We can reduce the impact of scientific trawling on marine ecosystems

Abstract

The negative impacts that scientific monitoring may have on marine ecosystems has been a neglected topic, mainly on the basis that its magnitude is minor compared to commercial fisheries, even though this raises ethical and, in certain cases, conservation issues. We argue that ethical principles should lead us to reconsider marine wildlife resource monitoring such as the fish and shellfish trawl surveys providing the science-based evidence needed for fisheries management and assessment of how environmental change impacts marine shelf communities worldwide. Recent scientific and technological progress has provided methods and tools which might now be harnessed to reduce the impact of marine monitoring. We review these alternative methods, consider modifications to current practices and identify areas requiring further research

Methods for identifying and interpreting sex‐linked SNP markers and carrying out sex assignment: application to thornback ray (Raja clavata)

“…The overview of sex-determination systems and statistical methods for identifying putative sex-linked SNPs stresses the logical link between the two; this subject has been reviewed in greater detail by impacts (Trenkel et al, 2019). Sex assignment is also useful in the food industry, for example for determining the sex-related quality category of derived meat products (Abdulmawjood, Krischek, Wicke, & Klein, 2012), broodstock management (Slembrouck et al, 2019) or to allow early culling of undesired individuals to maximize production (Falahatkar, Akhavan, Gilani, & Abbasalizadeh, 2013).…”

“…There are many research‐ and management‐related situations where sex assignment is essential. For example, for determining the sex of tissue samples without access to the individual or of individuals without external sex signs that are caught during scientific monitoring surveys and released alive to reduce monitoring impacts (Trenkel et al, 2019). Sex assignment is also useful in the food industry, for example for determining the sex‐related quality category of derived meat products (Abdulmawjood, Krischek, Wicke, & Klein, 2012), broodstock management (Slembrouck et al, 2019) or to allow early culling of undesired individuals to maximize production (Falahatkar, Akhavan, Gilani, & Abbasalizadeh, 2013).…”

“…Genetic‐based sex‐determination systems have been characterized for a wide range of taxa, including plants (Montgomery, Sadeque, Giacomini, Brown, & Tranel, 2019), algae (Coelho, Mignerot, & Cock, 2019), bivalves (Breton, Capt, Guerra, & Stewart, 2018) and vertebrates (Galindo, Loher, & Hauser, 2011; Heule, Salzburger, & Bohne, 2014; Mank, Promislow, & Avise, 2006). Individual sex assignment from genetic data is becoming increasingly important as researchers seek to reduce the impact of scientific monitoring of wildlife populations (Trenkel et al, 2019) or to replace indirect sexing methods (e.g. Loher, Woods, Jimenez‐Hidalgo, & Hauser, 2016).…”

Are we ready to track climate‐driven shifts in marine species across international boundaries? ‐ A global survey of scientific bottom trawl data

“…The existence of international programs such as the Nansen program (http://www.fao.org/in-actio n/eaf-nanse n/en/) is valuable to inform ecosystem-based management (Bianchi et al, 2000(Bianchi et al, , 2016 and could be expanded. Surveys impact seafloor habitat, benthic communities, and sampled fish (Trenkel et al, 2019) and we should ensure that this kind of monitoring benefits science as much as possible. Surveys must be designed to be as efficient as possible by sharing (meta) data, providing opportunities for innovative uses of the data and improving the economic and ecological efficiency of monitoring.…”

Towards Naples Ecological REsearch for Augmented Observatories (NEREA): The NEREA-Fix Module, a Stand-Alone Platform for Long-Term Deep-Sea Ecosystem Monitoring

“…The creation of an eco-genomic sensor device would dramatically increase the biological spatio-temporal monitoring capability of cabled observatories and mobile platforms [2], including vessels [81], favoring the transition of EMSO infrastructures toward their augmented status, serving at the same time as inspiration for other relevant networks as ONC and OOI.…”