Comparison of nominal and standardized catch per unit effort data in quantifying habitat suitability of skipjack tuna in the equatorial Pacific Ocean

In the western and central Pacific Ocean,upper strata waters exhibit highly dynamic oceanographic features under ENSO variability.This has been proved to be responsible for the dynamic change of both abundance and zonal distribution of skipjack tuna(Katsuwonus pelamis).Although causality has been suggested by researchers using physical-biological interaction models,cumulative evidence needs to be obtained and the tenability of assertion needs to be tested from an ecological habitat perspective,based on fisheries data.For purse seine fishery,the use of catch per unit effort(CPUE)as an indication of the abundance is confusing because of technical improvements over the whole exploitation history and unbalanced individual fishing characteristic of vessels.It is particularly interesting to discriminate between habitat characteristics in comparative scenarios of CPUE application.This study identified habitat traits based on a series of oceanographic factors from a global ocean reanalysis model.A comparison was conducted between two habitat models based on unprocessed purse seine CPUE and standardized CPUE considering fishing characteristics.The results suggest that standardized CPUE could model the regular zonal shift of habitat compatible with the observed fishing efforts transfer,and achieved better prediction capacity than unprocessed CPUE.Furthermore,the habitat of skipjack tuna was also characterized and linked with surface and subsurface thermal environment,ocean current,dissolved oxygen,biotic environment,and ENSO variability.The monthly-averaged habitat suitable index,derived from the optimal habitat model prediction,showed a significant linear relationship with the southern oscillation index,which suggested that El Ni?o episodes eventually provide more preferable habitat for skipjack tuna under ENSO variability.

Spatial variation in bigeye tuna Thunnus obesus size at sexual maturity in the eastern Pacific Ocean

Understanding the reproductive characteristics of a species is of crucial for accurate stock assessment and management plans to ensure sustainable fisheries.In this study,the size at 50%sexual maturity(L50)parameters in different bio-ecological provinces were estimated for bigeye tuna,Thunnus obesus,sampled from the Eastern Pacific Ocean tuna fisheries-dependent survey from 2013 to 2019.The overall sex ratio of the catch during the sampling differed significantly from 1:1.Bigeye tuna exhibit sexual dimorphism in the growth of males and females,with a clear shift in predominance from female to male with increasing sizes.In the North Pacific Sub-tropical Gyre(east)(NPST-east),North Pacific Tropical Gyre(NPTG),Pacific North Equatorial Countercurrent(PNEC),and Pacific Equatorial Divergence(PEQD),females(meals)reached sexual maturity round 102 cm(106 cm),106 cm(100 cm),125 cm(110 cm),and 113 cm(110 cm),respectively,the estimated L50 of bigeye tuna was 124.08 cm,121.97 cm,139.92 cm and 132.45 cm,respectively.The degree of populations mixing between equatorial(PNEC and PEQD)and high-latitude regions(NPST-east and NPTG)is extremely small,but it is reasonably high between the NPST-east and NPTG or PNEC and PEQD.These parameters were significantly different,suggesting the occurrence of a spatial difference in the size-at-maturity of bigeye tuna between these bio-ecological provinces.The findings of this study provide the key information for understanding the life history of bigeye tuna in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and will contribute to the conservation and sustainable yield of this species.

