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Fish Behaviour in Relation To; Fishing Operations

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Fish Behaviour in Relation To; Fishing Operations ICES mar. Sei. Symp., 196: 211-215. 1993 Management implications of changes in by-catch rates of Pacific halibut and crab species caused by diel behaviour of groundfish in the Bering Sea Sara A. Adlerstein and Robert J. Trumble Adlerstein, S. A ., and Trumble, R. J. 1993. Management implications of changes in by-catch rates of Pacific halibut and crab species caused by diel behaviour of groundfish in the Bering Sea. - ICES mar. Sei. Symp., 196: 211-215. This study compares day and night by-catch rates of prohibited species (ratio of prohibited species to groundfish catch) in US domestic bottom-trawl fisheries for Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) and walleye pollock ( Theragra chalcogramma) in the Bering Sea to identify management options to reduce by-catch. Bottom trawl fisheries in the Bering Sea cause significant by-catch mortality of Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) and other prohibited species such as king crab (Paralithodes camtschatica) and Tanner crabs (Chionoecetes spp.) By-catch rates are higher during night hours than during the day. We propose that by-catch differences are caused by diel vertical migration and other behavioural characteristics of the species that result in fluctuations of their relative abundance near the seabed between the two time periods. Avoiding night bottom fishing in the Pacific cod and walleye pollock fisheries may permit by-catch rate reduction. Fishing exclusively during day hours could produce total savings from 13 to 16% of the observed by-catch of halibut, king crab, and T anner crabs. Sara A. Adlerstein and Robert J. Trumble: International Pacific Halibut Commission, PO Box 95009 Seattle WA 98145-2009, USA. Introduction during the night (Beamish. 1966; Turuk, 1973). The goal of this study is to investigate the reported day and night By-catch of prohibited species such as Pacific halibut differences in by-catch rates and to understand the (Hippoglossus stenolepis), king crab (Paralithodes behavioural processes of the various species involved in camtschatica), and Tanner crabs (Chionoecetes spp.) in the fishery to use this information for management the Bering Sea causes tremendous losses, both in purposes. Our approach was statistically to compare groundfish and in prohibited species fisheries. Manage­ fishery data, and to complement the results with biologi­ ment regulations for by-catch in the region set quotas for cal information on the species’ behaviour. prohibited species (tonnes of halibut and number of crabs) in the various groundfish fisheries and require prompt discard of the by-catch to the ocean. By-catch Material and methods quotas are often reached before the groundfish quotas are taken, and these fisheries are closed before their Pacific halibut and crab species by-catch rates vary with allowances are harvested. Among the bottom trawl the composition of the groundfish species in the catch fisheries in the region, catches with high proportion of (i.e. walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma), Pacific Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) experience high hali­ cod, yellowfin sole (Limanda aspera), rock sole (Lepi- but by-catch rates. Fishermen have reported that higher dopsetta bilineata) and other flatfish) (Berger et al., by-catch rates occur during night hours than during the 1989; Clark, 1990; Adlerstein, 1991). This analysis in­ day. Variation in these rates is most probably related to vestigates whether by-catch rates in the Pacific cod and the diel vertical migration of Pacific cod. Cod species, walleye pollock fisheries vary from day to night after usually found in close association with the seabed during accounting for systematic changes in species compo­ day hours, have been reported to migrate to the surface sition in the catch. The study uses data from individual 211 bottom trawl hauls from the 1990 domestic operations in (Adlerstein, 1991). Yellowfin sole, another important the western region of Area 511 in the Eastern Bering Sea component of the overall catch, was not included as (Fig. 1). Pacific cod is part of several bottom-trawl covariate because it was not part of the domestic fish­ multispecies fisheries and is an important component of eries in 1990. Month was used as a fixed factor because the total catch of Pacific cod and walleye pollock fish­ by-catch of halibut and crab species experiences tem­ eries. Fishing operated in the area from January to May. poral variations (Adlerstein, 1991). Pacific cod is also caught by trawls in Areas 513, 517, Data were subjected to the model Y ij = /u + a t + ßj + 519, 521, and 522, but we selected Area 511 because of a ß jj + bljjXl + b2jjX2 where Y is the natural