Conference “Blue Growth in the Mediterranean : Perspectives of Spain .

1. Researching in sustainability of marine living resources: the impact of Mediterranean variability on bluefin tuna spawning grounds and population dynamicsFrancisco Alemany IEO Senior Scientist Conference “Blue Growth in theMediterranean: Perspectives of Spain. Palma de Mallorca, 2-3 Mayo 2013 Workshop 2: Marine Research: ContributiontoScience, Industry and Needs of Society.

2. TALK STRUCTURE • Marine exploitedpopulationsbiomassfluctuations: • someevidences, causes and underlyingmechanisms. • Do fisheriesmanagementsystemsaccountforenvironmentalinfluenceonexploitedpopulationsdynamics? “Traditional” vs. EcosystemBasedFisheries Management. • DevelopingtoolsforincorporatingecologicalknowledgeintoFisheries Management systems: the case of BalearicislandsBluefin tuna spawninggrounds.

3. Marine exploitedpopulationsbiomassfluctuations: someevidences, causes and underlyingmechanisms. • Itis a wellknowfactthattheabundance and biomass of some marine organisms can show importantvariationsover time. Paleontologicalstudies allow to state that such fluctuations can be attributable to natural causes

4. Marine exploitedpopulationsbiomassfluctuations: someevidences, causes and underlyingmechanisms. • In addition, data fromfisheriesstatisticsgatheredduringthelastcentury show thatthesefluctuations can be of highmagnitude and synchronic at global scale, whichsuggestthatsome of them can bedrivenby global climaticcycles, derived in some cases fromastronomiccycles

5. Marine exploitedpopulationsbiomassfluctuations: someevidences, causes and underlyingmechanisms. Late1960s Late 70s1970’s Late 80s Bottomtrawlsurveys,PavlovBay,AK (fromBotsfordet al. 1997)

6. Marine exploitedpopulationsbiomassfluctuations: someevidences, causes and underlyingmechanisms. • Thesevariations do notoccuronly in short living smallpelagics stocks, buthavebeenobservedalso in demersalfisheries, as those of gadoids in thenorthAtlantic.

7. Marine exploitedpopulationsbiomassfluctuations: someevidences, causes and underlyingmechanisms. Summing up, in additiontothevariations in exploited stocks biomasscauseddirectlybyfishingpressure, theenvironmentalscenario determine also, and in some cases to a greatextent, thedynamics of suchexploited stocks. But, what are theunderlyingmechanisms, inducingthesefluctuations?

8. Marine exploitedpopulationsbiomassfluctuations: someevidences, causes and underlyingmechanisms. • At the begining of 20th century Hjort (1914-1926) hypothesizedthatthe larval phase of fishes (most of marine organismshave a dispersive planktonic larval phase) constitute a critical period in which recruitment sthrength is determined. Many derived hypothesis have been proposed to explain the processes controling larval mortality (“Match-Mismatch” Cushing (1975); “StableOcean” Lasker (1981); “Recruitment Windows” Cury and Roy (1989);“Member-vagrant” Sinclair (1988); “Oceantriads” Bakun (1998)…) and some of them have been demonstrated.

9. Marine exploitedpopulationsbiomassfluctuations: someevidences, causes and underlyingmechanisms. Recruitment processes Anthropic impacts Climate Spawning stock Recruited juveniles Environmental factors Abiotic Abiotic Biotic Larval phases Juveniles

10. Marine exploitedpopulationsbiomassfluctuations: someevidences, causes and underlyingmechanisms. In general, it can be stated that variations in the environmental scenarios induce changes in the daily larval mortality rates. The accumulative effect of such variations can result in large interannual differences in thenumber of individualsthatsurvivetobecome juveniles. This, besidesprocessesthataffect juveniles mortalityrates, which can dependalsoonenvironmentalfactors, and hencethenumber of recruitsincorporatedannuallytotheexploitedphase of thepopulations, determine to a largeextent (besidesthefishingmortality) thedynamics of the stocks.

11. Marine exploitedpopulationsbiomassfluctuations: someevidences, causes and underlyingmechanisms. “Knowledge on stock recruitment is the backbone of fisheries research and the basic prerequisite for sustaining the fishing industry...” (Otto Kinne) “We know now that the only way in which the problem will be solved is the examination of the dynamics of life in the larval stages. The research is needed and, without it, management will remain self defeating. Paymasters will learn this, if slowly, so slowly.” (David Cushing) Animportantquestionarisesfromthepreviousstatements: How –in the case theyreally do- thecurrentfisheriesevaluation and managementsystemstakeintoaccountthisenvironmentalinfluenceonrecruitment?

