ALBERT

Description: Item includes an abstract in Spanish. Page range is taken from table of contents for proceedings volume (page numbers in article are incorrect due to publishing error).

Description: 15000 juvenile Indian majour carps (Labeo Rohita,Cirhinus merigala, Catla catla) imported (200 ) and transferred to the earthen ponds in Astaneh Fisheries Research Station , In order to assess the viability of rearing under the climatic condition of north part of Iran and also achieve some growth parameters from the larval stage to market size.The fry with 300 mg weight, were released in to 12 ponds. Specimens were separated to tree experimental categories: 1= (30%indian carp and 70% chinees carp) , 2= (50%indian carp and 50% chinees carp) , 3= (70%indian carp and 30% chinees carp) .single chinees carp production were used as control . fishes were fed with artificial food and also with the natural products of the ponds which were enriched with organic fertilizers, after being equally stocked in the ponds .During the experiment, oxygen level ,PH, turbidity, and temperature were measured. Monthly fry samples were taken, for weight and length biometrical analysis and also determination of the weight gain percentage, average daily growth rate, specific growth rate. Results have indicated adaptations and considerable growth in this species, with an increase from the initial weight of 300 mg to an average of 13.5±1.6 mg in 50 days period until the end of November for fingerlings. Also the average weight of growing phase (second year of production ) was 647g for Labeo Rohita ,420 g. for Cirhinus merigala and 734g for Catla catla. The special growth rate (SGR)in Roho was 4.51 %.and 3.9 % for merigal and6.2 % for Catla while for Chinees carps SGR was 4.9, 6.7, 7.6 and 5.8 for silver carp,grass carp, common carp and big head respectively. Results revealed that the Indian majour carps compatibility with the condition in Gilan province was succesfull and the combination of species and optimization of their compatibility were remind for futhre studies.

Description: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of black carp introduction in chines carp poly culture as well as its effect on the growth, survival rate and production of chines carp species. This study conducted in two consecutive year. The period of culture in first year was during Jun 1 until Des 5 ,2009 and in second year it was from Jun 4 to Dec, 1,2010 .The experiment were started by selecting 9 earth end pond each with 800 m2 area and was performed in triplicate with 2 treatment and one control , each year .The ponds were treated by liming and fertilizer before filling water and then stocked with 3000 chines carp (140 Silvercarp, 42 Grass carp , 42 Common carp and 25 Bighead carp) while the number of Black carp in treatments 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively, 250, 500, 75 and 125 pieces in Ha, blackcap was added to the control species respectively . The number of fish species harvested at end of culture in treatment 1, 2 and control .The total fish species harvested at the end of first year was 2276 out 1904 species released. The number of fishes catch in treatment 1,2 and control were 637,658and 573 species. the statistical analysis showed that average weight of black carp were 407±150 gr in treatment 1, 234±121 gr in treatment 2 with the minimum and maximum weight of 242 and 780 gr in first treatment as well as 110 and 750 gr in second treatment the production of black carp in first treatment were 42 kilogram per hectare and 60 kilogram in second treatment. The growth rate were higher in second treatment than first one. In second year the investigation repeated in triplicate with treatment3, 4 and one control. The total stocking density in treatment 3,4 and control were 665,633, and 574 pieces. Statistical analysis showed that total weight of black carp in third treatment was2049 ±614gr and in forth treatment was 2361 ±60 gr where the minimum and maximum values were 3115 gr and 1025 gr respectively. The survival rat of black carp in treatment 3 higher than in were treatment 4 while the growth in treatment 4 was higher treatment 3. The total production of black carp in treatment 3 and 4 were 123 and 181 kilogram per hectare respectively. The ANOVA test conducted for grass carp revealed that treatment 4 is significantly difference with treatment 3 and control. While for silver carp the treatment 4 is significantly difference with treatment 1 and control while for Big head carp the treatment 4 was significantly difference with control at 5% level (P〈%5). On second year the black carp reached to acceptable market size which could be compatible with other carp such as common carp and grass carp comparative analysis between different stocking density indicate that the stocking density with 125 pieces showed the highest positive effects.

