Vegetation Effects on Fish Distribution in Impounded Salt Marshes

We compared the density and biomass of resident fish in vegetated and unvegetated flooded habitats of impounded salt marshes in the northern Indian River Lagoon (IRL) Estuary of east-central Florida. A 1-m2 throw trap was used to sample fish in randomly located, paired sample plots (n = 198 pairs) over 5 seasons in 7 impoundments. We collected a total of 15 fish taxa, and 88% of the fishes we identified from the samples belonged to three species: Cyprinodon variegatus (Sheepshead Minnow), Gambusia holbrooki (Eastern Mosquitofish), and Poecilia latipinna (Sailfin Molly). Vegetated habitat usually had higher density and biomass of fish. Mean fish density (and 95% confidence interval) for vegetated and unvegetated sites were 8.2 (6.7–9.9) and 2.0 (1.6–2.4) individuals m-2, respectively; mean biomass (and 95% confidence interval) for vegetated and unvegetated sites were 3.0 (2.5–3.7) and 1.1 (0.9–1.4) g m-2, respectively. We confirmed previous findings that impounded salt marshes of the northern IRL Estuary produce a high standing stock of resident fishes. Seasonal patterns of abundance were consistent with fish moving between vegetated and unvegetated habitat as water levels changed in the estuary. Differences in density, mean size, and species composition of resident fishes between vegetated and unvegetated habitats have important implications for movement of biomass and nutrients out of salt marsh by piscivores (e.g., wading birds and fishes) via a trophic relay.

World meeting on stock assessment of bluefin tunas: strengths and weaknesses

The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) hosted a meeting, sponsored jointly by the IATTC and the Australian Fisheries Service, to discuss and report on the strengths and weaknesses of stock assessment techniques used on bluefin tuna stocks in the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. The meeting was held in La Jolla, California, on Mat 25-31, 1990.

An indexed bibliography of papers on tagging of tunas and billfishes

Two working parties, the Working Party on Tuna Tagging in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the Working Party on Tuna Tagging in the Atlantic and Adjacent Seas, were formed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAD) of the United Nations in 1966 (Anonymous, 1966c). The conveners of these working parties were Dr. James Joseph of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) and Mr. FrankJ. Mather, III, of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). In 1969 it was recommended that the working parties direct their attention toward billfishes, as well as tunas (Anonymous, 1969h: 5). One report (Joseph and working party, 1969) was published by the Pacific and Indian Oceans group and two (Mather and working party, 1969 and 1972) were published by the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas group. Each of the three working party reports included a bibliography of tuna and billfish tagging. The compiler of this bibliography, beginning in 1970, prepared numerous memoranda to the members of the working party, most of which included lists of papers on tuna and billfish tagging which had come to his attention, either directly or through members of the working party. The bibliographies in the three working party reports and the lists of references in the memoranda form the basis for the present bibliography.

Proceedings of the international workshop on the ecology and fisheries for tunas associated with floating objects

It has long been known that tunas frequently associate with floating objects, such as trees washed out to sea during periods of heavy rainfall, and fishermen have taken advantage of this behavior to facilitate the capture of fish. In some coastal areas, such as the Philippines, artisanal fishermen construct anchored fish-aggregating devices (FADs) to attract fish. More recently, large numbers of free-floating FADs have been constructed for deployment by large purse seiners on the high seas. The FADs often can be interrogated by the seiner and located at great distances using radio telemetry and/or GPS (Global Positioning System) technologies. In some cases a fleet of fishing vessels has a tender vessel which deploys and maintains the FADs, and notifies the fishing vessels when fish are seen around them. This workshop was convened by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission and sponsored by Bumble Bee Seafoods, Inc., for the purpose of bringing together scientists and fishermen who have studied the association of tunas with floating objects. Special efforts were made to get participants from all the areas in which tunas associated with floating objects are the targets of fisheries. Thus the "regional review papers" include contributions for the eastern Atlantic, the southern Caribbean Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the eastern and western Pacific Oceans. Many of these reviews and other contributed papers are published in this proceedings volume. Other papers discussed in the workshop were published elsewhere; these papers are cited in the list of background documents in the Report of the Workshop.

