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Showing papers on "Fishing published in 1994"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A review of catch-and-release (hooking) mortality gathered from the existing fisheries literature and from a survey of fisheries management agencies in all 50 states, the U.S. government, all Canadian provinces, and selected academic and research institutions is presented in this article.
Abstract: Length‐limit regulations and promotion of catch‐and‐release fishing have become increasingly important management approaches for recreational fisheries. We review‐studies on catch‐and‐release (hooking) mortality gathered from the existing fisheries literature and from a survey of fisheries management agencies in all 50 states, the U.S. government, all Canadian provinces, and selected academic and research institutions. We identified hooking mortality estimates for 32 taxa. Most studies dealt with salmonids, centrarchids (especially black basses, Micropterus spp.), and percids (especially walleye, Stizostedion vitreum). Within and among species, differences in percent mortality were reported in association with bait type (artificial vs. natural), hook type (number of hooks, hook size, and barbs), season/ temperature, water depth (depressurization), anatomical location of hook wound, and individual size. Although most hooking mortalities occur within 24 h, the use of initial plus delayed mortality ...

523 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The oyster population in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay, USA, has declined by more than 50 percent since the early part of this century as discussed by the authors, due to habitat loss associated with intense fishing pressure early in this century.
Abstract: The oyster population in the Maryland portion ot Chesapeake Bay, USA, has declined by more than 50-Iold since the early part of this century. The paper presents evidence that the mechanical destruction of habitat and stock over fishing have been important factors in the decline, even thouqh it is commonly thought that 'water quality' and, more recently, oyster diseases are critical. Quantitative analyses show that the long-term decline 01 oysters largely resuIts from habitat loss associated with intense fishing pressure early in this century and stock over fishing from early in the century throuqh recent limes. Furthermore, the major ecological effects on Chesapeake Bay occurred weIl betore World War II, before industrialization and the reported prevalence of disease. To effect the recovery of the ailing Chesapeake Bay oyster stock, a 4-point management strategy is proposed.

468 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The major factor controlling the abundance of reef fishes in Hawaii (USA) appears to be habltat complexity (bottom topographic relief and interstitial space) Fishes aggregate In areas of h ~ g h hab~tat complexities at b~o~nass levels, in areas protected from fishing, may significantly (by 2 to 5 times) exceed levels supported by pnmary production within the ecosystem.
Abstract: The major factor controlling the abundance of reef fishes in Hawaii (USA) appears to be habltat complexity (bottom topographic relief and interstitial space) Fishes aggregate In areas of h ~ g h hab~tat complexity at b~o~nass levels whlch, in areas protected from fishing, may significantly (by 2 to 5 times) exceed levels supported by pnmary production within the ecosystem. High relief natural areas 'act' like artificial reefs in terms of aggregating fishes. Reef fish abundance is also affected by fishing pressure in the main Hawaiian Islands. Areas protected from fishing (Marine Life Conservation Districts, MLCDs) support standing crops of reef fishes that average about 45 g m-2 higher than areas open to fishing. In areas unprotected from fishing, reef fish abundance has significantly declined in recent years. Conservation and management of reef fishes would be ~mproved if more hlgh relief areas were protected from fishing. Thus far. 11 MLCDs have been established in such areas In Hawaii. The discharge of primary or secondary treated sewage effluent into the ocean in Hawaii through deep ocean outfalls causes no apparent negative environmental impact to coral reef ecosystems. Deep ocean outfalls in fact attract reef fishes. Increases in abundance around the outfalls appears to result from increased habitat complexity brought about by the construction of the pipelines and surrounding caprock and concrete. A small amount of the variability (Increase) in reef flsh abundance around the outfalls may also be due to food subsidies (particulate organlc matter) in the effluent. No species of fish, coral, invertebrate or algae at the outfalls exhibited any pathological symptoms. Hence, statewide declines in reef fish abundance in areas unprotected from fishing are not related to the discharge of sewage effluents via deep ocean outfalls. Rather, these declines appear to have been caused by overfishing.

