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Fishes
Special Issues
Assessment of Fisheries Impact on Species and Marine Ecosystems
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Assessment of Fisheries Impact on Species and Marine Ecosystems

A special issue of Fishes (ISSN 2410-3888). This special issue belongs to the section "Fishery Economics, Policy, and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2021) | Viewed by 10702

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ana Rita Vieira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: marine biology; fisheries biology; stock ID; population genetics; environmental changes; fish reproduction; sclerochronology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The journal Fishes is preparing a Special Issue entitled “Assessment of Fisheries’ Impact on Species and Marine Ecosystems”. Marine ecosystems, which provide goods and services to humanity, are being drastically impacted and changed by humans, experiencing accelerated loss of habitats, populations, and species as a result of both environmental changes and fishing. Indeed, most stocks of commercially important marine resources have been drastically depleted over the last several decades, with the number of collapsed stocks steadily increasing over the years. Fishing pressure causes substantial life-history changes in many commercial stocks (e.g., slower growth, earlier maturation, genetic diversity loss, changes in species composition), which may reduce stocks’ productivity and resilience to overfishing. Additionally, fishing gears alter habitats by destroying and disturbing topography and communities. Fishing not only catches the targeted species but also accidentally captures other organisms, such as benthos, non-target fish, marine mammals, marine reptiles, and birds that may be killed or severely injured as a result. The effects on non-target species can either be direct (e.g., accidental catch) or indirect (e.g., changes in food webs through the alteration of energy transfers between trophic levels, reducing the abundance and/or modifying species size composition). The main aim of this Special Issue is to provide an opportunity for scientists to shed new light on fisheries’ impacts on species and ecosystems. We welcome the submission of papers on these impacts, as well as those discussing how fishing and environmental changes interact to induce effects on marine resources and ecosystems.

Dr. Ana Rita Vieira
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fishes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • fisheries assessment
  • life-history parameters
  • genetic diversity
  • bycatch
  • fishing gears
  • marine habitats
  • overexploitation
  • sustainability
  • environmental changes
  • food webs

