The North Sea C. Crangon Fishery
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ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE NORTH SEA C. CRANGON FISHERY An inventory of its effects on the marine ecosystem Bachelor Thesis of Anne Doeksen August 2006 BSc Natural Resources Management Wageningen University Commissioned by the North Sea Foundation Supervisors: Paul van Zwieten, Wageningen University (Fisheries and aquaculture) Esther Luiten (North Sea Foundation) 1 CONTENT GENERAL INTRODUCTION 5 APPROACHES TO ASSESSING ECOSYSTEM EFFECTS OF FISHING 8 PART I THE NORTH SEA C.CRANGON FISHERY 13 1 THE NORTH SEA C. CRANGON FISHERY 15 1.1 North Sea C. crangon fisheries 15 1.1.1 Data collection and provision in the North Sea C. crangon fishery 16 1.1.2 North Sea C. crangon landings 16 1.1.3 Trends in effort and landings 17 1.1.4 C. crangon fishing: vessel, method and gear 19 1.2 Dutch C. crangon fisheries 22 1.2.1 Logbooks and data storage and accessibility of Dutch fleet 22 1.2.2 Dutch fishing waters and ports 22 1.2.3 Spatial effort distribution and trends 22 1.2.4 Spatial -seasonal fishing patterns 23 1.2.5 Fleet composition and characteristics and trends 24 1.2.6 Trends in landings and effort 25 1.3 German C. crangon fisheries 26 1.3.1 Logbooks and data storage and accessibility of the German fleet 26 1.3.2 German waters and ports 27 1.3.3 Spatial effort distribution and trends 27 1.3.4 Spatial -seasonal fishing patterns 27 1.3.5 Fleet composition and characteristics and trends 28 1.3.6 Trends in landings and effort 28 1.4 Danish C. crangon fisheries 29 1.4.1 Logbooks and data availability of Danish fleet 29 1.4.2 Danish waters and ports 29 1.4.3 Spatial effort distribution and trends 29 1.4.4 Spatial-seasonal fishing patterns 30 1.4.5 Fleet composition and characteristics and trends 30 1.4.6 Trends in landings and effort 30 1.5 Belgian C. crangon fisheries 31 1.5.1 Logbooks and data availability of Belgian fleet 31 1.5.2 Belgian fishing waters and ports 31 1.5.3 Spatial effort distribution and trends 32 1.5.4 Spatial-seasonal effort distribution 32 1.5.5 Fleet composition and characteristics and trends 33 1.5.6 Trends in landings and effort 33 1.6 UK C. crangon fisheries 34 1.6.1 Logbooks and data availability of UK fleet 34 1.6.2 UK fishing waters and ports 34 1.6.3 Spatial effort distribution and trends 34 1 1.6.4 Spatial-seasonal fishing patterns 35 1.6.5 Fleet composition and characteristics and trends 35 1.6.6 Landings and effort trends 35 1.7 Reflections and insights 36 1.7.1 Summary of the main fishery characteristics and trends 36 1.7.2 Management implications; fisheries intervention and management measures 37 1.7.3 Improving fisheries statistics 38 PART II DIRECT AND INDIRECT EFFECTS OFEXTRACTIONS AND DISCARDING 39 2 BY-CATCHES AND DISCARDING IN C. CRANGON FISHERIES 41 2.1 Gear efficiency and selectivity and resulting by-catch 41 2.1.1 Standard shrimp trawl and gear selectivity 42 2.1.2 Sieve nets and gear selectivity 44 2.1.3 Trawl efficiency and variability in catch composition and size 45 2.2 By-catch and discard assessment for the EU C. crangon fleet 46 2.2.1 RESCUE; an EU effort to assess by-catches in C. crangon fisheries 46 2.2.2 By-catch sampling in German waters 47 2.3 By-catch composition and quantification in North Sea C. crangon fisheries 47 2.3.1 By-catches and discarding in German fisheries 47 2.3.2 By-catches and discarding in Danish fisheries 49 2.3.3 By-catches and discarding in Belgian fisheries 50 2.3.4 By-catches and discarding in UK fisheries 52 2.3.5 Quantification of total by-catches and discarding in North Sea C. crangon fleet 53 2.3.6 Main observations with respect to by-catches and discarding in C. crangon fisheries 58 2.4 Assessment and quantification of discard mortality 59 2.5 Reflections and insights 65 2.5.1 Summary of discarding practices and by-catch assessment in C. crangon fisheries 65 2.5.2 Management implications; intervention in fisheries and management measures 65 2.5.3 Improving by-catch assessment in North Sea C. crangon fisheries 66 3 DIRECT EFFECTS ON THE POPULATION OF THE TARGET-SPECIES 67 3.1 Data coverage and quality and impact assessment 67 3.2 Impact assessment of the C. crangon fishery on C. crangon populations 68 3.2.1 Effects of fishing mortality on C. crangon abundance 68 3.2.2 Effects of fishing mortality on seasonal C. crangon abundance 69 3.2.3 Effects of fishing mortality on population structure 70 3.3 Reflections and insights 70 3.3.1 Summarizing the effects of the C. crangon fishery on C. crangon populations 70 3.3.2 Management implication: fisheries intervention and management measures 71 3.3.3 Improving impact assessment in