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A large purse-seine fishery is located in the highly productive southern Benguela System off the western Cape. Purseseine fisheries have been prone to collapse worldwide and management practices have met with limited success. Predators offer potential as biological indicators yielding information on the status of fish stocks. The rationale behind this proposed usage was previously loosely-defined. The premise that some variable of seabird biology is related to some aspect of fish biology about which information is required was critically examined. The diet of the Cape Gannet was monitored monthly at Lambert's Bay and Malgas Island in the western Cape from 1977 to 1986. Gannets ate shoaling fishes (mainly Cape Anchovy, South African Pilchard and Saury) , measuring 29-429 mm Lc, which were available during the day at the surface and hake offal scavenged from demersal trawlers. Comparison with purse-seine fishery catches and the distributional ecology of the fishes suggested that the contributions of epipelagic fishes to the diet of the Cape Gannet were related to their availability and abundance, but that the occurrence of mesopelagic fishes (adult Redeye Roundherring and Onderbaadjie) in the diet of gannets was not related to their availability or abundance. Availability of epipelagic fishes was apparently lowest during late winter and spring; at longer time scales, availability was apparently lowest between 1983 and 1985 during the period from 1978 to 1986. Differences in the diets of breeding and nonbreeding gannets were small. Gannets from the colony at Lambert's Bay fed primarily north of Cape Columbine. These birds fed in cool inshore waters on juvenile fishes (mainly Cape Anchovy). Gannets from Malgas Island fed primarily south of Cape Columbine. They fed in cool inshore waters on juvenile epipelagic fishes (mainly Cape Anchovy), in warmer waters offshore on large epipelagic fishes (Saury and adult pilchard) or scavenged hake at trawlers offshore. Adult South African Pilchard were preferred prey. Epipelagic prey were selected in preference to mesopelagic fishes and hake. Significant correlations between the percentage of pilchard in gannet diet and purse-seine fishery catches suggested that gannets were reliable monitors of the trend in pilchard stocks at low biomass levels. The Saury is a poorly known species and its availability to gannets was reviewed as an example of the indirect use of the diets of predators in understanding the ecology of prey species, and functioning of ecosystems. Future directions for research were suggested. However extensive use of data from predators in fisheries management awaits the development of techniques which can use qualitative data. Nevertheless, it was concluded that the species composition and length of prey in gannet diet and the mass of regurgitations and the proportion of birds which regurgitated food were related to the abundance of epipelagic fish prey generally and South African Pilchard in particular. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1987.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current management effectiveness of the KwaZulu-Natal linefishery (i.e. the shore linefishery and the offshore boat-based linefishery). Methods used included a stratified-random creel sampling technique and an associated questionnaire survey for the shore-based linefishery and a random access-point technique and associated questionnaire survey for the offshore boat-based linefishery. Additional catch and effort data for the offshore boat-based linefishery was also obtained from Marine and Coastal Management’s (MCM) Linefish Observer Programme. The study was undertaken between February 2009 and April 2010. Total participation within the two linefisheries ranged between 41283-68200 shore-anglers and 21220-28857 boat-fishers (2001-4445 boats). Excluding the increase in the number of boat-fishers that fish off charter vessels (i.e. charter clients), it seems that there have been relatively few new entrants into the marine linefishery of KZN since 1994-96. In contrast, total angler effort in both the shore (779382-1287548 angler-days.annum-1) and offshore (39664 boat outings annum-1) linefisheries has decreased substantially in the past 12 years. Overall catch per unit effort (CPUE) for the KZN shore linefishery amounted to 0.18 ±0.3 fish.angler-1.hour-1 or 0.07 ±0.13 kg.angler-1.hour-1. Eighty-four fish species, belonging to 39 families were recorded in catches of shore-anglers during the study period. Only five species accounted for 75% of the catch recorded along the coast (Sarpa salpa 34.8%, Pomatomus saltatrix 14.7%, Diplodus capensis 14.5%, Pomadasys olivaceum 6.5% and Rhabdosargus holubi 4.9%). The total annual catch for the KZN shore linefishery was estimated between 249.2 and 276.7 metric tonnes (mt).annum-1 (636589 - 706995 fish.annum-1). Overall CPUE was significantly different between the various sectors of the KZN offshore boatbased linefishery. The commercial boat sector had the highest CPUE both numerically (p < 0.05; 307.4 fish.outing-1) and by weight (p < 0.05; 235.6 kg.outing-1). Contrastingly, the recreational boat sector had the lowest CPUE both numerically (p < 0.05, 8.6 fish.outing-1) and by weight (p < 0.05, 15.0 kg.outing-1). The charter boat sector (p < 0.05, 26.6 fish.outing-1 or 41.6 kg.outing-1), although far lower than commercials, had a CPUE slightly higher than the recreational boat sector. In total, 86 fish species, belonging to 27 families were recorded in catches of boat-fishers (all sectors) during the study period. The top five species that comprised the bulk of the commercial catch numerically included Chrysoblephus puniceus (66.0%), Cheimerius nufar (22.4%), Lethrinus nebulosus (4.6%), Pachymetopon aeneum (1.9%) and Chrysoblephus anglicus (0.9%). Similarly, recreational catch composition was dominated by C. iii puniceus (33. 9%), L. nebulosus (9.0%), Thunnus albacares (7.4%), Scomber japonicus (5.3%) and C. anglicus (4.4%). The top five species in charter boat-fishers’ catches comprised C. puniceus (34.4%), L. nebulosus (16.7%), T. albacares (13.1%), C. anglicus (8.1%) and P. aeneum (4.6%). The socio-economic characteristics of the KZN shore and offshore linefisheries have changed very little since the last national linefish assessment conducted during 1994-96. Recreational (both shore and boat-based) and charter anglers generally agree with most of the linefishery regulations, with exception of the beach vehicle ban. However, knowledge and compliance with the current fishery regulations by recreational and charter anglers was limited. Commercial fishers had good knowledge of all the fishery regulations, but did not agree with the minimum legal size and daily bag limits that are in place on certain fish species. Subsequently, the majority of commercial skippers interviewed stated that they disobeyed these two regulations frequently. General policing of the KZN linefishery by EKZNW seems to be more focused on permit requirements rather than enforcing species-specific linefish regulations. Comparison of the catch and effort results of this study with the long-term monitoring data stored on the NMLS showed that while the NMLS data is limited by a number of biases, it still provides a valuable system for monitoring long-term trends in the KZN linefishery. Analysis of overall CPUE, catch composition and total catch in both the shore and offshore linefisheries of KZN suggested that both fisheries are currently in a relatively stable condition and that little change has occurred in the past 12 years. However, comparisons of speciesspecific CPUE values from this study with recent literature suggest that some species (i.e. Argyrosomus thorpei and Scomberomorus commerson) are severely overexploited. Furthermore, in relation to the catches recorded throughout most of the 20th century, current catch trends suggest that linefish resources have been fished to very low levels which are only ‘superficially’ sustainable at current levels of fishing effort. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2011.

