EcosystemEcosystem--SocietySociety InteractionsInteractions inin thethe NorthernNorthern AtlanticAtlantic
HumanHuman DimensionsDimensions ofof FisheriesFisheries CollapseCollapse LawrenceLawrence C.C. HamiltonHamilton UniversityUniversity ofof NewNew HampshireHampshire NorthNorth AtlanticAtlantic ArcArc projectproject ---- NAArcNAArc
Physical system change
Biological system change
Human activities FourFour casecase studiesstudies
Major changes have affected longstanding fisheries across the Northern Atlantic. These changes involve interactions between physical (ocean/climate), biological and human systems. Despite local differences, strong patterns emerge. Sisimiut and Paamiut, West Greenland
## Qaanaaq
GREENLAND SEA
BAFFIN BAY Upernavik ## Illoqqortoormiut
# Uummannaq ## Qeqertarsuaq ICELAND
#
# # # ## Ilulissat # # # # # SEA # # Disko # # # # Qasigiannguit # # # # # # # # # # # # # Bay # # # # # # # # # Aasiaat # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # Kangaatsiaq # CANADA # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # e # # # l # # c # r #i # # C# # # c # ti# # # Sisimiut # c # r # # # # A # # # # # # # # # # # # # ## ## # # ## ## ## ### ## ########### ICELAND # Maniitsoq Tasiilaq ## #
NUUK Fylla ## Bank Paamiut
# Narsaq Irminger LABRADOR Current ## Qaqortoq SEA Nanortalik
## ##
Irminger # Current ## North Atlantic Cape Farewell Current
Temperature,Temperature, codcod && shrimpshrimp catchcatch
Fylla Bank temp (smoothed) Subarea 1 cod catch Subarea 1 shrimp catch
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 Year SisimiutSisimiut benefitedbenefited fromfrom thethe transitiontransition
PioneeredPioneered GreenlandGreenland shrimpshrimp fishery,fishery, whenwhen thatthat resourceresource waswas foundfound mainlymainly inin thethe north.north. BuiltBuilt upup shrimpshrimp catchingcatching andand processingprocessing capacity.capacity. ReachedReached southwardssouthwards asas shrimpshrimp werewere discovereddiscovered therethere too.too. HumanHuman populationpopulation grew,grew, economyeconomy diversified.diversified. PaamiutPaamiut declineddeclined duringduring thethe transitiontransition
InitialInitial developmentdevelopment specializedspecialized inin codcod fishing.fishing. ShrimpShrimp werewere notnot availableavailable nearby.nearby. WhenWhen moremore shrimpshrimp werewere discovered,discovered, otherother portsports alreadyalready hadhad catching/processingcatching/processing capacity.capacity. HumanHuman populationpopulation declined,declined, economyeconomy struggled.struggled. AA taletale ofof twotwo citiescities Sisimiut 14 5 12 10 shrimp 8 Sisimiut 6 4 4 2 cod 0 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 Paamiut 14 3 12 cod 10 Paamiut 8 Landings in thousands of tons Landings in thousands 6
4 Greenland-born population in thousands 2 2 shrimp 0 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 Siglufjörður, North Iceland Traditional 1965—66
2 Degree Isotherm at 50 M 2 Degree Isotherm at 50 M Herring Feeding Area Herring Feeding Area
73° 73°
GREENLAND GREENLAND SEA SEA
68° ICELAND 68° ICELAND SEA SEA
Siglufjordur Siglufjordur
# # Seydisfjordur Seydisfjordur
# #
63° 63° NORTH NORTH ATLANTIC FAROE ATLANTIC FAROE ISLANDS ISLANDS SHETLAND SHETLAND ISLANDS ISLANDS 0 200 400 600 Kilometers 0 200 400 600 Kilometers
20° 14° 8° 2° 20° 14° 8° 2°
After Vilhjalmsson1997
“The“The herringherring yearsyears werewere special,special, indescribable.indescribable. AndAnd theythey willwill nevernever comecome again.”again.” Siglufjörður resident
Siglufjörður in March 2003 HerringHerring catchcatch andand salinity,salinity, 19051905––20002000 1 600 35.