logarithm data availability. Data were provided by the National of the prohibited species by-catch rate + 1 (in kilograms Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Seattle, and are from of halibut or number of crabs per tonne of groundfish) a haul by haul database collected by observers in the for the ith month and the jth time periods, XI and X2 are North Pacific and Bering Sea (NORPAC) generated by the proportions of Pacific cod and rock sole in the catch, a mandatory observer programme. Records contain the and a and ß are model intercept parameters for the weight, numbers, and length frequencies of Pacific hali­ month and time period modifying the overall mean [â. but, number of crabs, total catch weight, and weight by The logarithmic transformation of the by-catch data groundfish species. Records also contain information normalized the distribution of the errors. We fitted the about trawl operations such as gear type, date, location, full model and tested for differences in the model slopes and time of set and retrieval of the nets. Day hauls are between month and time of the day periods as well as for those set and retrieved between sunrise and sunset, and differences between the means. Applying day param­ night hauls are those taken after evening twilight and eters of the model together with night catch proportions before morning twilight. Hauls extending from day to and comparing the results with estimates obtained from night periods were classified as transitional. night parameters, we were able to estimate monthly Comparison of day and night rates used an analysis of savings of prohibited species by-catch that would be covariance (ANCOVA) (Zar, 1984), where by-catch obtained if the night catches of fisheries under consider­ rates are a function of the catch composition. The ation were harvested during day hours. analysis used the Generalized Linear Interactive Model­ ling (GLIM) System (Royal Statistical Society 1987). The proportions of Pacific cod and rock sole in the catch Results were incorporated as covariates, and month (January to May) and time period of the day were included as fixed Comparison of the parameter estimates of the three time factors. Walleye pollock, an important component of categories (ß-,) in fitting the full by-catch model revealed the catch, was not included as a covariate because Pacific that by-catch rates of halibut and the crab species in the cod and pollock are collinearly related in these fisheries transition category were not significantly different from the night rates (halibut: p(|t| >: 0.816) > 0.2; king crab: p(|t| > 1.108) > 0.2; Tanner crab: p(|t| > 0.891) > 0.2). Thus, for further analysis we combined the transition 63" and night categories. Observed mean by-catch of the U.S. line combined data for the three prohibited species was Russian line higher during night hours (Fig. 2). Results of the ANCOVA using day and night-time categories showed 522 that three-way interactions between Pacific cod, month Disputed area and day/night periods were not significant at an a level of 0.05 (F4 i37d = 2.152; p = 0.072), nor between rock sole, 514 month and day/night periods (F4, 137() = 1.961; p = 521 0.098). Two-way interaction between Pacific cod and month was not significant (F4 i378 = 1.846; p = 0.118), 513 511 512 511 - 550 nor were the interactions between rock sole and month (F-t. 1378 = 1-653; p = 0.159), Pacific cod and day/night 522 517 period (F t, i378 = 2.729; p = 0.099), and rock sole and 55° day/night period (FL!378 = 2.575; p = 0.109). These 530 518 results allowed us to perform an ANCOVA (intercepts) 540 G u lf o f Alaska using common slopes (bl and b2) models. Results from 53“ the A N C O V A indicated that by-catch rates vary by time 175° 165” 160" of the day (p = 0.004), by month (p < 0.0005). and with Figure 1. Regulatory areas in the Bering Sea/Alcutian Islands. the proportion in the catch of Pacific cod (p < 0.0005) Data for the analysis were taken from the stippled area of Area and rock sole (p < 0.0005). The interaction between 511. month and time of the day was not significant (p > 0.25) 212 0.3- <D Q) <D C C c . C c c o o o O) 0 .2 - 0 0) cc 2 n 2 o S , 0.5 CD C c C * CO I- 100i 40i King crab C/) CD O) c 3 0 o Total catch LU LU 3 3 UJ CL Q_ O g 20 O O 3 C/3 -Q £} eo CO X O Tanrter crab Pacific cod O Figure 2. Observed mean by-catch rates of the prohibited specics, and catch per hour of groundfish and prohibited species in Area 511, 1990. (Table 1). A Filliben test (Filliben, 1975) performed on Table 1. Results of analysis of covariance of the by-catch rate the ordered model residuals indicated no evidence (Y) of Pacific halibut for the cffect of month (January to April), and time of the day (night and day) accounting for the against assuming normal distribution of the errors (Filli­ proportion of Pacific cod (XI) and rock sole (X2).
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