Profile of a fishery collapse: why mariculture failed to save the large yellow croaker

Abstract

Introduction 220Methodology 221Ecology and Biology 221Distribution 221Putative geographic stocks 221Reproduction, age and growth 222 AbstractThe large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea), endemic to East Asia was once one of the three top commercial marine fishes of China PR. Heavily exploited since the 1950s, wild stocks were so severely depleted by the 1980s that most individuals subsequently sold originated from hatcheries. After peaking at about 200 000 tonnes in the mid-1970s, catches of the croaker in China PR declined by over 90% within just 2 decades; according to most decline criteria this would categorize the croaker as ''threatened'' and management measures, including restocking, were developed. The extensive government-sponsored mariculture program introduced to address food supply and overfishing in the 1980s, particularly of the croaker, was one of the earliest for marine finfish, not only in China PR, a nation with a rich and highly successful history in aquaculture, but globally. In this first, in-depth, profile of a key fishery and early mariculture development, we integrate ecological and biological information with the fishing, management, mariculture and economic history to trace the collapse of wild stocks and assess why management and mariculture did not result in wild stock recovery. Evidence strongly suggests that a combination of heavy exploitation of spawning and over-wintering aggregations, poor management and overfishing pressure were major factors in stock declines, with contributions from pollution, habitat degradation and marine ecosystem shift. Although the croaker proved a highly successful mariculture candidate, with approximately 70 000 tonnes produced in 2005, the highest of any marine fish cultured in China PR, mariculture and restocking have failed to restore croaker stocks and may have, inadvertently, led to biodiversity losses. The detailed history of the croaker is a sobering reminder that successful mariculture, albeit important for food production and livelihoods, is not necessarily a solution to overfishing, and moreover, may have compromised fishery recovery by competing for funds, attention, space, and maybe genetic resources.

Very high genetic fragmentation in a large marine fish, the meagreArgyrosomus regius(Sciaenidae, Perciformes) : impact of reproductive migration, oceanographic barriers and ecological factors

“…More generally, the meagre shared several biological factors with the ten other large Sciaenids already threatened and for which the protection of seasonal aggregation areas and nursery grounds was advocated (Cisneros-Mata et al 1995;Sadovy and Cheung 2003;Liu and Sadovy de Mitcheson 2008). The limited values of Ne and the very long distances known between reproduction areas should be considered in the meagre management, as recent river water pollution, modification of water flow and overfishing at 1 + year of age were reported as factors associated with decreases in meagre abundance (Bebars et al 1996;Oczkowski and Nixon 2008;Kazanci et al 2009;Sourget and Biais 2009;Morales-Nin et al 2012).…”

Fish commoditization and the historical origins of catching fish for profit

“…To fill this growing consumer demand, fisheries in the southern latitudes and the developing world have expanded to now comprise the majority of the world catch. Following heavy overfishing in the North Sea, North Atlantic, Northern Pacific and Mediterranean, the South China Sea also appears to have been drastically depleted from the late 1980s (Cheung and Pitcher 2008), leading to the local extinction of many large species of fish (Liu andSadovy 2011, Sadovy andCheung 2003). Moreover, since the huge expansion of fishing in the 1960s, many nontraditional fish have become commoditized for the first time, including coral reef fish (often sold live), sharks for their fins used in delicacy soup, sea cucumbers, large tunas and bill fish caught with mechanized long-lines worldwide, deep sea fish and seamount fish.…”

Isolation and identification of the immune-relevant ribosomal protein L10 (RPL10/QM-like gene) from the large yellow croaker Pseudosciaena crocea (Pisces: Sciaenidae)

“…Currently, the large yellow croaker Pseudosciaena (= Larimichthys) crocea is the most important marine fish culture species in China, based on the approximate annual production of 70,000 tons (Liu and Sadovy de Mitcheson, 2008). Serious epidemics that emerged in cultured P. crocea juveniles have caused great economic losses (Wang et al, 2001;Jin et al, 2002).…”