GLOBAL REVIEW of ALFONSINO (Beryx Spp.), THEIR FISHERIES, BIOLOGY and MANAGEMENT
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FIRF/C1084 (En) FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular ISSN 2070-6065 GLOBAL REVIEW OF ALFONSINO (Beryx spp.), THEIR FISHERIES, BIOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT Cover: Photo collage by Emanuela D’Antoni (FAO). Note: At the sea depths where alfonsino are usually found, light of red wavelengths has been mostly attenuated and so alfonsino appear black when seen in their natural habitat. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular No. C1084 FIRF/C1084 (En) GLOBAL REVIEW OF ALFONSINO (Beryx spp.), THEIR FISHERIES, BIOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT By Ross Shotton Chair, FAO Alfonsino Fisheries Management Workshop Executive Secretary, Southern Indian Ocean Deepsea Fishers Association FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 2016 The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FAO. ISBN 978-92-5-109057-2 © FAO, 2016 FAO encourages the use, reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. Except where otherwise indicated, material may be copied, downloaded and printed for private study, research and teaching purposes, or for use in non-commercial products or services, provided that appropriate acknowledgement of FAO as the source and copyright holder is given and that FAO’s endorsement of users’ views, products or services is not implied in any way. All requests for translation and adaptation rights, and for resale and other commercial use rights should be made via www.fao.org/contact-us/licence-request or addressed to [email protected]. FAO information products are available on the FAO website (www.fao.org/publications) and can be purchased through [email protected]. iii PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT The Fisheries and Aquaculture Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been working on regional and global issues arising from the exploitation and management of deep-sea fisheries and the related conservation concerns since these fisheries began to expand. This publication encompasses the results of an international workshop on the assessment and management of alfonsino fisheries, held at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, on 10–12 January 2012. This international workshop brought together 12 fisheries experts from around the world (Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and the Ukraine) who work on management aspects of this species to synthesize their experience and information available on management of this genus. It was apparent that much useful information existed not only in formal reports and peer-reviewed papers but also in the grey literature and personal files and experiences. This report is an endeavour to document this information. iv FAO. 2016. Global review of alfonsino (Beryx spp.), their fisheries, biology and management, by Ross Shotton. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular No. 1084. Rome, Italy. ABSTRACT Alfonsino (Beryx splendens and B. decadactylus) are benthopelagic species found in waters of 25-1 300 m depth, commonly in aggregations over rocky bottoms. They are distributed along the European and African coasts, around oceanic islands of the Atlantic Ocean and in the Indian Ocean. Alfonsino is also found in the northern Tasman Sea, along the Pacific coast of the Japanese Archipelago, the Southern Emperor and Northern Hawaiian ridges and westwards towards Chile. Alfonsino are fished around the Azores, in the Southeast Atlantic, and in the Southwest Indian Ocean. There is also a small fishery for them in coastal waters of Australia and New Zealand and a Japanese fishery on the Southern Emperor seamounts and in the southern area of the Northern Hawaiian Ridge. A major fishery, now closed, existed around the Juan Fernández Archipelago in the Eastern Pacific. Alfonsino have a schooling behaviour that is evident throughout their life: they form aggregations during the day and scatter above the bottom at night. Tagging studies indicate limited migration, possibly with regional differences. Feeding occurs mainly in the morning and evening twilight hours, and there is an increase in feeding with the intensity of tidal flow. Alfonsino feed for longer periods when there is less food available. Alfonsino reach a fork length of 15–20 cm in their first year, about 25 cm after 3 years and 40 cm after 10 years. In the Canary Islands, the oldest fish examined were 9 years old (38 cm); 11 years (40 cm) in the Azores; and 12 years in Madeira (41 cm). On the South West Indian Ridge, the maximum length of alfonsino was 60 cm fork length and with a maximum weight 6 260 g. Growth- related parameter values and length–weight relations determined for several oceanic areas are reviewed. Alfonsino begin to mature in their second year, and most are mature by their fifth or sixth year; 50 percent maturity occurs at lengths from 23 to 44 cm. Alfonsino spawn during the spring and summer with several spawning episodes. Alfonsino larvae are presumed to develop from epipelagic eggs. Differences in the sex ratio of alfonsino occur in different areas. Hypotheses of alfonsino population structures are reviewed. Two genetic clades have been identified that appear to coexist, and single stocks are known to span broad areas. DNA studies of decadactylus indicate that there are genetic differences between stocks in the Azores and the western North Atlantic, but not with the eastern North Atlantic. In the Southern Indian Ocean, some studies have been done but the conclusions are constrained by the nature of the sample size and their geographical distribution. A review of the implications of the genetic studies for population structure is given. Population biology parameters and estimates of stock sizes in different regions are reviewed. Ecosystem effects do not seem to be significant as bycatch, as recorded, is minor in alfonsino fisheries. The role of alfonsino as a possible prey species remains unknown. Little has been documented about the impact of trawl fishing for alfonsino on fragile benthic fauna. Because the size and value of the harvests of alfonsino in any one fishery are usually too small to justify expensive management measures and fisheries research for alfonsino, their management often does not attract adequate attention. Effective management of high seas alfonsino fisheries will depend on the ability of regional fisheries management organizations to manage fishing effort targeting alfonsino stocks and ensure compliance with conservation regulations. Given the importance of fish processing at sea, studies are provided to determine appropriate product conversion factors from which round weights can be estimated from production records. v CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 1 2. ALFONSINO ............................................................................................................................ 1 2.1 Taxonomy .............................................................................................................................. 1 2.2 What sort of a fish is alfonsino .............................................................................................. 2 2.3 Global distribution of alfonsino ............................................................................................ 3 2.4 Behaviours, movement and development of alfonsino ......................................................... 3 2.4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 3 2.4.2 Development and movement ..................................................................................... 4 2.4.3 Schooling behaviour.................................................................................................. 5 2.4.4 Vertical movement .................................................................................................... 5 2.4.5 Horizontal movement ................................................................................................ 6 2.5 Alfonsino on the plate ........................................................................................................... 7 3. ALFONSINO FISHERIES, THEIR EXPLOITATION AND DEVELOPMENT ..................... 8 3.1 The North Atlantic Ocean ..................................................................................................... 8 3.1.1 European Continental Slope ...................................................................................... 8 3.1.2 The Azores ................................................................................................................ 8 3.1.3 Canary Islands and Madeira .................................................................................... 14 3.1.4 High seas of the North Atlantic Ocean...................................................................