The Law of the Sea negotiation, which was instigated as a response to increased human activities at sea, was an international law making process. The negotiation has been described as the longest, most techncally complex, continuous negotiation attempted in modem times. It was attended by almost all states in the world and contained a series of complex and overlapping issues. It was a remarkably successful process in that it concluded with an agreement, which protagonists with different interests and objectives succeeded in producing after 27 years. This thesis analyses international relations and negotiation theories that relate to the Law of the Sea negotiation, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each body of theory. The work goes on to examine the most importnt aspets of the Law of the Sea negotiation, including why the negotiation started, the core issues and principal actors of the negotiation, the process up until 1980 when the draft Treaty was devised, the American rejection of the Treaty and the process which led to the final agreement of 1994. The work then looks at these individual aspects of the negotiation in the context of the examination of international relations theory and negotiation theory that relates to the Law of the Sea. The thesis concludes by proposing a model that explains the Law of the Sea negotiation. The model questions existing theory on the meaning of the state and states' status in international society.

The aim of this thesis is to develop empirical models of the stable catch of brook trout in the Laurentian lakes of Quebec. Current estimators of fish yield are biased and predict poorly. / A model resulting from this study shows that catch increases with fishing effort, but that the rate of increase is smaller at higher effort. For a given effort, the catch-per-unit of effort (CPUE) is greater in larger lakes. Catch is also greater in phosphorus rich lakes and smaller in acid lakes. Catch of bigger fish is associated with a lower CPUE. / No dome-shaped relationship between catch and effort, standardized for the effects of lakes characteristics, could be established. Thus the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) concept provides no guidelines for management of the fishery. However, an early warning of overexploitation is an exceptionally high rate of fishing success. In addition logistic regression based on easily obtained variables can predict the likelihood of stability of the fisheries.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references ( Leaves: 77-86)

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Applied Mathematics, 2000? / Erratum pages inserted onto front end papers. Bibliography: leaves 226-244.

Thesis (M.Sc.) - University of Queensland, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Newcastle University, 2008. / Title from PDF title page (Newcastle University, viewed on Feb. 12, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 244-258).

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2009. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.