The Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 took effect on March 1, 1977. By this Act the United States extended its management over fisheries to 200 nautical miles from shore. Extended fishery jurisdiction was expected to promote industry development and expand the contribution of the fishing industry to the economies of the coastal regions. Benefits to the Pacific Coast groundfish industry have, however, been less than were expected when the Act was passed. A spatial equilibrium model was formulated for the broader United States interregional/international groundfish market. Two steps were involved: First, a system of simultaneous econometric equations was estimated for each of the three product forms—fresh and frozen cod, ocean perch, and flounder fillets. Second, regionalized forms of these equations were collapsed into simple equations and combined with transportation and storage costs in a larger mathematical programming model. The resulting quadratic programming (QP) problem was then solved (for each product) for the competitive equilibrium quantities demanded and supplied, prices, and product movements. Two objectives were achieved: A model was formulated that accounts for most of the relevant factors influencing the United States groundfish market; and the multiregional nature of this market was established. The estimated price and income elasticities were similar to those suggested by earlier studies, and the estimated product movements were consistent with survey data in the Pacific Northwest. The various policies evaluated in this study (using the spatial equilibrium model) suggest mixed blessings to the Pacific Coast groundfish industry. There is no evidence to suggest that harvesting some average quantities uniformly throughout the year would improve industry revenues. In general, increasing Pacific Coast landings by 30 percent (or more) would depress wholesale revenues but substantially increase fleet revenues. On the other hand, both wholesale and fleet revenues would increase if at least 80 percent of the increase in landings could be sold in markets outside the region. This suggests that an industry policy aimed at expanding landings on the Pacific Coast will improve revenues for all industry participants only if access to outside markets also takes place. / Graduation date: 1987

O curimbatá (Prochilodus lineatus) é uma espécie de importância comercial na pesca continental brasileira, especialmente na região da bacia do Rio Grande. Diversos estudos foram realizados com o curimbatá nesta região, incluindo os de delimitação populacional. Desde então, a região passou por alterações ambientais causadas pela construção de diversas barragens, impossibilitando migrações a montante, essenciais para a reprodução de P. lineatus. O presente estudo teve como objetivo verificar o impacto das barragens, sob o ponto de vista genético, na população de curimbatá da bacia do Rio Grande. Para tanto, foi utilizada a técnica de PCR-RFLP do fragmento entre os genes ND2 e CO1 e também da região controle, ambos do mtDNA, com 10 e 15 enzimas de restrição, respectivamente. Foram realizadas coletas em nove localidades entre barragens que não possuíam escadas para a migração de peixes. As localidades são: no Rio Grande - Cardoso, Colômbia, Conceição das Alagoas, Igarapava, Pedregulho e São João Batista do Glória; no Rio Mogi-Guaçu - Pirassununga e Espírito Santo do Pinhal; e no Rio Pardo - Jaborandi. Os resultados obtidos na análise do fragmento ND2-CO1 com três amostras, sendo uma de cada rio, não evidenciaram divergência significativa. Os índices de diversidade genética (haplotípica e nucleotídica) observados foram baixos, quando comparados com outras espécies de peixes. Estes resultados são condizentes com o esperado para seqüências conservadas, por isso, optou-se pela análise de uma região mais variável, como a região controle do mtDNA. Os resultados obtidos para a região controle (Fst, distribuição de Monte Carlo, teste exato e AMOVA) evidenciaram divergência significativa entre a amostra de Jaborandi e as demais, este fato pode ser devido a uma sub-estruturação populacional, ou a um erro de identificação da localidade de coleta. As outras amostras evidenciaram que, em geral, fazem parte de uma única população sob o ponto de vista genético. Não foi observada estruturação por distância, já que não houve correlação entre a distância genética e a distância geográfica. Os índices de diversidade (nucleotídica e haplotípica) são considerados de altos a moderados, sendo que os maiores foram obtidos para as amostras localizadas em trechos onde ainda há características naturais da bacia. A presença de poucos haplótipos amplamente distribuídos e internos na rede de haplótipos e de diversos haplótipos raros localizados perifericamente na rede, são um indício de expansão populacional recente. A expansão foi averiguada, também, com testes de neutralidade e gráficos de distribuição mismatch. O tempo de expansão foi calculado em 238 mil anos, que corresponde ao Pleistoceno Médio, época de grandes mudanças climáticas na América do Sul. Em conclusão, as alterações ambientais provocadas pelas barragens não geraram, a curto prazo, diferenças significativas entre as amostras estudadas, assim como parecem não estar diminuindo a variabilidade genética do curimbatá, quando comparada com a de populações naturais de outros rios. A divergência obtida para Jaborandi deve ser melhor estudada, mas parece refletir ausência de fluxo anterior à construção das barragens. O objetivo pretendido é o de apresentar um parâmetro de comparação para estudos futuros, especialmente aqueles que enfoquem o monitoramento da variabilidade genética do curimbatá. Estudos de longo prazo devem ser realizados no intuito de auxiliar o manejo pesqueiro do curimbatá, inclusive em programas de repovoamento. / Prochilodus lineatus has a commercial importance in the Brazilian freshwater fishing, especially in the Rio Grande basin. Several studies have been done with P. lineatus in this area, including those delimiting populations. Since