ALBERT

Description: Northeast Atlantic marine ecosystems such as the Bay of Biscay, Celtic Sea, English Channel, Subpolar Gyre region, Icelandic waters and North Sea as well as the Mediterranean Sea show concomitant ‘regime shift’-like changes around the mid-1990s, which involved all biota of the pelagial: phytoplankton, zooplankton, pelagic fish assemblages, demersal fish assemblages and top predators. These shifts were caused by complex ocean-atmosphere interactions initiating large-scale changes in the strength and direction of the current systems, that move water masses around the North Atlantic, and involved the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), and the subpolar gyre (SPG). The contractions and expansions of the SPG and fluctuations of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) play a key role in these complex processes. Small pelagic fish population trends were the sentinels of these changes in the mid-1990s in the ecosystems under investigation.

Description: Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) is an important recreational and commercial fisheries target species in the Northern hemisphere. Release rates are high in the recreational fishery due to regulatory and voluntary catch-and-release practice. Although post-release mortality of cod is relatively low, there is potential for further reductions. The most effective way to reduce post-release mortality is to minimize the catch of sublegal fish or non-target species and to reduce hooking injuries by using more selective fishing methods. This study investigated the influence of the lure/bait type on: (1) size of fish, (2) catch and harvest, (3) proportion of bycatch, (4) hooking location, and (5) injury (bleeding) in the western Baltic Sea recreational cod fishery. Data were collected via random onboard sampling of 35 charter vessel angling trips (778 anglers) and during two supplementary studies in the western Baltic Sea. Overall, the median total length was significantly higher for cod caught on artificial lures (39 cm) than for cod caught on natural bait (28 cm), leading to a 43% higher proportion of sublegal (〈38 cm) cod for bait than for lure. Median catch-per-unit-efforts (number of captured cod per angling hour) did not differ significantly between lure and bait angling (both: 0.49 cod per hour), whereas the median harvest-per-unit-effort (number of captured cod ≥ minimum landing size (38 cm) per angling hour) was significantly higher for lure (0.24 cod ≥38 cm per hour) than for bait angling (0.06 cod ≥38 cm per hour). The incidence of deep hooking and severe bleeding was significantly higher for bait angling. Furthermore, bait angling significantly increased bycatch of other species dominated by whiting (Merlangius merlangus) and European flounder (Platichthys flesus). Cod anglers can reduce the catch of sublegal cod and non-target species and minimize hooking injuries of released fish by using lures instead of bait in the western Baltic Sea. Thus, voluntary terminal gear recommendations may be an effective tool for anglers and managers to increase selectivity in recreational cod fisheries.

Description: The synchrony of pelagic fish population dynamics with climate variability may impose significant alterations in their distribution and biomass, as well as catch composition, with potential effects on ecosystems and fisheries. This work examines the effect of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) signals across the Mediterranean Sea sub-regions (western, central and eastern), with respect to small (European sardine Sardina pilchardus, European anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus, round sardinella Sardinella aurita and European sprat Sprattus sprattus) and medium (Atlantic mackerel Scomber scombrus, Atlantic chub mackerel Scomber japonicus, Atlantic horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus, Mediterranean horse mackerel Trachurus mediterraneus) pelagic fishes using various catch ratios and the mean temperature of the pelagic catch (MTpC) method for the period 1970–2014. The time until the pelagic fish communities react to the signals of the AMO and NAO, as revealed by the MTpC and catch ratios, varied among the Mediterranean sub-regions. The pelagic fishes of the central and eastern Mediterranean are those that responded most strongly to AMO variability, whereas those of the central and western Mediterranean also responded to the NAO. The effect of the NAO on pelagic fishes of the eastern Mediterranean was not significant.