Description: Seasonal surveys were conducted during 1998–1999 in Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, and Sinaloa to determine the extent and activities of artisanal elasmobranch fisheries in the Gulf of California. One hundred and forty–seven fishing sites, or camps, were documented, the majority of which (n = 83) were located in Baja California Sur. Among camps with adequate fisheries information, the great majority (85.7%) targeted elasmobranchs during some part of the year. Most small, demersal sharks and rays were landed in mixed species fisheries that also targeted demersal teleosts, but large sharks were usually targeted in directed drift gillnet or, to a lesser extent, surface longline fisheries. Artisanal fishermen were highly opportunistic, and temporally switched targets depending on the local productivity of teleost, invertebrate, and elasmobranch fishery resources. Major fisheries for small sharks (〈 1.5 m, “cazón”) were documented in Baja California during spring, in Sonora during autumn–spring, and in Sinaloa during winter and spring. Triakid sharks (Mustelus spp.) dominated cazón landings in the northern states, whereas juvenile scalloped hammerheads (Sphyrna lewini) primarily supported the fishery in Sinaloa. Large sharks (〉 1.5 m, “tiburón”) were minor components of artisanal elasmobranch fisheries in Sonora and Sinaloa, but were commonly targeted during summer and early autumn in Baja California and Baja California Sur. The pelagic thresher shark (Alopias pelagicus) and silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) were most commonly landed in Baja California, whereas a diverse assemblage of pelagic and large coastal sharks was noted among Baja California Sur landings. Rays dominated summer landings in Baja California and Sinaloa, when elevated catch rates of the shovelnose guitarfish (Rhinobatos productus, 13.2 individuals/vessel/trip) and golden cownose ray (Rhinoptera steindachneri, 11.1 individuals/vesse/trip) primarily supported the respective fisheries. The Sonoran artisanal elasmobranch fishery was the most expansive recorded during this study, and rays (especially R. productus) dominated spring and summer landings in this state. Seasonal catch rates of small demersal sharks and rays were considerably greater in Sonora than in other surveyed states. Many tiburón populations (e.g., C. leucas, C. limbatus, C. obscurus, Galeocerdo cuvier) have likely been overfished, possibly shifting effort towards coastal populations of cazón and rays. Management recommendations, including conducting demographic analyses using available life history data, determining and protecting nursery areas, and enacting seasonal closures in areas of elasmobranch aggregation (e.g., reproduction, feeding), are proposed. Without effective, enforceable management to sustain or rebuild targeted elasmobranch populations in the Gulf of California, collapse of many fisheries is a likely outcome. (PDF contains 243 pages)

Description: David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Description: This report is bilingual and has been published in both Spanish (http://aquacomm.fcla.edu/2423/) and English.

Description: Se realizaron prospecciones estacionales durante 1998–1999 en Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora y Sinaloa para determinar la dimensión y las actividades de las pesquerías artesanales de elasmobranquios dentro del Golfo de California. Ciento cuarenta y siete campamentos o sitios pesqueros fueron documentados, la mayoría de los cuales (n= 83) fueron localizados en Baja California Sur. Entre los campamentos con información pesquera adecuada, la gran mayoría (85.7%) pescaron elasmobranquios en algún momento del año. La mayoría de los pequeños tiburones y rayas demersales fueron capturados en pesquerías multiespecíficas, las cuales también tienen como objetivo teleósteos, pero los grandes tiburones fueron capturados generalmente por pesquerías de redes agalleras a la deriva dirigidas a ellos, o en menor grado, por pesquerías de palangre de superficie. Los pescadores artesanales presentaron un comportamiento altamente oportunístico y temporalmente cambiaban de especie objetivo dependiendo de la productividad de los recursos pesqueros locales de especies de escama, invertebrados y elasmobranquios. Las mayores pesquerías de pequeños tiburones (≤1.5 m, “cazón”) se documentaron en Baja California, Sonora, y Sinaloa durante la primavera y adicionalmente durante otoño e invierno en Sonora. Los tiburones del genero Mustelus (Mustelus spp) dominaron los desembarques de cazón en losestados norteños, mientras que los tiburones martillo juveniles (Sphyrna lewini) sostuvieron la pesquería en Sinaloa. Los grandes tiburones (〉 1.5 m, “tiburón”) fueron componente menor de las pesquerías artesanales de elasmobranquios en Sonora y Sinaloa, pero comúnmente fueron capturados en verano y principios de otoño en Baja California y Baja California Sur. El tiburón zorro pelágico (Alopias pelagicus) y el tiburón piloto (Carcharhinus falciformis) fueron comúnmente desembarcados en Baja California, mientras que un diverso ensamble de tiburones pelágicos y grandes costeros fueron observados en los desembarques de Baja California Sur. Las rayas dominaron los desembarques en verano en Baja California y Sinaloa, sostenidas principalmente por elevadas tasas de captura de la guitarra común (Rhinobatos productus, 13.2 individuos/embarcación/viaje) y del tecolote (Rhinoptera steindachneri, 11.1 individuos/embarcación/viaje). La pesquería de rayas de Sonora fue la más extensamente documentada durante este estudio y las rayas (especialmente R. productus) dominaron los desembarques en primavera y verano en este estado. Las tasas de captura estacionales de pequeños tiburones demersales y rayas fueron considerablemente mayores en Sonora que en los otros estados prospectados. Numerosas poblaciones de tiburón(p. ej. C. leucas, C. limbatus, C. obscurus, Galeocerdo cuvier) han sido probablemente sobreexplotados, lo que posiblemente este causando un cambio en el esfuerzo hacia las poblaciones de cazón y rayas costeros. Se proponen recomendaciones de manejo, incluyendo conducir análisis demográficos empleando la información de historias de vida disponible, localizando y protegiendo áreas de crianza e implementando temporadas de veda estacional en las áreas de mayor concentración de elasmobranquios (p. ej. alimentación, reproducción). Sin un manejo pesquero efectivo, vigilado, para sostener o reconstruir las poblaciones de elasmobranquios sujetas a explotación comercial dentro del Golfo de California, el colapso de las pesquerías es un evento probable. (PDF contains 261 pages)