Symposium on World tuna fisheries: commemorating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission

The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (lA TTC) came into existence in 1950, after its convention, signed by representatives ofCosta Rica and the United States in 1949, was ratified. It was the first international tuna organization, and only the third international fisheries organization, whose staff has had the responsibility for performing scientific research, the others being the International Pacific Halibut Commission, established in 1923, and the International Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission, established in 1937. The current members of the IATTC are Costa Rica, Ecuador, EI Salvador, France, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, the United States, Vanuatu, and Venezuela. The first Director ofthe IATTC was Dr. Milner B. Schaefer, who was in that position from 1950 to 1963. He was followed by Dr. John L. Kask (1963-1969), Dr. James Joseph (1969-1999), and Dr. Robin L. Allen (1999-present). The success ofthe IATIC showed that it was possible to carry out research and management on an international, high-seas fishery successfully. Since then other international organizations for tuna management, including the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (1969), the Forum Fisheries Agency (1979), the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (1994), and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (1996), were established. Appropriately, the 50th anniversary celebration was held in Costa Rica, one of the two charter members of the IATTC. Persons who have held important positions in international fishery management in various parts ofthe world spoke at the celebration. Their presentations, except for that describing the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, are reproduced in this volume.

Simple broodstock management to control indirect selection and inbreeding: Indian carp example

Following a survey of the important traits of Indian carp broodstock at some southern Indian hatcheries, it was found that the broodstock selection was size selective, exerting strong, negative selection of prematuration growth rate and positive selection on age at first maturation. This meant that the hatchery bred inadvertently slower growing and later maturing individuals. Details are given of approaches to avoid such negative selection and minimize inbreeding.

Local solutions to challenges of West Indian Ocean fisheries development

The West Indian Ocean is rich in biodiversity and marine resources. This paper gives an overview of fisheries development and resource management in the region. There are many shared issues that must be addressed within countries and at the regional level. These are illustrated by examples from three countries. In Mozambique the issues of lack of information about artisanal fisheries, excessive harvesting of juveniles and conflicts between artisanal and commercial sectors are highlighted. Elements in addressing this include targeted research and decision-making support tools. The challenges faced in Somalia stem primarily from the political instability that contributed to an absence of sound fisheries policy. An example of a highly participatory process to develop the policy provides a model for other countries. In Tanzania, the issue of dynamite fishing was addressed by local communities initiating a program to promote wise use of the resources. There is a clear opportunity for better collaboration and greater integration of fisheries research and management on a regional basis. There is also much to be learnt by the sharing of experiences between countries. This has been initiated by some recently launched regional cooperation projects, but there are still many challenges facing this region.

Length-weight relationship of some marine fish species in Reunion Island, Indian Ocean

The length-weight relationship of 29 marine fish species form Reunion Island (SW Indian Ocean) belonging to 14 families were computed. Data from 5,340 individuals were used for this purpose. Fish were sampled using different techniques, mainly with rotenone poisoning on coral reef flats, beach seine and handlines on shallow coastal bays, and longline fishing in the nearby open sea.

Reproductive potential of Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) in the western Indian Ocean

The reproductive biology of Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) in the western Indian Ocean was investigated from samples collected in 2009 and 2010. In our study, 1012 female Yellowfin Tuna were sampled: 320 fish on board a purse seiner and 692 fish at a Seychelles cannery. We assessed the main biological parameters that describe reproductive potential: maturity, spawning seasonality, fish condition, and fecundity. The length at which 50% of the female Yellowfin Tuna population matures (L50) was estimated at 75 cm in fork length (FL) when the maturity threshold was established at the cortical alveolar stage of oocyte development. To enable comparison with previous studies, L50 also was estimated with maturity set at the vitellogenic stage of oocyte development; this assessment resulted in a higher value of L50 at 102 cm FL. The main spawning season, during which asynchrony in reproductive timing among sizes was observed, was November–February and a second peak occurred in June. Smaller females (<100 cm FL) had shorter spawning periods (December to February) than those (November to February and June) of large individuals, and signs of skip-spawning periods were observed among small females. The Yellowfin Tuna followed a “capital-income” breeder strategy during ovarian development, by mobilizing accumulated energy while using incoming energy from feeding. The mean batch fecundity for females 79–147 cm FL was estimated at 3.1 million oocytes, and the mean relative batch fecundity was 74.4 oocytes per gram of gonad-free weight. Our results, obtained with techniques defined more precisely than techniques used in previous studies in this region, provide an improved understanding of the reproductive cycle of Yellowfin Tuna in the western Indian Ocean.

