FISHBIO: Fisheries research, monitoring, and conservation

February 18, 2013

When you buy fish from a store, restaurant, or sushi bar, it might seem reasonable to assume that the fish you order is the fish you get. But check that fillet again. Seafood substitution, or selling one species of fish as another, is a practice that dates back decades and remains a major issue around the country. Although such mislabeling is illegal, swapping a cheaper fish like tilapia for a more expensive fish like snapper is an all-too-tempting way for a business to turn a quick profit. And it’s tricky to spot the deception as a consumer: removing a fish’s head, tail, skin, and fins (essentially all of its key identifying features) makes one slab of fish on a plate virtually indistinguishable from another.

The ocean conservation group Oceana has confronted the problem by turning to forensic sleuthing. Using fish DNA analysis, the group has documented rampant seafood fraud across the country, from Los Angeles to Boston. Oceana’s most recent study in New York City found that more than a third (39%) of the 142 seafood samples tested were labeled incorrectly. More than half of the 81 fish sellers (58%) sold mislabeled fish-including all 16 sushi bars. In almost all cases, “white tuna” was actually escolar, an oily fish known to cause gastrointestinal problems. “Red snapper” proved to be a catch-all label of sorts, applied to everything from white bass and tilefish to tilapia and other species of snapper. A quarter of the salmon samples were mislabeled-usually farmed Atlantic salmon passing as wild-caught Pacific salmon. Sushi restaurants were the most frequent offenders, and small markets had more mislabeled fish than larger chain grocery stores.

Besides being illegal, this seafood duping can harm both human health and the ocean. Oceana’s study found that tilefish, which is on the FDA’s do-not-eat list for women of childbearing age because of its high mercury content, was sold as red snapper or halibut, which do not carry health warnings. And not all fish are equal when it comes to fishing sustainability. Some fish live longer and grow more slowly than others, so their populations can’t withstand heavy fishing, and some fish are caught or farmed with more destructive methods. Despite media attention surrounding seafood fraud, many businesses are slow to change practices unless they are penalized. In the meantime, as a customer you can take precautions by asking lots of questions of your store or restaurant, opting for a trusted certification label, and, if you’re coastal, buying local. The fewer hands a fish passes through on its way to your plate, the fewer chances for fraud.

Tags: seafood, seafood traceability

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Commercial Fishery, Fish Report, Marine

The latest tuna fad

December 10, 2012

Similar to bugs buzzing around a light in the dark, fish will flock to a floating object or structure in the vast emptiness of the open ocean. The tuna industry has learned to exploit this behavior to make tunas easier to catch with the help of Fish Aggregating Devices, or FADs. Whether it’s a large, bobbing buoy anchored to the sea floor or a long, drifting net attached to a satellite beacon, a FAD lures fish to a localized area. A fishing boat can then encircle the FAD with a net like a purse seine and scoop up everything underneath (see video below). FADs have generated controversy in recent years because of their increasing use–and the fact that they just work so well.

Researchers recently announced that the estimated number of FADS in the ocean ranges from 47,000-105,000 (Baske et al. 2012). Some scientists and managers worry about these large numbers because they fear the devices make it too easy to overexploit already struggling tuna populations–like fishing in a barrel. Of particular concern in the Pacific Ocean are the juvenile bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) that tend to congregate around FADs (Lennert-Cody et al. 2008). Catching large numbers of these young fish that haven’t had time to reproduce makes it difficult for the population to recover. FADs also attract many other species besides tuna, and fishing nets indiscriminately ensnare them all, leading to the unintended deaths of animals like sharks, sea turtles, and billfishes.

The issue of FADs divided attendees at the recent meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, a multinational organization that manages tunas in the Pacific Ocean. Some hoped to increase the current three-month annual ban on FADs in the Pacific (July to September) to four months, but others argued an extension would hurt the fisheries of small Pacific nations. In the end, the Commission decided to extend the ban to four months. The fishing industry is not currently required to report their use of FADs, and many scientists are concerned about this lack of oversight. Researchers want to know how many FADs are out there, and when, where, and how they are being used, to better understand their impacts on tuna and other species. Though the popularity of these devices is on the rise, some hope this is one fad that will quickly go out of style.

This post featured in our weekly e-newsletter, the Fish Report. You can subscribe to the Fish Report here.