Description: David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Description: Este informe es bilingüe y se ha publicado en español e inglés (http://aquacomm.fcla.edu/2422/). Traducción por: J. Leonardo Castillo-Géniz. Spanish version of MLML Tech Pub 09-01, http://aquacomm.fcla.edu/2422

Description: Executive Summary:This study describes the socio-economic characteristics of the U.S. Caribbean trap fishery that encompasses the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and Territory of the U.S. VirginIslands. In-person interviews were administered to one hundred randomly selected trap fishermen, constituting nearly 25% of the estimated population. The sample was stratified by geographic area and trap tier. The number of traps owned or fished to qualify for a given tier varied by island. In Puerto Rico, tier I consisted of fishermen who had between 1-40 fish traps, tier II was made up of fishermen who possessed between 41 and 100 fishtraps, and tier III consisted of fishermen who held in excess of 100 fish traps. In St. Thomas and St. John, tier I was composed of fishermen who held between 1 and 50 fishtraps, tier II consisted of fishermen who had between 51-150 fish traps and tier III was made up of fishermen who had in excess of 150 fish traps. Lastly, in St. Croix, tier I was made up of fishermen who had less than 20 fish traps and tier II consisted of fishermen who had 20 or more fish traps.The survey elicited information on household demographics, annual catch and revenue, trap usage, capital investment on vessels and equipment, fixed and variable costs, behavioral response to a hypothetical trap reduction program and the spatial distribution of traps. The study found that 79% of the sampled population was 40 years or older. The typical Crucian trap fisherman was older than their Puerto Rican and St. Thomian and St. Johnian counterparts. Crucian fishermen’s average age was 57 years whereas PuertoRican fishermen’s average age was 51 years, and St. Thomian and St. Johnian fishermen’s average age was 48 years. As a group, St. Thomian and St. Johnian fishermen had 25 years of fishing experience, and Puerto Rican and Crucian fishermen had 30, and 29 years, respectively.Overall, 90% of the households had at least one dependent. The average number of dependents across islands was even, ranging between 2.8 in the district of St. Thomas andSt. John and 3.4 in the district of St. Croix. The percentage utilization of catch for personal or family use was relatively low. Regionally, percentage use of catch forpersonal or family uses ranged from 2.5% in St. Croix to 3.8% in the St. Thomas and St. John. About 47% of the respondents had a high school degree.The majority of the respondents were highly dependent on commercial fishing for their household income. In St. Croix, commercial fishing made up 83% of the fishermen’stotal household income, whereas in St. Thomas and St. John and Puerto Rico it contributed 74% and 68%, respectively. The contribution of fish traps to commercial fishing income ranged from 51% in the lowest trap tier in St. Thomas and St. John to 99% in the highest trap tier in St. Croix. On an island basis, the contribution of fish traps to fishing income was 75% in St. Croix, 61% in St. Thomas and St. John, and 59% in Puerto Rico.The value of fully rigged vessels ranged from $400 to $250,000. Over half of the fleet was worth $10,000 or less. The St. Thomas and St. John fleet reported the highest meanvalue, averaging $58,518. The Crucian and Puerto Rican fleets were considerably less valuable, averaging $19,831 and $8,652, respectively. The length of the vessels rangedfrom 14 to 40 feet. Fifty-nine percent of the sampled vessels were at least 23 feet in length. The average length of the St. Thomas and St. John fleet was 28 feet, whereas the fleets based in St. Croix and Puerto Rico averaged 21 feet. The engine’s propulsion ranged from 8 to 400 horsepower (hp). The mean engine power was 208 hp in St.Thomas and St. John, 108 hp in St. Croix, and 77 hp in Puerto Rico.Mechanical trap haulers and depth recorders were the most commonly used on-board equipment. About 55% of the sampled population reported owning mechanical trap haulers. In St. Thomas and St. John, 100% of the respondents had trap haulers compared to 52% in Puerto Rico and 20% in St. Croix. Forty-seven percent of the fishermen surveyed stated having depth recorders. Depth recorders were most common in the St. Thomas and St. John fleet (80%) and least common in the Puerto Rican fleet (37%). The limited presence of emergency position indication radio beacons (EPIRBS) and radar was the norm among the fish trap fleet. Only 8% of the respondents had EPIRBS and only 1% had radar.Interviewees stated that they fished between 1 and 350 fish traps. Puerto Rican respondents fished on average 39 fish traps, in contrast to St. Thomian and St. Johnian and Crucian respondents, who fished 94 and 27 fish