Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-5wvtr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-17T11:51:54.584Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Notes on nine biological indicators estimable from trawl surveys with an illustrative assessment for North Sea cod

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 June 2009

John Cotter ,
Benoit Mesnil ,
Peter Witthames  and
Matt Parker-Humphreys
John Cotter
Affiliation:
Cefas, Lowestoft, NR33 0HT, UK
Benoit Mesnil
Affiliation:
Ifremer, Département EMH, BP 21105, 44311 Nantes, France
Peter Witthames
Affiliation:
Cefas, Lowestoft, NR33 0HT, UK
Matt Parker-Humphreys
Affiliation:
Cefas, Lowestoft, NR33 0HT, UK
Get access

Abstract

This paper reviews a selection of nine indicators for assessing the biological state of a fish population monitored only by using trawl surveys in which catchability is assumed constant from time to time and place to place. The intention is to inform or remind of the range of possibilities and of associated practical and statistical issues. The indicators, grouped according to relationships with abundance, length, age, weight, and reproduction, are documented in a standard format covering estimation, interpretability, sensitivity, considerations for reference points where possible, and an example of their application. Lastly, selected indicators together with year-class curves fitted to abundance indices-at-age are applied to the North Sea cod to demonstrate the feasibility of an assessment based on only one trawl survey. Results support findings of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) working group on the assessment of demersal stocks in the North Sea and Skagerrak.

Keywords

Biological indicatorsLength-based indicatorsAge compositionMaturity stageWeight indexYear-class curvesEcosystem approach to fisheries management
Type
Research Article
Information
Aquatic Living Resources , Volume 22 , Issue 2: Fish Stock Assessments Using Surveys and Indicators , April 2009 , pp. 135 - 153
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, IFREMER, IRD, 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderson, C.N.K., Hsieh, C.-H., Sandin, S.A., Hewitt, R., Hollowed, A., Beddington, J., May, R.M., Sugihara, G., 2008, Why fishing magnifies fluctuations in fish abundance. Nature 452, 835–839. CrossRef
Anderson R.O., Neumann R.M., 1996, Length, weight, and associated structural indices. In: Murphy B.R., Willis D.W. (Eds.) Fisheries Techniques, Bethesda, Maryland, American Fisheries Society, pp. 447–482.
Anonymous, 2003, Report of the study group on growth, maturity and condition in stock projections. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Copenhagen, ICES CM 2003/D:01 Ref. ACFM, C, G, H, WGMG.
Anonymous, 2004, Report of the workshop on survey design and data analysis (WKSAD). International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Copenhagen, ICES CM 2004/B:07, Ref. D.G. http://www.ices.dk/reports/FTC/2004/WKSAD04.pdf
Anonymous, 2005, Report on the assessment of demersal stocks in the North Sea and Skagerrak. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Copenhagen, ICES CM 2005/ACFM:07. http://www.ices.dk/iceswork/wgdetailacfm.asp?wg=WGNSSK
Anonymous, 2006, Report of the study group on survey trawl standardisation (SGSTS). International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ICES CM 2006/FTC:05, 67 pp. http://www.ices.dk/reports/FTC/2005/SGSTS05.pdf
Anonymous, 2007a, Development of EcoQO on changes in the proportion of large fish and evaluation of size-based indicators. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Copenhagen, ICES ACE Report 2007.
Anonymous, 2007b, Report of the working group on the assessment of demersal stocks in the North Sea and Skagerrak – combined spring and autumn. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Copenhagen, ICES CM 2007 $\backslash $ ACFM:18 and 30.
Anonymous, 2009, Manual for the International Bottom Trawl Surveys. Rev. VII. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Copenhagen. http://www.ices.dk/datacentre/datras/NSIBTSmanualRevVIIdraft.pdf
Apostolaki, P., Hillary, R., 2009, Harvest control rules in the context of fishery-independent management of fish stocks. Aquat. Living Resour. 22, 217–224. CrossRef
Ault, J.S., Smith, S.G., Bohnsack, J.A., 2005, Evaluation of average length as an estimator of exploitation status for the Florida coral-reef fish community. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 62, 417–423. CrossRef
Babcock, R.C., Kelly, S., Shears, N.T., Walker, J.W., Willis, T.J., 1999, Changes in community structure in temperate marine reserves. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 189, 125–134. CrossRef
Barot, S., Heino, M., O'Brien, L., Dieckmann, U., 2004, Long-term trend in the maturation reaction norm of two cod stocks. Ecol. Applic. 14, 1257–1271. CrossRef
Beare D., Castro J., Cotter J., van Keeken O., Kell L., Laurec A., Mahé J.C., Moura O., Munch-Petersen S., Nielsen R., Piet G., Simmonds J., Skagen D., Sparre P., 2002, Evaluation of research surveys in relation to management advice (EVARES). Final report. DGXIV Fisheries, European Commission, Brussels FISH/2001/02 - Lot 1.
