Fishing

About: Fishing is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 26543 publications have been published within this topic receiving 455552 citations. The topic is also known as: angling.

The assessment of competition between seals and commercial fisheries in the north sea and the antarctic1

Abstract: Most of the exploited fish stocks in the North Sea are also used as a food supply by a number of seal species; the same is true for some fish and invertebrate stocks in the Antarctic—although the fisheries there are, at present, much smaller than those in the North Sea. The information needed for a critical assessment of such interactions is reviewed. Using existing techniques it is possible to estimate the quantity and size-classes of each fish or invertebrate species consumed by seals and to compare this with the commercial catch. If fishing mortality is known, these estimates can be used to calculate the level of mortality imposed by the seals. However, a realistic evaluation requires information on the distribution and movements of the fish, the seals' feeding effort, and the fisheries effort in time and space. At present it is difficult or impossible to obtain this information, but recent technological developments in telemetry equipment will soon make it feasible. To assess the economic effects of changes in seal numbers on the fishery, or the ecological effects of changes in fisheries effort on seal populations, requires additional information on the responses of the fishery and the seals to changes in fish abundance, and of the commercial market to changes in the supply of fish.

Bias in evaluating the effects of marine protected areas: the importance of baseline data for the Galapagos Marine Reserve

Abstract: Analysis of ecological baseline data collected for key resource species within the Galapagos Marine Reserve indicates that variation in animal density associated with the location of fully protected zones can be comparable to protected area effects. Even with a high level of interspersion between conservation, tourism and fishing management zones, major differences in densities of economically important species were evident between zone types prior to enforcement of fishing restrictions. Densities of the most valuable fishery resource, sea cucumbers, were three times higher in zones that remained open to fishing compared to 'no-take' conservation zones, and densities of sharks were five times higher in tourism zones than fishing or conservation zones. These results highlight bias in the socio-political processes that can accompany selection of marine protected areas, where fishers attempt to minimize perceived impacts on their livelihood by locating large protected zones in resource-poor areas, and tourism operators and sport divers argue for protection of areas containing atypically-interesting features. Bias in the location of fully protected zones can seriously confound 'control-impact' field investigations when data prior to prohibitions on fishing are lacking, including meta-analyses, which are dominated by such potentially systematically biased studies.

Traditional fishing in the Torres Strait Islands

Abstract: Centuries of fishing and hunting have given Torres Strait Islanders an intimate familiarity with the sea and its inhabitants, including what may be an unparalleled understanding of dugong behaviour. And the waters around the islands are rich. Sea turtles and dugongs - endangered species in many other tropical waters - are so abundant that they form a large part of the islanders' diets. Coral reef fish and lobsters abound. But various impacts of the outside world have robbed the islanders of their ability to make a good living from their waters. The authors discuss how such Fourth World peoples (the islanders are Melanesian, but the islands are Australian) may find themselves at an even greater disadvantage than some Third World peoples in exploiting their natural resources for their own benefit. This text is based on five years of fieldwork. The book treats in detail the history of fishing in the islands; the practices of dugong hunting, turtle hunting and fishing; the islanders' detailed knowledge of the behaviour of marine animals; traditional fishing rights and their doubtful value today; the impediments to the islanders making effective use of their marine resources; and the very high consumption of local seafood, despite the high consumption of imported foods.

Deep-water Oculina coral reefs of Florida: biology, impacts, and management

Abstract: Deep-water Oculina coral reefs, which are similar in structure and development to deep-water Lophelia reefs, stretch over 167 km (90 nmi) at depths of 70–100 m along the eastern Florida shelf of the United States These consist of numerous pinnacles and ridges, 3–35 m in height Coral growth rates average 161 mm yr−1 and biodiversity is very rich Extensive areas of Oculina rubble may be due to human impacts (eg fish trawling and dredging, anchoring, bottom longlines) and natural processes such as bioerosion and episodic die-off Early in the 1970s, the reefs were teeming with fish By the early 1990s, both commercial and recreational fisheries, including scallop, shrimp, grouper, snapper and amberjack, had taken a toll on the reefs and especially on populations of grouper and snapper A 315 km2 (92 nmi2) area was designated the Oculina Habitat of Particular Concern (HAPC) in 1984, prohibiting trawling, dredging, bottom longlines and anchoring, and legislation was enacted in 2000 for expansion of the Oculina HAPC to 1029 km2 (300 nmi2) The United States Coast Guard has been charged with surveillance and enforcement of the ban on bottom fishing and trawling The primary difficulties in protecting these reefs and other deep-water Marine Protected Areas are their remoteness and time required to engage an enforcement vessel Education regarding the nature and importance of these rich resources is important for better self regulation and surveillance by the fishing community Only by bringing deep-water reefs to the public, the fishing community, and enforcement agencies, through video, photos, and education will there be better understanding and acceptance for the need of protection for these unseen resources This paper reviews the current knowledge on the deep-water Oculina reefs, including the biology, geology, human impacts, and history of conservation and management