traps, respectively. On average, Puerto Rican respondents fished 11 lobster traps, and St. Thomian and St. Johnianrespondents fished 46 lobster traps. None of the Crucian respondents fished lobster traps.The number of fish traps built or purchased ranged between 0 and 175, and the number of lobster traps built or bought ranged between 0 and 200. Puerto Rican fishermen onaverage built or purchased 30 fish traps and 14 lobster traps, and St. Thomian and St. Johnian fishermen built or bought 30 fish traps and 11 lobster traps. Crucian fishermenbuilt or bought 25 fish traps and no lobster traps. As a group, fish trap average life ranged between 1.3 and 5 years, and lobster traps lasted slightly longer, between 1.5 and 6 years.The study found that the chevron or arrowhead style was the most common trap design. Puerto Rican fishermen owned an average of 20 arrowhead traps. St. Thomian and St.Johnian and Crucian fishermen owned an average of 44 and 15 arrowhead fish traps, respectively. The second most popular trap design was the square trap style. Puerto Ricanfishermen had an average of 9 square traps, whereas St. Thomian and St. Johnian fishermen had 33 traps and Crucian fishermen had 2 traps. Antillean Z (or S) -traps,rectangular and star traps were also used. Although Z (or S) -traps are considered the most productive trap design, fishermen prefer the smaller-sized arrowhead and squaretraps because they are easier and less expensive to build, and larger numbers of them can be safely deployed. The cost of a fish trap, complete with rope and buoys, variedsignificantly due to the wide range of construction materials utilized. On average, arrowhead traps commanded $94 in Puerto Rico, $251 in St. Thomas and St. John, and$119 in St. Croix.The number of trips per week ranged between 1 and 6. However, 72% of the respondents mentioned that they took two trips per week. On average, Puerto Rican fishermen took2.1 trips per week, St. Thomian and St. Johnian fishermen took 1.4 trips per week, and Crucian fishermen took 2.5 trips per week. Most fishing trips started at dawn and finished early in the afternoon. Over 82% of the trips lasted 8 hours or less.On average, Puerto Rican fishermen hauled 27 fish traps per trip whereas St. Thomian and St. Johnian fishermen and Crucian fishermen hauled 68 and 26 fish traps per trip,respectively. The number of traps per string and soak time varied considerably across islands. In St. Croix, 84% of the respondents had a single trap per line, whereas in St.Thomas and St. John only 10% of the respondents had a single trap per line. Approximately, 43% of Puerto Rican fishermen used a single trap line. St. Thomian and St. Johnian fishermen soaked their traps for 6.9 days while Puerto Rican and Crucian fishermen soaked their traps for 5.7 and 3.6 days, respectively.The heterogeneity of the industry was also evidenced by the various economic surpluses generated. The survey illustrated that higher gross revenues did not necessarily translate into higher net revenues. Our analysis also showed that, on average, vessels in the trap fishery were able to cover their cash outlays, resulting in positive vessel income (i.e., financial profits). In Puerto Rico, annual financial profits ranged from $4,760 in thelowest trap tier to $32,467 in the highest tier, whereas in St. Thomas and St. John annual financial profits ranged from $3,744 in the lowest tier to $13,652 in the highest tier. In St. Croix, annual financial profits ranged between $9,229 and $15,781. The survey also showed that economic profits varied significantly across tiers. Economic profits measure residual income after deducting the remuneration required to keep the various factors of production in their existing employment. In Puerto Rico, annual economic profits ranged from ($9,339) in the lowest trap tier to $ 8,711 in the highest trap tier. In St. Thomas and St. John, annual economic profits ranged from ($7,920) in the highest tier to ($18,486) in the second highest tier. In St. Croix, annual economic profits ranged between ($7,453) to $10,674.The presence of positive financial profits and negative economic profits suggests that higher economic returns could be earned from a societal perspective by redirecting some of these scarce capital and human resources elsewhere in the economy. Furthermore, the presence of negative economic earnings is evidence that the fishery is overcapitalized and that steps need to be taken to ensure the long-run economic viability of the industry. Thepresence of positive financial returns provides managers with a window of opportunity to adopt policies that will strengthen the biological and economic performance of the fishery while minimizing any adverse impacts on local fishing communities. Finally, the document concludes by detailing how the costs and earnings information could be used to develop economic models that evaluate management proposals. (PDF contains 147 pages)

