The Conservation and Management of Tunas and Their Relatives: Setting Life History Research Priorities

Scombrids (tunas, bonitos, Spanish mackerels and mackerels) support important fisheries in tropical, subtropical and temperate waters around the world, being one of the most economically- and socially-important marine species globally. Their sustainable exploitation, management and conservation depend on accurate life history information for the development of quantitative fisheries stock assessments, and in the fishery data-poor situations for the identification of vulnerable species. Here, we assemble life history traits (maximum size, growth, longevity, maturity, fecundity, spawning duration and spawning interval) for the 51 species of scombrids globally. WJRC.G.4-Maritime affair

Overcoming the data crisis in biodiversity conservation

How can we track population trends when monitoring data are sparse? Population declines can go undetected, despite ongoing threats. For example, only one of every 200 harvested species are monitored. This gap leads to uncertainty about the seriousness of declines and hampers effective conservation. Collecting more data is important, but we can also make better use of existing information. Prior knowledge of physiology, life history, and community ecology can be used to inform population models. Additionally, in multispecies models, information can be shared among taxa based on phylogenetic, spatial, or temporal proximity. By exploiting generalities across species that share evolutionary or ecological characteristics within Bayesian hierarchical models, we can fill crucial gaps in the assessment of species’ status with unparalleled quantitative rigor

Terms of reference for ECOCARD intersessional work

We recommend that a sub-group is formed to work and discuss intersessionally on the applicability and functionality of the Ecosystem Report Card (EcoCard) as a tool for monitoring the impacts of ICCAT fisheries and contribute to the progress of implementing Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) in ICCAT. To do so, the sub-group will be tasked to (1) review data availability and ICCAT management framework to inform the development of EcoCard, (2) summarize in a guideline document the history and current state of the EcoCard developments in ICCAT, (3) seek feedback and synergies with other relevant work and processes across all species groups and sub-committees of the SCRS, and (4) make recommendations for improvements to make the EcoCard more functional and adaptable to end-user needs. A more functional EcoCard has the potential to (a) communicate more effectively the use of this tool to the wider ICCAT community including its main objective and purpose, (b) attract more research and participation for its development and create more synergies of the work across all species groups and subcommittees of the SCRS, and (c) identify research priorities as well as relevant gaps which will allow management planning and identification of priorities by the ICCAT Commission.Nous recommandons la création d'un sous-groupe chargé de travailler et de discuter, entre les sessions, de l'applicabilité et de la fonctionnalité de la fiche informative sur les écosystèmes (EcoCard) en tant qu'outil de suivi des impacts des pêcheries de l'ICCAT et de contribuer aux progrès de la mise en œuvre de la gestion des pêcheries basée sur l’écosystème (EBFM) au sein de l'ICCAT. Pour ce faire, le sous-groupe sera chargé (1) d'examiner la disponibilité des données et le cadre de gestion de l'ICCAT afin de renseigner le développement de l'EcoCard, (2) de résumer dans un document d'orientation l'historique et l'état actuel des développements de l’EcoCard au sein de l'ICCAT, (3) de rechercher un retour d'information et des synergies avec d'autres travaux et processus pertinents dans tous les groupes d'espèces et sous-comités du SCRS, et (4) de faire des recommandations d'améliorations pour rendre l’EcoCard plus fonctionnelle et adaptable aux besoins des utilisateurs finaux. Une EcoCard plus fonctionnelle a le potentiel de (a) communiquer plus efficacement l'utilisation de cet outil à l'ensemble de la communauté de l'ICCAT, y compris son objectif et son but principaux, (b) attirer davantage de recherche et de participation pour son développement et créer davantage de synergies de travail entre tous les groupes d'espèces et les sous-comités du SCRS, et (c) identifier les priorités de recherche ainsi que les lacunes pertinentes qui permettront la planification de la gestion et l'identification des priorités par la Commission de l'ICCAT.Recomendamos que se forme un subgrupo para trabajar y discutir en el periodo intersesiones la aplicabilidad y funcionalidad de la ficha informativa sobre ecosistemas (EcoCard) como herramienta para hacer un seguimiento del impacto de las pesquerías de ICCAT y contribuir al progreso de la implementación de la Ordenación pesquera basada en el ecosistema (EBFM) en ICCAT. Para hacerlo, el subgrupo se encargará de: (1) revisar la disponibilidad de datos y el marco de ordenación de ICCAT para aportar información al desarrollo de la EcoCard, (2) resumir en unas directrices la historia y el estado actual del desarrollo de la EcoCard en ICCAT, (3) buscar retroalimentación y sinergias con otros trabajos y procesos pertinentes en todos los grupos de especies y subcomités del SCRS y (4) hacer recomendaciones para mejorar la EcoCard y hacerla más funcional y adaptable a las necesidades del usuario final. Una EcoCard más funcional tiene el potencial de (a) comunicar de forma más eficaz el uso de esta herramienta a la comunidad de ICCAT, incluidos su principal objetivo y propósito, (b) atraer más investigaciones y participación para su desarrollo y crear más sinergias del trabajo en todos los grupos de especies y subcomités del SCRS y (c) identificar prioridades de investigación, así como lagunas importantes que permitirán planificar la ordenación y la identificación de prioridades por parte de la Comisión.Versión del edito

