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River Herring Bycatch Avoidance in Small Mesh Fisheries

River Herring Bycatch Avoidance in Small Mesh Fisheries. Sustainable Fisheries Coalition. Kevin Stokesbury: Principle Investigator Daniel Goergianna : Principle Investigator Dave Bethoney: Study Lead/PhD candidate. Peter Moore: Principle Investigator. Mike Armstrong:

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River Herring Bycatch Avoidance in Small Mesh Fisheries

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  1. River Herring Bycatch Avoidance in Small Mesh Fisheries Sustainable Fisheries Coalition Kevin Stokesbury: Principle Investigator Daniel Goergianna: Principle Investigator Dave Bethoney: Study Lead/PhD candidate • Peter Moore: • Principle Investigator • Mike Armstrong: • Principle Investigator • Bill Hoffman: • Port sampling coordinator • Brad Schondelmeier: • Field Coordinator

  2. Population Decline ASMFC (2009)

  3. Population Decline Past overfishing Spawning Habitat Loss • Environmental factors • Incidental catch at sea • Pollution • ↑Predator Populations

  4. Project Objectives • Expand port sampling program (MA DMF) • From 15% to 50% • Reduce river herring bycatch: • Real-time fleet communication system (MA DMF/SMAST) • Environmental predictors of river herring bycatch/abundance (SMAST)

  5. Port Sampling • Sampling scheme • Systematic sampling • Whole boat samples • Mid-water trawl (MA) • 2010 -2012: ~59% • RI SMBT • 4 boats: ~50% • ~28% 2012 Area 2 Landings

  6. River Herring Avoidance System

  7. Observed bycatch Mid-Water trawls 2000-Sept2010 35 tows (of ≈350) > 2,000kg 80% of bycatch by weight High: Alosa weight >1.25% of target species weight Moderate: Between 1.25% and 0.2% Low: <0.2%

  8. Communication approach • Coded grids • Cells:≈5x8Nm • Distributed to vessels

  9. Avoidance Areas

  10. Evaluation Metrics • Industry Support • Collaboration • Movement • Separation of target species and river herring • Patterns • Space/time • Bycatch reduction

  11. Industry Collaboration • Participation • 11 of 12 mid-water trawl vessels • Consistent Communication • Phone calls/Emails/In person • Captains, crew, or onshore managers • MA DMF trip log completion • Movement patterns • Re-entry into high bycatch cells • 1 of 9 • Direction of effort

  12. Spatial, Temporal SeparationWinter 2012: RI SMBT 2/9

  13. Spatial, Temporal SeparationWinter 2012: RI SMBT 2/9 to 2/15

  14. Bycatch reduction • Grant objective: 50% reduction • Acceptable range 44 to 380 mt • Bycatch Rates • Reduced frequency of high bycatch events

  15. Future Improvements • Integrate tow by tow at-sea-observer data • Increase frequency decrease lag time, spatial scale • Proactive program • Fall 2011 • Depth > 40 fthm • ↓ river herring • ≈ Atlantic herring • Winter, ↑ SST • ↓ herring • ↑ mackerel

  16. SST (7○C) and Catch: March 2008

  17. Acknowledgements • Mid-water trawl vessels and crew • F/Vs Western Venture, Osprey, Challenger, Endeavour, Dona Martita, Nordic Explorer, Retriever, Enterprise, Starlight, Sunlight, Jean McCausland, Isabella Taylor • SFC on-shore members: Peter Moore, several others • RI vessels and crew • F/Vs Sea Breeze Too, Ocean State, Heather Lynn, Darana R, Tiger Jo • Port-samplers • Northeast Fisheries Observer Program • AIS Inc. • Fisheries Research • Funding: • National Fish and Wildlife Foundation • Nature Conservancy

  18. Discussion/Questions

  19. 1A 2012 • 10/22-24 • 7 low • 1 moderate Massachusetts MarineFisheries

  20. Winter Information System: Evaluation • Industry Collaboration • ≈150 emails from vessels and onshore managers • 9 of 10 mid-water trawl vessels in fishery • Other 4: 2 squid fishing, 2 inactive • 5 cells classified as high, 1 reentry-25% of bycatch • Consistent bycatch patterns • 3 events accounted for 75% • ≈80%: mid-February to mid-March • Eleven “low” cells reentered • One changed directly to high • Eight remained low B.Hoffman

  21. Dams from US/Canada Border to Cape Cod limited reproductive potential of native Shad populations: “null zone” Nova Scotia separating Gulf of St.Lawrence and Bay of Fundy/Gulf of Maine Southern range different reproductive strategy: start of semelparity

  22. American Shad Alosa sapidissima River Herring Alewife (A. pseudoharengus) Blueback (A. aestivalis)

  23. CollectiveAction • Ostrom 2000 • Collective action when members jointly benefit (foundation of modern democratic thought) • Zero Contribution Thesis (Olson 1965) • Self-interested people will not contribute to public • Unless: group small • Face to face communication ↑ cooperation • Discuss strategy, extract promises, tongue-lashes • Contextual framing matters • Evolution and Cooperation • Staying power of cooperation-not good when forced • Common pool resources better managed internally, than externally