then, the Rio Grande basin has been changed due to environmental impacts caused by construction of several dams. The most expressive impact for this population of P. lineatus was the impossibility of upstream migration, essential for its reproduction. The present study aimed at genetically verifying the impact of dams in the population of P. lineatus from Rio Grande basin. The PCR-RFLP method was used in mitochondrial DNA fragments ND2-CO1 and control region, with 10 and 15 restriction enzymes, respectively. Nine samples colected between dams with no fish ladders were analyzed: in Rio Grande - Cardoso, Colômbia, Conceição das Alagoas, Igarapava, Pedregulho e São João Batista do Glória; in Rio Mogi-Guaçu - Pirassununga e Espírito Santo do Pinhal; and in Rio Pardo – Jaborandi. Analysis results of the ND2-CO1 fragment with three samples, one from each river, did not show significant divergence. Values of haplotype and nucleotide diversity were low when compared to other fish species. These results are expected for conserved sequences, so analysis of a more variable region, such as the control region, was chosen. Results of the control region (Fst, Monte Carlo distribution, exact test and AMOVA) showed a significant divergence between Jaborandi sample and the others. This could be due to a population structure, or to an error in the locality identification. The other samples seem to be part of a single population. Isolation by distance was not verified since there is no correlation between genetic and geographic distances. Values of haplotype and nucleotide diversity ranged from high to moderate, with the highest values found in samples from localities where natural features of the basin still exist. Presence of few and widely distributed haplotypes internally in the haplotype net, and the occurrence of several other rare haplotypes distributed peripherically in the haplotype net, are typical of a recent population expansion. The expansion was also verified in neutrality tests and mismatch distribution. The calculated expansion time is 238 thousands of years that correspond to the Median Pleistocene, a period of great climatic changes in South America. In conclusion, the environmental changes caused by dams did not generate significant differences among the analyzed samples, in a short-term, and did not seem to be decreasing the genetic variability of P. lineatus, when compared to other natural populations. Divergence obtained for Jaborandi should be better studied, but seems to reflect the absence of gene flow prior to the construction of dams. These work intents to present a comparative parameter for future studies, especially those monitoring the genetic variability of P. lineatus. Longterm studies must be conducted to help fisheries management of P. lineatus, including restock programs.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Zoology)) --University of Limpopo (Turfloop Campus), 2011 / South Africa's water resources are limited and scarce in global terms, due to the fact that the country's climate varies from desert to semi-desert in the west to sub-humid along the coastal area. The country is also expected to experience further variability in rainfall, reduced precipitation and increased evaporation as a result of climate change. At the projected population growth and economic development rates, it is unlikely that the projected demand on water resources in South Africa will be sustainable. An additional concern is the declining water quality due to domestic, mining and industrial pollution, and eutrophication as well as salinisation due to agricultural pollution. Thus, aquatic ecosystems must be protected, monitored and managed to ensure sustainable resource use. The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare possible environmental deterioration by analysing fish health and parasite diversity in three dams within the Limpopo and Olifants River Systems by using the fish Health Assessment Index (HAI) and the Inverted Parasite Index (IPI). The intention of the study was to substantiate the theories behind the HAI and IPI in a bid to augment strategies to manage water quality, fish health and aquatic biodiversity. Seasonal surveys were carried out between April 2008 and April 2010 at three localities. The Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams are in a Nature Reserve located in a rural catchment, the Flag Boshielo Dam in an industrualised and mining catchment whereas the Return Water Dam is located on a platinum mining premise. Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) and Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters, 1852) were collected with the aid of gill nets and used as indicator fish species. Fish were examined for external parasites after which they were weighed and measured. Blood was drawn and skin smears were made. The skin smears were examined with a dissecting microscope for the presence of parasites. Fish were killed, dissected and then examined as prescribed in the fish HAI. From the ecto- and endoparasite data collected, infection statistics and ecological parameters were calculated. The HAI values were calculated for each fish species at each sampling site. To verify the results of the HAI, water quality was included in the studyThe nutrients and mining related pollutants of the three dams differed to a great extent and showed a similar increasing trend in the order: Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams < Flag Boshielo Dam < Return water Dam. Our results were consistent with previous work describing Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams as essentially unimpacted and Flag Boshielo Dam as impacted with a combination of mining and agricultural effluents. The results have shown that the Return Water Dam is an extremely polluted site with high levels of nutrients and metals. Fish health of both species responded similarly to polluted sites although mean population HAI results showed that C. gariepinus was more affected in terms of haematocrit necropsy-related alterations. The