16 research outputs found
The Effects of Scallop Dredge Fishing Practices on Physical, Behavioral, and Physiological Stress in Discarded Yellowtail Flounder, Windowpane, and Fourspot Flounder
The Atlantic sea scallop Placopecten magellanicus dredge fishery is one of the most lucrative commercial fishing industries in the northeastern United States, and fish bycatch can comprise up to ~42% of the total catch. Benthic species, such as flatfish, are particularly susceptible to unintended capture in scallop dredge gear, and mitigating bycatch and associated mortality has been mandated a priority for fisheries management. Based on this management need, the present study evaluated the physical, physiological, and behavioral stress responses of Yellowtail Flounder Limanda ferruginea, Windowpane Scophthalmus aquosus, and Fourspot Flounder Paralichthys oblongus to capture in the scallop dredge fishery. More specifically, we used generalized additive models and linear regression models to assess the influence of various fishing practices, environmental conditions, and biological factors on injury condition, physiological parameters, and reflex indicators. Although these flatfish species appeared to be physically resilient to capture based on an observable injury assessment, dredge capture and handling factors proved stressful, with the degree of immediate mortality, physiological disturbances, and reflex impairment varying by species. While multiple factors influenced the degree of stress in these species, based on our results the reduction of tow duration and limiting air exposure/sorting duration would likely be the most effective strategies to mitigate the impact of scallop dredge fishing on these flatfish specie
Artificial reefs: from ecological processes to fishing enhancement tools
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Essential fish habitats and hotspots of nektoâbenthic diversity and density in the western Mediterranean
1. Since the 1990s, most currently assessed Mediterranean nektoâbenthic stocks
have been exploited above maximum sustainable yield and have declined. This
study explores the coâoccurrence of essential fish habitats for the most important
nektoâbenthic resources exploited by bottomâtrawl fisheries in the western
Mediterranean and areas of importance for nektoâbenthic communities.
2. Fisheryâindependent data obtained from Mediterranean scientific bottomâtrawl
surveys were used to identify persistent hotspots of recruitment for the most
important nektoâbenthic species around the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic
Islands between 2002 and 2016, as an indicator of their essential fish habitats.
Likewise, hotspots of nektoâbenthic community diversity and density were also
determined, as an estimate of key areas for nektoâbenthic communities.
3. Areas of overlap of persistent hotspots of recruitment and of community species
richness and density were mainly found on the deep shelf and the upper slope
(100â200 m and 200â500 m deep respectively).
4. These overlapping areas could be of particular interest in the development of fishery
management plans aiming to implement an ecosystem approach to fisheries. Protection, through temporary or permanent closures, of the overlapping areas identified
would contribute to improving both the sustainable exploitation of the main target
species of bottomâtrawl fisheries and the conservation of nektoâbenthic communities
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Report 139
The following document provides the results of the 2009 National Seabird Workshop hosted by the NSP National Coordinator. The workshop's primary goal was to initiate the development of a National Seabird Implementation Plan that can be used to describe NMFS seabird activites and important partnerships with other management agencies, guide NMFS seabird management and science, and provide seabird-related input into NOAA's strategic planning and budgeting process