Bolger, T., Connolly, P.L., 1989, The selection of suitable indices for the measurement and analysis of fish condition. J. Fish Biol. 34, 171–182. CrossRef
Caswell H., 2001, Matrix population models. Construction, analysis, and interpretation., Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts.
Chen, P., Yuan, W., 2006, Demographic analysis based on the growth parameter of sharks. Fish. Res. 78, 374–379. CrossRef
Cone, R.S., 1989, The need to reconsider the use of condition indices in fishery science. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 118, 510–514. 2.3.CO;2>CrossRef
Cone, R.S., Springer, T.A., Murphy, B.R., Gutreuter, S., Anderson, R.O., Miranda, L.E., Jackson, D.C., 1990, Properties of relative weight and other condition indices. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 119, 1048–1058.
Cotter, A.J.R., 1998, Method for estimating variability due to sampling of catches on a trawl survey. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 55, 1607–1617. CrossRef
Cotter, A.J.R., 2001, Intercalibration of North Sea International Bottom Trawl Surveys by fitting year-class curves. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 58, 622–632 [Erratum, Ibid. 58:1340]. CrossRef
Cotter, J., 2009a, A selection of nonparametric statistical methods for assessing trends in trawl survey indicators as part of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM). Aquat. Living Resour. 22, 173–185. CrossRef
Cotter, J., 2009b, Statistical estimation of mean value of fish stock indicators from trawl surveys. Aquat. Living Resour. 22, 127–133. CrossRef
Cotter, A.J.R., Mesnil, B., Piet, G., 2007, Estimating stock parameters from trawl cpue-at-age series using year-class curves. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 64, 234–247. CrossRef
Cotter, J., Petitgas, P., Abella, A., Apostolaki, P., Mesnil, B., Politou, C.-Y., Rivoirard, J., Rochet, M.-J., Spedicato, M.T., Trenkel, V.M., Woillez, M., 2009, Towards an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM) when trawl surveys provide the main source of information. Aquat. Living Resour. 22, 243–254. CrossRef
Cressie N., 1993, Statistics for spatial data, revised edition., J. Wiley, Inc., New York.
Cury, P.M., Christensen, V., 2005, Quantitative ecosystem indicators for fisheries management. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 62, 307–310. CrossRef
Deriso, R.B., Parma, A.M., 1988, Dynamics of age and size for a stochastic population model. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 45, 1054–1068. CrossRef
García-Berthou, E., Moreno-Amich, R., 1993, Multivariate analysis of covariance in morphometric studies of the reproductive cycle. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 50, 1394–1399. CrossRef
Garcia, S.M., Staples, D.J., 2000, Sustainability reference systems and indicators for responsible marine capture fisheries: a review of concepts and elements for a set of guidelines. Mar. Freshw. Res. 51, 385–426. CrossRef
Gedamke, T., Hoenig, J.M., Musick, J.A., DuPaul, W.D., Gruber, S.H., 2007, Using demographic models to determine intrinsic rate of increase and sustainable fishing for elasmobranchs: pitfalls, advances, and applications. N. Am. J. Fish. Manage. 27, 605–618. CrossRef
Greenstreet, S.P.R., Rogers, S.I., 2006, Indicators of the health of the North Sea fish community: identifying reference levels for an ecosystem approach to management. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 63, 573–593. CrossRef
Haedrich, R.L., Barnes, S.M., 1997, Changes over time of the size structure in an exploited shelf fish community. Fish. Res. 31, 229–239. CrossRef
Halliday R.G., Mohn R., 2001, Proceedings of the Fisheries Management Studies working group, Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat, Proc. Ser. 2001/08 Appendix 5.
Heessen H.J.L., 1997, The International Bottom Trawl Survey in the North Sea, the Skagerrak and Kattegat. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea., ICES CM 1997/Y:31.
Heino, M., 1998, Management of evolving fish stocks. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 55, 1971–1982. CrossRef
Heino, M., Deickmann, U., Godø, O.R., 2002, Measuring probabilistic reaction norms for age and size at maturation. Evolution 56, 669–678. CrossRef
Hewitt, D.A., Hoenig, J.M., 2005, Comparison of two approaches for estimating natural mortality based on longevity. Fish. Bull. 103, 433–437.
