Estimation of Biomass, Production and Fishery Potential of Ommastrephid Squids in the World Ocean and Problems of Their Fishery Forecasting
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ICES CM 2004 / CC: 06 ESTIMATION OF BIOMASS, PRODUCTION AND FISHERY POTENTIAL OF OMMASTREPHID SQUIDS IN THE WORLD OCEAN AND PROBLEMS OF THEIR FISHERY FORECASTING Ch. M. Nigmatullin Atlantic Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (AtlantNIRO), Dm. Donskoj Str. 5, Kaliningrad, 236000 Russia [tel. +0112-225885, fax + 0112-219997, e-mail: [email protected]] ABSTRACT 21 species of the nektonic squids family Ommastrephidae inhabits almost the entire waters of the World Ocean. It is the most commercial important group among cephalopods. Straight and expert evaluations of biomass were carried out for each species. In all ommastrephids the total instantaneous biomass is ~55 million t on average and total yearly production is ~ 400 million t (production/biomass coefficient - P/B = 5 in inshore species and 8 - in oceanic ones). Now there are 12-fished species, mainly 8 inshore ones. In 1984-2001 the yearly world catch of ommastrephids was about 1.5-2.2 million t (=50-65% of total cephalopod catch). The feasible ommastrephids fishery potential is ~ 6-9 million t including 4-7 million t of oceanic species. Thus ommastrephids are one of the most important resources for increasing high-quality food protein catch in the World Ocean. At the same time there are serious economical and technical difficulties to develop oceanic resources fishery, especially for Ommastrephes and Sthenoteuthis. A general obstacle in the real fishery operations and fishery forecasting for ommastrephids is their r-strategist ecological traits, related to monocyclia, short one-year life cycle, pelagic egg masses, paralarvae and fry, and accordingly high mortality rate during two last ontogenetic stages. So, the stock size 2 dynamics and distribution are associated with environmental variability. In this context the problem of fisheries forecasting has special significance. These problems of forecasting for short (< 0.5 month), medium (0.5-12 months) and long (> one year) terms are briefly described on the examples of results of Soviet/Russian investigations. Key words: ommastrephid squids, World Ocean, biomass, production, ecological traits, fishery forecasting INTRODUCTION Ommastrephid squids are the most abundant, widely distributed and ecologically active group of cephalopods. In cephalopods fishery their current and future role is extremely important. During the latest three decades the proportion of these squids in the world catch of cephalopods has been permanently amounted to more than a half (FAO, 2003). The future increase of cephalopods catch is primarily connected to this group of squids also. Until now no attempts of complex estimation of the total biomass, production and fishery potentials of cephalopods have been actually made. At the same time these estimates are necessary for assessment of cephalopods fishery development prospects and their role in the World Ocean ecosystem. At present this is especially actually, since neither apparent resources of marine objects fishery increase in the World Ocean are available on the basis of fishery intensification on already exploited stocks (Moiseev, 1989; FAO Mar. Res., 1997). The purpose of this report is to estimate in the first approximation the scale of biomass, production, potential catch and ecosystem role of inshore (Table 1, No 1-15) and oceanic (Table 1, No 16-21) representatives of ommastrephid squid on the basis of own observations and literature data. MATERIAL AND METHODS 3 Biomass of common oceanic squids (Table 1, No 16-19) has been estimated primarily on the basis of mass direct visual observations and counts, and obtained density values (kg/km2) were extrapolated to poorly researched areas (reviews: Zuev et al., 1985, 2004; Nesis, 1985; Nigmatullin et al., 1991). Data for several inshore species (Table 1, No 1-7, 10, 13) were obtained from the literature (review: Nesis, 1985) and mainly from own estimates of biomass in the areas with high abundance on the basis of the trawling surveys data and commercial statistics. Biomass estimates of other species are based on trawl catch data extrapolation taking into account quantitative distribution peculiarities. Therefore, estimates of most non-commercial species are mainly of expert nature and only approximate. All ommastrephids are monocyclic typical r-strategists with one-year life cycle. They are characterized with considerable long-term fluctuations of abundance (by the order of magnitude or more). Where possible, the minimum and maximum estimates of the species biomass are presented. As a matter of fact the actual biomass fluctuations are much wider. Biomass values obtained in this work are close to the mean in the common situations. The annual production values were estimated on the basis of production/biomass (Р/В) coefficient equal to 5 in inshore (Nesis, 1985) and 8 in oceanic species (Laptikhovsky, 1995). To estimate food consumption the minimum diurnal ration of adult nektonic ommastrephids (5% of the body weight) was used (Zuev et al., 1985, 2004; O’Dor & Wells, 1987). All calculations were based on the squid specimens above 8-12 cm in mantle length. The usual mantle length of most squid species is 15-40 сm, and the maximum length is up to 60-90 сm. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Total stock size and annual production The extended distribution area of ommastrephids covers the most part of the World Ocean from Sub-Arctic to Sub-Antarctic, including waters of the shelf, slope and 4 open ocean from the surface to the depths of 1000-2000 m. Almost all species, particularly the oceanic ones, are abundant and widely distributed. Therefore, the obtained estimates of ommastrephids biomass and production (Tables 1, 2) are maximum for large mass abundant oceanic species. The minimum and maximum biomass values for given species of inshore squids differ by a factor of 2, those of oceanic by 1.3 and common – by 1.5 (Table 2). Dynamic of numbers of the most abundant ommastrephids in different ocean areas occur mainly in the opposite phase; therefore maximum values of summarized estimates (Table 2) seem unrealistic. Apparently, the following intermediate values are more realistic: total biomass ~55 million t, production ~400 million t, food consumption ~1 000 million t. Table 1. Approximate values of instantaneous biomass (IB) of ommastrephids squid, in million tons No Species IB No. Species IB 1 Illex illecebrosus 1-3 15 Ornithoteuthis volatilis 1.0 2 Illex coindetii 1-2 16 Dosidicus gigas 8-10 3 Illex argentinus 2-5 17 Ommastrephes bartramii 10-13.5 4 Todaropsis eblanae 1-2 North Pacific 3-3.5 5 Todarodes pacificus 2-5 North Atlantic 2-2.5 6 Todarodes sagittatus 1-2 South Pacific 2-2.5 7 Todarodes angolensis 0.5 Indian Ocean 1-1.5 8 Todarodes filippovae 0.5 South Atlantic 2-3.5 9 Todarodes sp. (Southeastern 0.5 18 Sthenoteuthis pteropus 4.2-6.5 Pacific) 10 Nototodarus sloanii 1-1.5 19 Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis 8-11.2 11 Nototodarus gouldi 0.5-1 Indian Ocean 3-4.2 12 Nototodarus hawaiiensis 0.5 Pacific Ocean 5-7 13 Martialia hyadesi 1-3 20 Eucleoteuthis luminosa 0.5 14 Ornithoteuthis antillarum 0.5 21 Hyaloteuthis pelagica 0.3 5 Table 2. Approximate values of instantaneous biomass (IB), annual production and annual food consumption (by daily feeding rate = 5% BW) of ommastrephids squid, in million tons Ecological group IB P/B- Annual Annual food coefficient production consumption Inshore (species No 1-15) 14-28 5 70-140 255-511 Oceanic (species No 16-21) 31-42 8 248-336 565-766 Total 45-70 - 318-476 820-1277 The general remarks on ecosystem role The total annual food consumption by cephalopods is estimated as 2 000-4 000 million t (Rodhouse, Nigmatullin, 1996), while its share consumed by ommastrephids constitutes 25-50% (Table 2). Taking in account the high rate of general metabolism, daily consumption rate (6-12% of the body weight of adult squids) and the rate of somatic and generative growth of ommastrephids (O’Dor, Wells, 1987; Zuyev et al., 2002) the above considerations are quite realistic. From the point of view of the progressive consumers evolution criterion by V.I. Vernadsky – E.S. Bauer, which is determined by the rate and the scale of matter and energy transformation per time unit by animals, they are the leaders among nektonic animals in the rate and scale of matter and energy transformation and biogenic migration of chemical elements. In the absence of squids, the rate of matter and energy flows in ecosystems slows down. Owing to the unique combination of such parameters as high abundance, biomass, production, food consumption, total and active metabolism, short life cycle and highly diversified trophic relations, ommastrephids play the role of “accelerators” of the biogeocenological processes, they are some kind of specific “ecosystem enzymes” (Nigmatullin, 2000). 6 During the life cycle, with a body size increase, most ommastrephids “permeate” the trophic pyramid, consecutively transferring from consumers of II-III orders to consumers of IV-VI orders and respectively changing the spectrum of their food organisms, enemies and parasites. In some oceanic communities adult ommastrephids are actually top predators. They are characterized by long daily vertical (hundreds meters) and ontogenetic horizontal migrations both parallel (up to 1000-1500 miles) and perpendicular (bathymetric migrations) to the coast line. During these migrations squids crossed the boundaries of various climatic zones and ecosystems. Owing to the above considerations ommastrephids have the role of one of the most important elements in the “rigid framework” of high mobile predators, that has integrated the local ecosystems into the ecosystems of the higher rank, and finally into the whole ecosystem of the World Ocean, being at the same time the important element of the Ocean’s homeostasis mechanism. Total fishery potential In 1990-2001 the world catch of cephalopods amounted to 2.4-3.4 million t, while ommastrephid catch was 1.5-2.2 million t, or 50-65% of the total catch (FAO, 2003).