Fisheries nations to decide fate of declining bigeye tuna

September 28, 2018 by Marlowe Hood

Dozens of nations with commercial fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean will grapple next week with a new finding that bigeye tuna, the backbone of a billion dollar business, is severely depleted and overfished.

Unless catch levels are sharply reduced, scientists warned, stocks of the fatty, fast-swimming predator could crash within a decade or two.

Less iconic than Atlantic bluefin but more valuable as an industry, bigeye (Thunnus obesus)—one of several so-called tropical tunas—is prized for sashimi in Japan and canned for supermarket sales worldwide. It is not farmed.

An internal report by 40-odd scientists working under the inter-governmental International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), finalised last week, shows that populations have fallen to less than 20 percent of their historic levels.

Even more critical, the stock is barely half the size needed to support a "maximum sustainable yield"—the largest catch that can be taken without compromising long-term stability of the species.

Current harvests, overwhelmingly legal, are also more than 60 percent above levels that would give bigeye at least a fighting chance of recovering its numbers, the report said.

Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-09-fisheries-nations-fate-declining-bigeye.html#jCp

Lingcod meet rockfish: Catching one improves chances for the other

May 20, 2016 by Michelle Ma

Along the West Coast, lingcod fish are top predators—voracious eaters that aren't picky about where their next meal comes from.

But lingcod in the Pacific Ocean used to be overfished, to the point where managers created protected areas for these fish and other depleted groundfish species, such as yelloweye and canary rockfish.

Lingcod have recovered well with commercial and recreational fishing restrictions and closures, called rockfish conservation areas, and now are benefitting from these "safe zones" where they can escape the net of a fisherman. Alternatively, some rockfish species also designated as overfished haven't yet recovered, even with vast fishing closures.

Scientists at the University of Washington together with The Nature Conservancy and West Coast fishermen are hoping to find a win-win solution to this imbalance. Specifically, the UW looked at whether fishing for lingcod in closed areas using an innovative approach could still allow sensitive species to continue recovering. Their study, published this month in the ICES Journal of Marine Science, found that selectively fishing for lingcod in protected areas actually avoided hampering the recovery of other fish, including rockfish species listed as overfished.

"If we can use our specific knowledge of the ecosystem, we might be able to manage these conservation areas a bit more creatively—and hopefully benefit both the fishing and fish communities," said lead author Kiva Oken, a UW doctoral student in quantitative ecology and resource management.

This is an example of the new lingcod fishing gear. The two 'wings' guide fish into tunnels that lead into the main chamber. A grid resembling a tic-tac-toe board keeps large flat fish (like halibut) out, while letting lingcod in. If other …more

"I don't think this paper means we should start fishing for lingcod right away. This is a case study that exemplifies that if we think with a system-wide perspective and we're creative, we might be able to benefit multiple groups."

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Booming demand pushes Florida to limit sea cucumber harvest

By Zachary Fagenson

MIAMI (Reuters) - Florida is capping the number of sea cucumbers that fisherman can pull from state waters after booming Asian demand led to four times as many being harvested in 2013 compared to previous years.

The leathery, cylindrical creatures scour ocean floors across the globe feeding on decaying organic matter. Named for their similarity to the vegetable, the marine animals are prized in China, sought for everything from an aphrodisiac to a cure for joint pain.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said in a statement on Wednesday that from June 1, daily sea cucumber hauls will be limited to 200 per vessel.

The decision was prompted by a booming trade that saw fisherman pull nearly 60,000 of them from the waters surrounding Key West in 2013.

Previously about 16,000 were caught annually, the agency said. The rule showed how the sea cucumber was "an important part of the ecosystem and how easily affected they are by over-harvesting," said FWC spokeswoman Amanda Nalley.

Read on

Mackerel taken off 'to eat' list

Mackerel is no longer a sustainable choice for a regular fish supper, conservationists have warned in the face of overfishing of the stock. 

The Marine Conservation Society said it had removed mackerel, an oily fish packed with omega 3, from its latest version of its "fish to eat" list, and it should be eaten only occasionally.

The warning comes after the Marine Stewardship Council, which certifies fish stocks that are managed sustainably, suspended its certification of the north east Atlantic mackerel fishery.

Atlantic populations of mackerel have moved north west into Icelandic and Faroe Islands waters, prompting their fishermen to fish more stock than was previously agreed and causing a dispute between the countries that target the fishery.

Bernardette Clarke, fisheries officer at the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), said: "The stock has moved into Icelandic and Faroese waters, probably following their prey of small fish, crustaceans and squid.

"As a result, both countries have begun to fish more mackerel than was previously agreed.

"The total catch is now far in excess of what has been scientifically recommended and previously agreed upon by all participating countries. Negotiations to introduce new catch allowances have so far failed to reach agreement."

The conservation group said good alternatives to mackerel were herring and sardine, and if people wanted to continue to buy mackerel, they should ensure it is as sustainable as possible - for example, fish caught locally using traditional methods.

Another fish taken off the "fish to eat" list is gurnard, because of a lack of data on population levels and concerns about how stocks of the increasingly popular fish are being managed.
Because the fish has been historically caught accidentally as "bycatch" by fishing vessels targeting other species, there are no catch restrictions - but if stocks are being increasingly targeted, they need to be managed sustainably, said the MCS. 

http://news.uk.msn.com/mackerel-taken-off-to-eat-list