A Preliminary Habitat Suitability Model for Devil Rays in the Western Indian Ocean

The European tropical tuna purse seine fishery incidentally captures three highly migratory and endangered species of devil rays, spinetail devil ray Mobula mobular, sicklefin devil ray M. tarapacana, and bentfin devil ray M. thurstoni in the Indian Ocean. Due to their global decreasing populations, understanding the factors of their spatial and temporal distributions and the associated environmental conditions are fundamental for their management and conservation. Yet, the spatial and temporal distribution of devil rays in the Indian Ocean is poorly understood. Here we developed a habitat suitability model for devil rays in the Western Indian Ocean depicting the seasonal and interannual changes in their spatial distributions and underlying environmental conditions. We used bycatch data collected between the period 2010-2020 by the EU tropical tuna purse seine observer programs to determine which environmental variables influence the occurrence of devil rays using generalized additive models. A separate modelling was done for the spinetail devil ray, and for the three species of devil rays combined, since many individuals are only recorded at the genus level. The environmental variables associated with the presence of devil rays were chlorophyll, sea surface height and sea surface temperature fronts. When modelling the habitat suitability for spinetail devil ray, the most influential environmental variables were net primary production of phytoplankton and sea surface temperature fronts. Both the interannual and seasonal variability in habitat suitability of devil rays were explained by these environmental variables. We also showed that devil rays are associated to permanent hotspots in the Mascarene Plateau and Central Indian Ridge, and to seasonal hotspots in the Western Arabian Sea and Equatorial regions where there is a high occurrence of devil rays during winter monsoon. We found that setting on large tuna schools decreases the chances of devil ray bycatch. Both models predicted a higher probability of incidental catch of devil rays in fishing sets on free swimming schools of tunas than in sets on fish aggregating devices. The identified hotspots and associated environmental characteristics provide information about the habitat use and ecology of the devil rays in the Western Indian Ocean. Furthermore, the habitat suitability models, and biological hotspots identified in this study could also to be used to inform the development of future spatial management measures, including time-area closures, to minimize the interaction of pelagic fisheries with these vulnerable species

A preliminary habitat suitability model for oceanic whitetip shark in the western Indian Ocean

Understanding the temporal, spatial and environmental factors influencing species distributions is essential to minimize the interactions of vulnerable species with fisheries and can be used to identify areas of high bycatch rates and their environmental conditions. Classified as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) is the second main shark species incidentally caught by the tropical tuna purse seine fishery in the western Indian Ocean. In this study, we used the European Union purse seine fishery observer data (2010-2020) and generalized additive models to develop a habitat suitability model for juvenile oceanic whitetip shark in the western Indian Ocean. Sea surface temperature was the main environmental driver suggesting a higher probability of occurrence of this shark with decreasing temperatures. The type of fishing operation also was an important predictor explaining its occurrence, suggesting a higher probability of incidentally catching this species when using fish aggregating devices as set type. Moreover, predictive maps of habitat suitability suggested the area offshore of Kenya and Somalia are an important hotspot with higher probabilities of incidentally catching this species during the summer monsoon (June to September) when upwelling takes place. The habitat suitability models developed here could be used to inform the design and testing of potential time-area closures in the Kenya-Somalia basin with the objective of minimizing the bycatch of this critically endangered species with the least possible impact on fishing operations and fishery yields of target tuna

Evaluating changes in marine communities that provide ecosystem services through comparative assessments of community indicators