Tags: Commercial Fishery, Tuna

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Commercial Fishery, Fish Report

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing

August 13, 2012

For decades there has been a worldwide movement to reduce overfishing and create a sustainable future for all fisheries, but despite the public’s increased awareness of the negative consequences of depleting our oceans, there are still incidences of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing occurring all over the world. The actions of a disobedient few can have dramatic consequences on the livelihoods of many and can affect incomes, jobs, and the overall marine environment. A lack of compliance with the rules and regulations makes it difficult to achieve the goals of rebuilding and creating sustainable fisheries.

In order to get the message across that IUU is not something that will be tolerated, harsher punishments and tighter regulations are being implemented for those who are not cooperating. Recently, the European Commission cracked down on members of the European Union (EU) that have repeatedly overfished. Typically, when overfishing occurs within EU waters, quotas are reduced by a percentage of the amount that the nation overfished, but after three years of disregarding the measures countries like France and Portugal will have their catch quotas reduced by 50%. Spain’s horse mackerel industry suffered the largest penalties, which reduced the total allowable catch from 22,409 metric tons to 9,596 metric tons. The High Court in Edinburgh also came down hard on ten men who were partaking in illegal fishing between 2002 and 2005. The men frequently reported fewer fish than their actual catch so that it appeared as if they were not exceeding catch limits. Their actions resulted in overfishing and their penalties totaled £1,194,447 (1.87 million USD) in fines and confiscations. In other areas, such as Thailand, illegal fishing activities in restricted waters are compounded by related illegal activities, including human trafficking. Traffickers in Thailand will promise jobs to people from Cambodia or Myanmar who have crossed the border to look for work, but many end up as slaves on fishing vessels, working in harsh conditions for sometimes years without pay.

Figure 1. Trends in illegal fishing around the world indicating a couple regions where illegal fishing is high (red) and where illegal fishing is low (green). The global average (blue) for illegal fishing has only slightly decreased since 1980 (Agnew et al. 2009).

The majority of fishermen agree that overfishing and taking fish illegally are not worth the risk, but there are others who are not so concerned. Since 1980, it is estimated that the percentage of fish caught illegally has decreased slightly on a global scale, however illegal fishing is still a major concern in many areas (Figure 1). In the Northeast Pacific near Alaska and Southwest Pacific near Australia, illegal fishing is estimated to only be around 3% and 4%, respectively, and great efforts have been made to continue to decrease the already low levels of illegal activity. Some of the areas where illegal fishing is the most prevalent occur along the Eastern Central Atlantic around central Africa and Western Central Pacific around the Philippines. It is estimated that illegal fishing remains around 37% and 34%, respectively, in these regions. There have been recent discussions on how to control illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, but thus far there has been little action taken and rebuilding the fishery remains out of reach.

This post featured in our weekly e-newsletter, the Fish Report. You can subscribe to the Fish Report here.

Tags: illegal fishing

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Commercial Fishery

Still in the red, but snapper on the rise

June 27, 2012

Whether it’s a grilled juicy filet that entices you or the fish and chips down at the local crab shack, the delicious taste of red snapper is on its way back to the menu. For the first time in two and a half years, anglers in coastal communities between North Carolina and Florida will finally get their chance at reeling in this colorful fish. The temporary moratorium on fishing is believed to have benefited the species enough to begin the rebuilding process towards a sustainable future, given that the stricter fishing regulations are met. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council decided in a 12-1 vote to request that NMFS reopen the South Atlantic red snapper fishery. The request included a few provisions: that recreational fishing will have a limit of one snapper per person (no size limit) and be open for one or more three-day weekends, and that commercial fishing will have a 50 pound trip limit and will be open for brief seven-day ‘seasons’ until the catch limit is projected to be met. Additionally, they requested that NMFS and the states provide additional resources for collecting biological data during the brief season. NMFS will make a decision on the request within 60 days.