12. Do fisheriesmanagementsystemsaccountforenvironmentalinfluenceonexploitedpopulationsdynamics? “Traditional” vs. EcosystemBasedFisheries Management. Natural mortality Recruitment Exploited stock biomass Fishingmortality Growth Inmigration Migration Most of fisheriesmanagementcarriedoutduringthesecondhalf of 20th century derives fromthebasicRussell’sequation. Environmentalfactors are notexplicitellyconsidered, but are implicit in most of theterms. However, most of attentionwasfocusedongrowth and fishingmortality, whereas natural mortality and recruitmentparameterswereusuallyconsideredmerely as constantsderivedfromempiricallyestimatedrelationships, as stock-recruitmentmodels, usuallynotveryaccurate…. (Russell, 1931) Considering I=E

13. Do fisheriesmanagementsystemsaccountforenvironmentalinfluenceonexploitedpopulationsdynamics? “Traditional” vs. EcosystemBasedFisheries Management. Consideringgloballythestate of living marine resources, withlandingslimitedaroundvalues of 85 milliontonsdespitetheincrease of fishingeffort; thehigherproportion of smallsized and lowcommercialvaluefishes; theveryhighpercentage of overexploited stocks and thehabitatdegradation, itmustberecognizedthatthistraditionalfisherymanagementapproachhavefailed….

14. Do fisheriesmanagementsystemsaccountforenvironmentalinfluenceonexploitedpopulationsdynamics? “Traditional” vs. EcosystemBasedFisheries Management. There are many causes behindthisfailure…..

15. Do fisheriesmanagementsystemsaccountforenvironmentalinfluenceonexploitedpopulationsdynamics? “Traditional” vs. EcosystemBasedFisheries Management. • …butitmustberecognizedthatthishavebeen a reductionistapproach, sincemost of fisheriesmanagementcarriedout up tonowhavebeenbased in monospecificmodelsthat do notaccountexplicitlytheenvironmentalinfluenceonrecruitmentprocesses, thestate of thehabitatsorthecomplexbiologicalinteractionsamongspecies (trophic webs…)

16. Do fisheriesmanagementsystemsaccountforenvironmentalinfluenceonexploitedpopulationsdynamics? “Traditional” vs. EcosystemBasedFisheries Management. In ordertoovercometheobviousweakness of thecurrentsystems, a new paradigm emerged duringthelastdecades of 20th century, theEcosystemBasedApproach, and aftertheEcosystemBasedFisheries Management which, inverselytotraditionalapproach, is: • geographicallyspecified • adaptive • takesaccount of ecosystem knowledge & uncertainties • considersmultipleexternal influences • strivesto balance diverse social objectives (tradeoffs)

17. Do fisheriesmanagementsystemsaccountforenvironmentalinfluenceonexploitedpopulationsdynamics? “Traditional” vs. EcosystemBasedFisheries Management. This new paradigmimpliestopass from to • FocusonManagingEcosystemParts • Individual species • Small spatialscale • Short-termperspective • Humans: independent of ecosystems • Management divorcedfrom • research • Managing commodities • FocusonEcosystemrelationships, processes, and tradeoffs • Ecosystems • Multiplescales • Long-termperspective • Humans: integral part of ecosystems • Adaptivemanagement • Sustaining production potential • forgoods and services

18. Do fisheriesmanagementsystemsaccountforenvironmentalinfluenceonexploitedpopulationsdynamics? “Traditional” vs. EcosystemBasedFisheries Management. Regarding EU FishingPolicy, thisapproachwasalreadyintroduced in the2001 Green Document, suggestingtointegratetheenvironmentaldimension in fisheriesmanagement, butrecognizingtheinsufficiency of currentscientificknowledgeto do it. Thus, one of theobjectivesproposedforthe 2002 CFP reformwas“toimprovethequality and quantity of relevant data tosustainthemanagementdecissions and topromotemultidisciplinaryscientificresearch, whichwillallowtoobtainbetterscientificinformation and assessmentonfisheries, therelatedecosystems and therelevantenvironmentalfactors” More recent EU Comission communications establish that “The scientific assessment should cover all the relevant factors, noteworthy the interactions among fisheries, resources and ecosystems, considering biological, technical, environmental and socioeconomical factors”.