216 citations


Book
01 Jul 1994
TL;DR: The origins and effects of these pressures are traced in this 1994 book to concerns about determining the causes of fluctuations in fish and whale catches, and to resistance to regulation of fishing activity when populations are depleted.
Abstract: Since the industrialization of fishing, fisheries scientists have been subject to intense economic and political pressures, which have affected the way the science has developed. The origins and effects of these pressures are traced in this 1994 book to concerns about determining the causes of fluctuations in fish and whale catches, and to resistance to regulation of fishing activity when populations are depleted. The development of partial theories of fish population dynamics are described using examples of both national and international fisheries. The causes of the difficulties encountered in generalizing these theories are examined, setting the stage for the limitation of scope of these studies that still influences the form and extent of fisheries research today. This is a fascinating resource for all those interested in fisheries science and the way it has developed in the last 150 years.

213 citations



Journal Article
TL;DR: This book discusses the management of the UK bass fishery and the impact of fishing on the fishable stock, as well as the biology and ecology of the fish, and the commercial fisheries for bass.
Abstract: Series foreword. Preface. Acknowledgements. General introduction. Biology and ecology. Nomenclature, taxonomy and morphology. Distribution and general behaviour. Diet and feeding. Early life history and causes of mortality and disease. Migrations, movements and stock identity. Growth and age. Condition and maturity patterns. Summary to part one. Exploitation. The sport fisheries for bass (a description). The commercial fisheries (a description). Aquaculture. Marketing value and production. Commercial fishery assessment and evaluation. Recreational fishery evaluation. Assessment of bass population and state of pre-recruit stock. Assessment of the impact of fishing on the fishable stock. Summary to part two. Conservation and management. Conservation requirements. Management of the UK bass fishery. Progress and prognosis. References. Author index. Species index. Subject index.

182 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A number of assessment methods have been applied to cephalopod stocks, including stock-recruitment relationships as mentioned in this paper, recruitment indices (e.g., Saharan Bank ceps), swept-area biomass estimates, length-based cohort analysis, and depletion estimates of stock size.

147 citations


Book
01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: Fisheries - status reports on Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Cuba, Caribbean, Africa, Pacific, Brazil, United States, Mexico management strategies aquaculture - larval rearing, juvenile grow-out, disease, nutrition, biological and economic potential economics of fishing.
Abstract: Fisheries - status reports on Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Cuba, Caribbean, Africa, Pacific, Brazil, United States, Mexico management strategies aquaculture - larval rearing, juvenile grow-out, disease, nutrition, biological and economic potential economics of fishing and handling economics of aquaculture marketing - United States, Japan, Europe interaction between aquaculture and fisheries.

140 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In 1992, 10 nations implemented an international program to progressively reduce this mortality, with a goal of eventually eliminating it as discussed by the authors, and during 1993, the first year of the program, it appears that dolphin mortality will be less than 4000 animals.
Abstract: Since 1959 several million dolphins have been killed in the purse‐seine fishery for tunas in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Through combined efforts of the nations whose vessels participate in this fishery, annual dolphin mortality in the fishery was reduced from about 350,000 animals during the 1960s to about 15,000 animals in 1992. In 1993 10 nations implemented an international program to progressively reduce this mortality even further, with a goal of eventually eliminating it. During 1993, the first year of the program, it appears that dolphin mortality will be less than 4000 animals. An alternative program, which would impose a moratorium on fishing for tunas associated with dolphins beginning in 1994, has been proposed. Controversy concerning the practicality and effects of the two programs centers around the morality of fishing for tunas associated with dolphins and the biological, economic, and political impacts of each program.

120 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Stocks exhibiting uncompensated protogyny lost reproductive capacity as fishing mortality increased and failed reproductively at a lower fishing mortality rate than did gonochoristic stocks.
Abstract: To determine if protogynous species are, as a result of fishing, more likely to suffer reproductive failure than are gonochoristic species, we modeled the production of fertilized eggs in simulated populations of graysby Epinephelus cruentatus. Additionally, we examined the effect of various compensatory mechanisms on maintaining fertilized-egg production despite increasing fishing mortality. These mechanisms included accelerated maturation, accelerated transition to malehood, accelerated growth, and combinations thereof. Protogynous stocks may be far more vulnerable to fishing than are comparable gonochoristic stocks. Stocks exhibiting uncompensated protogyny lost reproductive capacity as fishing mortality increased and failed reproductively (egg production less than 1% of that under natural mortality alone) at a lower fishing mortality rate than did gonochoristic stocks. Compensation through conservation of the numerical sex ratio somewhat reduced the impact of protogyny, and compensation throu...