The red snapper is native to the western Atlantic Ocean and ranges as far north as Massachusetts in the U.S. down to Ceará, Brazil. Adults can be found at reefs or rock outcrops along the ocean floor in waters ranging from 30 to 600 ft. in depth. In the decades prior to the closure, the red snapper fishery experienced levels of fishing that were unsustainable for the population. Eventually, the over-exploitation had dramatic effects on the population and the size of the fish being caught. Snapper can reach 40 inches in length and can live for more than 50 years, but fishing pressure has affected the demographic structure of the population. In 1962, the average fish caught was 11 years old and weighed 21 lbs; by 2009, the averages dropped to 2 years old and only a pound. Most red snapper don’t reach sexual maturity until they are between the ages of 2 and 5, which means that in recent years many snapper were caught before they had the chance to contribute to the future of the species. Larger females also carry more eggs than the younger, smaller fish (i.e., they have greater fecundity). When a red snapper first matures they usually carry only 150,000 eggs, while fish older than ten can carry more than 3 million eggs.

Figure 1. Population trend for red snapper in the western Atlantic provided by PEW Environment Group.

The South Atlantic red snapper populations are nowhere near the historic population levels, but the new management plan has the dual objective of allowing fishing to continue and, hopefully, the population to rebound (Figure 1). Historical peak harvest has been as high as 2,935,000 lbs. of fish (gutted weight) in 1962 but dropped to only 511,000 lbs. in 2010. The current level is believed to be between 11 and 14 percent of a healthy population, but the reduced fishing pressure should allow fish to reach a larger size and older age, therefore, increasing the amount of eggs that are produced each year. Research suggests that the new regulations will provide a sustainable future for the red snapper, but it will take time before they have fully recovered.

Tags: red snapper

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Angling, Commercial Fishery, Research

Are your fish safe to eat?

June 11, 2012

Contamination of fish is becoming a growing concern for many recreational and commercial fishermen. Recently, results from the first statewide study of contaminants in fish caught off the California coast revealed high levels of methylmercury, a toxin that damages the central nervous system, in more than one-third of the locations sampled. High levels of mercury, greater than 0.44 parts-per-million (ppm), were detected in fish tissue at 25 of the 68 locations sampled (SWAMP 2012). However, location was not the key driver, rather the main factor linked to contamination level was the type of fish. Older, predatory fish such as sharks and some forms of rockfish were found to have the highest levels of mercury. The North Coast (from the Oregon border to Point Reyes) had the highest percentage of locations with at least one species above 0.44 ppm of mercury (11 out of 15, or 73%). The Central Coast (from Point Reyes south to Point Conception) had the second highest percentage (10 of 26, or 38%) while the South Coast (from Point Conception south to the Mexican border) had the lowest percentage of locations above 0.44 ppm of mercury (4 of 27, or 15%) (SWAMP 2012). All of the species with high concentrations of mercury were high-level predators, which can be explained through bioaccumulation of mercury up the food chain.

Mercury is released from ores, minerals and fossil fuels into the atmosphere where it can circulate through out the world and accumulate in living organisms in the water and on land. These releases are through natural events or during human activities. Among the largest sources of mercury emissions in the U.S. are coal power plants and mining operations (especially gold mining). A potentially growing source of mercury is disposable products such as compact fluorescent light bulbs and electronic devices, which both contain mercury. The mercury eventually leaks into the atmosphere when the products are crushed in a landfill.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were the only other contaminant detected in fish tissues at concentrations that pose potential health concerns to consumers of fish caught in coastal California waters. Far fewer locations fell into the high contamination category for PCBs (5 of 68, or 7%) than for methylmercury. PCBs have been banned in North America since the 1970s when they were widely used as insulation in electrical equipment, but they are still showing up in coastal California waters. PCBs are insoluble in water and not readily excreted by marine organisms; as a result they are often passed up the food chain. The results from the statewide survey will be used to prioritize coastal areas that are in need of cleanup or identify areas that need continued monitoring.

The Southern California coast may have had the lowest percentage of locations with high contamination of mercury, but a new study has recently found elevated levels of radioactivity in blue fin tuna off the coast of San Diego. This radiation is directly linked to the nuclear power plant disaster in Japan following the March 2011 earthquake. Blue fin tuna are a highly migratory fish traveling across the Pacific Ocean from Japan all the way to Southern California, but researchers were shocked to learn the fish were not able to flush out all of the contamination from their system during their journey across the ocean. This summer, researchers plan to repeat the study using a larger sample size to determine just how radioactivity may affect tuna populations. Scientists are also interested in tracking other migratory species for contamination such as sharks, sea turtles and seabirds.