The effect of intensive line fishing on the virgin biomass of a tropical deepwater snapper, the crimson jobfish (Pristipomoides filamentosus)

An intensive commercial hook-and-line fishing operation targeted the demersal fisheries resources at Saya de Malha Bank in the Southwest Indian Ocean. Fishing was conducted with 12 dories that were equipped with echo sounders and electric fishing reels and supported by a refrigerated mothership. Over a 13-day period in the 55–130 m depth range, a total of 74.3 metric tons (t) of fish were caught, of which the crimson jobfish (Pristipomoides filamentosus) represented 80%. Catch rates decreased with time and could not be attributed to changes in location, climatic conditions, fishing depth, fishing method, or bait type. The initial virgin biomass of P. filamentosus available to a line fishery at the North Western promontory of Saya de Malha Bank was estimated at 72.6 t through application of the Leslie model to daily catch and effort data. Biomass densities of 2364 kg/km2 and 1206 kg/km were obtained by applying the initial biomass estimates to the surface area and to the length of the dropoff that was fished. The potential sustainable yield prior to exploitation was estimated at 567 kg/km2 per year. The quantity of P. filamentosus caught by the mother-ship-dory fishing operation represented 82% of the initial biomass available to a hook-and-line fishery, equivalent to more that three times the estimated maximum sustainable yield. The results of the study are important to fisheries managers because they demonstrate that intensive line fishing operations have the potential to rapidly deplete demersal fisheries resources.

Bycatch in the tuna purse-seine fisheries of the western Indian Ocean

Bycatch taken by the tuna purse-seine fishery from the Indian Ocean pelagic ecosystem was estimated from data collected by scientific observers aboard Soviet purse seiners in the western Indian Ocean (WIO) during 1986–92. A total of 494 sets on free-swimming schools, whale-shark-associated schools, whale-associated schools, and log-associated schools were analyzed. More than 40 fish species and other marine animals were recorded. Among them only two species, yellow-fin and skipjack tunas, were target species. Average levels of bycatch were 0.518 metric tons (t) per set, and 27.1 t per 1000 t of target species. The total annual purse-seine catch of yellowfin and skipjack tunas by principal fishing nations in the WIO during 1985–94 was 118,000–277,000 t. Nonrecorded annual bycatch for this period was estimated at 944–2270 t of pelagic oceanic sharks, 720–1877 t of rainbow runners, 705–1836 t of dolphinfishes, 507–1322 t of triggerfishes, 113–294 t of wahoo, 104–251 t of billfishes, 53–112 t of mobulas and mantas, 35–89 t of mackerel scad, 9–24 t of barracudas, and 67–174 t of other fishes. In addition, turtle bycatch and whale mortalities may have occurred. Because the bycatches were not recorded by some purse-seine vessels, it was not possible to assess the full impact of the fisheries on the pelagic ecosystem of the Indian Ocean. The first step to solving this problem is for the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission to establish a pro-gram in which scientific observers are placed on board tuna purse-seine and longline vessels fishing in the WIO.

A study on the trend of sports fishery of Mafia Island (Tanzania) along the East African coast from 1961-1972

Mafia waters in the western Indian Ocean on the east coast of Africa is a natural attractive area for fishing. It has extensive coral beds which harbour good fish life and attracts sport fishery in the area. About 12 commercially important fishes listed are caught by sports fishermen. The data indicates that this area can become an attractive centre for sports fishery almost throughout the year with peak season from November to February. Long-term planning of the fishery is necessary. The conservation measures should be evolved and gan fishing, dynamiting or any other kind of distructive fishing should be prohibited. This area has natural potential to become a sports fishing centre in the future and a great attraction for tourists and anglers.

A note on the culture of Chanos chanos (Forskal) at Brackishwater Fish Farm, Kaninada

The culture of Chanos chanos to marketable size within a three months period, is described. Procedures involved include phased manuring coupled with proper water management to keep up enhanced primary productivity. Results show that, under monoculture, with low-input technology it is possible to produce 3,000 kg fish per hectare per year.

Studies on the occurrence of coliforms and streptococci in coastal waters of Bombay

The distribution of coliforms and streptococci in Bombay coastal waters was investigated in order to determine the state of pollution in the area. Findings show the incidence of pollution to be of a recurring nature, primarily due to discharge of raw or improperly treated sewage; thus regular monitoring of the incidence of coliforms and streptococci is of importance in determining the public health safety of the beaches and coastal waters.