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 612 KiB  
Article
Modelling Fish Growth with Imperfect Data: The Case of Trachurus picturatus
by Ana Neves, Ana Rita Vieira, Vera Sequeira, Elisabete Silva, Frederica Silva, Ana Marta Duarte, Susana Mendes, Rui Ganhão, Carlos Assis, Rui Rebelo, Maria Filomena Magalhães, Maria Manuel Gil and Leonel Serrano Gordo
Fishes 2022, 7(1), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes7010052 - 18 Feb 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2963
Abstract
Growth modelling is essential to inform fisheries management but is often hampered by sampling biases and imperfect data. Additional methods such as interpolating data through back-calculation may be used to account for sampling bias but are often complex and time-consuming. Here, we present [...] Read more.
Growth modelling is essential to inform fisheries management but is often hampered by sampling biases and imperfect data. Additional methods such as interpolating data through back-calculation may be used to account for sampling bias but are often complex and time-consuming. Here, we present an approach to improve plausibility in growth estimates when small individuals are under-sampled, based on Bayesian fitting growth models using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) with informative priors on growth parameters. Focusing on the blue jack mackerel, Trachurus picturatus, which is an important commercial fish in the southern northeast Atlantic, this Bayesian approach was evaluated in relation to standard growth model fitting methods, using both direct readings and back-calculation data. Matched growth parameter estimates were obtained with the von Bertalanffy growth function applied to back-calculated length at age and the Bayesian fitting, using MCMC to direct age readings, with both outperforming all other methods assessed. These results indicate that Bayesian inference may be a powerful addition in growth modelling using imperfect data and should be considered further in age and growth studies, provided relevant biological information can be gathered and included in the analyses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment of Fisheries Impact on Species and Marine Ecosystems)
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16 pages, 980 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Fishery Management on the Yield of the Critically Endangered European Eel Anguilla anguilla in Mesotrophic Rivers and Streams in Central Europe
by Roman Lyach
Fishes 2022, 7(1), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes7010042 - 10 Feb 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2736
Abstract
The European eel Anguilla anguilla is a critically endangered catadromous migratory fish species. To conserve eel populations, angling restrictions and stocking activities are often used. This paper aimed to analyze the effect of an increased minimum legal angling size, eel stocking, fishing effort, [...] Read more.
The European eel Anguilla anguilla is a critically endangered catadromous migratory fish species. To conserve eel populations, angling restrictions and stocking activities are often used. This paper aimed to analyze the effect of an increased minimum legal angling size, eel stocking, fishing effort, and important environmental and biological factors on eel yield. This study used data on eel stocking and yield collected by the Czech Fishing Union using angling logbooks. Data regarding 41 tons of harvested eels were collected on 176 fishing sites from 38,000 anglers over the years 2005–2018 in central Bohemia and Prague (the Czech Republic). Eel made up only 0.006% of the overall fish harvest by biomass. It was found that the increased minimum legal angling size led to decreased yield of eel and to a decreased percentage of eel in the overall fish harvested. It also led to larger harvested eels, while the number of fishing sites where anglers harvested eels stayed constant over time. The eel yield was strongly correlated to the angling effort but not to the eel stocking intensity or the environmental and biological factors. In conclusion, implementing the minimum legal angling size did achieve its goal, because it led to decreased eel yield. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment of Fisheries Impact on Species and Marine Ecosystems)
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20 pages, 3877 KiB  
Article
Modeling Discards in Stock Assessments: Red Grouper Epinephelus morio in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico
by Kyle W. Shertzer, Erik H. Williams and Skyler R. Sagarese
Fishes 2022, 7(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes7010007 - 28 Dec 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1580
Abstract
To be as accurate as possible, stock assessments should account for discard mortality in fisheries if it occurs. Three common approaches to modeling discards in assessments are to lump dead discards with landings, treat dead discards as their own fleet, or link them [...] Read more.
To be as accurate as possible, stock assessments should account for discard mortality in fisheries if it occurs. Three common approaches to modeling discards in assessments are to lump dead discards with landings, treat dead discards as their own fleet, or link them conversely with landings through use of a retention function. The first approach (lumping) implicitly assumes that the selectivity of landings applies also to discards. In many cases, that assumption is false, for example, if discards comprise smaller fish than do landings. The latter two approaches avoid the assumption by modeling discards explicitly with their own selectivity pattern. Here, we examine these approaches to modeling discards. Using a simulation study, we demonstrate that the two approaches to modeling discards explicitly can provide identical results under both static and time-varying conditions. Then, using a stock assessment case study of red grouper Epinephelus morio in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, we demonstrate that in practice the approaches to modeling discards can provide different outcomes, with implications for the resultant management advice. We conclude by comparing and contrasting the different approaches, calling for more research to elucidate which approach is most suitable under various sources of error typically encountered in discard data. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment of Fisheries Impact on Species and Marine Ecosystems)
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12 pages, 1165 KiB  
Article
Concentration of Metals in Native and Invasive Species of Fish in the Fluvial-Lagoon-Deltaic System of the Palizada River, Campeche
by María del Refugio Castañeda-Chávez, Fabiola Lango-Reynoso, Gabycarmen Navarrete-Rodríguez and Armando Toyokazu Wakida-Kusunoki
Fishes 2021, 6(4), 72; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes6040072 - 3 Dec 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2723
Abstract
Aquatic organisms, such as fish, are important indicators of the bioavailability of metals in coastal environments, demonstrating the capacity of different species to bioaccumulate these metallic elements. The fluvial-lagoon system of the Palizada River is an important ecosystem for its terrestrial and aquatic [...] Read more.
Aquatic organisms, such as fish, are important indicators of the bioavailability of metals in coastal environments, demonstrating the capacity of different species to bioaccumulate these metallic elements. The fluvial-lagoon system of the Palizada River is an important ecosystem for its terrestrial and aquatic biological diversity where fishing is an important productive activity in this system. The objective of this research was to evaluate the concentration of Pb and Cd in the muscle tissue of native and invasive fish species in this area. For this, the digestion of fish muscle samples was carried out with a CEM MARS 5 Digestion Microwave System, while the quantification of metals was performed with an atomic absorption equipment. All analysis muscle samples from native and invasive fish showed Pb and Cd in their content. By sampling site there was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05), with a maximum Pb concentration of 7.760 µg g−1 at the LLAR site (Laguna Larga). In terms of species, the maximum Cd concentration was obtained in the Cyprinus carpio with 6.630 ± 0.127 and in Pterygoplichthus pardalis with 6.547 ± 0.873 µg g−1 (dry weight). The presence of metals such as Pb and Cd in muscle tissue of native and invasive fish species represents an important bioindicator of environmental exposure in the study area and a potential risk to public health, as these species are commonly consumed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment of Fisheries Impact on Species and Marine Ecosystems)
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