Tags: mercury pollution

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Commercial Fishery, Conservation

Sustainable fisheries

June 4, 2012

With our increased awareness of the impact we can have on the world, the drive for a sustainable future becomes even stronger. Over the past few decades there has been growing concern about the availability of natural resources and it is the consumer who is responsible for influencing the revolution. There is now an overwhelming demand for products that have been certified as sustainably harvested and fishing industries around world are feeling the pressure. The increased demand has resulted in many fisheries taking it upon themselves to become certified.

A wide range of different groups govern the way that ocean fisheries are managed and all are working toward the same goal of ensuring that the fish we consume are there for generations to come. Given these differing management approaches, it can be difficult to determine which standards are applied to which fisheries. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is a group that has filled this gap by creating a standard for what they consider a “sustainable” fishery. MSC is a non-profit group that was started in 1996 by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Unilever with the goal of changing the way fish are caught, marketed, and bought. Today there are 105 fisheries around the world that have been certified as sustainable to MSC standards, which include 56 different species such as sardines, lobster, swordfish and crab. The fisheries are both large, for example the certification of five species of Alaskan Salmon, and small, like the fishery for Lyrate hard clams in the Ben Tre Province of Vietnam. It is important to distinguish that this doesn’t mean that every sardine, lobster, swordfish, or crab caught has been certified sustainable. If you want to be certain you are purchasing something MSC certified, it is your responsibility to make sure that the fish you buy has the label.

In order to obtain a sustainable fishery label from the MSC the fishery must first pass a rigorous seven-step assessment conducted by a qualified certifier. The average time that it takes to conduct the assessment is 18 months, but it can vary based on how much information is already available on the fish stocks and how much more research is needed to conduct a proper study for determining if the fishery is sustainable. A pre-assessment can help inform the fishery regarding how close they are to meeting the standards and to identify any potential issues with the fishery performance before jumping into a full-scale assessment. The three main principles that are assessed by the MSC for determining certification are;

the fishery’s ability to maintain a sustainable fish population,
whether or not the fishery is damaging the ecosystem in which it depends on,
and that it is managed in a way that complies with all local, national, and international laws.

Once the fishery meets the MSC standards, the certificate of sustainability will be valid for five years, as long as the fishery continues to pass a yearly review to verify that it is meeting the standards. At the end of the five-year period, another full assessment of the fishery will be conducted.

In 16 years our cultural awareness of the adverse effects we have had on world fisheries, and the collective efforts made by the Marine Stewardship Council and other similar sustainable seafood organizations, have significantly influenced the way the fisheries are managed today. As of 2011, roughly 6% of all wild caught seafood has been certified by MSC’s standard and with your help that number could continue to rise. If society makes a collective effort to buy sustainable seafood then the world’s fisheries will continue to see the benefits and make the efforts to move towards sustainable fishing.

Tags: sustainable fisheries

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Commercial Fishery

Will history repeat for the halibut?

April 25, 2012

Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) and Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) are two very similar species residing on opposite shores of North America. Atlantic stocks have a long history of commercial fishing, but the decades of heavy fishing have severely degraded the stocks. During the early part of the 1900s the Gulf of Maine-Georges Bank region annually landed an average of 144 million tons of Atlantic halibut, but landings decreased to less than 20 million tons by 2000. The National Marine Fisheries Service listed the Atlantic halibut as a species of concern and they are “red-listed” by the Seafood Watch Program managed by Blue Ocean Institute and Monterey Bay Aquarium.

The Pacific halibut fishery is managed by the International Pacific Halibut Commission, which was formed in the early 1920s when it was already becoming clear that the species was at risk of being overfished. The commission today caps the catch at 20 percent of the population, sets limits for size, gear type, season and puts fishermen in a catch share pool, eliminating the need to fish competitively. Pacific halibut fishers have seen reduced catch quotas over the past two decades and many are pointing their fingers at the amount of by-catch (4.4 million pounds) allowed by groundfish trawlers. Not only are there less fish available, but the average size of fish has been decreasing too. There is some debate as to the cause of the declining size of Pacific halibut, and potential causes include selective pressure on size due to harvest and food competition by arrowtooth flounder. Although there is no easy answer for what is causing the reduced size of Pacific halibut, fisheries managers are determined to not let history repeat itself.