102 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The North Sea harbours an intensive fishery which removes between 30 and 40% of the biomass of exploited fish species each year, and fishing causes mortality of non-target species of benthos, fish, seabirds and mammals.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, commercial and recreational harvests of fish from two eastern Australian coastal rivers, the Richmond and the Clarence, have been compared for the period from March 1988 to May 1989, using commercial fisheries statistics and a roving creel census of daytime recreational anglers.
Abstract: Commercial and recreational harvests of fish from two eastern Australian coastal rivers, the Richmond and the Clarence, have been compared for the period from March 1988 to May 1989, using commercial fisheries statistics and a roving creel census of daytime recreational anglers. For both rivers, sea mullet (Mugil cephalus) made up about 70% of the commercial catch by weight but was not caught in significant numbers by anglers. Fish species harvested in large numbers by both sectors were yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis), dusky flathead (Platycephalus fiscus), luderick (Girella tricuspidata), sand whiting (Sillago ciliata), mulloway (Argyrosomus hololepidotus) and tailor (Pomatomus saltatrix). For the Richmond River, yellowfin bream, dusky flathead and tailor were harvested principally by recreational anglers; sand whiting were equally shared between fishing sectors, and harvests of luderick and mulloway were dominated by commercial fishers. For the Clarence River, which supports one of the largest estuarine-based commercial fisheries in Australia, tailor were harvested principally by recreational anglers; yellowfin bream, dusky flathead and mulloway were equally shared between fishing sectors, and sand whiting and luderick were taken predominantly by commercial fishers. Although data on recreational fishing throughout Australia are limited, anglers now appear to be the dominant harvesters of several estuarine fish species. As in other parts of the world, the numbers of recreational anglers in Australian waters appear to be increasing, and this situation is likely to lead to both heightened conflict between the user groups and increased exploitation of a limited resource. The need for sustained and cost-effective monitoring of recreational angler effort and harvests is emphasized.

Journal Article
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined data from commercial, recreational, and marine life fisheries in Monroe County, Florida and found that invertebrates comprised the majority of commercial and recreational fishery landings.
Abstract: Fishing is an important activity in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), Concern exists that excessive fishing could be deleterious to individual species, disrupt marine ecosystems, and damage the overall economy of the Florida Keys, We examined data from commercial, recreational, and marine life fisheries in Monroe County, Florida. Invertebrates comprised the majority of commercial1andings. In 1992, the total reported commercial landings were composed of 52% invertebrates (4.09 X 106 kg), 28% reef fishes (2.19 X 106 kg), and 21% non-reef fishes (1.62 X 106 kg). In the recreational headboat fishery, reef fishes accounted for 92% of 0.107 X 106 kg average total annual landings from the Dry Tortugas and 86% of 0.201 X 106 kg landed from the Florida Keys since 1981. Average annual landings for other recreational fisheries were estimated at 1.79 X 106 kg for reef tishes (45%) and 2.17 X 106 kg for non-reef fishes (55%) from 1980 through 1992. Finer resolution of catch and effort data are needed. especially for recreational fisheries. Landings for some species varied greatly over time. The most conspicuous declines were for pink shrimp, combined grouper, and king mackerel while the most conspicuous increases were for amberjack, stone crab, blue crab, and yellowtail snapper. Landings of spiny lobster have generally remained constant. Fisheries closed to harvest included queen conch, Nassau grouper, jewfish, and stony corals. Effective fishing effort has increased over time with more participants and more effective fishing technology, Since 1965, the number of registered private recreational vessels has increased over six times, while the number of commercial and headboat vessels has remained stable. The number of management actions have continually increased and become more re:;trictive with increased fishing effort. Comparison of fisheries was complicated because different fisheries targeted different species and different sized organisms. Also, landings were sometimes reported by numbers and sometimes by weight. Measures of reproductive value and spawning potential are suggested as useful parameters for comparing effects of different fisheries. The new FKNMS provides a unique opportunity to shift management emphasis from a species approach to an ecosystem and habitat based approach. In 1990 U.S. Public Law 101-605 designated 9,515 km2 of coastal waters around the Florida Keys in Monroe County, Florida as the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) under the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (See figure in Introduction for this volume). The Sanctuaries and Reserves Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was charged with developing a comprehensive management plan and regulations to protect Sanctuary resources. Major FKNMS goals are to facilitate all public and private uses of the Sanctuary consistent with the primary objective of Sanctuary resource protection; consider temporal and geographical zoning to ensure protection of Sanctuary resources; identify research needs; and establish a long-term ecological monitoring program. Fishing is an important and widely practiced activity in the Florida Keys. However, concern exists that excessive fishing could be deleterious to individual species, disrupt marine ecosystems, and damage the overall economy of the area. Despite studies of specific fisheries, an attempt has not been made to provide a comprehensive quantitative review of all fishing activity from an ecological perspective. An ecological perspective recognizes that species interact through biological processes, including competition and predation, and that removal of some species can have cascading effects through the food web. The problem is complicated, in part, because fisheries data specific to the Florida Keys are often

