FROM MARINE SCIENCE TO SERVICES:MESOPELAGIC FISH

ByJanet Cotzee (DAFF, S. Africa) &Åsmund Bjordal (IMR, Norway)

SANOCEANOceans seminar, Cape town 01.11.2018

GROWING HUMAN POPULATION:Need for more seafood, marine oils and proteins

• SOLUTIONS:• Rebuild and sustainably manage overfished/depleted stocks• Utilize offals and discards – instead of throwing back to the sea• Harvest lower in the food chain (plankton, krill……)• MESOPELAGIC FISH (LANTERNFISH)

What is the mesopelagic zone?

• Defined as depths where light is too low for net primary production, but still present at detectable levels

• In practical terms: 200 m - 1000 m depth

Lantern fish: what is it good for?

• Lantern fish = ”mesopelagic fish” – a mix of species

• Global distribution; surface to 300/800m depth

• Distinct concentrations at depth during day – scattered

distribution closer to surface during night

• This resource is scarcely exploited anywhere

• Lantern fish in Omani waters: probably the most studied

• WHY not regular fishery or exploitation yet ???

Overview, scientific surveys & fishing trials, Oman

Year Vessel Biomass/ av catch/max catch per hour(tons)

1959-65 Anton Brun Biological studies

1975-81 + 83 Dr. F. Nansen 8-20 mill / 4 /100

1989-90 Jen Bang San 2. 2 mill/16 / 50 (per 24hr)

1989-90 Rastrelliger 4 mill/

1991 Voyager K(Libas)

------/ 30/ 100 (per hour)

1993-94 Ferdows 1 2,3 mill/

1996 Oman Pride -----/ 5 / ---- (per hour); Ribbon fishproblem

2007-08 NZ-vessel 1,2 mill – 4 mill (comparable to Rastrelliger)/

R/V Dr. Fridtjof Nansen (1)

Recognizing sampling problems is main reason for increased biomass estimates

Global estimate 1 billion tons

MESOPELAGIC INITIATIVE

GOALTo understand the ecology, develop a management system and build a sustainablevalue chain based on harvest of marine mesopelgaic resources

Coordinator: Bjørn Erik AxelsenProject leader: Webjørn Melle

Mesopelagic surveyR/V “G. O. Sars”4.-24. june 2018

Survey/fishing trials,Trawler “Birkeland”2016-2018.

So far no significant catches

THANK YOU !

Thanks to colleagues W. Melle and B.E Axelsen for providing slides

Lantern fish off South Africa

Lampanyctodes hectoris

Trawl experiment

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

CAT

CH

(TO

NS)

Lantern fish catches by pelagic purse-seine fleet

Small pelagic trawl experiment

• DAFF experimental trawl fishery for anchovy and redeye round herring 2009/2010

• 2 Rights holders; most success with lanternfish• Since 2017 targeting of lanternfish FV Paraclete (Exemption)• Plans for establishment of new fishery and rights allocation in

2020

Recent catch rates (October 2018)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

0

20

40

60

80

100

1207:

07

7:10

7:31

8:40

9:02

10:1

8

10:4

0

11:2

5

11:4

2

14:1

0

14:1

5

14:2

0

15:4

6

16:1

0

17:1

1

17:2

9

CAT

CH

RAT

E (T

ON

S/H

OU

R)

CAT

CH

PER

HAU

L (T

ON

S)

Catch per haulCatch rate

Lantern fish distribution2017

CapeAgulhas

Cape Town

Lambert's Bay

Hondeklip Bay

2016

CapeAgulhas

Cape Town

Lambert's Bay

Hondeklip Bay

2015

2

CapeAgulhas

Cape Town

Lambert's Bay

Hondeklip Bay

2014

CapeAgulhas

Cape Town

Lambert's Bay

Hondeklip Bay

2013

CapeAgulhas

Cape Town

Lambert's Bay

Hondeklip Bay

Lantern fish density (g.m-2

)

Lantern fish biomass/management

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Biom

ass

(thou

sand

tons

)

50 000t PUCL

IFFO GLOBAL STANDARD FOR

RESPONSIBLE SUPPLY OF FISHMEAL AND

FISH OIL

Thank-you!