Description: Marine protected areas (MPAs) are important tools for management of marine ecosystems. While desired, ecological and biological criteria are not always feasible to consider when establishing protected areas. In 2001, the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument (VICR) in St. John, US Virgin Islands was established by Executive Order. VICR boundaries were based on administrative determination of Territorial Sea boundaries and land ownership at the time of the Territorial Submerged Lands Act of 1974. VICR prohibits almost all fishing and other extractive uses. Surveys of habitat and fishes inside and outside of VICR were conducted in 2002-07. Based on these surveys, areas outside VICR had significantly more hard corals; greater habitat complexity; and greater richness, abundance and biomass of reef fishes than areas within VICR, further supporting results from 2002-2004 (Monaco et al., 2007). The administrative (political) process used to establish VICR did not allow a robust ecological characterization of the area to determine the boundaries of the MPA. Efforts are underway to increase amounts of complex reef habitat within VICR by swapping a part of VICR that has little coral reef habitat for a Territorially-owned area within VICR that contains a coral reef with higher coral cover.

Description: Prey-size selectivity by Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) is relevant for understanding the foraging behavior of this declining predator, but studies have been problematic because of the absence and erosion of otoliths usually used to estimate fish length. Therefore, we developed regression formulae to estimate fish length from seven diagnostic cranial structures of walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) and Atka mackerel (Pleurogrammus monopterygius). For both species, all structure measurements were related with fork length of prey (r2 range: 0.78−0.99). Fork length (FL) of walleye pollock and Atka mackerel consumed by Steller sea lions was estimated by applying these regression models to cranial structures recovered from scats (feces) collected between 1998 and 2000 across the range of the Alaskan western stock of Steller sea lions. Experimentally derived digestion correction factors were applied to take into account loss of size due to digestion. Fork lengths of walleye pollock consumed by Steller sea lions ranged from 3.7 to 70.8 cm (mean=39.3 cm, SD=14.3 cm, n=666) and Atka mackerel ranged from 15.3 to 49.6 cm (mean=32.3 cm, SD=5.9 cm, n=1685). Although sample sizes were limited, a greater proportion of juvenile (≤20 cm) walleye pollock were found in samples collected during the summer (June−September) on haul-out sites (64% juveniles, n=11 scats) than on summer rookeries (9% juveniles, n=132 scats) or winter (February−March) haul-out sites (3% juveniles, n=69 scats). Annual changes in the size of Atka mackerel consumed by Steller sea lions corresponded to changes in the length distribution of Atka mackerel resulting from exceptionally strong year classes. Considerable overlap (〉51%) in the size of walleye pollock and Atka mackerel taken by Steller sea lions and the sizes of these species caught by the commercial trawl fishery were demonstrated.

Description: As it is clearly indicated in the title of this book section, it overviews the methodologies used in the 4-beaches Survey and in the various Stakeholders' Workshops held in all the three riparian countries of the Lake Victoria.

Description: Lake Victoria Fisheries Research Project Phase II

Description: LVFRP/TECH/00/17