scholarly journals Finding the accelerator and brake in an individual quota fishery: linking ecology, economics, and fleet dynamics of US West Coast trawl fisheries

2013 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 308-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac C. Kaplan ◽  
Daniel S. Holland ◽  
Elizabeth A. Fulton
Keyword(s):  
West Coast ◽  
Fishery Management ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Target Species ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Us ◽  
Fleet Dynamics ◽  
Us West ◽  
Trawl Fisheries ◽  
Management Council

Abstract Isaac C. Kaplan, Daniel S. Holland, and Elizabeth A. Fulton. 2014. Finding the accelerator and brake in an individual quota fishery: linking ecology, economics, and fleet dynamics of US West Coast trawl fisheries. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 71: 308–319. In 2011, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council implemented an individual transferrable quota (ITQ) system for the US West Coast groundfish trawl fleet. Under the ITQ system, each vessel now receives transferrable annual allocations of quota for 29 groundfish species, including target and bycatch species. Here we develop an ecosystem and fleet dynamics model to identify which components of an ITQ system are likely to drive responses in effort, target species catch, bycatch, and overall profitability. In the absence of penalties for discarding over-quota fish, ITQs lead to large increases in fishing effort and bycatch. The penalties fishermen expect for exceeding quota have the largest effect on fleet behaviour, capping effort and total bycatch. Quota prices for target or bycatch species have lesser impacts on fishing dynamics, even up to bycatch quota prices of $50 kg−1. Ports that overlap less with bycatch species can increase effort under individual quotas, while other ports decrease effort. Relative to a prior management system, ITQs with penalties for exceeding quotas lead to increased target species landings and lower bycatch, but with strong variation among species. The model illustrates how alternative fishery management policies affect profitability, sustainability and the ecosystem.

scholarly journals Climate Extreme Seeds a New Domoic Acid Hotspot on the US West Coast

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera L. Trainer ◽  
Raphael M. Kudela ◽  
Matthew V. Hunter ◽  
Nicolaus G. Adams ◽  
Ryan M. McCabe
Keyword(s):  
Early Warning ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Domoic Acid ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Warning Systems ◽  
Dungeness Crab ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us West

A heatwave that blanketed the northeast Pacific Ocean in 2013–2015 had severe impacts on the marine ecosystem through altered species composition and survival. A direct result of this marine heatwave was a sustained, record-setting harmful algal bloom (HAB), caused by the toxigenic diatom, Pseudo-nitzschia, that led to an unprecedented delay in harvest opportunity for commercial Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister) and closure of other recreational, commercial and tribal shellfish harvest, including razor clams. Samples collected during a cruise in summer 2015, showed the appearance of a highly toxic “hotspot” between Cape Mendocino, CA and Cape Blanco, OR that was observed again during cruises in the summers of 2016–2018. The transport of toxic cells from this retentive site northward during wind relaxations or reversals associated with storms resulted in economically debilitating delay or closure of Dungeness crab harvest in both northern California and Oregon in 2015–2019. Analyses of historic large-scale Pseudo-nitzschia HABs have shown that these events occur during warm periods such as El Niño, positive phases of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, or the record-setting marine heatwave. In order to reduce the impacts of large-scale HABs along the west coast of North America, early warning systems have been developed to forewarn coastal managers. These early warning systems include the Pacific Northwest and California HAB Bulletins, both of which have documented elevated domoic acid and increased risk associated with the northern California hotspot. These early warnings enable mitigative actions such as selective opening of safe harvest zones, increased harvest limits during low risk periods, and early harvest in anticipation of impending HAB events. The aims of this study are to show trends in nearshore domoic acid along the US west coast in recent years, including the recent establishment of a new seed bed of highly-toxic Pseudo-nitzschia, and to explore how early warning systems are a useful tool to mitigate the human and environmental health and economic impacts associated with harmful algal blooms.

Eubostrichopsis johnpearsei n. gen., n. sp., the first stilbonematid nematode (Nematoda, Desmodoridae) from the US West Coast

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4949 (2) ◽  
pp. 353-362
Author(s):  
JÖRG A. OTT ◽  
PHILIPP PRÖTS
Keyword(s):  
West Coast ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rocky Intertidal ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Us ◽  
New Type ◽  
Sulfidic Sediment ◽  
Us West

A new genus of the marine Stilbonematinae (Nematoda, Desmodoridae) is described from the Pacific coast of the United States of America. The worms inhabit the sulfidic sediment among the roots of the surfgrass Phyllospadix sp. in the rocky intertidal. The ectosymbiotic coat is of a new type for Stilbonematinae. It consists of rod-shaped bacteria pointed at both poles densely attached with one pole to the host cuticle. This is the first report of this symbiotic nematode subfamily from the US West Coast. 