Horst, T.J., 1977, Use of the Leslie matrix for assessing environmental impact with an example for a fish population. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 106, 253–257. 2.0.CO;2>CrossRef
Jennings, S., 2005, Indicators to support an ecosystem approach to fisheries. Fish Fish. 6, 212–232. CrossRef
Jennings, S., 2007, Reporting and advising on the effects of fishing. Fish Fish. 8, 269–276. CrossRef
Jennings, S., Reynolds, J.D., Mills, S.C., 1998, Life history correlates of responses to fisheries exploitation. Proc. R. Soc. Biol. Sci. B 265, 333–339. CrossRef
Jennings, S., Dulvy, N.K., 2005, Reference points and reference directions for size-based indicators of community structure. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 62, 397–404. CrossRef
Jennings, S., Greenstreet, S.P.R., Reynolds, J.D., 1999, Structural change in an exploited fish community: a consequence of differential fishing effects on species with constrasting life histories. J. Anim. Ecol. 68, 617–627. CrossRef
Kennedy, J., Witthames, P.R., Nash, R.D.M., 2007, The concept of fecundity regulation in plaice Pleuronectes platessa L. tested on three Irish Sea spawning populations. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 64, 587–601. CrossRef
Kennedy, J., Witthames, P.R., Nash, R.D.M., Fox, C.J., 2008, Is fecundity in plaice (Pleuronectes platessa L.) down-regulated in response to reduced food intake during autumn? J. Fish Biol. 72, 78–92. CrossRef
Kjesbu O.S., Hunter J.R., Witthames P.R., 2003, Report of the working group on modern approaches to assess maturity and fecundity of warm- and cold-water fish and squids. Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway, Fisken og havet 12.
Kot M., 2001, Elements of mathematical ecology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
Kvamme, C., Froysa, K.G., 2004, Assessing the effects on stocks of selectivity changes in a fishery. Fish. Res. 69, 283–292. CrossRef
Lambert, Y., Dutil, J.-D., 1997, Can simple condition indices be used to monitor and quantify seasonal changes in the energy reserves of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)? Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 54 (Suppl. 1), 104–112. CrossRef
Lambert, Y., Yaragina, N.A., Kraus, G., Marteinsdottir, G., Wright, P.J., 2003, Using environmental and biological indices as proxies for egg and larval production of marine fish. J. NW Atl. Fish. Sci. 33, 115–159. CrossRef
Law, R., 2000, Fishing, selection, and phenotypic evolution. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 57, 659–668. CrossRef
Marchal, P., Andersen, B., Caillart, B., Eigaard, O., Guyader, O., Hovgaard, H., Iriondo, A., Le Fur, F., Sacchi, J., Santurtun, M., 2007, Impact of technological creep on fishing effort and fishing mortality, for a selection of European fleets. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 64, 192–209.
Marteinsdottir, G., Thorarinsson, K., 1998, Improving the stock and recruitment relationship in Icelandic cod (Gadus morhua L.) by including age diversity of spawners. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 55, 1372–1377. CrossRef
Mesnil, B., Petitgas, P., 2009, Detection of changes in time-series of indicators using CUSUM control charts. Aquat. Living Resour. 22, 187–192. CrossRef
Murua, H., Kraus, G., Saborido-Rey, F., Witthames, P.R., Thorsen, A., Junquera, S., 2003, Procedures to estimate fecundity of marine fish species in relation to their reproductive strategy. J. NW Atl. Fish. Sci. 33, 33–54. CrossRef
Petigas, P., Poulard, J.C., 2009, A multivariate indicator to monitor changes in spatial patterns of age-structured fish populations. Aquat. Living Resour. 22, 165–171. CrossRef
Petitgas, P., 2009, The CUSUM out-of-control table to monitor changes in fish stock status using many indicators. Aquat. Living Resour. 22, 201–206. CrossRef
Piet, G., Jennings, S., 2006, Response of potential fish community indicators to fishing. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 62, 214–225. CrossRef
Pope, J.G., 2003, Golden ages or magic moments? Nat. Res. Model. 16, 439–464. CrossRef
Pope, J.G., Rice, J.C., Daan, N., Jennings, S., Gislason, H., 2006, Modelling an exploited marine fish community with 15 parameters - results from a simple size-based model. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 63, 1029–1044.
Quinn T.J., Deriso R.B., 1999, Quantitative fish dynamics., Oxford University Press.
Quinn T.J., Szarzi N.J., 1993, Determination of sustained yield in Alaska's recreational fisheries. International symposium on management strategies for exploited fish populations., Alaska sea grant college program, University of Alaska, Fairbanks,
Ramsay, K., Witthames, P.R., 1996, Using oocyte size to assess seasonal ovarian development in Solea solea (L.). J. Sea Res. 36, 275–283. CrossRef
Reznick D.N., 1993, Norms of reaction in fishes. In: Stokes T.K., McGlade J.M., Law R. (Eds.) The exploitation of evolving resources., Berlin, Springer-Verlag, pp. 72–90.
