A comparison of fishing activities between two coastal communities within a biosphere reserve in the Upper Gulf of California

Erisman, Brad; Mascareñas‐Osorio, Ismael; López-Sagástegui, Catalina; Moreno-Báez, Marcia; Jiménez-Esquivel, Victoria; Aburto‐Oropeza, Octavio

doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2014.12.011

Cited by 22 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…The range of L approximated the size range ( L = [21, 100 cm]) of mature Corvina at the FSA 46, 49, 50 . Each specimen was photographed, weighed, measured, and stored on ice before radiography.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating fish abundance at spawning aggregations from courtship sound levels

Rowell

Demer

Aburto‐Oropeza

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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Sound produced by fish spawning aggregations (FSAs) permits the use of passive acoustic methods to identify the timing and location of spawning. However, difficulties in relating sound levels to abundance have impeded the use of passive acoustics to conduct quantitative assessments of biomass. Here we show that models of measured fish sound production versus independently measured fish density can be generated to estimate abundance and biomass from sound levels at FSAs. We compared sound levels produced by spawning Gulf Corvina (Cynoscion othonopterus) with simultaneous measurements of density from active acoustic surveys in the Colorado River Delta, Mexico. During the formation of FSAs, we estimated peak abundance at 1.53 to 1.55 million fish, which equated to a biomass of 2,133 to 2,145 metric tons. Sound levels ranged from 0.02 to 12,738 Pa2, with larger measurements observed on outgoing tides. The relationship between sound levels and densities was variable across the duration of surveys but stabilized during the peak spawning period after high tide to produce a linear relationship. Our results support the use of active acoustic methods to estimate density, abundance, and biomass of fish at FSAs; using appropriately scaled empirical relationships, sound levels can be used to infer these estimates.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating fish abundance at spawning aggregations from courtship sound levels

Rowell

Demer

Aburto‐Oropeza

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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“…This deserves important consideration as the UGC is home to the breeding and nursery grounds of species listed as critically endangered ( P. sinus and T. macdonaldi ) and numerous other endemic species (e.g., Cynoscion othonopterus and Scomberomorus concolor ) that are highly vulnerable and/or valuable to the local economies (Erisman et al . ). For example, bycatch of juvenile totoaba was identified a causal factor in the collapse of the fishery and the species (Cisneros‐Mata et al .…”

Section: The Short and Narrow Visionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Considering that there are more than 600 boats with shrimp permits (Erisman et al . ), the volume of discarded bycatch and the potential negative effects of such activities on juvenile fishes, invertebrate communities, and bottom habitats are likely to be substantial enough to disrupt the integrity of the whole ecosystem (Lewison et al . ; Hinz et al .…”

Section: The Short and Narrow Visionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, in El Golfo de Santa Clara, the 255 trips by 49 boats using both kinds of trawlers during the gear-testing period trawled an area of 2,819 km 2 that corresponds to 30% of the biosphere reserve's total area (Figure 2). Considering that there are more than 600 boats with shrimp permits (Erisman et al 2015), the volume of discarded bycatch and the potential negative effects of such activities on juvenile fishes, invertebrate communities, and bottom habitats are likely to be substantial enough to disrupt the integrity of the whole ecosystem (Lewison et al 2004; Hinz et al 2009). This deserves important consideration as the UGC is home to the breeding and nursery grounds of species listed as critically endangered (P. sinus and T. macdonaldi) and numerous other endemic species (e.g., Cynoscion othonopterus and Scomberomorus concolor) that are highly vulnerable and/or valuable to the local economies (Erisman et al 2015).…”

Section: The Short and Narrow Visionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Endangered Species, Ecosystem Integrity, and Human Livelihoods

