Biological Impacts and Uses of Black Bass Competitive Fishing Tournaments on Large Lake Systems

Recreational fisheries in North America are valued between $47.3 billion and $56.8 billion. Fisheries managers must make strategic decisions based on sound science and knowledge of population ecology, to effectively conserve populations. Competitive fishing, in the form of tournaments, has become an important part of recreational fisheries, and is common on large waterbodies including the Great Lakes. Black Bass, Micropterus spp., are top predators and among the most sought after species in competitive catch-and-release tournaments. This study investigated catch-and-release tournaments as an assessment tool through mark-recapture for Largemouth Bass (>305mm) populations in the Tri Lakes, and Bay of Quinte, part of the eastern basin of Lake Ontario. The population in the Tri Lakes (1999-2002) was estimated to be stable between 21,928-29,780, and the population in the Bay of Quinte (2012-2015) was estimated to be between 31,825-54,029 fish. Survival in the Tri Lakes varied throughout the study period, from 31%-54%; while survival in the Bay of Quinte remained stable at 63%. Differences in survival may be due to differences in fishing pressure, as 34-46% of the Largemouth Bass population on the Tri Lakes is harvested annually and only 19% of catch was attributed to tournament angling. Many biological issues still surround catch-and-release tournaments, particularly concerning displacement from initial capture sites. In the past, the majority of studies have focused on small inland lakes and coastal areas, displacing bass relatively short distances. My study displaced Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass up to 100km, and found very low rates of return; only 1 of 18 Largemouth Bass returned 15 km and 1 of 18 Smallmouth Bass returned 135 km. Both species remained near the release sites for an average of approximately 2 weeks prior to dispersing. Tournament organizers should consider the use of satellite release locations to facilitate dispersal and prevent stockpiling at the release site. Catch-and-release tournaments proved to be a valuable tool in assessing population variables and the effects of long distance displacement through the use of mark recapture and acoustic telemetry on large lake systems.

The Effect of Marine Protected Areas on Fishers' Income in the Philippines

The fisheries sector is vital to the Philippine economy, providing substantial employment and income, contributing export earnings, and meeting local food security and nutrition requirements. To protect coastal and marine habitat and to sustain fisheries, over 1000 marine protected areas (MPAs) have been established, in the Philippines. This paper provides empirical evidence on the variance of net revenues linked with MPA establishment and the possible range of relocation costs for fishing effort displaced by an MPA. A total of 424 households were randomly selected from 18 barangays (villages) adjacent to MPAs in three regions in the Philippines. Results show that incomes decrease significantly for both fulltime and seasonal types of fishers after 1-3 years of MPA establishment. The loss occurring through MPA is higher than expected and at least on the short run (up to 4 years) the spill-over effect does not compensate. This information helped to determine the necessary conditional cash transfers for coastal communities who are highly dependent on coastal and marine resources.

Small-scale fishing in Central American indigenous people: governance, tenure and sustainable management of marine resources

This research develops four case studies on small-scale fisheries in Central America located within indigenous territories. The ngöbe Bugle Conte Burica Territory in the south of Costa Rica, the Garífuna territory in nueva Armenia Honduras, the Rama territory in Nicaragua and the ngöbe Bugle territory in Bocas del Toro, Panamá. This is one of the first studies focusing on indigenous territories, artisanal fisheries and SSF guidelines. The cases are a first approach to discussing and analyzing relevant social and human rights issues related to conservation of marine resources and fisheries management in these territories. The cases discussed between other issues of interest, the relationships between marine protected areas under different governance models and issues related to the strengthening of the small-scale fisheries of these indigenous populations and marine fishing territories. They highlight sustainability, governance, land tenure and access to fishing resources, gender, traditional knowledge importance and new challenges as climate change.

Overlap between flesh-footed shearwater Puffinus carneipes foraging areas and commercial fisheries in New Zealand waters

Although the flesh-footed shearwater Puffinus carneipes is a species with large population sizes (tens of thousands of breeding pairs) and widespread sub-tropical distribution across Australasian water masses, it is among the species most threatened by longline fisheries mortality in this region. While bycatch mitigation measures have been very successful in reducing mortality in some species, bycatch of flesh-footed shearwaters is still high, with captures estimated to exceed the sustainable take of 514 birds yr-1 by nearly 200 birds for New Zealand fisheries alone. Management agencies aiming to reduce the impact of fisheries mortality on the populations need to understand which marine areas are being used by flesh-footed shearwaters to better target fishery monitoring and mitigation efforts. Foraging studies of seabirds tell us about their use of resources, i.e. the way species segregate the available habitat and help to identify threats that may affect population viability. Breeding shearwaters were tracked from 2 New Zealand colonies using GPS loggers. Individuals foraged over shelf and deep oceanic waters up to 1200 km from their nesting sites during incubation but were mainly within 370 km during early chick rearing. The intensity of potential interactions increased for trawl and surface longline fishing between the January and February study periods but remained at a similar level for bottom longline fishing. Following the field data collection, changes to fishery monitoring were implemented in the areas where shearwaters foraged.

