A new proportionality-based back-calculation approach, which employs traditional forms of growth equations, improves estimates of length at age

The performance of a new proportionality-based back-calculation approach, describing the relationship among length, otolith size, and age using traditional growth curves and assuming a bivariate distribution of deviations from those curves, was evaluated. Cross-validation was used for six teleost species to compare predictions of expected lengths or otolith sizes at age, given otolith size or length, respectively, with those of other proportionality-based approaches that incorporate age. For four species, and particularly Acanthopagrus butcheri when using a biological intercept, better estimates were produced using the new model than were produced using the regression equations in the other back-calculation approaches. Back-calculated lengths for A. butcheri estimated using this model were more consistent with observed lengths, particularly when employing a biological intercept, than those obtained using other proportionality-based approaches and also a constraint-based approach known to produce reliable estimates. By selecting somatic and otolith growth curves from a suite of alternatives to better describe the relationships among length, otolith size, and age, the new approach is likely to produce more reliable estimates of back-calculated length for other species

Variations in biological characteristics of temperate gonochoristic species of Platycephalidae and their implications: A review

This review provides a composite account of the biological characteristics of the temperate gonochoristic species of the Platycephalidae. Initially, data were obtained for the five abundant platycephalid species in south-western Australia, which each came from either over bare substrata or seagrass and from either estuaries, marine coastal waters or marine embayments. The von Bertalanffy growth curves for females and males of each species differed significantly, with females having a greater TL∞ and lower growth coefficient k. From tests using their upper deciles, the total length (TL) attained by the largest females of each species was significantly greater than that of their males, whereas such a trend did not occur with age. The ratio of females to males in each abundant age class, and overall, exceeded parity for four of the five species (typically P < 0.001) and increased with increasing TL. Mortality estimates, which were similar for each sex of each species, suggest that Platycephalus speculator has been substantially exploited in a seasonally-closed estuary in which it completes its whole life cycle. The above and other biological data for the five species were collated with those published previously for two of those species and five other platycephalid species in south-eastern Australia and one in Japan and another in the Suez Canal, yielding the following conclusions for gonochoristic species of the Platycephalidae. Females attain a larger size than males, the extent varying markedly among species, whereas the longevities of the two sexes of each platycephalid species are similar. The maximum TLs and ages of the various species range widely, with values for females, for example, extending from 221 mm for Ambiserrula jugosa to 985 mm for Platycephalus fuscus and from four years for A. jugosa to 26 years for Platycephalus conatus. The overall ratio of females to males is positively related to the extent to which both the maximum TLs and TL∞s of the females exceed those of males. The above trends imply that growth, rather than differences in longevity and/or mortality, is the main factor contributing to the marked differences in sex ratios, which ranged widely from parity to 3.2:1. As the length at maturity, but not typically age at maturity, was greater for females than males, maturity is also related mainly to growth. The spawning periods of the various species overlapped, commencing as early as late winter/early spring, as temperatures started rising with four species and later in late spring/early summer with the three species found in estuaries, which would be advantageous as spawning in estuaries would occur when environmental conditions are most favourable for spawning success and larval retention

Performance and contribution to commercial catches and egg production by restocked Acanthopagrus butcheri (Sparidae) in an estuary

This study has explored whether the restocked fish of a species, which is confined to an estuary, perform as well as its wild stock, and has estimated their contribution to the commercial fishery and egg production. The biological characteristics of the 2001 and 2002 year classes of Acanthopagrus butcheri, which had been cultured and introduced into the Blackwood River in south-western Australia at seven and four months old, respectively, were thus determined from samples collected regularly between 2002 and 2014. The restocked fish could always be distinguished from the wild stock because their otoliths retained the pink colouration of the alizarin complexone with which they had been stained prior to release. Detailed analyses demonstrated the growth and maturity schedules of restocked fish were only slightly inferior to those of the wild stock and the mean gonad weights of the females of these two groups did not differ significantly in any month. As increasing numbers of restocked A. butcheri attained the MLL of 250 mm for retention, their contribution to the commercial fishery increased from 6% in 2005 to 74% in 2010. That contribution subsequently declined to 39% in 2012 and 10% in 2014, due predominantly to the introduction of the very strong 2008 year class in the commercial catches, the first substantial recruitment into the population since 1999. Restocked fish were estimated as contributing ~55% to the eggs produced in 2008, suggesting that substantial numbers of the 2008 year class were derived from spawning by restocked fish. The results of this and a previous genetic study imply that restocking is an effective and appropriate way for replenishing stocks of an estuarine species such as A. butcheri, especially as its recruitment is highly episodic

