scholarly journals Development and evaluation of catch per unit effort indices for southern blue whiting (Micromesistius australis) on the Campbell Island Rise, New Zealand

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 1131-1138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart M. Hanchet ◽  
Ron G. Blackwell ◽  
Alistair Dunn
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Independent Data ◽  
Catch Per Unit Effort ◽  
Age Composition ◽  
Commercial Catch ◽  
Fourfold Increase ◽  
Fishing Strategies ◽  
Acoustic Surveys ◽  
Campbell Island

Abstract This paper develops standardized commercial cpue indices for a highly aggregated spawning fishery in New Zealand waters, and verifies the indices using fishery-independent data. Indices were calculated for all vessels using three different measures of effort, and for vessel subsets based on processing type (surimi and dressed), and relative experience in the fishery. Trends in cpue were consistent with trends in fishery-independent acoustic surveys, age composition of the commercial catch, and recent stock assessment results. In particular, the cpue indices tracked the more than fourfold increase in abundance from 1993 to 1996 associated with the recruitment of the strong 1991 year class, and the decline in relative abundance as this year class was fished down. Despite this being a highly aggregated spawning fishery, there was little evidence for hyperstability. There were also significant differences in fishing strategies of the fleets between periods of high and low fish abundance.

Eels at the Edge: Science, Status, and Conservation Concerns

2009 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Management System ◽  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Catch Per Unit Effort ◽  
Commercial Catch ◽  
The North ◽  
Anguilla Australis ◽  
Unit Effort ◽  
Access Rights ◽  
Quota Management

<em>Abstract.</em>—The New Zealand eel fishery comprises two species, the shortfin eel <em>Anguilla australis </em>and the New Zealand longfin eel <em>A. dieffenbachii</em>. A third species, the speckled longfin eel <em>A. reinhardtii</em>, is present in small numbers in some areas. Major fisheries in New Zealand are managed under the Quota Management System. Individual transferable quotas are set as a proportion of an annual total allowable commercial catch. The Quota Management System was introduced into the South Island eel fishery on 1 October 2000 and the North Island fishery on 1 October 2004. Freshwater eels have particular significance for customary Maori. Management policies allow for customary take and the granting of commercial access rights on introduction into the Quota Management System. Eel catches have remained relatively constant since the early 1970s. The average annual catch from 1989–1990 to 2001–2002 (fishing year) was 1,313 mt. Catch per unit effort remained constant from 1983 to 1989 and reduced from 1990 to 1999. Statistically significant declines in catch per unit effort for New Zealand longfin eel were found in some areas over the latter period. For management, an annual stock-assessment process provides an update on stock status.

A length-based Bayesian stock assessment model for the New Zealand abalone Haliotis iris

2003 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
pp. 619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Breen ◽  
Susan W. Kim ◽  
Neil L. Andrew
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Catch Per Unit Effort ◽  
Commercial Catch ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Common Component ◽  
Joint Posterior Distribution

We describe a length-based Bayesian model for stock assessment of the New Zealand abalone Haliotis iris (paua). We fitted the model to five data sets: catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) and a fishery-independent survey index, proportions-at-length from both commercial catch sampling and population surveys, and tag–recapture data. We estimated a common component of error and used iterative re-weighting of the data sets to balance the residuals, removing the arbitrary data set weightings used in previous assessments. Estimates at the mode of the joint posterior distribution were used to explore sensitivity of the results to model assumptions and input data; the assessment itself was based on marginal posterior distributions estimated from Markov chain–Monte Carlo simulation. Assessments are presented for two stocks in the south of New Zealand. One may be recovering after recent catch reductions; the other is over-exploited and likely to decline further. Assessment for the first stock was robust; assessment for the second stock was sensitive to the CPUE data and may be too optimistic. We discuss future directions and potential problems with this approach.

scholarly journals Habitat suitability modelling of economically important fish species with commercial fisheries data

