River Herring Bycatch Avoidance in Small Mesh

Fisheries

Kevin Stokesbury: Principle Investigator

Daniel Goergianna: Principle Investigator

Dave Bethoney:Study Lead/PhD candidate

Sustainable Fisheries Coalition

Mike Armstrong: Principle InvestigatorBill Hoffman: Port sampling coordinatorBrad Schondelmeier: Field Coordinator

Peter Moore: Principle Investigator

Population Decline

ASMFC (2009)

Population Decline

Past overfishingSpawning Habitat Loss

Pollution↑Predator Populations

Environmental factorsIncidental catch at sea

Project Objectives1. Expand port sampling program (MA DMF)

• From 15% to 50%

2. Reduce river herring bycatch: • Real-time fleet communication system (MA

DMF/SMAST)

3. Environmental predictors of river herring bycatch/abundance (SMAST)

Port Sampling• Sampling scheme

– Systematic sampling– Whole boat samples

• Mid-water trawl (MA)– 2010 -2012: ~59%

• RI SMBT– 4 boats: ~50%– ~28% 2012 Area 2

Landings

River Herring Avoidance System

35 tows (of ≈350) > 2,000kg80% of bycatch by weight

Observed bycatchMid-Water trawls 2000-Sept2010

High: Alosa weight >1.25% of target species weightModerate: Between 1.25% and 0.2%Low: <0.2%

Communication approach

• Coded grids–Cells:≈5x8Nm–Distributed to

vessels

Avoidance Areas

Evaluation Metrics• Industry Support

– Collaboration– Movement

• Separation of target species and river herring–Patterns –Space/time

• Bycatch reduction

• Participation– 11 of 12 mid-water trawl vessels

• Consistent Communication– Phone calls/Emails/In person

• Captains, crew, or onshore managers– MA DMF trip log completion

• Movement patterns– Re-entry into high bycatch cells

• 1 of 9– Direction of effort

Industry Collaboration

Spatial, Temporal SeparationWinter 2012: RI SMBT

2/9

Spatial, Temporal SeparationWinter 2012: RI SMBT

2/9 to 2/15

Bycatch reduction• Grant objective: 50% reduction

– Acceptable range 44 to 380 mt• Bycatch Rates

• Reduced frequency of high bycatch events

Future Improvements• Integrate tow by tow at-sea-observer data

- Increase frequency decrease lag time, spatial scale

• Proactive program– Fall 2011– Depth > 40 fthm

• ↓ river herring• ≈ Atlantic herring

–Winter, ↑ SST• ↓ herring• ↑ mackerel

SST (7○C) and Catch: March 2008

Acknowledgements• Mid-water trawl vessels and crew

– F/Vs Western Venture, Osprey, Challenger, Endeavour, Dona Martita, Nordic Explorer, Retriever, Enterprise, Starlight, Sunlight, Jean McCausland, Isabella Taylor

• SFC on-shore members: Peter Moore, several others• RI vessels and crew

– F/Vs Sea Breeze Too, Ocean State, Heather Lynn, Darana R, Tiger Jo

• Port-samplers• Northeast Fisheries Observer Program• AIS Inc.• Fisheries Research• Funding:

– National Fish and Wildlife Foundation– Nature Conservancy

Discussion/Questions

1A 2012

• 10/22-24• 7 low• 1 moderate

Massachusetts MarineFisheries

• Industry Collaboration– ≈150 emails from vessels and onshore managers– 9 of 10 mid-water trawl vessels in fishery

• Other 4: 2 squid fishing, 2 inactive – 5 cells classified as high, 1 reentry-25% of

bycatch• Consistent bycatch patterns

– 3 events accounted for 75%– ≈80%: mid-February to mid-March– Eleven “low” cells reentered

• One changed directly to high • Eight remained low

Winter Information System: Evaluation

B.Hoffman

Nova Scotia separating Gulf of St.Lawrence and Bay of Fundy/Gulf of Maine

Dams from US/Canada Borderto Cape Cod limited reproductivepotential of native Shad populations: “null zone”

Southern range different reproductive strategy: start of semelparity

American ShadAlosa sapidissima

River Herring

Alewife (A. pseudoharengus)

Blueback (A. aestivalis)

Collective Action• Ostrom 2000• Collective action when members jointly benefit

(foundation of modern democratic thought)• Zero Contribution Thesis (Olson 1965)

– Self-interested people will not contribute to public – Unless: group small

• Face to face communication ↑ cooperation – Discuss strategy, extract promises, tongue-lashes

• Contextual framing matters• Evolution and Cooperation• Staying power of cooperation-not good when forced• Common pool resources better managed internally,

than externally

Reciprocity

• Fehr and Gachter 2000• Response to friendly or hostile actions

– Even if no material gains expected• Friendly actions

– Result in more than expected cooperation than self-interest models

Bycatch Caps• Abbott and Wilen – mixed flatfish and halibut• Under invest in avoidance

– Cost of avoidance: individual, Benefits: fleet wide (11 vessels, 5 pairs)

• ↑ cost of cooperation, ↑ free riders– High cooperation = little behavioral change?

• Mid-water fleet- share information, don’t think they catch at lot of alosines

• ↑ benefits of cooperation, ↑ free riders– Marginal gains

Ad 5 draft (472)

Why Participate w/o a cap?• Threat of regulation (Cap, Closed Areas)

– Can address problem w/o regulation– Participation, no regulation

• Public Opinion– Initiative to fish responsibly– Dispel false perceptions with improved data

• Ethics– Charters → SFC Code of Conduct– Wasting fish

• Economics/Fishing Efficiency– Plants

• Cleaner catch → faster offloads → lower initial costs – MWT

• Areas with ↑ RH, harder to find Atlantic herring• Ipswich Bay

– SMBT• Waste of time• Limited hold space• Formalizing what they already do

Slide by B.Hoffman

Slide by B.Hoffman

Reduce Predation• Confusion: Sensory overload• Morphological differences increase predation

risk

– Size

– Color

– Shape

Atlantic herring, Juvenile Shad, River herring: <30cm

35-46cm

50-70cm

Conserve Energy• Swimming efficiency

– Hydrodynamic studies– Optimal speeds

• Long distance migrations• Canoe Paddle vs. Torpedo

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Spatial, Temporal SeparationWinter 2011

Spatial, Temporal SeparationWinter 2011

Spatial, Temporal SeparationWinter 2011

Information System Results Winter 2011

4/1

75% of effort75% of target catch97% of alosine catch

25% of effort25% of target catch3% of alosine catch