Differential changes in production measures for an estuarine-resident sparid in deep and shallow waters following increases in hypoxia

This study determined how productivity measures for a fish species in different water depths of an estuary changed in response to the increase in hypoxia in deep waters, which had previously been shown to occur between 1993–95 and 2007–11. Annual data on length and age compositions, body mass, growth, abundance, biomass, production and production to biomass ratio (P/B) were thus determined for the estuarine-resident Acanthopagrus butcheri in nearshore shallow (<2 m) and offshore deep waters (2–6 m) of the upper Swan River Estuary in those two periods. Length and age compositions imply that the increase in hypoxia was accompanied by the distribution of the majority of the older and larger A. butcheri changing from deep to shallow waters, where the small fish typically reside. Annual densities, biomass and production in shallow waters of <0.02 fish m−2, 2–4 g m−2 and ∼2 g m−2 y−1 in the earlier period were far lower than the 0.1–0.2 fish m−2, 8–15 g m−2 and 5–10 g m−2 y−1 in the later period, whereas the reverse trend occurred in deep waters, with values of 6–9 fish net−1, 2000–3900 g net−1, 900–1700 g net−1 y−1 in the earlier period vs < 1.5 fish net−1, ∼110 g net−1 and 27–45 g net−1 y−1 in the later period. Within the later period, and in contrast to the trends with annual abundance and biomass, the production in shallow waters was least during 2008/09, rather than greatest, reflecting the slow growth in that particularly cool year. The presence of substantial aggregations of both small and large fish in shallow waters accounts for the abundance, biomass and production in those waters increasing between those periods and thus, through a density-dependent effect, provide a basis for the overall reduction in growth. In marked contrast to the trends with the other three production measures, annual production to biomass ratios (P/B) in shallow waters in the two years in the earlier period, and in three of the four years of the later period, fell within the same range, i.e. 0.6–0.9 y−1, but was only 0.2 y−1 in 2008/09, reflecting the poor growth in that year. This emphasises the need to obtain data on P/B for a number of years when considering the implications of the typical P/B for a species in an estuary, in which environmental conditions and the growth of a species can fluctuate markedly between years

Marked deleterious changes in the condition, growth and maturity schedules of Acanthopagrus butcheri (Sparidae) in an estuary reflect environmental degradation

As Acanthopagrus butcheri typically completes its life within its natal estuary and possesses plastic biological characteristics, it provides an excellent model for exploring the ways and extent to which a fish species can respond to environmental changes over time. The environment of the Swan River Estuary in south-western Australia has deteriorated markedly during the last two decades, reflecting the effects of increasing eutrophication and hypoxia in the upper regions, where A. butcheri spends most of the year and spawns. In this study, the biological characteristics of A. butcheri in 2007-11 were determined and compared with those in 1993-95. Between these two periods, the condition factor for females and males of A. butcheri across their length ranges declined by 6 and 5%, respectively, and the parameters k and L∞ in the von Bertalanffy growth curves of both sexes underwent marked reductions. The predicted lengths of females and males at all ages ≥1 year were less in 2007-11 than in 1993-95 and by over 30% less at ages 3 and 6. The ogives relating maturity to length and age typically differed between 1993-94 and 2007-10. The L50s of 156 mm for females and 155 mm for males in 2007-10 were less than the corresponding values of 174 and 172 mm in 1993-94, whereas the A50s of 2.5 years for both females and males in 2007-10 were greater than the corresponding values of 1.9 and 2.0 years in 1993-94. The above trends in condition, growth and maturity parameters between periods are consistent with hypotheses regarding the effects of increasing hypoxia on A. butcheri in offshore, deeper waters. However, as the density of A. butcheri declined in offshore, deeper waters and increased markedly in nearshore, shallow waters, density-dependent effects in the latter waters, although better oxygenated, also probably contributed to the overall reductions in growth and thus to the changes in the lengths and ages at maturity

