Shifts in a Pacific Ocean Fish Assemblage: the Potential Influence of Exploitation

As in many regions of the world, marine fishes and invertebrates along the Pacific coast of the United States have long been subjected to overexploitation. Despite this history, however, we lack basic information on the current status of many fishes along this coastline. We used data from a quarter...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Conservation biology 2006-08, Vol.20 (4), p.1181-1190
Main Authors: LEVIN, PHILLIP S., HOLMES, ELIZABETH E., PINER, KEVIN R., HARVEY, CHRIS J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agnatha. Pisces
Animal populations
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Applied ecology
Biodiversity
Biological and medical sciences
Biological taxonomies
Body Size
body size spectrum
Cambio de fase
Coasts
conservación marina
Conservation biology
Conservation of Natural Resources
Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife
Ecological life histories
Environmental impact
espectro de tamaño corporal
Fish
fisheries
Fisheries - legislation & jurisprudence
Fisheries management
Fishes - anatomy & histology
Fishes - classification
Fishes - physiology
Fishing
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Marine
marine conservation
Marine fishes
Ocean fisheries
overfishing
Pacific Ocean
Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking
pesquerías
pez piedra
phase shift
Population Density
Rockfish
Sebastes
sobrepesca
Species
Taxa
United States
Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution
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Summary:As in many regions of the world, marine fishes and invertebrates along the Pacific coast of the United States have long been subjected to overexploitation. Despite this history, however, we lack basic information on the current status of many fishes along this coastline. We used data from a quarter century of fishery-independent, coast-wide trawl surveys to study systematically the demersal fish assemblages along the U.S. Pacific coast. We documented fundamental shifts in this fish assemblage. Average fish size, across a diversity of species, has declined 45% in 21 years. There have been major shifts in the constituent species of the assemblage, with some species achieving annual population growth rates of > 10% and others declining in excess of 10% per year. Annual rate of change in population size appeared to be a function of life history interacting with fishing pressure. Negative trends in population size were particularly apparent in rockfish (Sebastes spp.). However, across all taxa examined, trends in population size were associated with size of maturity, maximum size, and growth rate. Trends in population size were associated inversely with harvest levels, but stocks that mature late tended to decline faster than would be predicted by catch rates alone. Our results are disquieting because they raise the possibility that fishing-induced phase shifts in fish communities may affect the recovery of fishes, even after the implementation of severe fishing restrictions.
ISSN:0888-8892
1523-1739
DOI:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2006.00400.x