Academic literature on the topic 'Social aspects of Atlantic cod fisheries'

Abstract: Social scientists in Atlantic Canada developed an incisive political economy of the region’s fisheries in the 1970s and 1980s and forged a sharp critique of Canadian fisheries policies. Meanwhile, fisheries scientists generated a series of stock assessments which substantially overestimated cod populations. After the collapse of the stocks in 1992, a number of reflective postmortems have addressed the role of the social and natural sciences in this resource failure. The present paper will attempt to construct a “political ecology” of the crisis from this corpus, one which does not, a priori, privilege industrial capitalism over cod ecology.Key Words: fisheries, cultural ecology, political economy, technology, Atlantic Canada, cod.

Abstract Delaney, A. E., McLay, H. A., and van Densen, W. L. T. 2007. Influences of discourse on decision-making in EU fisheries management: the case of North Sea cod (Gadus morhua). – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 804–810. Does public debate have an influence on decision-making in European fisheries management? Our premise is that for fisheries management to be viewed as legitimate, stakeholders should be included in the process. Because the first step towards stakeholder participation is letting their voices be heard, we analysed the public debate surrounding the management of North Sea cod, focusing on two aspects: the mixed fisheries problem of total allowable catch management and the causes of cod decline. Using standard social-science methodologies including discourse analysis, participant observation, and qualitative interviews, we suggest that the public debate has not had a direct effect on year-to-year management decisions. Still, it can be argued that the debate has influenced the attitude of those involved in the management system and, therefore, has had an impact on the changes in the management and advisory system that are taking place, although these take place at different levels and speeds than expected.

In the United States, the iconic groundfish fishery for Gulf of Maine cod has endured several dramatic reductions in annual catch limits and been federally declared an economic disaster. Using a repeated cross-sectional survey of fishing captains to assess potential social impacts of the fishery failure, we found that psychological distress and social disruption were pervasive throughout New England fishing communities. For instance, our results indicate that 62% of captains self-reported severe or moderate psychological distress 1 y after the crisis began, and these patterns have persisted for 5 y. Using classification tree analyses, we found that low levels of trust in fisheries management was the most powerful predictor of both initial and chronic psychological distress. Distress was most severe among individuals without income diversity and those with dependents in the household. Compared to other aspects of fisheries, measuring and managing for noneconomic social outcomes and human well-being has lagged behind, even though it is a necessary component of mitigating the adverse impacts of fisheries disruptions.

At the Second International Billfish Symposium in Kona, it was reported that little was known about the social and economic aspects of recreational billfish fisheries. There was plenty of background, some good questions, but few answers. There had been little history of social science involvement in fisheries management at the time and even less in billfish fisheries. Whether authorized or not, fishery management decisions worldwide are going to be made on the basis of ‘best available’ social and economic understanding. Unfortunately, the values held by many in the billfish angler community are not likelyto be well represented in the mix for various reasons. Research in the USA and in Latin America over the past 13 years hasprovided an understanding of the billfish angler constituency, its commitment to catch and release and support for resource conservation, its local and regional impacts on tourism economies, and its willingness-to-pay above andbeyond trip costs (a measure of user value) in the US Atlantic, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and Mexico Pacific. Although knowledge of the recreational billfish fishery has improved, comparatively little is known about the social and economic benefits associatedwith commercial (direct and bycatch) billfish fisheries. With little more than dockside prices available in many localities, it is difficult to know their value in comparison with recreational fisheries and the possible trade-offs associated with various management measures. In addition to describing what is still not known, this paper will identify a future research agenda in this area.

The collapse of Atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua L., 1758) in the early 1990s, perhaps the greatest numerical loss of a Canadian vertebrate (1.5–2.5 billion reproductive individuals), is one from which the species has yet to recover. Populations, or stocks, are at or well below their conservation reference points. The lack of recovery has been linked to ongoing fishing mortality (targeted, bycatch), changes to life history (reductions in age and size at maturity, truncations in age and size structure), and increased natural mortality. Emergent and demographic Allee effects, coupled with altered interspecific interactions, render questionable the presumption that the recovery of heavily depleted populations can be reliably forecasted by population dynamical behaviour during decline. Contrary to international commitments and inconsistent with fishery rebuilding plans elsewhere, cod recovery plans exclude target and limit reference points, recovery timelines, and harvest control rules. We suggest that the long-term biodiversity, social, and economic benefits associated with cod recovery can be realised by novel changes, including quantitatively responsible recovery plans based on science-determined reference points, new or revised legislation, integrated management strategies, strengthened sustainable seafood certification practices, expansion of marine spatial planning and protected areas, and novel financial incentives for investment in long-term, sustainable fisheries.