Rideout, R.M., Rose, G.A., 2006, Suppression of reproduction in Atlantic cod. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 320, 267–277. CrossRef
Rideout, R.M., Rose, G.A., Burton, M.P.M., 2005, Skipped spawning in female iteroparous fishes. Fish Fish. 6, 50–72. CrossRef
Rijnsdorp, A.D., 1989, Maturation of male and female North Sea plaice (Pleuronectes platessa L.). J. Cons. Int. Explor. Mer 46, 35–51. CrossRef
Rijnsdorp, A.D., 1990, The mechanism of energy allocation over reproduction and somatic growth in female North Sea plaice, Pleuronectes platessa L. Neth. J. Sea Res. 25, 279–290. CrossRef
Rochet, M.-J., Cornillon, P.A., Sabatier, R., Pontier, D., 2000, Comparative analysis of phylogenetic and fishing effects in life history patterns of Teleost fishes. Oikos 91, 255–270. CrossRef
Rochet, M.-J., Trenkel, V.M., 2003, Which community indicators can measure the impact of fishing? A review and proposals. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 60, 86–99. CrossRef
Rochet, M.-J., Trenkel, V.M., Bellail, R., Coppin, F., Le Pape, O., Mahé, J.C., Morin, J., Poulard, J.C., Schlaich, I., Souplet, A., Vérin, Y., Bertrand, J., 2005, Combining indicator trends to assess ongoing changes in exploited fish communities: diagnostic of communities off the coasts of France. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 62, 1647–1664. CrossRef
Salthaug, A., Aanes, S., 2003, Catchability and the spatial distribution of fishing vessels. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 60, 259–268. CrossRef
Scott, B.E., Marteinsdottir, G., Begg, G.A., Wright, P.J., Kjesbu, O.S., 2006, Effects of population size/age structure, condition temporal dynamics of spawning on reproductive output in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Ecol. Model. 191, 383–415. CrossRef
Shin, Y.-J., Cury, P.M., 2004, Using an individual-based model of fish assemblages to study the response of size spectra to changes in fishing. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 61, 414–431. CrossRef
Shin Y.-J., Rochet M.-J., Jennings S., Field J.G., Gislason H., 2005, Using size-based indicators to evaluate the ecosystem effects of fishing. ICES J. Mar. Sci., 62, 384–396.
Shulman G.E., Love R.M., 1999, The biochemical ecology of marine fishes. In: Southward A.J., Taylor P.A., Young C.M. (Eds.) Advances in Marine Ecology, Academic Press, London, 36.
Sinclair, A.F., 2001, Natural mortality of cod (Gadus morhua) in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 58, 1–10. CrossRef
Stearns S.C., 1992, The evolution of life histories., Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
Stokes T.K., Law R., 2000, Fishing as an evolutionary force. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 208, 299–313.
Thoresen, A., Marshall, C.T., Kjesbu, O.S., 2006, Comparison of various potential fecundity models for north-east Arctic cod Gadus morhua L. using oocyte diameter as a standardizing factor. J. Fish. Biol. 69, 1709–1730. CrossRef
Trenkel, V.M., Cotter, J., 2009, Choosing survey time series for populations as part of an ecosystem approach to fishery management. Aquat. Living Resour. 22, 121–126. CrossRef
Trenkel, V.M., Rochet, M.-J., Mesnil, B., 2007, From model-based prescriptive advice to indicator-based interactive advice. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 64, 768–774. CrossRef
Trippel, E.A., 1995, Age at maturity as a stress indicator in fisheries. Bioscience 45, 759–771. CrossRef
Trippel E.A., Ed. 2003, Reproductive potential of fish populations of the North Atlantic. J. NW Atl. Fish. Sci. Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization.
Venables W.N., Ripley B.D., 2002, Modern applied statistics with S. Springer, New York.
Vetter, E.F., 1988, Estimation of natural mortality in fish stocks: a review. Fish. Bull. 86, 25–43.
Westrheim, S.J., Ricker, W.E., 1978, Bias in using an age-length key to estimate age-frequency distributions. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 35, 184–189. CrossRef
Woillez, M., Rivoirard, J., Petitgas, P., 2009, Notes on survey-based spatial indicators for monitoring fish populations. Aquat. Living Resour. 22, 155–164. CrossRef
Wood S.N., 2006, Generalized additive models; an introduction with R., Chapman & Hall/CRC, Boca Raton.