2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (9) ◽  
pp. 1590-1603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liz Morris ◽  
David Ball
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Suitability ◽  
Independent Data ◽  
Spatial Analyses ◽  
Multivariate Approach ◽  
Catch Per Unit Effort ◽  
Commercial Catch ◽  
Habitat Suitability Models ◽  
Simple Set ◽  
Habitat Suitability Modelling ◽  
Wide Scale

Abstract In this study we used catch and effort data from a commercial fishery to generate habitat suitability models for Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia. Species modelled were King George whiting (Sillaginodes punctata), greenback flounder (Rhombosolea tapirina), Australian salmon (Arripis trutta and A. truttaceus), and snapper (Pagrus auratus). Locations of commercial catches were reported through a grid system of fishing blocks. Spatial analyses in a Geographic Information System (GIS) were applied to describe each fishing block by its habitat area. A multivariate approach was adopted to group each fishing block by its dominant habitats. Standardized catch per unit effort values were overlaid on these groups to identify those that returned high or low catches for each species. A simple set of rules was then devised to predict the habitat suitability for each habitat combination in a fishing block. The spatial distribution of these habitats was presented in a GIS. These habitat suitability models were consistent with existing anecdotal information and expert opinion. While the models require testing, we have shown that in the absence of adequate fishery-independent data, commercial catch and effort data can be used to produce habitat suitability models at a bay-wide scale.

Distribution and abundance of freshwater eels (Anguilla spp.) in Tasmania

1984 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 463 ◽  
Author(s):  
RD Sloane
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Coastal Lagoons ◽  
Catch Per Unit Effort ◽  
Commercial Catch ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Coastal Streams ◽  
Catch Statistics ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Density And Biomass ◽  
Freshwater Eels

The distribution of A. australis australis Richardson and A. reinhardtii Steindachner in Tasmania was determined from electrofishing surveys and commercial catch records. A. a. australis is abundant in coastal streams and extends far inland in the major drainage systems to the main lakes in Tasmania's Central Highlands. Density and biomass estimates for A. a. australis in streams, <0.01-1 .40 m-2 and 0.04-23.01 g m-2, respectively, are similar to those recorded for A. australis schmidtii Phillipps in New Zealand and for A. anguilla L. in Europe, A. reinhardtii is restricted to coastal lagoons and the lower freshwater reaches and estuaries of streams in north-eastern Tasmania including Flinders Island. Substantial populations of A. reinhardtii reside in these areas (0.05 m-2, 114.66 g m-2 in Douglas River). Analysis of commercial catch statistics indicates that the initial eel yields from standing waterbodies were high in the 1960s by world standards, although landings and catch per unit effort have subsequently declined.

scholarly journals Correcting density-dependent effects in abundance estimates from bottom-trawl surveys

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 1107-1116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stan Kotwicki ◽  
James N. Ianelli ◽  
André E. Punt
Keyword(s):  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Dead Zone ◽  
Walleye Pollock ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Bottom Trawl ◽  
Trawl Survey ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Catch Per Unit Effort ◽  
Density Dependent ◽  
Index Of Abundance

Abstract Indices of abundance are important for estimating population trends in stock assessment and ideally should be based on fishery-independent surveys to avoid problems associated with the hyperstability of the commercial catch per unit effort (cpue) data. However, recent studies indicate that the efficiency of the survey bottom trawl (BT) for some species can be density-dependent, which could affect the reliability of survey-derived indices of abundance. A function qe∼f(u), where qe is the BT efficiency and u the catch rate, was derived using experimentally derived acoustic dead-zone correction and BT efficiency parameters obtained from combining a subset of BT catch data with synchronously collected acoustic data from walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) in the eastern Bering Sea (EBS). We found that qe decreased with increasing BT catches resulting in hyperstability of the index of abundance derived from BT survey. Density-dependent qe resulted in spatially and temporarily variable bias in survey cpue and biased population age structure derived from survey data. We used the relationship qe∼f(u) to correct the EBS trawl survey index of abundance for density-dependence. We also obtained a variance–covariance matrix for a new index that accounted for sampling variability and the uncertainty associated with the qe. We found that incorporating estimates of the new index of abundance changed outputs from the walleye pollock stock assessment model. Although changes were minor, we advocate incorporating estimates of density-dependent qe into the walleye pollock stock assessment as a precautionary measure that should be undertaken to avoid negative consequences of the density-dependent qe.