  24. Reciprocity • Fehr and Gachter 2000 • Response to friendly or hostile actions • Even if no material gains expected • Friendly actions • Result in more than expected cooperation than self-interest models

  25. Bycatch Caps • Abbott and Wilen – mixed flatfish and halibut • Under invest in avoidance • Cost of avoidance: individual, Benefits: fleet wide (11 vessels, 5 pairs) • ↑ cost of cooperation, ↑ free riders • High cooperation = little behavioral change? • Mid-water fleet- share information, don’t think they catch at lot of alosines • ↑ benefits of cooperation, ↑ free riders • Marginal gains

  26. Ad 5 draft (472)

  27. Why Participate w/o a cap? • Threat of regulation (Cap, Closed Areas) • Can address problem w/o regulation • Participation, no regulation • Public Opinion • Initiative to fish responsibly • Dispel false perceptions with improved data • Ethics • Charters → SFC Code of Conduct • Wasting fish • Economics/Fishing Efficiency • Plants • Cleaner catch → faster offloads → lower initial costs • MWT • Areas with ↑ RH, harder to find Atlantic herring • Ipswich Bay • SMBT • Waste of time • Limited hold space • Formalizing what they already do

  28. Slide by B.Hoffman

  29. Slide by B.Hoffman

  30. Reduce Predation • Confusion: Sensory overload • Morphological differences increase predation risk • Size • Color • Shape 50-70cm 35-46cm Atlantic herring, Juvenile Shad, River herring: <30cm

  31. Conserve Energy • Swimming efficiency • Hydrodynamic studies • Optimal speeds • Long distance migrations • Canoe Paddle vs. Torpedo

  32. Refereneces Barbaro A, Einarsson B, Birnir B, Sigurosson S, Valdimarsson H, Palsson OK, Sveinbjornsson S, Sigurosson P. 2009. Modeling and simulations of the migration of pelagic fish. ICES J Mar Sci 66(5):826-38. Castillo J, Barbieri MA, Gonzalez A. 1996. Relationships between sea surface temperature, salinity, and pelagic fish distribution off northern Chile. ICES J Mar Sci 53:139-46. Dadswell MJ, Melvin GD, Williams PJ, Themelis DE. 1987. Influences of origin, life history, and chance on the Atlantic coast migration of American shad. Am Fish Soc Symp 1:313-30. Dodson JJ, Laroche J, Lecomte F. 2009. Contrasting evolutionary pathways of anadromy in euteleostean fishes. Am Fish Soc Symp 69:63-77. Manderson J, Palamara L, Kohut J, Oliver MJ. 2011. Ocean observatory data is useful for regional habitat modeling of species with different vertical habitat preferences. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 438:1-17. NEFMC (New England Fisheries Management Council). 2010a. Proposed Atlantic herring specifications for the 2010-2012 fishing years (January 1, 2010- December 31, 2012). Neves RJ. 1981. Offshore distribution of alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus, and Blueback herring, Alosa aestivalis, along the Atlantic coast. Fish Bull 79(3):473-85. Okunishi T, Yamanaka Y, Ito S. 2009. A simulation for Japanese sardine (Sardinopsmelanosticus) migrations in the western north Pacific. Eco Model 220:462-79 Panigada S, Zanardelli M, MacKenzie M, Donovan C, Melin F, Hammond PS. 2008. Modeling habitat preferences for fin whales and striped dolphins in the Pelagos sanctuary (western Mediterranean sea) with physiographic and remote sensing variables. Remote Sens Environ 112:3400-12. Sagarminaga Y and Arrizabalaga H. 2010. Spatio-temporal distribution of albacore (Thunnusalalunga) catches in the northeastern Atlantic: Relationship with the thermal environment. Fish Oceanogr 19(2):121-34. Sette OE. 1943. Biology of the Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) of north America part II: Migrations and habits. Fish Bull 38:251-70. Sindermann CJ. 1979. Status of the northwest Atlantic herring stocks of concern to the united states. Northeast Fish Center, Sandy Hook Lab: U.S. Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv. Report nr 23. 449 p. Stokesbury KDE, Kirsch J, Brown ED, Thomas GL, Norcross BL. 2000. Spatial distributions of pacific herring, Clupea pallasi, and walleye pollock, Theragrachalcogramma, in Prince William sound, Alaska. Fish Bull 98:400-9. Wang J, Pierce GJ, Boyle PR, Denis V, Robin J, Bellido JM. 2003. Spatial and temporal patterns of cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) abundance and environmental influences - a case study using trawl fishery data in French Atlantic coastal, English channel, and adjacent waters. ICES J Mar Sci 60:1149-58.

  33. Spatial, Temporal SeparationWinter 2011

  34. Spatial, Temporal SeparationWinter 2011

  35. Spatial, Temporal SeparationWinter 2011

  36. Information System Results Winter 2011 75% of effort 75% of target catch 97% of alosine catch 25% of effort 25% of target catch 3% of alosine catch 4/1

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