Biological Impacts and Uses of Black Bass Competitive Fishing Tournaments on Large Lake Systems

Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2016-09-28 15:06:46.124

Big, bold and blue: lessons from Australia's marine protected areas

The world’s oceans cover about 70% of our planet. To safeguard the delicate ecological and environmental functions of the oceans and their remarkable biodiversity, networks of marine protected areas are being created. In some of these areas, human activity is restricted to non-exploitative activities and in others it is managed in a sustainable way. Australia is at the forefront of marine conservation, with one of the largest systems of marine protected areas in the world.Big, Bold and Blue: Lessons from Australia’s Marine Protected Areas captures Australia’s experience, sharing important lessons from the Great Barrier Reef and many other extraordinary marine protected areas. It presents real-world examples, leading academic research, perspectives on government policy, and information from indigenous sea country management, non-governmental organisations, and commercial and recreational fishing sectors. The lessons learnt during the rapid expansion of Australia’s marine protected areas, both positive and negative, will aid and advise other nations in their own marine conservation efforts.The book is ideal reading for marine planners and managers across the globe; academic institutions where research on marine environments occur; government agencies across the world implementing and creating policy around MPA development; non-government organisations involved in lobbying for MPA expansion; and fisheries agencies and industry stakeholders.

Analysis of size spectra off northwest Africa: a useful indicator in tropical areas?

Changes in the size spectra of demersal fish communities off Cape Verde (1988, 1994), Guinea (1985-1995), and Mauritania (1987-2001) were studied. Intercepts and slopes showed opposite trends for Guinea and Mauritania, but were relatively stable in spite of a strong increase in landings per unit area. For Cape Verde, there were marked changes in size structure, seemingly inconsistent with the more moderate fishing pressure there. Changes in size structure do not seem to be suitable indicators of the effects of fishing in areas characterized by faster growth rates, small sizes, high species diversity, and complex interrelationships, such as the tropics. (c) 2005 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Toward adaptive management of coastal MPAs: The influence of different conservation targets and costs on the design of no-take areas

There is still much discussion on the most appropriate location, size and shape of marine protected areas (MPAs). These three factors were analyzed for a small coastal MPA, the Luiz Saldanha Marine Park (LSMP), for which a very limited amount of local ecological information was available when implemented in 1998. Marxan was used to provide a number of near-optimal solutions considering different levels of protection for the various conservation features and different costs. These solutions were compared with the existing no-take area of the LSMP. Information on 11 habitat types and distribution models for 3 of the most important species for the local artisanal fisheries was considered. The human activities with the highest economic and ecological impact in the study area (commercial and recreational fishing and scuba diving) were used as costs. The results show that the existing no-take area is actually located in the best area. However, the no-take area offers limited protection to vagile fish and covers a very small proportion of some of the available habitats. An increase in the conservation targets led to an increase in the number of no-take areas. The comparative framework used in this study can be applied elsewhere, providing relevant information to local stakeholders and managers in order to proceed with adaptive management. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of catches, landings and fishing effort as useful tools for MPA management

