A striking occurrence of the gorgonian coral Ellisella paraplexauroides off the Chafarinas Islands (western Mediterranean) requires serious conservation attention owing to considerable damage initiated by small fishing operations. Although this gorgonian is among the largest Atlantic-Mediterranean invertebrates, its biology remains virtually unknown. The studied population, established within a...

Archipelago Marine Research Ltd. was selected by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center to test electronic monitoring (EM) equipment for possible use to examine seabird interactions with trawl third-wire cables on trawl vessels. This pilot study involved field testing of EM systems on shoreside delivery and head and gut bottom trawl vessels conducting operations in the Bering Sea, U.S. Exclusive E...

Fishing Is one of the few activities left in which people harvest what they have not sown an anachronistic leftover from the times of hunters-gatherers. The transition from hunting and gathering to farming on land took place several thousand years .a90 in most cultures; with fisheries this transition is only now beginning to take place on a large scale, and may be completed only well into the n...

Global fisheries landings data from a range of public sources was harmonised and mapped to 30-min spatial cells based on the distribution of the reported taxa and the fishing fleets involved. This data was extended to include the associated fishing gear used, as well as estimates of illegal, unregulated and unreported catch (IUU) and discards at sea. Expressed as catch rates, these results also...

We analyzed 1950s survey data with generalized estimating equations (GEEs) to quantify factors that influence the rate that bait is lost from pelagic longlines. Hook depth, bait species, local tuna abundance, and the timing of longline operations strongly influenced loss rates. Loss rates increased with tuna abundance and soak time. They declined with hook depth and were low for firm-bodied bai...

The Isostichopus fuscus fishery in Mexico was heavily exploited until 1994, when it was closed due to overfishing. However, no information existed on the status of the populations. The fishery was evaluated through an age structured simulation model, and according to our analysis of the stock, the fishery can be feasible and sustainable as long as fishing mortality and age of first catch are op...

Fishers, scientists, and resource managers have made substantial progress in reducing bycatch of sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals through physical modifications to fishing gear. Many bycatch-avoidance measures have been developed and tested successfully in controlled experiments, which have led to regulated implementation of modified or new fishing gear. Nevertheless, successful bycatc...

Bycatch of protected species in commercial fishing operations is a primary concern to fishery managers because it threatens the conservation, protection, and recovery of fragile species, such as the Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus). One potential solution to reduce the risk associated with commercial fishing operations is to design commercial fishing gear that is more selecti...

Deep-sea shrimp fishery operations in Kerala were initiated since 1999 with high landings which subsequently dropped considerably. The present study assesses the different problems faced by trawloperators in deep-sea shrimp fishing operations. High operational cost, high risk and efforts, lack of skilled and trained manpower, low market price realisation, abundance of discards, poor quality of ...