Transcript To achieve MEY (or even MSY), management is essential

Training course in fish stock
assessment and fisheries
management
National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries
Fish Population Dynamics Lab
10-14 November, 2013ns
Sustainability and overfishing
Recruitment overfishing
A situation in which the rate of fishing is
(or has been) such that annual
recruitment to the exploitable stock
has become significantly reduced.
The situation is characterized by a greatly
reduced spawning stock, a decreasing
proportion of older fish in the catch,
and generally very low recruitment
year after year.
If prolonged, recruitment overfishing can
lead to stock collapse, particularly
under unfavourable environmental
conditions. Restrepo V. (1999):
Figure ref: http://www.oceansatlas.com/
Sustainability and overfishing
Growth overfishing occurs when too many small fish are being
harvested, usually because of excessive effort and poor selectivity
(e.g. too small mesh sizes) and the fish are not given the time to
grow to the size at which the maximum yield-per-recruit would be
obtained from the stock.
A reduction of fishing mortality on juveniles, or their outright
protection, would lead to an increase in yield from the fishery.
Ecosystem overfishing
Occurs when the species composition and dominance is significantly
modified by fishing (e.g. with reductions of large, long-lived,
demersal predators and increases of small, short-lived species at
lower trophic levels).
To achieve MEY (or even MSY),
management is essential
MSY
Control measures




FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries
specifies “...States... should adopt appropriate control
measures, based on the best scientific evidence
available, which are designed to maintain or restore
stocks
Control measures are management measures designed
to regulate fishing mortality AND biomass
Can and should include measures to protect habitat
and marine biodiversity
Management Plans therefore need to consider other
species in addition to target species
Control measures

We have already considered these and they
include:
◦ Input controls to control fishing mortality
◦ Output controls to directly control biomass
◦ Closed areas to protect habitat
◦ Closed seasons
◦ etc
Examples of Management Plan
Objectives



Biological
Economic
Social, cultural etc
Red Sea
Length : 2000 Km
 Mean Width:
28Km
 Depth : 491 m
 Egyptian sector :
about 1080 km

Mean catch: 30,000 ton
Gulf of Suez




It provide about 64% of
harvested fish in
Egyptian |Red Sea (19802009).
The Gulf of Suez extends
about 250 km from Suez
in the north to Shadwan
Island in the south.
Its width varies between
20 and 40 km
Its mean depth is 45 m
EGYPTIAN MEDITERRANEAN FISHERIES
 The Egyptian Mediterranean coast is about 1200 km
extending from El-Salloum in the West to El-Arish in
the East.
 The mean annual fish production from this vast area did
not exceed 55 thousand ton (GAFRD; 1984 - 2009).
 The main fishing gears operated in this region were
trawling, purse-seining and lining specially long and
hand lining.
 The fishing grounds along the Egyptian Mediterranean
coast are divided into four regions namely
 About 67% of Mediterranean production comes from
eastern sector
Challenges in marine fisheries




Over-exploitation due to the high fishing pressure
Illegal size nets and destructive fishing methods
Illegal harvesting of fish fry
Increasing of tourism and industrial expansion
which cause damages in coastal ecosystem and
pollution
 Lack of information on fishery status in terms of
biological, ecological, social and economic policy
 Lake of awareness about the importance of
fisheries regulations
Recommendations






Reduce the fishing effort by at least 40%
Make a reliable stock assessment and risk
analysis studies for all of our fisheries
Make EIA for all projects built along the
Mediterranean coast
Encourage the investment in small factories for
fish processing, fish meal and net-making
Prohibit the harvesting of fish fry
Regulation of mesh sizes, controlling gear
types used and prohibition the destructive
ones.





Identify and protect the nursery and spawning
grounds through the implementation of MPA
Train women and youth to use some of fish
parts, bivalves and gastropod in decoration
and souvenirs to find an income resources and
improve their livelihood
Introduce the by-catch reduction devices
Improve the collection of national statistics on
catch and fishing effort
Revise the current fisheries law and improve it.
Lakes Fisheries
Manzalah
Edku
Borollus
Mariut
Nasser
Bardawil
Bitter lakes and Timsah
Tushka
Qarun
Porfouad
Wadi El-Raiyan
Main Challenges

Degradation, filling up and drought





Pollution
Spread of aquatic plants in
many places in the lakes.
Over-fishing, illegal fishing
practices and illegal harvesting
of fish fry
The blockage of Boughazes
Eutrophication
• By-catch
• The low awareness of fishermen about
environmental issues and the importance
of fisheries regulation measures.
Recommendations




Studying the dynamics, reproductive cycle and
stock assessment of the commercial fishes as
this is an important step in establishing
guidelines for fishery-regulation measures.
Stocking the lakes with sufficient and suitable
fish fry species.
Controlling and optimizing the water quality of
the lakes.
Regulation of mesh sizes, controlling gear
types used and prohibition the destructive
ones.






Developing suitable fishing gear for shallow lakes as
well as detecting the economic factors affecting the
fishery.
Monitoring salinities at various seasons and localities
Continuous clearance of the openings for exchange of
water masses between the lakes and the open sea.
Revision of fisheries laws and improving the system
for collecting and compiling fisheries statistics
Examining the water inflow of the agricultural
drainage canals and different drains into the lakes
regularly to control polluted water inflow into the
lake.
Construction marine hatcheries to cover the excessive
demand on fish fry and juveniles for aquaculture.