Marine protected areas (MPAs) have been widely recognized as a tool to achieve both fisheries management and conservation goals. Simultaneously achieving these multiple goals is difficult due to conflicts between conservation (often long-term) and economic (often short-term) objectives. MPA implementation often includes additional control measures on fisheries (e.g. vessel size restrictions, gear exclusion, catch controls) that in the short-term may have impacts on local fishers' communities. Thus, monitoring fisheries catches before, during and after MPA implementation is essential to document changes in fisheries activities and to evaluate the impact of MPAs in fishers' communities. Remarkably, in contrast with standard fisheries-independent biological surveys, these data are rarely measured at appropriate spatial scales following MPA implementation. Here, the effects of MPA implementation on local fisheries are assessed in a temperate MPA (Arrabida Marine Park, Portugal), using fisheries monitoring methods combining spatial distribution of fishing effort, on-board observations and official landings statistics at scales appropriate to the Marine Park. Fisheries spatial distribution, fishing effort, on-board data collection and official landings registered for the same vessels over time were analysed between 2004 and 2010. The applicability and reliability of using landings statistics alone was tested (i.e. when no sampling data are available) and we conclude that landings data alone only allow the identification of general patterns. The combination of landings information (which is known to be unreliable in many coastal communities) with other methods, provides an effective tool to evaluate fisheries dynamics in response to MPA implementation. As resources for monitoring socio-ecological responses to MPAs are frequently scarce, the use of landings data calibrated with fisheries information (from vessels, gear distribution and on-board data) is a valuable tool applicable to many worldwide coastal small-scale fisheries. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lost fishing gear and litter at Gorringe Bank (NE Atlantic)

Studies concerning marine litter have received great attention over the last several years by the scientific community mainly due to their ecological and economic impacts in marine ecosystems, from coastal waters to the deep ocean seafloor. The distribution, type and abundance of marine litter in Ormonde and Gettysburg, the two seamounts of Gorringe Bank, were analyzed from photo and video imagery obtained during ROV-based surveys carried out at 60–3015 m depths during the E/V Nautilus cruise NA017. Located approximately 125 nm southwest of Portugal, Gorringe Bank lays at the crossroad between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and is therefore characterized by an intense maritime traffic and fishing activities. The high frequency of lost or discarded fishing gear, such as cables, longlines and nets, observed on Gorringe Bank suggests an origin mostly fromfishing activities,with a clear turnover in the type of litter (mostly metal, glass and to amuch lesser extent, plastic) with increasing depth. Litter was more abundant at the summit of Gorringe Bank (ca. 4 items·km−1), decreasing to less than 1 item·km−1 at the flanks and to ca. 2 items·km−1 at greater depths. Nevertheless, litter abundance appeared to be lower than in continental margin areas. The results presented herein are a contribution to support further actions for the conservation of vulnerable habitats on Gorringe Bank so that they can continue contributing to fishery productivity in the surrounding region.

Changes in fish assemblage structure after implementation of Marine Protected Areas in the south western coast of Portugal.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are increasingly being recommended as management tools for biodiversity conservation and fisheries. With the purpose of protecting the region's biodiversity and prevent the over exploitation of marine resources, in February 2011 the no-take MPAs of Ilha do Pessegueiro and Cabo Sard~ao were implemented within the “Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina “(PNSACV) Marine Park, south western coast of Portugal. As such, commercial and recreational fishing became prohibited in these areas. In order to evaluate the effects of these no-take MPAs, the structure of their fish assemblages and of adjacent control areas without fishing restrictions were studied between 2011 (immediately after implementation) and 2013 (two years after implementation). A total of 4 sampling campaigns were conducted (summer 2011, winter 2012, summer 2013 and winter 2013) using trammel nets and bottom trawl. Ichthyofaunal assemblages from the no-take MPAs (treatment) were compared with adjacent areas (controls) and changes evaluated as a function of time since protection. Results revealed significant increase in fish abundance after the implementation of the no-take MPAs. Furthermore, significant differences in the structure of fish assemblages (abundance and fish size) between protected and neighbouring areas were rapidly observed upon the implementation of the no-take MPAs. In addition, specimens of larger size occurred more frequently within Ilha do Pessegueiro no-take MPA in the last year of the study. Overall, despite the young age of these no-take MPAs, changes on the structure of their fish assemblages were already evident after only two years of protection, indicating that management measures such as MPA designation may play an important role to promote fisheries sustainable exploitation as well as to protect species with conservation interest.

Assessing the impact of streetscape on residential property in lower to middle socio-economic areas

A number of factors have been shown to influence residential property prices in various locations. Studies have identified the importance of location in relation to services, transport and proximity to negative factors such as power lines and cell phone towers. Often the socio-economic status of a residential precinct can determine the overall quality and nature of the streetscapes in that area, with higher value suburbs or locations offering a better visual appearance compared to areas where these factors are not present. However, does the same value for a good streetscape apply in lower socio-economic areas or a buyers more motivated by less aesthetic factors such as size of the house, construction materials or land size. This paper analyses specific streets in a lower to middle socio-economic suburb of Christchurch New Zealand to determine if the location of a house in a street with good streetscape appeal has greater value, investment performance and saleability compared to adjoining streets with less aesthetic appeal.