Socio-Ecological Outcomes of Single-Species Fisheries Management: The Case of Yellow Perch in Lake Erie

This manuscript uses seminal models in fisheries economics to assess the ecosystem effects of policy focused on sustainable management of a single fish stock. Economic models representing fishing decisions under open access and two fisheries management schemes are parameterized using data from the four management units in the Lake Erie Yellow Perch (Persus flavenscens) fishery and linked with an end-to-end ecosystem model representative of the lake food web and spatial species interactions. We find that the sustainable harvest rules from single species economic models result in significant changes to biomass of species in planktivorous, omnivorous, and piscivorous groups in the ecosystem model. These impacts can be traced through the food web back to harvest rules implemented in the management units. Most notably, the biomass of several non-target but also commercially harvested fish species are reduced through Yellow Perch fishing. In some cases, the economic losses to coexisting fisheries exceeds benefits gained from implementing the Yellow Perch management scheme. Our results imply that while an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management requires weighing trade-offs between multiple fisheries, an ex ante understanding of the whole-system consequences of harvest rules can be critical for developing policy that overall enhances ecological and social wellbeing.

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Using food web model results to inform stock assessment estimates of mortality and production for ecosystem-based fisheries management

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f10-071 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 67 (9) ◽

pp. 1490-1506 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Sarah K. Gaichas ◽

Kerim Y. Aydin ◽

Robert C. Francis

Keyword(s):

Food Web ◽

Fisheries Management ◽

Prey Availability ◽

Stock Assessment ◽

Marine Ecosystem ◽

Single Species ◽

Balance Model ◽

Fishing Mortality ◽

Important Species ◽

Predation Mortality

Examining food web relationships for commercially important species enhances fisheries management by identifying sources of variability in mortality and production that are not included in standard single-species stock assessments. We use a static mass-balance model to evaluate relationships between species in a large marine ecosystem, the coastal Gulf of Alaska, USA. We focus on food web relationships for four case-study species: Pacific halibut ( Hippoglossus stenolepis ), longnose skate ( Raja rhina ), walleye pollock ( Theragra chalcogramma ), and squids (order Teuthoidea). For each, we present the species’ position within the food web, evaluate fishing mortality relative to predation mortality, and evaluate diet compositions. We find that high trophic level (TL) species, whether commercially valuable (halibut) or incidentally caught (skates), have mortality patterns consistent with single-species assessment assumptions, where fishing mortality dominates natural mortality. However, assessments for commercially valuable (pollock) or incidentally caught (squids) mid-TL species can be enhanced by including food web derived predation information because fishing mortality is small compared with high and variable predation mortality. Finally, we outline food web relationships that suggest how production of species may change with diet composition or prey availability.

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Ecomorphology as a tool in fisheries: identification and ecotyping of Lake Tana barbs (Barbus intermedius complex), Ethiopia

Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.18174/njas.v42i1.617 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

pp. 77-85

Author(s):

F.A. Sibbing ◽

L.A.J. Nagelkerke ◽

J.W.M. Osse

Keyword(s):

Food Web ◽

Fisheries Management ◽

Energy Flow ◽

Food Selection ◽

Sympatric Species ◽

Fish Stock ◽

Lake Tana ◽

Quantitative Studies ◽

Intestinal Contents ◽

Barbus Intermedius

Fisheries development of Lake Tana, Ethiopia, urgently requires the identification of its unknown units of fish stock. A diversity of large barbs (up to 80 cm SL), lumped into one species Barbus intermedius and contributing over 35% of the annual catch, consists of at least thirteen distinct morphotypes (Nagelkerke et al., 1994), possibly species. Their abilities and limitations in food selection and feeding can be predicted from structural specializations following functional morphological methods. Using ecomorphology, a spectrum of ecotypes ranging from detritivores to piscivores is predicted. Such hypotheses may be tested by analysing these fishes' intestinal contents. From knowledge of available food organisms and the trophic segregation thus found among barbs and sympatric species, a preliminary food web has been constructed. This food web, together with quantitative studies on population dynamics and energy flow, provides a biological framework for rational fisheries management aiming at sustainable production and protection of biodiversity.

