Who let the dogfish out? A review of management and socio-economic aspects of spiny dogfish fisheries

Abstract

Multi-scaled integrated analysis across biological, economic, social, and political aspects of fisheries is needed to provide effective management strategies. These aspects are naturally conflicting and, when converged into objectives, are seldom optimized at the same time scale. For example, biological objectives are usually considered in the long-term, whereas socio-economic and political objectives are commonly considered in the short-term. Additionally, fishery managers have frequently struggled to integrate different information arising from each aspect of fishery management. The employment of integrative analysis to shark fishery management is particularly needed because of the unique biology and life history characteristics of sharks, and the increasing threat of human exploitation that affects their conservation status. One species that may serve as a model for the intersection of the myriad of aspects of elasmobranch management is the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias). This commercial shark species was recently considered, unsuccessfully, for inclusion in trade-regulation lists due to international concern about its conservation status. The need to provide thorough integration of biology, life history, and ecology of spiny dogfish with information concerning the commercial trade, socio-economic, and political aspects of the fishery has now reached a critical juncture. We attempt to provide such an integration in this paper. First, we review basic biology and life history characteristics of spiny dogfish and then integrate this information into aspects of the international trade for the species. This is done using the framework of two of the most significant fishery management governance systems affecting the international management of the species and its conservation status (i.e., the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in the USA, and the Common Fisheries Policy in the European Union). Our analysis indicates that to achieve effective fishery management of spiny dogfish stocks and populations at international, national, regional, and local levels there is still the need to understand and integrate socio-economic, political and ecosystem-based aspects outside the framework of national fishery jurisdictions.

Life-history traits of the spiny dogfish Squalus acanthias in the Adriatic Sea

“…The spiny dogfish is a highly migratory small demersal shark, with a worldwide distribution except for the tropical and polar regions 19 , and the north Pacific, where genetic analyses revealed that Squalus suckleyi replaces S. acanthias 20 . As many elasmobranchs, S. acanthias is a K-selected species with slow growth rates, low fecundity and late sexual maturation 21,22 , and tend to aggregate by sex and size 19,22 . The spiny dogfish is an aplacental viviparous species 22,23 , with a long gestation, estimated up to two years 24–26 .…”

A Hierarchical Bayesian Modeling Approach for the Habitat Distribution of Smooth Dogfish by Sex and Season in Inshore Coastal Waters of the U.S. Northwest Atlantic

“…Similarly, excessive fishing pressure in the southern portion of the U.S. mid-Atlantic coastal area during fall, particularly off Virginia and North Carolina, may eventually reduce, over time, the spawning stock biomass (i.e., adult female) of the Smooth 602 DELL'APA ET AL. Dogfish population to unsustainable levels, as occurred with Spiny Dogfish in the past (Dell'Apa et al 2015). Therefore, a seasonal, area-based, male-directed fishery could potentially help to maintain the stock at sustainable levels.…”

“…Dogfish population to unsustainable levels, as occurred with Spiny Dogfish in the past (Dell'Apa et al 2015). Therefore, a seasonal, area-based, male-directed fishery could potentially help to maintain the stock at sustainable levels.…”

“…Similarly, due to the nature of the market's demand and processing needs, the commercial fishery for U.S. North Atlantic Spiny Dogfish has evolved mainly into a size-selective fishery targeting primarily larger individuals (i.e., females) in inshore coastal waters (adult females tend to inhabit shallower inshore coastal waters compared to adult males). This size-selective fishery resulted in lower numbers of females over time and an increasingly skewed male : female ratio in fishery-independent surveys used to assess the stock status (for a detailed history of the Spiny Dogfish commercial fishery, exploitation, and fishery management, refer to Dell'Apa et al 2015). Therefore, given the recent development of commercial quotas for Smooth Dogfish, an increased understanding of the species' spatiotemporal distribution along the U.S. northwest Atlantic coastal area for the two sexes and the environmental and abiotic factors that influence their distribution and abundance may enhance the development and implementation of more sustainable fishery management strategies over the long term.…”

Trends in Chondrichthyan Research: An Analysis of Three Decades of Conference Abstracts

“…HONDRICHTHYAN fishes (including the sharks, rays, skates, and chimaeras) are considered one of the most threatened vertebrate groups by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List (White and Last, 2012;Dulvy et al, 2014). Many chondrichthyans are considered to be ecologically important (reviewed in Heithaus et al, 2008), morphologically diverse and distinctive (Stein et al, 2018), and both culturally (e.g., Dell'Apa et al, 2015) and economically valuable (e.g., Gallagher and Hammerschlag, 2011 for wildlife tourism). Due to the threatened status of many species and the class's diversity of ecological roles, chondrichthyans have often been the focus of considerable research, management, and advocacy attention (reviewed in Simpfendorfer et al, 2011).…”