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the frequency distribution of total body length of the numerically most important fish species was estimated from bone measurements, using logarithmic regression equations, in order to provide an estimate of season of catch.
Abstract: Fishing in Denmark during the Ertebolle period is discussed on the basis of almost 100000 identified fishbones from 14 coastal and two inland settlements. Forty-one fish species were identified from coastal materials, 15 from inland ones. The frequency distribution of total body length of the numerically most important fish species was estimated from bone measurements, using logarithmic regression equations. Otoliths were analysed in order to provide an estimate of season of catch. The main conclusion of the study is that fishing was predominantly conducted by means of stationary fish traps with which uncritical samples of the local fish faunas were taken. Regional differences in the spectrum of species and their relative frequencies are shown to exist. Examples of connections between the coast and inland are given.



Journal ArticleDOI
Evelyne Meltzer1
TL;DR: A global overview of the efforts undertaken by coastal states, distant water fishing nations, and regional organizations to manage high seas fisheries following extension of jurisdiction and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is presented in this article.
Abstract: This article presents a global overview of the efforts undertaken by coastal states, distant water fishing nations, and regional organizations to manage high seas fisheries following extension of jurisdiction and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. In particular, the article examines the management and conservation of those stocks defined under Article 63 of the convention as “straddling”; fish stocks, occurring both within areas of national jurisdiction and in the high seas area beyond and adjacent to the exclusive economic zone; and “highly migratory species,”; defined to include tuna and tuna‐like species, whose migration patterns cover vast expanses of ocean space. The inability of coastal and distant water fishing states to cooperate in the management and conservation of these resources has led to unsustainable fishing and collapse of many stocks. As a result the United Nations has convened an international Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Mark-recapture analysis shows that the population of wandering albatrosses on Macquarie Island is not closed, and an annual number of longline hooks in the southern hemisphere tuna fishery of 41.6 million is calculated as the ceiling below which the population would begin to recover.
Abstract: The estimated breeding population of wandering albatrosses on Macquarie Island increased from 17 in 1956 to a maximum of 97 in 1966, and then declined at an average rate of 8.1% per year. Mark-recapture analysis shows that the population is not closed (i.e., subject to immigration and emigration). The decline is correlated with the onset of large-scale fishing for tuna in the southern hemisphere using longlines. The effect of longline mortality on the population dynamics of the wandering albatross is estimated. An annual number of longline hooks in the southern hemisphere tuna fishery of 41.6 million is calculated as the ceiling below which the population would begin to recover.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors described UK fisheries for the squid Loligo forbesi based mainly on analysis of fishery statistical data (1980-1990) held in the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department (SOAFD) and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) databases, and synthesis of published and unpublished information from various sources including interviews with Scottish fishermen.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results showed that locations of the fishing grounds depend not only on local and instantaneous oceanographic environments around the Fishing grounds, but also on oceanographic conditions over an extensive range of the Oyashio area.
Abstract: The relationships between fishing ground locations of Pacific saury (Cololabis saira) and the two Oyashio fronts, the offshore front between 146oE and 155oE and the coastal Oyashio intrusion, before the saury fishing season, were examined using data from 1971 to 1991. Interannual geographical shifts of both the offshore Oyashio front and saury fishing grounds had a dominant interdecadal fluctuation. In years when the offshore front shifted north (south), the fishing grounds were formed relatively nearshore (offshore). When the offshore front shifted north, the fishing grounds were formed further nearshore in years the coastal Oyashio intrusion extended south. When the offshore front shifted south, on the other hand, the southward extension of the coastal intrusion did not necessarily cause formation of coastal fishing grounds. These results showed that locations of the fishing grounds depend not only on local and instantaneous oceanographic environments around the fishing grounds, but also on oceanographic conditions over an extensive range of the Oyashio area. This might indicate that the ecology of the saury's northward migration, through mixed water regions between the Kuroshio and Oyashio fronts in spring and summer, has a close relation to the shift of the offshore Oyashio front over a time range of months. A practical forecasting method for locations of saury fishing grounds is proposed based on the oceanography before the fishing season.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Multivariate analysis of morphometric data and isozyme electrophoresis shows that L. forbesi populations from the coast of mainland Europe are fairly homogeneous, but that those from the Azores are a distinct stock.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In the Solomon Islands, the export of sea cucumber, trochus shell, pearl oyster shell, green snail shell, turtle shell and crocodile skin was banned in this paper.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Size-related mortality of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides was recorded at major fishing tournaments on Sardis Reservoir, Mississippi, during 1989–1991 and was significantly greater than the average mortality suffered by small fish.
Abstract: Prerelease mortality of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides was recorded at major fishing tournaments on Sardis Reservoir, Mississippi, during 1989–1991. Mortality of large fish (total length > 18 in) averaged 29% and was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than the 9% average mortality suffered by small (12–14-in) fish. Mortality increased with water temperature and mean number of fish per boat. The significantly higher mortality of large fish should be considered in efforts to enhance the survival of fish released after tournaments. In waters where tournament fishing effort and catch are high, size-related mortality could alter the population's size structure, reduce the potential for trophy fish, or create public relations problems for tournaments because of their perceived effect on fishery resources.