A review on fishing gear in China: Selectivity and application

In the 1980s,China’s offshore marine fishery resources declined,thus fishing gear selectivity gradually became a focus of scientific fishery research.Studies of fishing gear selectivity mainly focus on five kinds of fishing gear:trawls,shrimp beam trawls,stow nets,gillnets,and pots.Cover net method is the main method used in the comparative study of codend selectivity of both trawls and stow nets.These results showed that(1)Bottom trawls,targeting Larimichthys polyactis(the Little yellow croaker)and Trichiurus haumela(the Hairtail),should have a minimum mesh size of the codend no less than 60 mm in the Yellow and East China Seas.While the codend should use a square mesh with a minimum mesh size of 40 mm due to the variety of targeted species in the South China Sea.(2)Pair pelagic trawls,targeting pelagic species such as Engraulis japonicus(the Japanese anchovy),Pampus argenteus(the Silvery pomfret),Scomberomorus niphonius(the Spanish mackerel),as well as bottom species such as L.polyactis and T.haumela,should have a minimum mesh size of the codend no less than 56 mm in the Yellow Sea.(3)Shrimp beam trawls should use shrimp/fish separator devices(e.g.,separator panels,vertical separator panels,and sorting grids)to improve intra-species selectivity and reduce by-catch of non-target fish.(4)Canvas stow nets,targeting L.polyactis and T.haumela,should have a minimum mesh size of the codend no less than 55 mm.(5)Gillnets,the minimum mesh size should be determined for catching traditional economic species,but also the optimal mesh size for newly developed species.Such as,gillnets with mesh size of 35-38.71 mm targeting Harpodon nehereus(the Bombay duck),55 mm targeting L.polyactis and Nemipterus virgatus(the Golden threadfin bream),72 mm targeting Dentex tumifrons(the yellow sea breams)or Scomberomorus commersoni with body length of 280 mm,100 mm targeting P.argenteus,104 mm or 146 mm targeting 2-3 year or 6-7 year S.niphonius,120 mm targeting S.commersoni with body length of 380 mm,and 144 mm targeting Pampus chinensis(the Chinese pomfret).(6)Pots,the steel-framed round pots targeting Portunus trituberculatus(the swimming crab)should have a 33 mm height of escape vent or an 8 cm diameter escape hole,and the steel-framed round pots or accordion-shaped trap targeting Charybdis japonica(the Asian paddle crabs)should have a 30 mm height of escape vent installed on the side of pots.These results of fishing gear selectivity from the scientific basis for the implementation of fishing gear access systems,especially for identifying the minimum mesh size of fishing gear.In the future,the Fisheries Research Institute of China should conduct long-term investigations of selectivity in trans areas.Developing fishing gear access systems that are in line with a sustainable development is of great significance for the conservation and restoration of offshore fishery resources in China.

The deformation characteristics and flow field around knotless polyethylene netting based on fluid structure interaction(FSI)one-way coupling

Knotless polyethylene(PE)netting is widely used in fisheries because of its excellent hydrodynamic performance and low cost.Netting deformation and the surrounding flow field distribution play an important role in determining the hydrodynamic characteristics of netting in moving water.In order to investigate the effect of solidity ratio and attack angle on drag,netting deformation,and flow field distribution through the netting,a fluid-structure interaction(FSI)model based on a one-way coupling combining the shear stress turbulent(SST)k-omega model and the large deformation nonlinear structural finite element model was evaluated.Our results showed the difference between the parallel and normal drag forces found in the present numerical model and experimental flume tank data were 9.17%and 11.58%,respectively.The mean relative error in the inclined hydrodynamic drag for different flow velocities and attack angles was 8.35%,6.69%,and 5.37%for the nettings 1,2,and 3,respectively.These results show that the present numerical simulation based on FSI one-way coupling can be used to examine hydrodynamic forces on netting.The flow simulation results show that there is a noticeable flow velocity decrease through the netting and a rather large velocity reduction region downstream from the netting for different attack angles.These results reveal the existence of turbulent flow due to the netting wake.It was found that the equivalent stress and total deformation increase as the flow velocity increases and solidity ratio decreases.

Degradability evaluation for natural material fibre used on fish aggregation devices(FADs)in tuna purse seine fishery

Purse seiners deploy large amounts of drifting fish aggregation devices(FADs)in all tropical oceans to catch tunas.These FADs are constructed with porous synthetic fibre netting,which are responsible for incidental mortality of sea turtles and sharks through entanglement,and can engage in ghost fishing if they are lost and abandoned.The use of natural or biodegradable materials to build FADs can effectively mitigate marine pollution and bycatch issues,and as such they are currently promoted by fisheries management organizations.This study evaluated the degradability of ropes made of common natural fibres;cotton rope(3-strand,96-thread,twisted,S-lay),jute rope(3-strand,13-thread,twisted,Z-lay)and sisal rope(3-strand,8-thread,twisted,Z-lay).Degradability was evaluated by measuring the breaking strength(cN/dtex)and retention ratio of rupture elongation.Results showed that jute rope and sisal rope experienced rapid reduction of strength which over the first month soaking in the sea fell by 66.8%and 46.9%,respectively.Cotton rope exhibited the most inert degradation behavior,with breaking strength maintained at half of the initial value at 10 months.The retention ratio of rupture elongation for jute ropes and sisal ropes fluctuated considerably in the following months after deployment,compared to the relatively stable change for cotton rope.Results suggested that among these congeners,cotton rope would be most preferable component for Bio-FADs with a 10-month minimum durability that matches the required lifetime of FAD fishing strategies.