Late-1960s herring 35 500 collapse coincided 9 ns with arrival of o 400 Arctic-origin Great 34. Salinity Anomaly 8 y 34. t 1000 t i n h, li 7 c 300 t a Sa 34. ng c 6 i r 200 r e 34. H 5 100 34. 4
0 34. 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Iceland herring catch Siglunes salinity Biomass,Biomass, catchcatch andand mortality,mortality, 19501950––20002000
14000
12000 Herring biomass 3 was declining 10000 from overfishing y 1000t t i h, long before GSA al c t t 2 r
a 8000 o ng m i
and c 6000 h s s i as F
4000 1 om i B 2000
0 0 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Biomass Catch Fishing mortality ages 0-14 PopulationPopulation ofof SiglufjSiglufjöörrððurur,, 18901890––20002000
3000
2000 n o i t a l u p Po
1000 Siglufjörður population declined as N Iceland herring declined and the fishery needed less labor.
0 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Faroe Islands, Northeast Atlantic
0 400 800 Kilometers N Iceland
FAROE Norway ISLANDS Torshavn
Norwegian North Sea Atlantic Ocean
United Kingdom Denmark 080160Kilometers FaroeseFaroese landingslandings ofof demersaldemersal fishfish fromfrom homehome waters,waters, 19611961--20002000 Plateau cod Haddock Saithe
60
50
40
30 1000 tons
20
10
Fisheries crisis ca. 1985-95. 0 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
FaroeFaroe IslandsIslands totaltotal populationpopulation 19701970--20002000
48
46
44
42 Faroes population 13% lower than pre-crisis trend Population in thousands
40
38 1970 1980 1990 2000
FaroeFaroe IslandsIslands codcod catchcatch andand netnet migrationmigration 19801980--20002000 Net migration Codfish catch, tons
500 80000
70000 0
60000 -500
50000
-1000 Net migration
40000 Codfish catch, tons
-1500 Net migration follows cod catches, with lag 30000 of 1-2 years, 1982-96 -2000 20000 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 Year FaroeFaroe IslandsIslands populationpopulation byby ageage group,group, 19791979--20002000
0 to 19 years 20 to 39 years 40 and over
20
18
16
14
12
10
8 Children (0-19) and young adult (20-39) 6
Population in thousands age groups decrease. Older adults 4 increase and become a larger fraction of the population. 2
0 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000
PercentPercent femalefemale amongamong 2020--3939 yearyear oldsolds byby municipalitymunicipality population,population, 1/20011/2001
60
50
40
30 Percent female increases with community size. Percent female age 20-39 Percent female age This analysis resembles findings from 20 Norway, Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland and Alaska.
10 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 Population NetNet migrationmigration byby sexsex andand ageage group,group, crisiscrisis yearsyears 19891989--9595
Males Females
0
-100
-200
-300
-400
-500 Crisis-years net migration: -600 more men than women
Net migration -700 leaving, ages 25 and higher. More women than men -800 leaving, ages 15-24. -900
-1000
-1100 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 Age in 5-year groups Newfoundland,Newfoundland, EasternEastern CanadaCanada
N
5
LABRADOR 5 W
QUEBEC Northern (Northern Peninsula Cod)
50N Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence
St. John's
Avalon Peninsula
0 200 400 Kilometers
LandingsLandings valuevalue byby speciesspecies typetype inin 33 NewfoundlandNewfoundland regions,regions, 19861986--19981998
60 Northern Peninsula 60 South Coast
40 40
20 20 dollars
0 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 0 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 199 8 1998
of 60 Burin Peninsula Shellfish 40 Demersal Millions
20 Pelagic other types/products
0 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 NW Newfoundland and the Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence
Max. ice area
Min. C IL tem p. N. Gulf cod catch total and Canada
Mean weight per fish, 8 indicator species
N. Peninsula population
1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 GeneralGeneral patternspatterns TimeTime plotsplots showshow “killer“killer spikes”spikes” ofof overfishingoverfishing followedfollowed byby steepsteep declines.declines.