top six metrics that correlated most to fish health scores were nearly the same for both species (i.e. haematocrit values, inverted ectoparasite index, condition of the kidney, liver, gills and skin). The parasite community of C. gariepinus comprised 19 metazoan species. Seventeen parasite species were recovered from fish sampled from Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams compared to 11 at Flag Boshielo Dam and four at the Return Water Dam. The parasite community of O. mossambicus comprised 20 metazoan species. A total of 19 species, 17 species, and 4 species of metazoan parasites from O. mossambicus were obtained from Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams, Flag Boshielo Dam and the Return Water Dam, respectively. In both fish species, the Shannon Wiener Index, the inverse Simpson Index, equitability and the number of metazoan parasite individuals were highest in fish from Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams. The results of this study emphasized the negative impacts of urbanization, agricultural and mining activities on the environment. The fish hosts collected in the mining premise supported the poorest and least diverse parasite communities of all sampled sites, with virtual depletion of both heteroxenous and monoxenous species. The Return Water Dam may therefore be regarded as a simulation model for a severely environmentally deteriorated, impoverished habitat, in which all or part of the intermediate hosts have been depleted, enabling the survival of hardy parasite species only. Further studies should address the identification of parasite life stages that are more sensitive to pollutants / The National Research Foundation,the Flemish Interuniversity Council(VLIR-UOS),and the Division for Research Administration and Development,University of Limpopo

Biscayne National Park is located off the southeast coast of Florida and attracts approximately half a million visitors annually. Managers of Biscayne National Park are proposing a new General Management Plan (GMP) in order to update the recreational and commercial use of resources in the park. A Fishery Management Plan (FMP) is also being drafted simultaneously in conjunction with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in order to address concerns associated with management of fish stocks within the park. The proposed plan alternatives of the GMP and the recommendations of the FMP were developed in response to the negative impacts on the park's marine ecosystem due to exponential population growth of the adjacent Miami metropolitan area. Problems associated with decreasing water quality, habitat degradation, and species exploitation contribute to the diminishing integrity of resources in the park and surrounding area. Currently commercial and recreational fishing are allowed in most of Biscayne National Park. The National Park Service's proposed alternatives are highly complex in order to make an attempt at appeasing stakeholder interests. In addition the recommendations of the FMP join the GMP alternatives in omitting marine reserves, a management practice that is widely thought by the scientific community to be an important step in marine resource rehabilitation. At present, there is a noticeable absence of scientific information and lack of participation of scientists in management decisions. Biscayne National Park would ultimately benefit by incorporating marine reserves into the park, and adjusting them based on scientific studies conducted by an appointed Scientific Advisory Board. Partnerships with state, federal, and international agencies could promote the idea of being a part of a marine reserve network for optimal resource protection in the Caribbean. An increase in revenue from a permit system and entrance fees would also promote enforcement and protection of park resources. Simple but strong regulation in the park could also help alleviate enforcement problems. In addition education of park resource users should be expanded inside and outside the park.

U.S. fisheries legislation requires National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to attend to the critical social and economic issues surrounding the definition and identification of fishing communities, and to the effects that changes to the physical environment and regulatory decisions can have on such communities. To fulfil their mandate, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) sponsored the research entitled "Identifying Fishing Communities in the Gulf of Mexico" to study the economic, social and cultural status of potential fishing communities along the Gulf of Mexico. NMFS contracted the research project to Impact Assessment, Inc. to study 80 plus potential fishing communities in the Florida Gulf Coast. I worked as an intern in the research and visited the communities with other team members. The task of our project was to provide NMFS with basic profiles of fishing communities for NMFS to develop a culturally appropriated intervention. Research methods include Rapid Assessment Procedures (RAP), semi-structured key informant interviews, participant observation, and archival and secondary research mainly for community histories. Apart from my internship research, I also conducted some additional interviews and observations for my thesis. My findings indicate that fishing communities along the Florida Gulf Coast encounter with challenge from increased regulation, "dumping" seafood imports and virtually uncontrolled waterfront development. By a comparison of three groups of fishing communities, i.e., "diminished communities," "residual communities," and "resilient communities," the thesis explores how communities respond to the challenges and encourages fishermen to take action to preserve their generation-long fishing tradition. In conclusion, the thesis suggests that a solution to ease the decline of fishing communities requires cooperation of all parties concerned, including the fishery regulatory agency, commercial fishermen, and the federal and local government.