19. Do fisheriesmanagementsystemsaccountforenvironmentalinfluenceonexploitedpopulationsdynamics? “Traditional” vs. EcosystemBasedFisheries Management. Finally, whatwasfinallyagreed and included in the 2002 CFP reformwas: “The Common Fisheries Policy shall ensure exploitation of living aquatic resources that provides sustainable economic, environmental and social conditions. For this purpose, the Community shall apply the precautionary approach in taking measures designed to protect and conserve living aquatic resources, to provide for their sustainable exploitation and to minimise the impact of fishing activities on marine eco-systems. It shall aim at a progressive implementation of an eco-system based approachtofisheriesmanagement......” This is at best a vague guiding principle, rendered optional by the wording “shall aim” and gradual by the phrase “progressiveimplementation...”

20. Do fisheriesmanagementsystemsaccountforenvironmentalinfluenceonexploitedpopulationsdynamics? “Traditional” vs. EcosystemBasedFisheries Management. • Maybebecause of thatthe CFP continuedfailing in achievingitsobjectives, and a new reformisbeingimplemented… Undoubtely, environmentalissues are nowadaysanimportantelementnotonlywithintheframework of CFP, butalso in thebroadermanagementschemethatrepresentthe Marine Strategy Framework Directive. • Thisrepresent a clearadvance in relationtothepreviousapproaches, butstill a lot of relevantscientificknowledgeon marine ecosystems and theecology of exploitedspeciesisnotfullyconsideredformanagementpurposes. • In partthisdivorcebetweenbasicecologicalresearch and managementisattributabletothefactthatmost of theecologicalknowledgeremain at anacademiclevel, because of thelack of toolsallowingthetranslation of basicknowledgeintopracticalinformationdirectlyusefulforadoptingmanagementdecissions.

21. DevelopingtoolsforincorporatingecologicalknowledgeintoFisheries Management systems: the case of BalearicislandsBluefin tuna spawninggrounds. Withinthiscontext, theSpanishInstitute of Oceanography (IEO) initiated in 2001 a projectdealingwithBluefin larval ecology, whosegoalwastoprovide new scientificknowledgeusefulforimprovingthemanagement of thisemblematicspecies, aiming at therecovery and sustainability of thisvaluableresource …. As a firstreference, in thisspeciesenvironmentallydrivenchanges in populationsabundancehavebeenalsoregistered…colapse inducedbythe “small ice age”?

22. DevelopingtoolsforincorporatingecologicalknowledgeintoFisheries Management systems: the case of BalearicislandsBluefin tuna spawninggrounds. Firstphase, the TUNIBAL program… “Influence of environmentalfactorsonreproductivestrategy and survival of bluefin tuna and relatedspecies off Balearic sea” • Immediateobjectives: • To determine theinfluence of environmentalconditionsonthelocation of thespawningzones • Tocharacterizetheenvironmentalscenariosfavouring tuna larvaesurvival, defining “optimalenvironmentalwindows” • Toevaluatetherelationshipbetween regional hydrodynamisscenarios, conditionedbyclimaticfactors, and thelocation and extent of spawlingsites and theareas of enhanced larval survival

23. DevelopingtoolsforincorporatingecologicalknowledgeintoFisheries Management systems: the case of BalearicislandsBluefin tuna spawninggrounds. • TUNIBAL 01 • 15 June-10 July • TUNIBAL 02 • 5th June-30 June • TUNIBAL 03 • 4 July-30 July • TUNIBAL 04 • 18June-10 July • TUNIBAL 05 • 27June-23 July Tunibal surveys • Vizconde de Eza • Vizconde de Eza • Cornide de Saavedra • Cornide de Saavedra • Cornide de Saavedra • TUNIBAL 06 • 17 June-14 July • Odón de Buen • TUNIBAL 07 • 13-20 August • Odón de Buen • TUNIBAL 08 • 29 July-11 August • Odón de Buen • TUNIBAL 09 • 6-16 August • Odón de Buen