DramaticDramatic spikesspikes markmark thethe arrivalarrival ofof internationalinternational trawlertrawler fleets.fleets. NWNW AtlanticAtlantic cod,cod, andand NENE AtlanticAtlantic herring,herring, areare amongamong keykey resourcesresources thatthat sufferedsuffered multimulti--decadedecade collapsecollapse (>99%(>99% biomass).biomass). ManyMany otherother fishfish reachreach historicalhistorical lowslows asas well.well. DeclinesDeclines oftenoften involveinvolve interactionsinteractions betweenbetween fishingfishing pressurepressure andand environmentalenvironmental variations.variations.
NN AtlanticAtlantic alwaysalways aa variablevariable environment.environment. LongLong--livedlived speciesspecies havehave adaptedadapted toto decadedecade--scalescale variationsvariations (NAO).(NAO). FisheriesFisheries removeremove olderolder fish,fish, leavingleaving aa smaller,smaller, lessless robustrobust populationpopulation behind.behind. FisheriesFisheries transformtransform theirtheir ecosystems,ecosystems, forcingforcing aa shiftshift toto newnew targets.targets.
OverfishingOverfishing ofof predatorspredators removesremoves constraintsconstraints onon preyprey species.species. OverfishingOverfishing ofof forageforage fishfish removesremoves foodfood ofof largerlarger fish,fish, mammalsmammals andand birds.birds. InvertebratesInvertebrates growgrow moremore abundantabundant asas bonybony fishfish decline.decline. FisheriesFisheries turnturn toto crustaceans:crustaceans: shrimp,shrimp, crabcrab andand lobster.lobster. NewNew fisheriesfisheries havehave differentdifferent socialsocial andand economiceconomic characteristics.characteristics.
DepletionDepletion ofof traditionaltraditional resourcesresources drivesdrives thethe fishery:fishery: ––FartherFarther offshoreoffshore ––ToTo exploitexploit newnew speciesspecies ––InIn worseworse weatherweather Larger,Larger, expensiveexpensive vesselsvessels required.required. DistantDistant marketsmarkets controlcontrol demand,demand, setset conditions.conditions. FishingFishing becomesbecomes moremore capitalcapital--intensive,intensive, lessless laborlabor--intensive.intensive. AsAs ecosystemsecosystems change,change, therethere areare winnerswinners andand loserslosers onon land.land.
NewNew fisheryfishery mightmight notnot supportsupport thethe samesame peoplepeople andand places.places. WealthWealth tendstends toto concentrateconcentrate ---- acrossacross individuindividuals,als, familiesfamilies anandd communities.communities. ThereThere areare newnew advantages,advantages, disadvantages,disadvantages, requirements.requirements. SmallSmall placesplaces seesee outmigrationoutmigration andand demographicdemographic change.change.
NetNet migrationmigration isis aa sensitivesensitive indicator.indicator. YoungYoung adultsadults firstfirst toto leave.leave. BirthBirth ratesrates declinedecline too.too. Older,Older, lessless educatededucated populationpopulation remains.remains. TransferTransfer--paymentpayment dependencydependency grows.grows. RegionalRegional centerscenters expand.expand. SocialSocial factorsfactors influenceinfluence thethe differentialdifferential outcomesoutcomes amongamong peoplepeople andand places.places.
EconomicEconomic diversificationdiversification isis aa difficultdifficult goal.goal. NewNew fisheriesfisheries riskrisk depletion,depletion, likelike thethe old.old. TourismTourism isis “Plan“Plan B”B” everywhere.everywhere. GovernmentGovernment investmentsinvestments areare vital,vital, butbut oftenoften fail.fail. SomeSome communitiescommunities areare moremore cohesive,cohesive, effectiveeffective thanthan others.others. THE END