Book
01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: Fishing the Great Lakes as mentioned in this paper is a sweeping history of the destruction of the once-abundant fisheries of the great "inland seas" that lie between the United States and Canada.
Abstract: Fishing the Great Lakes is a sweeping history of the destruction of the once-abundant fisheries of the great "inland seas" that lie between the United States and Canada. Though lake trout, whitefish, freshwater herring, and sturgeon were still teeming as late as 1850, Margaret Bogue documents here how overfishing, pollution, political squabbling, poor public policies, and commercial exploitation combined to damage the fish populations even before the voracious sea lamprey invaded the lakes and decimated the lake trout population in the 1940s. From the earliest records of fishing by native peoples, through the era of European exploration and settlement, to the growth and collapse of the commercial fishing industry, Fishing the Great Lakes traces the changing relationships between the fish resources and the people of the Great Lakes region. Bogue focuses in particular on the period from 1783, when Great Britain and the United States first politically severed the geographic unity of the Great Lakes, through 1933, when the commercial fishing industry had passed from its heyday in the late nineteenth century into very serious decline. She shows how fishermen, entrepreneurial fish dealers, the monopolistic A. Booth and Company (which distributed and marketed much of the Great Lakes catch), and policy makers at all levels of government played their parts in the debacle. So, too, did underfunded scientists and early conservationists unable to spark the interest of an indifferent public. Concern with the quality of lake habitat and the abundance of fish increasingly took a backseat to the interests of agriculture, lumbering, mining, commerce, manufacturing, and urban development in the Great Lakes region. Offering more than a regional history, Bogue also places the problems of Great Lakes fishing in the context of past and current worldwide fishery concerns. "

Book ChapterDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the bordigue, a form of tidal trap used in the western Mediterranean area to harvest fish previously recruited to a lagoon, and/or retain undersized fish for another growth cycle, is reviewed in the context of lagoon fisheries.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, small-scale or artisanal fishery is a neglected sector in research on African development, despite the fact that fishery provides a vital source of protein and income for a large number of people and an...
Abstract: Small-scale or artisanal fishery is a neglected sector in research on African development, despite the fact that fishery is a vital source of protein and income for a large number of people and an ...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Spanish fishery for the loliginid squids Loligo vulgaris and Loligo forbesi is described in this paper, with particular emphasis on the period 1983-1991.