C. crangon fisheries 71 4 DIRECT EFFECTS ON POPULATIONS OF NON-TARGET SPECIES 73 4.1 Data coverage and quality and impact assessment 73 2 4.2 Effects on populations of non-target species 73 4.2.1 Fish-surveys and species abundance 73 4.2.2 Effects fishing mortality on year-class strength in 0-group Plaice and Sole 73 4.2.3 Effects of fishing mortality on population biomass for Plaice, Sole, Cod and Whiting 74 4.3 Reflections and insights 75 4.3.1 Summarizing the effects of the C. crangon fishery on populations of non-target species 75 4.3.2 Management implication: fisheries intervention and management measures 75 4.3.3 Improving impact assessment in C. crangon fisheries 76 5 INDIRECT EFFECTS ON POPULATIONS THROUGH SPECIES INTERACTIONS 77 5.1 Indirect effect of C. crangon mortality on populations of interdependent species 77 5.2 Indirect effect of discarding on populations of interdependent species 77 5.2.1 Effects on bird populations 77 5.2.2 Effects on benthic and pelagic populations 78 5.3 Reflections and insights 79 5.3.1 Summarizing the indirect effects of C. crangon fishing on populations 79 5.3.2 Management implication: fisheries intervention and management measures 79 5.3.3 Improving assessment of indirect population effects of C. crangon fisheries. 79 PART III DIRECT AND INDIRECT EFFECTS OF MECHANICAL DISTURBANCE OF THE SEA-BED AND ASSOCIATED SPECIES 81 6 ASSESSING IMPACTS OF MECHANICAL DISTURBANCE ON BENTHIC HABITATS AND ASSEMBLAGES 83 6.1 Impact assessment and spatial and temporal effort distribution patterns 83 6.2 Natural diversity and stratification of effects of trawling in the North Sea 84 6.3 Reflections and insights 85 6.3.1 Summarizing impact assessment of mechanical disturbance on benthic habitats and assemblages. 85 6.3.2 Management implications: fisheries intervention and management measures 85 6.3.3 Improving assessment of the effects of trawling on benthic communities and habitats 85 7 TEMPORAL AND PROLONGED HABITAT DISTURBANCE 87 7.1 Physical pressure exerted by the gear and gear-bottom interaction 87 7.2 Mechanical disturbance of substrata and habitat destruction 88 7.2.1 Mechanical disturbance of sedimentary habitat structure 89 7.2.2 Mechanical disturbance of biogenic habitat structures 89 7.2.3 Mechanical disturbance of biological habitat structures 91 7.4 Habitat destruction and effects on populations of associate species 93 7.5 Reflections and insights 93 7.5.1 Summarising trawl-bottom interaction and the effects of temporal and prolonged habitat disturbance 93 7.5.2 Management implication: fisheries intervention and management measures 95 7.5.3 Achieving a better understanding of the disturbing impacts of trawling on substrata 95 3 8 DIRECT TRAWLING MORTALITY AND EFFECTS ON BENTHIC POPULATIONS 97 8.1 Ways to die and differential effects of trawling on benthic species 97 8.2 Trawling-induced mortality and effects on populations of endobenthic fauna 97 8.3 Trawling-induced mortality and population effects epibenthic species 98 8.4 Reflections and insights 99 8.4.1 Summarizing the effects of trawling mortality on populations of benthic species 99 8.4.2 Management implications; fisheries intervention and management measures 100 8.4.3 Improving assessment of effects on populations 100 9 CHRONIC CHANGES IN BENTHIC COMMUNITIES 101 9.1 Comparative analysis of benthic surveys and changes in benthic communities 101 9.2 Reflections and insights 103 9.2.1 Summarizing the effects of C. crangon trawling on benthic communities 103 9.2.2 Management implication: fisheries intervention and management measures 104 9.3.3 Achieving better assessment of community level effects of C. crangon fishing 104 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 105 EFFECTS OF C.CRANGON FISHING ON THE MARINE ECOSYSTEM 107 MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS: WHEN EFFECTS WARRANT INTERVENTION 109 RECOMMENDATIONS 110 GLOSSARY 113 REFERENCES 117 APPENDICES 121 4 GENERAL INTRODUCTION Context of the study and motivation Crangon crangon L., more commonly known as the brown shrimp, is a species of substantial commercial value to North Sea fisheries. The North Sea C. crangon fishery is a multinational fleet of around 653 vessels which operate along the coasts of the Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium and the UK where the species is sufficiently abundant to support commercial exploitation. A particular productive fishing zone is the Wadden Sea. The Wadden Sea stretches out along the coast of The Netherlands, Germany and Denmark and is a listed European Marine Protected Area (MPA), a provision that falls under the Bird and Habitat Directive (BHD) of the European Union.