Tags: Atlantic halibut, Pacific halibut

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Commercial Fishery, Other Fish Species

Bluefin tuna becoming a rare delicacy

January 23, 2012

Bluefin tuna are prized for their flesh in Japanese markets and are used for making popular foods such as sushi and sashimi. In some Tokyo fish markets it is common for bluefin prices to range in the vicinity of $2,000 to $20,000 USD, but on January 5, 2012 at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo one bluefin tuna shocked the world by selling for a record $736,000 USD, breaking last years record of $396,000. An increase in the price of toro (belly fat portion of the fish) has prompted many in the fishing industry to cash in, resulting in the overfishing of bluefin and many other tuna stocks. The bluefin is a relatively long-lived fish and does not reach maturity until around five years old. Often bluefin are captured before reaching an age at which they are able to reproduce.

The Pacific bluefin tuna (the same tuna species that sold for a record amount in Japan) is considered to be fully exploited by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but has been classified as a species of least concern. The most recent Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) conducted by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) estimates that the Pacific bluefin have fallen between 40% and 60% of the historic population. Today most of the bluefin fishing that occurs in the eastern Pacific is done in the form of tuna ranching in Mexican waters. Tuna ranching is a method of fattening the fish by herding them into a net and feeding them for several months until they are ready to take to the market. This method is not considered to be a sustainable solution because every pound of tuna that is processed requires 20 or more pounds of other fish for food (Trenor 2008). The majority of the Pacific Bluefin catch comes from the northern Pacific and waters around Japan using methods such as purse seines, trolling, longlines and set nets. As the equipment used for commercial fishing continues to evolve, there will be an increase in the fishing pressure posed by illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing (IUU) on tuna populations around the world. One study estimated that approximately $4 billion in revenue was created in black market bluefin between 1998 and 2007. It will become increasingly important to monitor the trends in the population in order to make proper management decisions, and more emphasis needs to be placed on reducing IUU fishing in order for management strategies to be effective.

The most recent Status of Stocks Report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) states that all bluefin tuna are at a risk of being over exploited and many, like the Southern bluefin tuna, have already been depleted due to overfishing. Yet in May of 2011, NOAA declined to protect the western Atlantic population of bluefin tuna under the Endangered Species Act. If the bluefin stocks are going to rebound, commercial fisheries are going to have to make greater cuts and international agencies must crack down on IUU fishing.

Tags: Tuna

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Angling, Commercial Fishery, Marine, Other Fish Species

Baitfish

June 25, 2010

fish-skeleton

Baitfish are known as a large group of fish whose claim to fame is that they provide an important food source for other fish. There are at least 50 species of baitfish worldwide that include herring, shad, anchovy, and sardine. Many species are harvested for a variety of products such as fishmeal, oil, pet food, fertilizer, and of course bait.

The Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax), partially displayed in this photo, is a small schooling fish that at times has been the most abundant fish species in the California current, spanning from the tip of Baja California to southeastern Alaska, and was once the largest fishery in North America. Peak landings of 664,000 MT occurred in 1936 and fell to less than 10,000 MT by 1965. The population did not begin noticeably increasing until about 1980, and, according to information available through 2008, had been growing at about 30% per year for the previous 15 years. This recent population growth led to an increase in the sardine fishery off of California and Mexico. Live sardines are often used as bait for marine fishing along the Pacific Coast and frozen sardines are used by anglers seeking to catch trophy striped bass in inland waters.

Photo source: FISHBIO

Tags: bait, Pacific sardine, Sardinops sagax

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Commercial Fishery, Marine

Signs of change

April 5, 2010

signs

Last week California commercial salmon fishermen rallied at the Salmon Summit (see video) in San Francisco, an event organized to bring attention to the precariousness of salmon populations and commercial fishermen. Commercial salmon fishermen have suffered considerably in the last few years, since poor ocean conditions led to extremely low salmon returns to California tributaries, and resulted in the closure of commercial salmon fishing in 2008 and 2009. The Pacific Fisheries Management Council is expected to announce whether or not there is going to be a commercial fishing season in 2010, when they meet April 10-15 in Portland. Even if there is a 2010 commercial salmon season, all signs point to continued challenges for salmon, and fishermen, in coming years.

Photo source: FISHBIO

Tags: commercial salmon fishing regulations, Pacific Fisheries Management Council

The seafood bait and switch

The latest tuna fad

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing

Still in the red, but snapper on the rise

Are your fish safe to eat?

Sustainable fisheries

Will history repeat for the halibut?

Bluefin tuna becoming a rare delicacy

Baitfish

Signs of change

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