained. The mean shell length of specimens from the unexploited Buguma population was 46.4 mm, compared to 30.4 mm for the Buguma market samples. Mean sizes in other markets showed a geographic pattern: the smallest were from the Adoni-Ogoni-Opobo sector (28.1-30.9); the largest were from the Nembe-Brass sector (37.7-44.2) and Bendel State (35.7-45.6); The results suggest the population structure of Tympanotonus in much of Rivers State has been strongly impacted by overharvesting. They show that local market as well as some in Cross River State, are increasingly being supplied by road with specimens from the Benin River area of Bendel State. Differences between shell types; and relations between shell size, selling price and market distance from source, are also discussed

A review of bonga fisheries of the Cross River State, Nigeria

The Nigerian pelagic fishery contributes about two-thirds of the total marine fishery resources of the country. The main components of this fishery are the clupeid (Ethmalosa, and Sardinella spp) and the scombroid (jacks, barracuda and tuna) fisheries. In 1979 to 1983, fish production from the national inshore and brackishwater zones was 1,702,685 tonnes. Bonga (Ethmalosa fimbriata) which dominates the pelagic fishery in the Cross River State of Nigeria, contributed about 158,612 tonnes (i.e. 9.3%) of this national marine fish catch. Although bonga is caught along the entire Nigerian coast, a significant fishery exists mostly in the wider estuary of the Cross River State, which borders on the Cameroon Republic. In the Cross River State, and within the period, bonga contributed 24% to the marine fish landings. Bonga is supported by a single species (E. fimbriata). The species forms an important fishery all the year-round in the open sea off these estuaries, whenever the canoes venture to sea, but these open sea fisheries are affected by whether conditions. The best, and most suitable gear for bonga are the gill nets, cast nets, boat seines, and shore seines. Dried and smoked bonga are a common market commodity in the southern parts of the country generally, but particularly in the Cross State where it is a readily available and acceptable food item

The market for processed foodstuffs in Nigeria: The case of canned fish

This paper highlights the potential contribution of the processed food industry (especially with regard to prepared and preserved fish) to the domestic industrial sector. Data for the study were collected from a sample of 85 retail canned fish sellers in South-Western Nigeria (45 and 40 respondents in Oyo and Lagos states respectively). Approaches were also made to government officials and merchant-agents connected with the importation, trade-regulation and distribution of fish in Nigeria. The study examined, in considerable detail, the marketing channels, services, prices and margins of canned fish in the area of study. The paper concludes that efforts should be made to encourage local processing and canning of fish not only to save on foreign exchange and importation costs but also to be able to meet the rapidly growing demand for this product in the country

'Fa Tsai', a Chinese edible Nostoc in market. [Translation from: Bulletin of the Japanese Society of Phycology 8 124-126, 1960. ]

The Nostoc 'Fa Tsai' is sometimes seen in Chinese cooking materials stores. It is investigated what 'Fa Tsai' consists of and where it originates.

Infiltration of fine and coarse sand into an open-work gravel bed

The siltation of an experimental gravel bed, with three grades of sand moving in suspension and as bedload, was examined. The rate of infiltration of sand into the void space of the gravel was determined under differing conditions of discharge, water depth, and velocity (jointly expressed as variation in the Froude Number) and suspended sediment concentration. The downstream reduction in siltation from the point source was also examined.

Fishes associated with pelagic Sargassum and open water lacking Sargassum in the Gulf Stream off North Carolina

The community structure of fishes associated with pelagic Sargassum spp. and open water lacking Sargassum was examined during summer and fall cruises, 1999–2003, in the Gulf Stream off North Carolina. Significantly more individual fishes (n= 18,799), representing at least 80 species, were collected from samples containing Sargassum habitat, compared to 60 species (n=2706 individuals) collected from openwater habitat. The majority (96%) of fishes collected in both habitats were juveniles, and planehead filefish (Stephanolepis hispidus) dominated both habitats. Regardless of sampling time (day or night), Sargassum habitat yielded significantly higher numbers of individuals and species compared with open-water collections. Overall, fishes collected by neuston net tows from Sargassum habitat were significantly larger in length than fishes collected from open-water habitat with neuston nets. A significant positive, linear relationship existed between numbers of fishes and the quantity of Sargassum collected by neuston net. Underwater video recordings indicated a layered structure of fishes among and below the algae and that smaller fishes were more closely associated with the algae than larger fishes. Observations of schooling behaviors of filefishes (Monacanthidae), dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus), and jacks (Carangidae), and fish-jellyfish associations were also recorded with an underwater video camera. Our data indicate that Sargassum provides a substantial nursery habitat for many juvenile fishes off the U.S. southeast coast.

The fishery for California market squid (Loligo opalescens) (Cephalopoda: Myopsida), from 1981 through 2003

The California market squid (Loligo opalescens) has been harvested since the 1860s and it has become the largest fishery in California in terms of tonnage and dollars since 1993. The fishery began in Monterey Bay and then shifted to southern California, where effort has increased steadily since 1983. The California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) collects information on landings of squid, including tonnage, location, and date of capture. We compared landings data gathered by CDFG with sea surface temperature (SST), upwelling index (UI), the southern oscillation index (SOI), and their respective anomalies. We found that the squid fishery in Monterey Bay expends twice the effort of that in southern California. Squid landings decreased substantially following large El Niño events in 1982−83 and 1997−98, but not following the smaller El Niño events of 1987 and 1992. Spectral analysis revealed autocorrelation at annual and 4.5-year intervals (similar to the time period between El Niño cycles). But this analysis did not reveal any fortnightly or monthly spawning peaks, thus squid spawning did not correlate with tides. A paralarvae density index (PDI) for February correlated well with catch per unit of effort (CPUE) for the following November recruitment of adults to the spawning grounds. This stock– recruitment analysis was significant for 2000−03 (CPUE=8.42+0.41PDI, adjusted coefficient of determination, r2=0.978, P=0.0074). Surveys of squid paralarvae explained 97.8% of the variance for catches of adult squid nine months later. The regression of CPUE on PDI could be used to manage the fishery. Catch limits for the fishery could be set on the basis of paralarvae abundance surveyed nine months earlier.

A taste for live fish: Hong Kong's live reef fish market

This paper provides an overview of the live reef fish market in Hong Kong, which accounted for about 15,000 t/yr (US$345 million) of live fish imports in the mid-1990s. The live fish trade has spawned a number of management concerns, including overfishing of highly-valued species, use of destructive fishing techniques and human health risks. Recent actions by the Hong Kong government in response to these concerns are reported and possible region-wide initiatives are briefly discussed in this paper.

Implications of sea ranching in developing countries

Sea ranching refers to the system under which marine species are artificially reared to fingerlings, released directly into the open sea, then later recaptured after growing to market size. Implications of sea ranching in developing countries are presented in this article.