24. DevelopingtoolsforincorporatingecologicalknowledgeintoFisheries Management systems: the case of BalearicislandsBluefin tuna spawninggrounds. LARGE TUNIBAL SURVEYS SAMPLING METHODOLOGY • VERTICAL CALVET TOWS: MICROZOOPLANKTON SAMPLING • OBLIQUE BONGO 60 200 AND 333 MICRON MESH TOWS: QUANTITATIVE MESO AND ICHTHYOPLANKTON SAMPLING • SUBSURFACE HORIZONTAL BONGO 90 500 AND 2000 MICRONS MESH TOWS: TUNA LARVAE SAMPLING FOR GROWTH AND CONDITION ANALYSIS ROSSETTE EQUIPPED WITH NISKIN BOTTLES AND CTD FOR HYDROGRAPHIC CHARACTERIZATION: NUTRIENTS, CHLOROPHYLLS, SALINITY, TEMPERATURE, FLUORESCENCE, OXIGEN AND TURBIDITY ON BOARD SORTING, TAXONOMIC IDENTIFICATION, MEASUREMENT AND PRESERVATION OF TUNA LARVAE IN LIQUID N2 FOR GROWTH AND CONDITION (DNA/RNA) ANALYSIS

25. DevelopingtoolsforincorporatingecologicalknowledgeintoFisheries Management systems: the case of BalearicislandsBluefin tuna spawninggrounds. MINITUNIBAL SURVEYS 2006-2009 SMALLER VESSEL: ONLY DAYTIME SAMPLING AROUND MALLORCA ISLAND FIRST TRIALS OF VERTICALLY STRUCTURED SAMPLING (2009 SURVEY): MULTINET-MIDI 333 MICRONS, 5 DEPTH RANGES NEW SAMPLING METHODOLOGIES: OBLIQUE SYNOPTIC TOWS WITH BONGO 20 100 AND 250 MICRONS MESHES AND BONGO 90 500 MICRONS MESHES FROM SURFACE TO THE END OF THE THERMOCLINE. ONBOARD SORTING AND IDENTIFICATION OF SOME LARVAE FOR ISOTOPIC AND INMUNOCITOCHEMICAL STUDIES

26. DevelopingtoolsforincorporatingecologicalknowledgeintoFisheries Management systems: the case of BalearicislandsBluefin tuna spawninggrounds. Thesesurveysallowed, forexample …. todetermine thedistribution and estructure of tuna larval populations tocharacterizetheenvironmentalscenariowhere tuna larvaeinhabit togetinformationon larval growth and condition in relationtoenvironmentalfactors

27. DevelopingtoolsforincorporatingecologicalknowledgeintoFisheries Management systems: the case of BalearicislandsBluefin tuna spawninggrounds. , confirmingthattheBalearic Sea isanimportantspawningareanotonlyforbluefin tuna, butfortherest of largepelagicsinhabitingtheMediterranean sea

28. DevelopingtoolsforincorporatingecologicalknowledgeintoFisheries Management systems: the case of BalearicislandsBluefin tuna spawninggrounds. …and thatthebluefinspawninglocations are linkedtotheinflow of surfaceAtlanticwaters, whichpresentanimportantinterannualvariability. Part of thisvariabilityisdrivenbyclimaticoscillationsoccouring in North Atlantic….

29. DevelopingtoolsforincorporatingecologicalknowledgeintoFisheries Management systems: the case of BalearicislandsBluefin tuna spawninggrounds. Thehugeamount of informationgatheredwithintheframework of theseprojectspermittedtoadvance in themodeling of tuna spawninghabitat and larval survival… Quantifyingtheinfluence of environmentalfactorson larval distribution,

30. DevelopingtoolsforincorporatingecologicalknowledgeintoFisheries Management systems: the case of BalearicislandsBluefin tuna spawninggrounds. Predictingspawninglocations…

31. DevelopingtoolsforincorporatingecologicalknowledgeintoFisheries Management systems: the case of BalearicislandsBluefin tuna spawninggrounds. Developing Individual basedmodels… ..which show thatgrowth and survival of late larvedependsonpiscivory, and thenspatialoverlappingamonglarvae of differentsizes, drivenbyhydrodynamicscenarios, can play a major role in tuna recruitmentprocess

32. DevelopingtoolsforincorporatingecologicalknowledgeintoFisheries Management systems: the case of BalearicislandsBluefin tuna spawninggrounds. Thenextstepistogenerateinformationdirectlyapplicabletofisheriesmanagement, and we are doingitwithintheframework of twoongoingprojects. • BLUEFIN: Development of operationalmodelsfor real time prediction of bluefinspawninglocations. Carriedoutthankstoanagreementbetween IEO and SOCIB, and tothecollaboration of BalfegóGroup. • ATAME: Determination of larvaxindex as fisheryindependentspawning stock biomassevaluation. SpanishNationalResearch Plan project

33. DevelopingtoolsforincorporatingecologicalknowledgeintoFisheries Management systems: the case of BalearicislandsBluefin tuna spawninggrounds. New researchsurveys, in whichsamplingwasoptimizedthankstofacilitiesprovidedby SOCIB, as lagrangiansatellitetrackedbuoys, stratifiedsamplingdevices, satelliteimagery and hydrodynamicmodels, isbeingcarriedout.