01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: Observations have directed research toward modifying shrimp trawls to release juvenile red snappers after entry, rather than preventing them from entering a shrimp trawl.
Abstract: Red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, is subject to significant overfishing in U.S. Gulf of Mexico waters, and regulations are being implemented to reduce fishing mortality and restore them to a 20% spawning potential ratio by the year 2009. One source of mortality that must be reduced to achieve this goal is the incidental capture ofjuvenile red snappers in shrimp, Penaeus spp., trawls. NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service is conducting research to develop shrimp trawl modifications to reduce the snapper bycatch. An important part of this research is the study of juvenile red snapper behavior on commercial shrimp grounds and in relation to trawling gear. An area of high juvenile red snapper abundance was identified off the coast of Mississippi. Most snappers were observed around structures or objects on the bottom which they appeared to use for refuge or orientation. Those ranging over barren bottom had no apparent point of orientation. When encountered by shrimp trawls, most juvenile snappers rose above the trawl footrope and fell back into the trawl. These observations have directed research toward modifying shrimp trawls to release juvenile red snappers after entry, rather than preventing them from entering a shrimp trawl.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Dynamics of a heavily exploited population of white bass Morone chrysops were assessed in the Brazos River and Lake Whitney, Texas, and length and bag restrictions appeared to have no effect on catch rates, but they did reduce fishing pressure while maintaining fishing quality.
Abstract: Dynamics of a heavily exploited population of white bass Morone chrysops were assessed in the Brazos River and Lake Whitney, Texas. Fish averaging 338 mm in total length were collected by electroshocking and tagged with Floy FD-68BC anchor tags during spawning migrations in March 1988 (N = 1,550), 1989 (N = 514), and 1990 (N = 1,069). Mean length of young-of-year white bass was 224 mm. White bass were recruited to the sport fishery in their second year of life, and age-4 and older fish were rare in the population. The fishery was sustained mostly by intermediate-sized (≥230 mm) fish. In September 1988, a minimum size limit of 254 mm and a daily bag limit of 25 fish were placed on the previously unregulated fishery. Length and bag restrictions appeared to have no effect on catch rates, but they did reduce fishing pressure while maintaining fishing quality. Rewards of US$5, $10, $20, $50, or $100 were offered for returned tags. Angling exploitation was highly seasonal; more than 92% of the first-ye...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The reservoir fisheries in the semi-arid Northeast Brazil have been studied based on the data collected by the Department of Action Against Droughts and placed against the background of what is known of similar fisheries in tropical waters as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The reservoir fisheries in the semi-arid Northeast Brazil have been studied based on the data collected by the Department of Action Against Droughts and placed against the background of what is known of similar fisheries in the tropics elsewhere. Of about 60,000 reservoirs in the region, DNOCS controls about 100 reservoirs since 1970. Physical characteristics are provided together with total areas of the reservoirs. Unfortunately very little basic limnological data are available. In all 42 species of fish and crustaceans were introduced into these reservoirs of which only fourteen fish species and one shrimp were successful in establishing self-propagating populations, others being stocked on a regular basis. The recent stocking of Colossoma macropomum and Cyprinus carpio are however unsuccessful in reservoirs. The fish yield of DNOCS controlled reservoirs for 1950–1990 was 112 kg.ha−1 (Davies, 1972; Gurgel and Oliveira, 1987). It amounts now to about 20,000 tons annually taking into account incomplete and scaled down reporting of catches. This indicates a total fish catch from 60,000 reservoirs in the Northeast of Brazil of very substantial size. The CPUE and catches of all species and that of Tilapia rendalli and Oreochromis niloticus are given together with a discussion of the fisheries and recommendations for management. The total CPUE varied from 18–1,100 kg.ha−1. However, most fishermen are only part-timers. It appears likely that very substantial yields of fish are being harvested in Northeast Brazil but are under-reported. Management strategies now in operation in reservoir fisheries are still very pragmatic. With the accumulation of data and generalizations, more viable strategies could be devised.