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Refining Fisheries Advice With Stock-Specific Ecosystem Information

Frontiers in Marine Science ◽

10.3389/fmars.2021.602072 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Jacob W. Bentley ◽

Mathieu G. Lundy ◽

Daniel Howell ◽

Steven E. Beggs ◽

Alida Bundy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fisheries Management ◽

Single Species ◽

Ecosystem Model ◽

Irish Sea ◽

Fishing Mortality ◽

Standard Assessment ◽

Stock Assessments ◽

Current Assessment ◽

The Irish Sea ◽

Management Advice

Although frequently suggested as a goal for ecosystem-based fisheries management, incorporating ecosystem information into fisheries stock assessments has proven challenging. The uncertainty of input data, coupled with the structural uncertainty of complex multi-species models, currently makes the use of absolute values from such models contentious for short-term single-species fisheries management advice. Here, we propose a different approach where the standard assessment methodologies can be enhanced using ecosystem model derived information. Using a case study of the Irish Sea, we illustrate how stock-specific ecosystem indicators can be used to set an ecosystem-based fishing mortality reference point (FECO) within the “Pretty Good Yield” ranges for fishing mortality which form the present precautionary approach adopted in Europe by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). We propose that this new target, FECO, can be used to scale fishing mortality down when the ecosystem conditions for the stock are poor and up when conditions are good. This approach provides a streamlined quantitative way of incorporating ecosystem information into catch advice and provides an opportunity to operationalize ecosystem models and empirical indicators, while retaining the integrity of current assessment models and the FMSY-based advice process.

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Fine-scale population genetic structure of the yellow perch Perca flavescens in Lake Erie

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f2011-077 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 68 (8) ◽

pp. 1435-1453 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Osvaldo J. Sepulveda-Villet ◽

Carol A. Stepien

Keyword(s):

Genetic Structure ◽

Population Genetic Structure ◽

Population Genetic ◽

Yellow Perch ◽

Lake Erie ◽

Perca Flavescens ◽

Fine Scale ◽

Management Units ◽

Age Cohorts ◽

Scale Population

Discerning the genetic basis underlying fine-scale population structure of exploited native species and its relationship to management units is a critical goal for effective conservation. This study provides the first high-resolution genetic test of fine-scale relationships among spawning groups of the yellow perch Perca flavescens . Lake Erie yellow perch stocks comprise valuable sport and commercial fisheries and have fluctuated extensively owing to highly variable annual recruitment patterns. Fifteen nuclear DNA microsatellite loci are analyzed for 569 individuals from 13 primary Lake Erie spawning sites and compared with those spawning in Lakes St. Clair and Ontario. Additional comparisons test for possible genetic differences between sexes and among size–age cohorts. Results demonstrate that yellow perch spawning groups in Lake Erie are genetically distinguishable and do not differ between sexes and among age cohorts. Population genetic structure does not follow a genetic isolation with geographic distance pattern, and some spawning groups contribute more to overall lake-wide genetic diversity than do others. Partitioning of the yellow perch’s genetic structure shows little congruence to lake basins or to current management units. Our findings underlie the importance of understanding spawning habitat and behavior to conserve the genetic stock structure of a key fishery.

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Implementing ecosystem-based fisheries management: from single-species to integrated ecosystem assessment and advice for Baltic Sea fish stocks

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1093/icesjms/fst123 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 71 (5) ◽

pp. 1187-1197 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

Christian Möllmann ◽

Martin Lindegren ◽

Thorsten Blenckner ◽

Lena Bergström ◽

Michele Casini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Baltic Sea ◽

Fisheries Management ◽

Gadus Morhua ◽

Single Species ◽

Clupea Harengus ◽

Fish Stock ◽

Fish Stocks ◽

The Baltic ◽

Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management ◽

Sea Fish

Abstract Theory behind ecosystem-based management (EBM) and ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) is now well developed. However, the implementation of EBFM exemplified by fisheries management in Europe is still largely based on single-species assessments and ignores the wider ecosystem context and impact. The reason for the lack or slow implementation of EBM and specifically EBFM is a lack of a coherent strategy. Such a strategy is offered by recently developed integrated ecosystem assessments (IEAs), a formal synthesis tool to quantitatively analyse information on relevant natural and socio-economic factors, in relation to specified management objectives. Here, we focus on implementing the IEA approach for Baltic Sea fish stocks. We combine both tactical and strategic management aspects into a single strategy that supports the present Baltic Sea fish stock advice, conducted by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). We first review the state of the art in the development of IEA within the current management framework. We then outline and discuss an approach that integrates fish stock advice and IEAs for the Baltic Sea. We intentionally focus on the central Baltic Sea and its three major fish stocks cod (Gadus morhua), herring (Clupea harengus), and sprat (Sprattus sprattus), but emphasize that our approach may be applied to other parts and stocks of the Baltic, as well as other ocean areas.