Secondary circulation in natural streams

Secondary circulation which is sometimes referred to as secondary flow, secondary current or transverse current is an important phenomenon in natural streams and plays an important role in many natural processes in streams such as stream channel meander, bank erosion, bed scour, resuspension, and movement of sediment. Secondary circulation is that component of flow which is not in the main flow direction and is small as compared to the main flow velocity. A computerized data collection system for secondary circulation data acquisition in natural streams was developed and utilized in the field. The system includes an electromagnetic current meter, a micro-computer, an interface between the computer and the current meter, and a specially designed supporting structure. Secondary circulation data was collected in the Sangamon River near Mahomet, Illinois, utilizing the data collection system. A mathematical model for secondary circulation based on an existing model has been developed and tested against the data collected in the field. Model results generally reproduce similar secondary circulation patterns as observed from the field data but over-estimate the magnitudes of the velocities.U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological SurveyOpe

State-wide survey of boat-based recreational fishing in Western Australia 2013/14

Based on the outcomes of an international workshop on recreational fishing survey methods in 2010, the Department of Fisheries developed an integrated survey involving several methods to provide a robust and cost-effective approach for obtaining annual estimates of recreational catch by boat-based fishers at both state-wide and bioregional levels

Optimal sequencing of a set of positive numbers with the variance of the sequence's partial sums maximized

We consider the problem of sequencing a set of positive numbers. We try to find the optimal sequence to maximize the variance of its partial sums. The optimal sequence is shown to have a beautiful structure. It is interesting to note that the symmetric problem which aims at minimizing the variance of the same partial sums is proved to be NP-complete in the literature.Comment: 12 pages;Accepted for publication in Optimization Lette

Species compositions of elasmobranchs caught by three different commercial fishing methods off southwestern Australia, and biological data for four abundant bycatch species

Commercial catches taken in southwestern Australian waters by trawl fisheries targeting prawns and scallops and from gillnet and long-line fisheries targeting sharks were sampled at different times of the year between 2002 and 2008. This sampling yielded 33 elasmobranch species representing 17 families. Multivariate statistics elucidated the ways in which the species compositions of elasmobranchs differed among fishing methods and provided benchmark data for detecting changes in the elasmobranch fauna in the future. Virtually all elasmobranchs caught by trawling, which consisted predominantly of rays, were discarded as bycatch, as were approximately a quarter of the elasmobranchs caught by both gillnetting and longlining. The maximum lengths and the lengths at maturity of four abundant bycatch species, Heterodontus portusjacksoni, Aptychotrema vincentiana, Squatina australis, and Myliobatis australis, were greater for females than males. The L50 determined for the males of these species at maturity by using full clasper calcification as the criterion of maturity did not differ significantly from the corresponding L50 derived by using gonadal data as the criterion for maturity. The proportions of the individuals of these species with lengths less than those at which 50% reach maturity were far greater in trawl samples than in gillnet and long-line samples. This result was due to differences in gear selectivity and to trawling being undertaken in shallow inshore waters that act as nursery areas for these species. Sound quantitative data on the species compositions of elasmobranchs caught by commercial fisheries and the biological characteristics of the main elasmobranch bycatch species are crucial for developing strategies for conserving these important species and thus the marine ecosystems of which they are part

Statewide survey of boat-based recreational fishing in Western Australia 2017/18

The statewide survey of boat-based recreational fishing includes three components: (i) off-site Phone Surveys (encompassing an initial Screening Survey, a longitudinal Phone-Diary Survey, and Post-Enumeration Surveys); (ii) on-site Boat Ramp Surveys; and (iii) Remote Camera Surveys. The main data collection period was the 12-months from September 2017 to August 2018 inclusive, with the Post-Enumeration Surveys occurring from September to December 2018