scholarly journals On estimating the age composition of the commercial catch of Northeast Arctic cod from a sample of clusters

2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aanes Sondre ◽  
Michael Pennington
Keyword(s):  
Age Structure ◽  
Age Distribution ◽  
Significant Loss ◽  
Effective Sample Size ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Total Catch ◽  
Intracluster Correlation ◽  
Age Composition ◽  
Commercial Catch ◽  
Arctic Cod

Abstract Assessment of Northeast Arctic cod is based on estimates of the commercial catch in numbers at age. The age structure of the catch is estimated by sampling fish from commercial fishing trips. Although it is commonly assumed that a sample of individuals is a random sample from the population, fish sampled from the same trip (i.e. from a “cluster” of fish) tend to be more similar in age than those in the total catch. For Northeast Arctic cod, the intracluster correlation for age is positive, and therefore the effective sample size is much smaller than the number of fish aged. Given the number of fish aged, the precision of the estimated age distribution is rather low, and the number of fish aged from each trip could be reduced from approximately 85 to 20 without a significant loss in precision.

Interaction Between Stock Area, Stock Abundance, and Catchability Coefficient

1985 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 989-998 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. H. Winters ◽  
J. P. Wheeler
Keyword(s):  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Atlantic Herring ◽  
Population Abundance ◽  
Commercial Catch ◽  
Standard Manner ◽  
Clupea Harengus Harengus ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Stock Abundance

The relationship between commercial catch-rates and population density upon which many stock assessment models depend assumes that stock area (A) is constant and independent of population abundance. Starting from a theoretical demonstration that the catchability coefficient (q) is inversely proportional to A, we establish the empirical basis of this relationship through comparisons of q and A of various Northwest Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus harengus) stocks and, in more detail, for Fortune Bay herring. For these stocks the relationship was of the form q = cA−b. For Atlantic herring stocks, levels of b were in excess of 0.80. In Fortune Bay herring, reductions in abundance were accompanied by proportional reductions in A, which in turn was inversely correlated with changes in q. School size, measured as catch per set, also declined as population levels declined but the change was not proportional. Published findings indicate that pelagic stocks in particular, and fish stocks in general, exhibit a common response of reductions in A with interactive increases in the q during periods of rapid population decline. We conclude that the conventional assumption of a constant stock area is usually violated due to the systematic interaction between A and population abundance which is reflected in an inverse relationship between stock abundance and q. Calibration of sequential population models should therefore be restricted to research vessel data collected in a standard manner and covering the distributional area of the stock.

New Zealand sub-Antarctic phytoliths and their potential for past vegetation reconstruction

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa C. Thorn
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Organic Material ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Ecosystem Development ◽  
Grassland Ecosystem ◽  
Vegetation Reconstruction ◽  
Geological Past ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Campbell Island

AbstractPhytoliths in the modern vegetation of sub-Antarctic Campbell Island are compared with those in the soil beneath to assess the accuracy of vegetation reconstructions made from dispersed phytolith assemblages. The soil phytoliths alone suggest the source vegetation is a grassland association for all study sites, which reflects none of the herb, fern or shrub component of the overlying vegetation. It is concluded that at this locality dispersed phytoliths on their own are not reliable indicators of source vegetation and should be used with caution in this context for palaeoecological studies. However, they can provide useful botanical information where all other organic material is absent. With further research, based on the abundance and diversity of Poaceae phytoliths observed in this and other studies, dispersed phytoliths from the fossil record have the potential to contribute significantly to the understanding of grassland ecosystem development in the geological past.

New Species of Mosses from Campbell Island, New Zealand

1971 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale H. Vitt
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Campbell Island
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