The second half of the nineteenth century was a period of rapid change in the natural sciences in Britain, reflecting changes in social conditions and improvements in education. A growing number of naturalists were becoming socially conscious and aware of the need for a proper study of the sea and its products, following the success of the ‘Challenger’ Expedition of 1872–6. In 1866 the Royal Commission on the Sea Fisheries, which included among its officers Professor T. H. Huxley, one of the new breed of professional scientists, had reported that fears of over-exploitation of the sea-fisheries were unfounded, and had recommended doing away with existing laws regulating fishing grounds and closed seasons. Nevertheless, the rising trade in fresh fish carried to towns by rail or by fast boats (fleeting), and the consequent increase in size and number of registered fishing vessels, was causing widespread concern, and there were reports from all round the coasts about the scarcity of particular fish, especially soles. This concern was expressed at the International Fisheries Exhibition in London in 1883, a conference called to discuss the commercial and scientific aspects of the fishing industry, attended by many active and first-rank scientists. However, in his opening address Professor Huxley discounted reports of scarcity of fish, and repeated the views of the Royal Commission of 1866: that, with existing methods of fishing, it was inconceivable that the great sea fisheries, such as those for cod, herring and mackerel, could ever be exhausted.

Abstract Marine landings in Portugal have decreased at a higher rate than fishing effort in the last 20 years. Identifying the variables driving the quantity and composition of landings is pivotal to understand the dynamics of the fisheries sector, which entails complex social and environmental aspects. In this study, we investigate the main drivers of marine fish landings in continental Portugal between 1989 and 2014. To identify common trends in time series, and quantify the importance of environmental factors, we applied a dynamic factor analysis considering four regions and three types of gear (trawling, purse-seine, and a multi-gear fishery). Our results show the importance of fishing effort as the most relevant factor driving marine landings in Portugal, both at the long and short terms. In addition, the effect of environmental factors such as the winter river discharge and the spring East Atlantic Teleconnection index should not be neglected, probably through mechanisms affecting coastal productivity. We provide a comprehensive amount of information that permits to improve our understanding of the trends of the most important commercial species in Portugal during the period of study.

During the last decades marine aquaculture has steadily expanded and diversified to include a wider range of commercial species. Despite the intense effort towards understanding the biological requirements of farmed species, several issues remain to be addressed. Mariculture success is restricted by a number of production bottlenecks including limited seed supply, caused mainly through a combination of compromised productivity in broodstock paired with high mortalities during the early life stages. Productivity and survival success is often dependent on the successful recreation of natural environmental conditions. While in a commercial setting a concerted effort is generally made to simulate key environmental stimuli there remains a lack of understanding of the significance of many potential signals. The overarching aim of this thesis was to investigate the effects of some of the overlooked environmental stimuli on fish performance in enclosed facilities and where possible relate this to the natural setting from which the species have been removed. The studies contained in this text are focused on the effects of anthropogenic noise, light spectral composition and substrate on the performance of broodstock and juvenile development of two valuable commercial marine species Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and turbot (Scophthalmus maximus). The aim of Chapter 3 was to test if artificial sound can act as a stressor in Atlantic cod and thereafter to examine if chronic sound disturbances can compromise broodstock spawning performance in land-based facilities. Results showed that anthropogenic noises in a land-based marine farm are within the auditory thresholds of cod and other fish species. Juvenile cod exposed to 10 min of artificial noise (100-1,000 Hz) from 10 to 20 dB 1 re µPa above background sound levels presented a typical acute stress response with a 4 fold elevation of plasma cortisol levels within 20 min, with a return to basal levels after 40 min, while the intensity of the stress response (in terms of amplitude and return to normal levels) appeared to be correlated to the noise level applied. When a similar artificial noise of 35 dB 1 re µPa above background sound level was applied to a broodstock population daily on a random schedule during the spawning season, it significantly impacted on reproductive performances in comparison to a control undisturbed population with notably a reduction in fertilisation rate that correlated with increased egg cortisol contents. Overall, these studies confirmed, for the first time, that artificial noise mimicking anthropogenic sounds generated in marine land-based facilities trigger a typical acute stress response if a similar sound exposure is then applied in a chronic manner it resulted in reduced broodstock spawning performances. Overall this work provides novel evidence on the potential of anthropogenic noise to act as stressor in fish. The possible implications for both captive and wild stock are discussed. In chapter 4 the effects of light spectrum and tank background colour on Atlantic cod and turbot larval performance from hatch until the end of metamorphosis were investigated. In both species larvae exposed to shorter wavelengths (blue and green spectrums) showed significantly enhanced growth in terms of standard length, myotome height, eye diameter and condition factor in comparison to larvae exposed to longer wavelengths (red). Larvae performances in the colour background experiment differed between species. Atlantic cod larvae reared in a red tank background displayed the best growth and survival, while larvae in blue tank background had a significant positive effect on final survival rate. In contrast, turbot larvae survival rates were the highest in the red tank background colour with the lowest growth parameters, while larvae in the blue tank background displayed the best growth. In both species, white tank background colour resulted in the lowest final survival rate. These results highlight the biological relevance of light spectrum and background colour in marine larvae performance and survival, demonstrating the importance of considering the light composition of the light units used in the hatcheries for larval rearing. Subsequently in chapter 5 the effects of light spectrum in juvenile turbot growth, appetite, stress response and skin pigmentation were investigated. Two sets of experiments were performed with post-metamorphosed (1 g) and on-growing (100 g) turbot. Results demonstrated that short wavelength treatments had a significant positive effect on growth parameters (total length and wet weight), food intake and feeding response. Light treatments caused a positive correlation between plasma glucose and cortisol levels with significant differences between the short and long wavelength treatments. Skin pigmentation was affected by the light treatments, showing a relationship between wavelength and brightness (negative) and darkness (positive). Blue light treatment resulted in brighter and lighter skin colouration, while red light had the opposite effect: darkening of the skin. Overall these results confirm that turbot juveniles performance is enhanced by exposing them to a similar photic environment than the one from the natural ecological niche. Light spectrum intervenes in skin pigmentation and the possible mechanisms behind the variations are discussed. In general chapter 5 provides background knowledge of the possible implications of light spectrum in fish juveniles performance and possible commercial applications. The final two experimental chapters turned focus back on the optimisation of broodstock environmental management and subsequent effects on their productivity. In Chapter 6 the importance of crepuscular light simulation was investigated in Atlantic cod broodstock spawning performance. No significant impact could be observed in terms of egg production and quality in association with dawn/dusk simulation compared to abrupt lights on/off. This suggests, at least for Atlantic cod, that crepuscular light simulation is not a key factor affecting spawning performance during the spawning window. The possible implications of twilight on gamete quality prior ovulation are discussed. In Chapter 7 the effect of a “breeding nest” containing a substrate (i.e. sand) in turbot broodstock spawning performance was investigated. Behavioural observation recorded active occupancy of the nests with the suggestion of social structuring as specific individuals (females) occupied the nest preferentially. However no fertilised, naturally released eggs were collected from the overflow during the spawning seasons. This would suggest that the presence of a nest is not enough to induce natural spawning behaviour in turbot in itself however the elective occupancy suggests that nests and/or their substrate was a physical enrichment that was valued by the fish which should be explored further. Overall the studies contained in this thesis highlight further the importance of considering noise and light as crucial environmental factors in marine aquaculture. Results from the different chapters offer a possible application within the enclosed facilities that might contribute to the success of the industry. Present findings contribute towards the understanding of the effects of environmental signals in fish and provide further insight to guide further lines of research on the involvement of light spectrum on fish physiology.

