Fisheries Biology and Management

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Fisheries Biology and Management WFB 161
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Course website http//www.uvm.edu/envnr/wfb161/
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ORGANISMS (Ichthyology Aquatic
Inverts) Taxonomy Ecology Fish biology -
behavior - morphology - physiology -
life history Population dynamics
HABITAT (Limnology) Water quality
Substrates Hydrodynamics
EXPLOITED STOCKS ENDANGERED SPECIES ECOSYSTEM
CHANGES
PEOPLE (Fisheries Management, Fisheries
Techniques) Fishing methods (history, methods,
overexploitation) Management (regulations,
assessment, enforcement) Sociology (attitudes,
values, education) Politics Economics
Education
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ORGANISMS (Ichthyology Aquatic
Inverts) Taxonomy Ecology Fish biology -
behavior - morphology - physiology -
life history Population dynamics
HABITAT (Limnology) Water quality
Substrates Hydrodynamics
EXPLOITED STOCKS ENDANGERED SPECIES ECOSYSTEM
CHANGES
PEOPLE (Fisheries Management, Fisheries
Techniques) Fishing methods (history, methods,
overexploitation) Management (regulations,
assessment, enforcement) Sociology (attitudes,
values, education) Politics Economics
Education
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People catch fish to eat them, sell them, or
play with them (Ross, 1996)
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• Why people catch fish
• - to eat them
• 20 of animal protein eaten by humans is marine,
  5 used to feed livestock
• 60 of fish consumption is by the developing
  world.
• fish are primary protein source for 1 billion
  people in Asia.

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• Why people catch fish
• - to eat them
• - to sell them
• fishing employs 200 million people worldwide

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• Peak Peak 1992 Percent
• Species Year Catch Catch Change
• Pacific herring 1964 0.7 0.20 -71
• Atlantic herring 1966 4.1 1.50 -63
• Atlantic cod 1968 3.9 1.20 -69
• South African pilchard 1968 1.7 0.10 -94
• Haddock 1969 1.0 0.20 -80
• Peruvian anchovy 1970 13.1 5.50 -58
• Polar cod 1972 0.4 0.02 -94
• Cape hake 1972 1.1 0.20 -82
• Silver hake 1973 0.4 0.05 -88
• Greater yellow croaker 1974 0.2 0.04 -80
• Atlantic redfish 1976 0.7 0.30 -57
• Cape horse mackerel 1977 0.7 0.40 -46
• Chub mackerel 1978 3.4 0.90 -74
• Blue whiting 1980 1.1 0.50 -26
• South American pilchard 1985 6.5 3.10 -52
• Alaska pollock 1986 6.8 0.50 -26
• North Pacific hake 1987 0.3 0.06 -80

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(No Transcript)
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data source NOAA web site
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Data source Great Lakes Fishery Commission
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Consequences of overfishing

• closure of fisheries
• conflicts between scientists, fisheries managers,
  fishermen
• loss of revenue
• loss of way of life
• loss of species
• ecosystem imbalances
• international fishing conflicts

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• Why people catch fish
• - to eat them
• to sell them
• to play with them
• increase in sport fishing, aquaria - increased
  leisure time
• different appreciation of fish
  catch-and-release
• depletion of new stocks of fish

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Not all fisheries are fish