scholarly journals Analysis of the effectiveness of face-coverings on the death ratio of COVID-19 using machine learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Lafzi ◽  
Miad Boodaghi ◽  
Siavash Zamani ◽  
Niyousha Mohammadshafie ◽  
Veeraraghava Raju Hasti
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Economic Condition ◽  
Preventive Measure ◽  
Accuracy Score ◽  
Machine Learning Classification ◽  
Monthly Average ◽  
The Us ◽  
Recent Outbreak ◽  
Us West

AbstractThe recent outbreak of the COVID-19 led to death of millions of people worldwide. To stave off the spread of the virus, the authorities in the US employed different strategies, including the mask mandate order issued by the states’ governors. In the current work, we defined a parameter called average death ratio as the monthly average of the number of daily deaths to the monthly average number of daily cases. We utilized survey data to quantify people’s abidance by the mask mandate order. Additionally, we implicitly addressed the extent to which people abide by the mask mandate order, which may depend on some parameters such as population, income, and education level. Using different machine learning classification algorithms, we investigated how the decrease or increase in death ratio for the counties in the US West Coast correlates with the input parameters. The results showed that for the majority of counties, the mask mandate order decreased the death ratio, reflecting the effectiveness of such a preventive measure on the West Coast. Additionally, the changes in the death ratio demonstrated a noticeable correlation with the socio-economic condition of each county. Moreover, the results showed a promising classification accuracy score as high as 90%.

scholarly journals The impact of alternative rebuilding strategies to rebuild overfished stocks

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (9) ◽  
pp. 2190-2207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantel R. Wetzel ◽  
André E. Punt ◽  
Keyword(s):  
West Coast ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Estimation Error ◽  
The United States ◽  
Fish Stocks ◽  
Strategy Evaluation ◽  
The Us ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Us West

Abstract Ending overfishing and rebuilding fish stocks to levels that provide for optimum sustainable yield is a concern for fisheries management worldwide. In the United States, fisheries managers are legally mandated to end overfishing and to implement rebuilding plans for fish stocks that fall below minimum stock size thresholds. Rebuilding plans should lead to recovery to target stock sizes within 10 years, except in situations where the life history of the stock or environmental conditions dictate otherwise. Federally managed groundfish species along the US West Coast have diverse life histories where some are able to rebuild quickly from overfished status, while others, specifically rockfish (Sebastes spp.), may require decades for rebuilding. A management strategy evaluation which assumed limited estimation error was conducted to evaluate the performance of alternative strategies for rebuilding overfished stocks for these alternative US West Coast life histories. Generally, the results highlight the trade-off between the reduction of catches during rebuilding vs. the length of rebuilding. The most precautionary rebuilding plans requiring the greatest harvest reduction resulted in higher average catches over the entire projection period compared with strategies that required a longer rebuilding period with less of a reduction in rebuilding catch. Attempting to maintain a 50% probability of rebuilding was the poorest performing rebuilding strategy for all life histories, resulting in a large number of changes to the rebuilding plan, increased frequency of failing to meet rebuilding targets, and higher variation in catch. The rebuilding plans that implemented a higher initial rebuilding probability (≥60%) for determining rebuilding fishing mortality and targets generally resulted in fewer changes to the rebuilding plans and rebuilt by the target rebuilding year, particularly for stocks with the longer rebuilding plans (e.g. rockfishes).

An empirical model of fleet dynamics in New England trawl fisheries

1999 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel S Holland ◽  
Jon G Sutinen
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Empirical Model ◽  
Ideal Free Distribution ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Past Behavior ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Choice Of Species ◽  
Fleet Dynamics ◽  
Trawl Fisheries

Regulations and changes in market and environmental conditions that change the profitability of one fishery or area will result in a redistribution of fishing effort among alternative fisheries or areas. The magnitude of this effort displacement will depend on the relative profitability of the alternatives for the individual fishers affected. When fishing areas and fishers are heterogeneous, simple aggregate effort models such as those based on ideal free distribution theory may provide inaccurate predictions. We present an empirical model of individual vessel fishery and location choice based on trip data for a group of over 400 large trawlers fishing in New England. The model uses lagged average revenue rates for different alternatives and the individual vessel's past behavior to predict choice of species group and fishing location on a trip-by-trip basis. This model is used to predict aggregate effort levels in different fisheries and areas over time.

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