34. DevelopingtoolsforincorporatingecologicalknowledgeintoFisheries Management systems: the case of BalearicislandsBluefin tuna spawninggrounds. Allthesesurveyshavebeensuccesful, sincehighdensity larval patcheshavebeenlocated and intensivelysampled, and thewholeBalearicbluefinspawningareahavebeensampledquantitatively, providingunvaluableinformationformodelsimprovement and reliable larval indexestimation.

35. DevelopingtoolsforincorporatingecologicalknowledgeintoFisheries Management systems: the case of BalearicislandsBluefin tuna spawninggrounds. In paralel , experimentsundercontrolledconditionshavebeencarriedout in the IEO experimental plant of Mazarrón

36. DevelopingtoolsforincorporatingecologicalknowledgeintoFisheries Management systems: the case of BalearicislandsBluefin tuna spawninggrounds. Theavailableinformationon tuna larval ecology in theBalearicislandsspawningareaconstituteprobablyone of thebest data sets existing in theworldonthismatter. It has allowedtowork in close and fruitfulcollaborationwiththe NOAA researchteamscarryingout similar studies in theGulf of Mexico, thespawningarea of AtlanticBluefin western stock, takingadvantage of synergies and thecomparativeapproach. Itmeansthattheconcernsaboutthelack of scientificknowledgetoapply a real ecosystembasedapproachthatconsiderexplicitellytheenvironmentaleffectson living resources can be, at least in some cases, overcome through well coordinated research, whenever a political will for maintaining research funds be maintained

37. BIBLIOGRAPHY; REARING EXPERIMENTS STATISTICAL ANALYSIS HISTORICAL TUNIBAL DB PRELIMINARY CHARACTERIZATION SPAWNING AREAS BLUEFIN INFORMATION SYSTEM PATCHES/FRONTS SURVEYS • SOCIB FACILITIES • REMOTE SENSING • HYDRODYNAMIC MODELS • (Backtracking) IBM TOOL FOR ANALYZING PROCESSES AFFECTING LARVAL SURVIVAL STATISTICAL ANALYSIS BLUEFIN DATABASE DEFINITIVE CHARACTERIZATION POTENTIAL SPAWNING AREAS OPERATIVE MODEL OF POTENTIAL SPAWNING AREAS BASED ON RS/HM VALIDATION EXPERIMENTS VALIDATION & MONITORING LARVAL INDEX SURVEYS NRT PRODUCTS IBM COUPLED TO ROMS SHORT TERM PREDICTIONS OF PROB. SPAWNING SITES GLOBAL MODEL FOR LARVAL SURVIVAL PROBABILITIES AT POTENTIAL SPAWNING SITES NRT SPAWNING STOCK INFORMATION (TAGS, FLEET, AERIAL SURVEYS) CLIMATC MODELS SHORT TERM RECRUITMENT STRENGTH FORECAST LONG TERM RECRUITMENT STRENGTH FORECAST

38. DevelopingtoolsforincorporatingecologicalknowledgeintoFisheries Management systems: the case of BalearicislandsBluefin tuna spawninggrounds. SUMMING UP, BECAUSE OF THE COMPLEXITY OF ECOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS HUGE RESEARCH EFFORTS ARE REQUIRED FOR DEEPENING IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF RECRUITMENT PROCESES. HOWEVER, SINCE THIS KNOWLEDGE IS CRUCIAL FOR THE PROPER DESIGN OF ECOSYSTEM BASED FISHERIES MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS (FISHERIES SCIENTISTS, FISHING SECTOR, SCIENCE FUNDING AGENCIES, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL FISHING ADMINISTRATIONS) SHOULD DO THEIR BEST TO GENERATE AND INCORPORATE TO MANAGEMENT DECISSIONS RELEVANT KNOWLEDGE ON ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCE ON LIVING RESOURCES DYNAMICS