<em>Abstract</em>.—By the 1990s, widespread fisheries restructuring triggered by the implementation of the individual transferable quota (ITQ) system and market-derived impacts of globalization had occurred in most aspects of the Icelandic fishery sector. The consequences of privatization of fishery resources have transformed management in regulating access to the resource, processing, corporate ideology, and the reproduction of labor. Economic rationality, marketability, efficiency, and managerial innovations in effect are both the mantra and imperative accompanying concentration and consolidation. Social and environmental costs are widely observable in many coastal communities that were the former lifeblood of the Icelandic economy. This chapter presents an account of the policy implications of cutbacks in Atlantic cod <em>Gadus morhua </em>allocations and discusses their effect on coastal communities around Iceland. It will focus on the response of fishery companies to a changed structural environment, as well as their role in shaping the new sector with special emphasis on the economic rationale of leading seafood companies. In this context, this chapter explores the impact of the transformation in the fisheries sector on effects of the ITQ system on stocks; on fishing and fishers; on the processing sector; on labor, particularly that of women; and on communities.

The Atlantic world became Britain’s main early imperial arena in the seventeenth century. Subsequent to Ireland, North America and the Caribbean were the most important zones of British settler colonialism. At the northern limits of settlement, around the Atlantic coast, the St Lawrence River, the Great Lakes and on the shores of the Hudson Bay, cod fisheries and fur-trading networks were established in competition with the French. This intrusion, while it had profound effects on the indigenous population, was comparatively constrained. Secondly, British settlements were founded in colonial New England from 1620. Expanding agrarian communities, based largely on family farms, displaced Native Americans, while the ports thrived on trade and fisheries. In the hotter zones to the south, both in the Caribbean and on the mainland, slave plantations growing tropical products became central to British expansion. Following in Spanish footsteps, coastal Virginia was occupied in 1607 and various Caribbean islands were captured from the 1620s: Barbados in 1627, and Jamaica in 1655. The Atlantic plantation system was shaped in part by environment and disease. But these forces cannot be explored in isolation from European capital and consumption, or the balance of political power between societies in Europe, Africa, and America. An increase in European consumer demand for relatively few agricultural commodities—sugar, tobacco, cotton, and to a lesser extent ginger, coffee, indigo, arrowroot, nutmeg, and lime—drove plantation production and the slave trade. The possibility of providing these largely non-essential additions for British consumption arose from a ‘constellation’ of factors ‘welded in the seventeenth century’ and surviving until the mid-nineteenth century, aided by trade protectionism. This chapter analyses some of these factors and addresses the problem of how much weight can be given to environmental explanations. Plantations concentrated capital and large numbers of people in profoundly hierarchical institutions that occupied relatively little space in the newly emerging Atlantic order. In contrast to the extractive enterprise of the fur trade, this was a frontier of agricultural production, which required little involvement from indigenous people. On some islands, such as Barbados, Spanish intrusions had already decimated the Native American population before the British arrived; there was little resistance.