Fisheries provide critical provisioning services, especially given increasing human population. Understanding where marine communities are declining provides an indication of ecosystems of concern and highlights potential conflicts between seafood provisioning from wild fisheries and other ecosystem services. Here we use the nonparametric statistic, Kendall[U+05F3]s tau, to assess trends in biomass of exploited marine species across a range of ecosystems. The proportion of 'Non-Declining Exploited Species' (NDES) is compared among ecosystems and to three community-level indicators that provide a gauge of the ability of a marine ecosystem to function both in provisioning and as a regulating service: survey-based mean trophic level, proportion of predatory fish, and mean life span. In some ecosystems, NDES corresponds to states and temporal trajectories of the community indicators, indicating deteriorating conditions in both the exploited community and in the overall community. However differences illustrate the necessity of using multiple ecological indicators to reflect the state of the ecosystem. For each ecosystem, we discuss patterns in NDES with respect to the community-level indicators and present results in the context of ecosystem-specific drivers. We conclude that using NDES requires context-specific supporting information in order to provide guidance within a management framework.We would like to thank the IndiSeas Working Group, endorsed by IOC-UNESCO (www.ioc-unesco.org) and the European Network of Excellence Euroceans (www.eur-oceans.eu). KMK was supported by Conservation International and the Sea Around Us project, a collaboration between The University of British Columbia and The Pew Charitable Trusts. MC was partially supported by the EC Marie Curie CIG grant to BIOWEB and the Spanish Research Program Ramon y Cajal. LJS was supported through the South African Research Chair Initiative, funded through the South African Department of Science and Technology (DST) and administered by the South African National Research Foundation (NRF). YJS and MTT were supported by the French project EMIBIOS (FRB, contract no. APP-SCEN-2010-II). LJS and YS were also funded by the European collaborative project MEECE – Marine Ecosystem Evolution in a Changing Environment – (FP7, Contract no. 212085). CPL was supported by Defra project MF1228 (From Physics to Fisheries) and DEVOTES (DEVelopment of innovative Tools for understanding marine biodiversity and assessing good Environmental Status) funded by EU FP7 (grant Agreement no. 308392), www.devotes-project.eu. GIvdM was partially supported by the Norwegian Nature Index programme and the Institute of Marine Research, Norway. HO was funded was funded by the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research (grant SF0180005s10). MAT was funded by a predoctoral FPI fellowship from the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO). MJJJ was supported by the EC Marie Curie IOF Grant, PIOF-GA-2013-628116. We acknowledge all those who conducted surveys to collect the data used in this study.Peer reviewe

Fostering English-taught higher education programs in a Spanish university: the "TechEnglish" innovative project

In recent years, coinciding with adjustments to the Bologna process, many European universities have attempted to improve their international profile by increasing course offerings in English. According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), Spain has notably increased its English-taught higher education programs, ranking fifth in the list of European countries by number of English-taught Master's programs in 2013. This article presents the goals and preliminary results of an on-going innovative education project (TechEnglish) that aims to promote course offerings in English at the Technical University of Madrid (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, UPM). The UPM is the oldest and largest of all Technical Universities in Spain. It offers graduate and postgraduate programs that cover all the engineering disciplines as well as architecture. Currently, the UPM has no specific bilingual/multilingual program to promote teaching in English, although there is an Educational Model Whitepaper (with a focus on undergraduate degrees) that promotes the development of activities like an International Semester or a unique shared curriculum. The TechEnglish project is an attempt to foster courses taught in English at 7 UPM Technical Schools, including students and 80 faculty members. Four tasks were identified: (1) to design a university wide framework to increase course offerings, (2) to identify administrative difficulties, (3) to increase visibility of courses offered, and (4) to disseminate the results of the project. First, to design a program we analyzed existing programs at other Spanish universities, and other projects and efforts already under way at the UPM. A total of 13 plans were analyzed and classified according to their relation with students (learning), professors (teaching), administration, course offerings, other actors/institutions within the university (e.g., language departments), funds and projects, dissemination activities, mobility plans and quality control. Second, to begin to identify administrative and organizational difficulties in the implementation of teaching in English, we first estimated the current and potential course offerings at the undergraduate level at the UPM using a survey (student, teacher and administrative demand, level of English and willingness to work in English). Third, to make the course offerings more attractive for both Spanish and international students we examined the way the most prestigious universities in Spain and in Europe try to improve the visibility of their academic offerings in English. Finally, to disseminate the results of the project we created a web page and a workspace on the Moodle education platform and prepared conferences and workshops within the UPM. Preliminary results show that increasing course offerings in English is an important step to promote the internationalization of the University. The main difficulties identified at the UPM were related to how to acknowledge/certify the departments, teachers or students involved in English courses, how students should register for the courses, how departments should split and schedule the courses (Spanish and English), and the lack of qualified personnel. A concerted effort could be made to increase the visibility of English-taught programs offered on-line

Length at 50% maturity estimates and the ratio length at 50% maturity/maximum body size for scombrid species.

<p>Within each taxonomic group, the species are plotted in ascending rank order of body size, with the smallest species at the bottom (See <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0070405#pone-0070405-t001" target="_blank">Table 1</a> for maximum body size).</p

List of scombrid species including their taxonomic classification, maximum body size (L_max), climate, environment and geographic distributions.

*<p>Commonly known as principal market tuna species.</p

Age at 50% maturity estimates and the ratio age at 50% maturity/maximum body size for scombrid species.

<p>Within each taxonomic group, the species are plotted in ascending rank order of body size, with the smallest species at the bottom (See <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0070405#pone-0070405-t001" target="_blank">Table 1</a> for maximum body size).</p