More than a century of dredging for oysters in the Foveaux Strait has resulted in a decimated fishery. In 1999 the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment asked the question: Where did we go wrong? This thesis provides answers to this question by presenting information provided by the Bluff oyster fishermen. In order to gain as much exposure to the community of fishermen as possible, a cumulative period of approximately six months was spent living in the town of Bluff between 2002 and 2007. During this time relationships were built with key informants, and a total of more than 50 community members were interviewed. The thesis describes the practical knowledge of the oyster fishermen, and places it in the context of more that 40 years of modem scientific studies concerned with the fishery. The finding are that since 1996 when the Quota Management System was introduced in the fishery, the most knowledgeable and responsible people in the fishery have been systematically excluded from roles in management. The practical knowledge of fishermen has been discounted in an industry and government led management system, which is an elaborate justification for continued maximum exploitation of the fishery. The theoretical contribution of the thesis lies in its description of belonging as a factor as important as that of property-rights in a sustainable resource system. The practical knowledge and conservation-mindedness of the fishery elders are characteristics of belonging, but not necessarily of ownership. Fishery management should recognize belonging as cultural capital, and make use of it under the present system (i.e. the Quota Management System) by according fishermen rights of management and access to the oyster fishery.

<p>Although the practice of releasing fish into the wild is common in the management and conservation of fish populations, the success of release programmes and the potential harmful genetic and ecological effects that may follow are rarely considered. This thesis focuses on genetic and ecological consequences of fish releases, exemplified by supportive breeding of brown trout (<i>Salmo trutta</i>) and translocation of European eel (<i>Anguilla anguilla</i>). Specific questions addressed include: What is the relative performance of hatchery produced fish released to support wild populations, and do released hatchery fish contribute to the natural productivity? What is the variation in reproductive success in the wild, and how does it affect the genetic consequences of a supportive breeding programme? Is there a spatial genetic structure in the European eel that must be considered in the management of this rapidly declining species?</p><p>Experiments conducted under natural and near-natural conditions in the River Dalälven, Sweden, suggest that hatchery produced trout can reproduce in the wild. In fact, when the pronounced variation between individual breeders was accounted for, there were no detectable differences between hatchery produced and wild born trout in reproductive success or offspring survival. These results were supported by molecular genetic data suggesting a pronounced gene flow from hatchery to wild trout in the river. Hatchery reared trout were, however, found to exhibit reduced survival rates immediately following release into the wild, an effect that was most likely due to phenotypic responses to the hatchery environment during ontogeny and a lack of experience of the wild.</p><p>In sharp contrast to recently published studies, the present genetic analyses of European eels sampled across the whole distribution range suggest no spatial genetic structure but a subtle temporal genetic heterogeneity within sampled locations. These results emphasise the need to consider temporal replication when assessing population structure of marine species.</p><p>The results obtained have general implications for the management and conservation of fish populations. First, supportive breeding of threatened salmonid populations might be successful, not only for boosting the census size and thereby reducing the short-term probability of extinction, but also for reducing the risks of inbreeding depression and loss of adaptive potential in future generations. However, the results also highlight the need to restore the natural productivity of a population under supportive breeding to avoid a potential reduction in fitness due to hatchery selection. Further, the lack of a detectable spatial genetic structure in the European eel suggests that the management strategy of translocating juvenile eels from locations were they are overabundant to other suitable freshwater habitats does not necessarily have to include genetic considerations with respect to the geographical origin of the translocated eels.</p>

Declining harvest levels, static agency research budgets, and increasing tension among scientists, managers, and industry members are the legacy of the present research and management institutions in the West Coast groundfish fishery. Cooperative research, the active participation of the commercial fishing industry in scientific research, is receiving increased attention as a potential alternative to current practices. Its strongest attributes are its potential to improve the spatial and temporal coverage of fisheries data collection and its potential to reduce marginal research costs. Despite these potential benefits, there are several obstacles to adopting cooperative research on a large scale including concerns about biased data, compatibility and continuity with current data gathering regimes, and the motivations of the participants. This paper examines the role that attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions play in influencing one's willingness to participate in cooperative research. Six focused discussions were held with industry, scientists, and managers in the West Coast groundfish fishery to define the key issues of cooperative research and to assist in designing a written questionnaire. The questionnaire was mailed to scientists, managers, and industry members in the groundfish fishery to elicit responses on issues including the current science and management process, uncertainty, industry-scientist working relationships, and the costs and benefits of potential cooperative research projects. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine response differences among groups, and discriminant analysis was employed to identify characteristics that differentiated among groups formed as a result of their survey responses. Results indicated that both scientists and industry believe cooperative research has potential for improving fisheries science, however there were significant differences between the groups on most other issues. Generally, industry respondents were more critical of the industry-scientist working relationship and scientists' and managers' commitment to cooperation than were the scientists and managers themselves. Scientists tended to be more skeptical than industry about the direct involvement of industry in fisheries science projects such as port interview programs and independent industry scientist research organizations. Both groups demonstrated considerable heterogeneity, although industry tended to hold a greater diversity of opinions and perceptions than did scientists. Significant differences on certain issues were often explained by one's degree of involvement in the management process, state of residence, employer, job description, and gear type. The results of this survey provide useful data for the selection and design of future cooperative research projects and identify areas upon which scientists, managers, and industry need to improve if cooperative research is to play a larger role in fisheries science. / Graduation date: 2000

Sardines and anchovies are small pelagic fishes that support important commercial fisheries around the world. This project reviews the inverse cyclic behavior in the abundance of these two stocks, which is a striking feature in many regions. In addition, the project used qualitative loop analysis techniques to analyze the feasible sardine-anchovy model configurations that result in the inverse relationship between sardines and anchovies. A simple community model was examined that considers fishing, sardine and anchovy biomass, and food resources for the sardines and anchovies. First, the stability of these model configurations was investigated to determine the conditions that should be met to stabilize the unstable configurations. Second, the behavior of the feasible sardine-anchovy model configurations was examined when fishing was removed from the models. Finally, model configurations were identified that best represent the sardine-anchovy system in terms of predicting qualitative changes in the system variables. These best models define the crucial interactions between sardines and anchovies that require further studies. Based on the results of the literature review and the loop analysis a set of questions was developed and used in interviews with fishers in Oman to investigate whether the sardines and anchovies in Oman are inversely related. Based on the survey results and lessons learned from the literature review and loop analysis, recommendations were developed for further research and management of the fisheries in Oman for sardines and anchovies. In systems where the sardines and anchovies vary inversely in abundance refuge areas for the sardines and anchovies are very important for maintaining the two fish stocks and their cyclic behavior. The results from the loop analysis suggested that interactions between sardines and anchovies (e.g., competition and amensalism) are not important provided the two fish populations can regulate themselves by means of their refuge areas. The expansion and contraction of sardines and anchovies is a function of environment suitability and long-term shifts in the environmental regime. The study found no evidence that sardines and anchovies in Oman are inversely related. / Graduation date: 2003

Atlantic billfish include sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus), blue marlin (Makaira nigricans), white marlin (Kajikia albida, formerly Tetrapturus albidus) and the spearfishes (Tetrapturus); these fishes are found in tropical and subtropical waters. The spearfishes include the longbill spearfish (T. pfluegeri), the Mediterranean spearfish (T. belone) and the roundscale spearfish (T. georgii). The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is the regional fishery management organization that conducts research to determine the condition of tuna and billfish resources and supports international cooperative management. ICCAT has determined that blue marlin and white marlin are overfished; the status of sailfish and spearfish are unknown, but overfishing is thought to be occurring. Management of these resources is complicated by uncertainty in the biological models, but uncertainty about the fishers who target these resources. This dissertation studied artisanal fishing fleets that target Atlantic billfish in Venezuela and Ghana, as well as studied recreational charter boat fishing fleets in South Florida and Senegal. The information from these fleets was used to develop performance indicators that evaluate the socioeconomic performance of these fleets. An allocation model was developed to determine the optimal allocation of billfish resources among recreational and artisanal fishers in Ghana, West Africa. Finally, the issues and challenges of managing Atlantic billfish were identified as well as a possible future framework. Results indicate that performance indicators can be used to contrast fleets with different operational objectives. Fishers do produce positive fishing profits in both artisanal and recreational fleets; however, Senegalese recreational anglers are particularly sensitive to fuel costs. Results of the allocation model suggest that the artisanal sector should be allocated 95% of the quota in Ghana. There is the possibility to over-allocate quota to the recreational sector due to methodological differences in determining benefit f and the practice of catch-and-release. ICCAT's limited purview over socioeconomics was identified as the major impediment to effective billfish management. Therefore, it is recommended that the institutional structure for billfish management be modified to include socioeconomic issues, most especially strengthening the link to local institutions in fishing communities.