This chapter discusses the effect of social and biological factors on marine fish populations in the Barents and White seas, plus the relationship between catches, fishing effort, and prices in Russia. The population dynamics of cod, herring, and salmon in the two seas are analysed through the large amounts of available data - historical archival records; tax records; cloistral accounts - spanning the seventeenth to the twentieth century. This organisational attempt is the first of its kind pertaining to Russia, despite the volume of data.

<i>Abstract</i>.—Fisheries managers are looking for valid information on basic characteristics of recreational fisheries, such as landings data, to inform management decisions. We present a complementary survey approach designed to generate data on effort and harvest as well as various human dimensions of anglers using a telephonediary- mail survey design for a multispecies, multi-site fishery in a water-rich state in northern Germany (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern). First, a nationwide telephone screening was applied to estimate the total number of active resident and nonresident anglers in the study area. Afterwards, a 1-year diary study with randomly recruited resident and nonresident anglers was conducted. Routine check-up telephone calls were used to encourage the participants, generate detailed human dimensions data on the characteristics of anglers, and evaluate diary entries. After the end of the diary study, 648 anglers (58%) returned complete diaries. Responding diarists were significantly older, had a higher level of education, and encompassed more avid anglers than the nonresponding participants. Thus, diarists were weighted against external characteristics of a random sample of the resident angler population to reduce the risk of biased catch and harvest estimates. Indeed, estimates for harvest and effort based on weighted samples were significantly lower than unweighted mean estimates. Extrapolations of average annual harvest rates per angler to the population level revealed that for the most economically important fish species such as European eel <i>Anguilla anguilla</i>, Atlantic cod <i>Gadus morhua</i>, northern pike <i>Esox lucius</i>, common carp <i>Cyprinus carpio</i>, or Eurasian perch <i>Perca fluviatilis</i>, recreational fishing landings greatly exceeded commercial fisheries landings. Because diary estimates of annual angler landings were generally smaller relative to estimates of angler harvest stemming from 3-month recall periods using telephone surveys and on-site creel surveys, we concluded that the use of diary data likely resulted in conservative estimates of total landings. Our survey design may serve as a model for further studies because of its cost-effectiveness relative to standard creel surveys and because the panel structure of diary studies allows rich insights into individual angler behavior that is not possible to be accomplished by cross-sectional creel surveys.

<em>Abstract.</em>—The red drum <em>Sciaenops ocellatus </em>is a popular sport fish from the mid-Atlantic through the Gulf of Mexico. Historical data show that this species supported substantial commercial as well as recreational fisheries. On the Atlantic Coast, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has designated this fish as “over-harvested” requiring all coastal states to implement fishery restrictions. Regulations from North Carolina to Florida range from one fish to five fish per day within a narrow slot length limit. Unlike many states, South Carolina (SC) has implemented a multifaceted management approach involving regular monitoring of subadults and adults, strict regulations, and evaluation of stocking red drum. To provide a fishery independent assessment of the population, an inshore monitoring program for subadults was begun in 1991, and in 1994, an offshore monitoring component focused on the adult segment of the population was added. This latter population segment is the focus of the ASMFC’s Fishery Management Plan. The first regulations in SC were established in 1986, and in 2001, regulations were amended for the seventh time to make them the strictest ever. In an effort to explore all management options, a research effort was initiated in 1988 to examine the potential for increasing abundance using stocked fish. Based on encouraging research findings, this program was expanded in 2002 to a statewide demonstration scale effort involving three estuarine systems. These systems were stocked with a total of 1.8 million marked fish in fall, 2002. Stocking project components integrate fishery dependent and independent sampling to assess biological implications and social and economic aspects are being added to provide a broad overview of impacts. Through this integrated approach of fishery and population monitoring, landings restrictions, and stocking of fish, it is hoped that red drum abundance can be increased more rapidly than by using traditional management techniques alone.