Aburto‐Oropeza

López-Sagástegui

Moreno-Báez³

et al. 2017

CONSERVATION LETTERS

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If efforts to conserve endangered species lack long-term visions and neglect the human dimensions, conservation success will be questionable. Exclusion of stakeholders in decisions can lead to mistrust and polarization of groups. The story of the vaquita marina (Phocoena sinus) in the Upper Gulf of California provides a unique opportunity to discuss this paradigm. A proposed gearswitch in the regional fisheries addresses the bycatch issue that threatens the vaquita but neglects livelihoods, the traditions and heritage of the community, and the ecological integrity of the area, and it increases dependence on fishing subsidies. We estimate that it will cost an additional US $8.5 million (2/3 of the net revenue produced by gillnets and 30% more in fuel consumption) if local revenues are to be maintained at pregear-switch levels. Additionally, suggested new trawl gears caught 2.7 times more unusable (therefore discarded) bycatch than gillnets, which included invertebrates and small juvenile fishes of economically valuable and endangered species. Our results show that the proposed gear switch intervention can be considered another "quick-fix" intervention in the history of the vaquita conservation agenda that urgently needs long-term goals that adequately incorporate ecological, economic, and human well-being.

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“…For instance, with the exception of bluefin tuna species, discussed below, there is very limited documentation of spawning aggregations for large pelagic target species (SCRFA ), with, for example, a handful identified for istiophorid billfishes (e.g., black marlin, Istiompax indica ; Domeier and Speare , Erisman et al. ) and dolphinfish ( Corphaena hippurus ; Alejo‐plata et al. ).…”

Section: Theoretical and Observed Evidence Of Pelagic Mpas Achieving mentioning

confidence: 99%

Do static and dynamic marine protected areas that restrict pelagic fishing achieve ecological objectives?

2019

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There has been a recent proliferation of large‐scale marine protected areas (MPAs) containing pelagic habitats. These contribute substantially toward meeting the area‐based goal of Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 and to managing pelagic ecosystem pressures, including fishing. We assessed theoretical and empirical evidence for the achievement of ecological objectives by static and dynamic spatial management of pelagic fisheries. Exceptionally few studies have assessed ecological responses to MPAs that constrain pelagic fisheries, leaving substantial uncertainty over their efficacy. Assessments have provided a limited basis for causal inferences and have not evaluated whether other management tools would be more effective. Pelagic MPAs have relatively high promise to mitigate fisheries bycatch of species of conservation concern with “slow” life history traits and that form temporally and spatially predictable hotspots, and for some species, to protect habitats important for critical life history stages. It would be challenging to design MPAs to maintain absolute biomass levels of target stocks near targets and above limits: MPAs would need to be extensive to account for broad and variable distributions, and account for catch risk outside of the MPA, including from displaced fishing effort and fishing‐the‐line. For non‐overexploited stocks, which is the status of most target pelagic species and their prey, there would likely be little response in absolute stock biomass to an MPA. While pelagic MPAs have a higher promise of increasing target stocks’ local abundance, evidence with a robust basis for inferring causality is needed. Reducing fishing mortality of prey species might not affect the biomass of their pelagic predators because prey species experience light fishing pressure and because there may be a weak correlation between the absolute abundance of forage fish and their predators. There is an especially limited basis for predicting the effects of MPAs on fisheries‐induced evolution (FIE) in pelagic species. We describe how pelagic MPAs could be designed to achieve five ecological objectives without causing cross‐taxa conflicts and exacerbating FIE. To fill substantial gaps in knowledge, we prescribe counterfactual‐based modeling of time series data of standardized catch records to infer causation in assessments of ecological responses to pelagic MPAs.

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A comparison of fishing activities between two coastal communities within a biosphere reserve in the Upper Gulf of California

Cited by 22 publications

References 24 publications

Estimating fish abundance at spawning aggregations from courtship sound levels

Estimating fish abundance at spawning aggregations from courtship sound levels

Endangered Species, Ecosystem Integrity, and Human Livelihoods

Do static and dynamic marine protected areas that restrict pelagic fishing achieve ecological objectives?

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