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Failure to detect ecological and evolutionary effects of harvest on exploited fish populations in a managed fisheries ecosystem

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/cjfas-2017-0217 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 75 (10) ◽

pp. 1764-1771 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Fan Zhang ◽

Davíð Gíslason ◽

Kevin B. Reid ◽

Allan J. Debertin ◽

Katrine Turgeon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fisheries Management ◽

Yellow Perch ◽

Lake Erie ◽

White Perch ◽

Fish Populations ◽

Morone Americana ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Evolutionary Mechanisms ◽

White Bass ◽

Morone Chrysops

Overexploitation and collapse of major fisheries raises important concerns about effects of harvest on fish populations. We tested for ecological and evolutionary mechanisms by which harvest could affect exploited fish populations in Lake Erie over the last four decades, over most of which intensive fisheries management was implemented. We did not detect evidence of long-term negative effects of harvest on yellow perch (Perca flavescens), walleye (Sander vitreus), white perch (Morone americana), or white bass (Morone chrysops) populations, either through recruitment success or through alteration of maturation schedules. Current fisheries management in Lake Erie has been relatively successful with respect to minimizing negative harvest effects, such that the dynamics of exploited fish populations in Lake Erie were more strongly affected by environment than harvest. Our study adds to the evidence that effective fisheries management is capable of rebuilding depleted fisheries and (or) maintaining healthy fisheries. Nevertheless, fisheries management needs to move beyond the ecological dimension to incorporate economic, social, and institutional aspects for society to be better assured of the sustainability of fisheries in rapidly changing ecosystems.

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Variation in the catchability of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in the fisheries of Lake Erie using a Bayesian error-in-variable approach

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1016/j.icesjms.2006.07.002 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 63 (9) ◽

pp. 1695-1704 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Yan Jiao ◽

Kevin Reid ◽

Tom Nudds

Keyword(s):

Population Size ◽

Yellow Perch ◽

Lake Erie ◽

Perca Flavescens ◽

Catch Per Unit Effort ◽

Management Units ◽

Variable Approach ◽

Time Period ◽

Age Structured ◽

Age Structured Model

Abstract Catch per unit effort (cpue) from fisheries, and abundance or biomass indices from fishery-independent surveys are often used to infer the dynamics of exploited populations. To do this, cpues and survey indices are usually assumed to be proportional to population size or biomass. Four sources of data on the cpue of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in Lake Erie were available to evaluate this assumption: commercial gillnet and trapnet fisheries, an angling fishery, and a fishery-independent gillnet survey. The relationships between fisheries cpue and population biomass (estimated from an age-structured model), and between fisheries and survey cpues were analysed by error-in-variable (EIV) models because of the absence of independent estimates of population size. Cpues were not proportional to population size, estimated by biomass. Catchabilities varied widely among fisheries (gear types), time period, and areas (management units) within Lake Erie. A spatial EIV model showed that the migrations among management units were considerable. The whole-lake spatial EIV model showed that cpues were not proportional to population size.

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Ecosystem change and decadal variation in stock–recruitment relationships of Lake Erie yellow perch (Perca flavescens)

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1093/icesjms/fsx188 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 75 (2) ◽

pp. 531-540 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Fan Zhang ◽

Kevin B Reid ◽

Thomas D Nudds

Keyword(s):

Random Walk ◽

Zebra Mussel ◽

Dreissena Polymorpha ◽

Yellow Perch ◽

Lake Erie ◽

Perca Flavescens ◽

Ecosystem Change ◽

Fish Stock ◽

Central Basin ◽

Stock Recruitment

Abstract Fish stock–recruitment relationships (SRRs) may vary in response to ecosystem change, increasing uncertainty for fisheries management. We defined three periods between 1975 and 2015 over which Lake Erie, a Laurentian Great Lake, underwent significant ecosystem changes: before zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) establishment, after zebra mussel establishment and before re-eutrophication, and after re-eutrophication. To examine the extent to which SRRs of Lake Erie yellow perch (Perca flavescens) also varied over these periods, we compared the performance of Baseline (constant recruitment), Ricker (constant SRR), Periodic Ricker (different SRRs among three periods) and Random-walk Ricker (annually varying SRRs) models fitted to data for yellow perch stocks corresponding to three lake basins. Periodic and Random-walk Ricker models performed better for stocks in the western and eastern basins, but the Baseline model performed best in the central basin. Annual variation in the SRRs coincided with the timing of zebra mussel establishment and re-eutrophication in the shallower western basin, but not in the deeper eastern basin, where quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) established later and conditions are less eutrophic. These results underscore that temporally and spatially varying SRRs associated with ecosystem change should be taken into account in models of fish population dynamics.

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