Report of the Working Group on Fish Ecology (WGFE). ICES CM 2009
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ICES WGFE REPORT 2009 ICES LIVING RESOURCES COMMITTEE ICES CM 2009/LRC:08 REF. SCICOM, ACOM, SSICC Report of the Working Group on Fish Ecology (WGFE) 26–30 October 2009 ICES Headquarters, Copenhagen International Council for the Exploration of the Sea Conseil International pour l’Exploration de la Mer H. C. Andersens Boulevard 44–46 DK-1553 Copenhagen V Denmark Telephone (+45) 33 38 67 00 Telefax (+45) 33 93 42 15 www.ices.dk [email protected] Recommended format for purposes of citation: ICES. 200 9. Report of the Working Group on Fish Ecology (WGFE), 26–30 October 2009, ICES Headquarters, Copenhagen. ICES CM 2009/LRC:08. 133 pp. For permission to reproduce material from this publication, please apply to the Gen- eral Secretary. The document is a report of an Expert Group under the auspices of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea and does not necessarily represent the views of the Council. © 2009 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea ICES WGFE REPORT 2009 | i Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................... 1 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Terms of reference for 2009 ................................................................................. 3 1.2 Participants ............................................................................................................ 3 1.3 Background............................................................................................................ 3 1.4 References .............................................................................................................. 4 2 Modelling approaches for projecting decline and recovery of fish community state metrics in response to fishing and other pressures .................. 4 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 4 2.1.1 Background ............................................................................................... 4 2.1.2 Application of models to the North Sea fish community ................... 5 2.2 Modelling the LFI with a partial community ................................................... 6 2.3 Modelling retrospective time-series in the North Sea fish community with FishSUMS ................................................................................ 8 2.3.1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 8 2.3.2 Current model overview ......................................................................... 8 2.3.3 Parameters, drivers, model runs and data fitting ................................ 9 2.3.4 Results ..................................................................................................... 10 2.3.5 Discussion ............................................................................................... 15 2.4 Evaluation of reference levels for North Sea fish community indicators using a multispecies size spectrum model ................................... 16 2.4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 16 2.4.2 Methods ................................................................................................... 17 2.4.3 Model Overview .................................................................................... 18 2.4.4 Parameterization of the model to the North Sea fish community .............................................................................................. 19 2.4.5 Fishing mortality .................................................................................... 21 2.4.6 Model calibration and fitting procedure ............................................ 21 2.4.7 Fishery Scenarios and Analyses ........................................................... 22 2.4.8 Size-based Community Indicators ...................................................... 22 2.4.9 Results ..................................................................................................... 22 2.4.10 Discussion ............................................................................................... 25 2.5 Data fitting and uncertainty .............................................................................. 26 2.6 Recommendations .............................................................................................. 27 2.7 References ............................................................................................................ 27 3 Metrics for characterizing changes in structure, function and productivity of fish communities ............................................................................. 30 3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 30 3.2 Methods ............................................................................................................... 31 ii | ICES WGFE REPORT 2009 3.3 Results .................................................................................................................. 35 3.4 Selection of the suite of surveillance metrics .................................................. 44 3.5 References ............................................................................................................ 47 4 Methods for comparing and summarizing fish and fish community distributions in relation to environment and habitat ........................................... 49 4.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 49 4.2 Statistical methods for smoothing and interpolating spatially explicit data ......................................................................................................... 49 4.3 Examples of mapping providing evidence that explains patterns .............. 50 4.4 Climate Envelope Modelling: Analysis and Discussion ............................... 52 4.4.1 E. Self-Organising Maps and Neural Networks ................................ 53 4.5 References ............................................................................................................ 55 5 Abundance-Occupancy relationships: utilization of space by fish in relation to habitat, abundance, environment and exploitation ........................... 57 5.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 57 5.2 Does range size contraction signal an extinction debt caused by habitat destruction? - Georges Bank example ................................................ 59 5.2.1 Methods ................................................................................................... 60 5.2.2 Results ..................................................................................................... 62 5.2.3 Discussion ............................................................................................... 65 5.3 Comparison of abundance-occupancy relationships for species common to NW and NE Atlantic (e.g. cod, dogfish/spurdog, starry ray and herring ................................................................................................... 68 5.4 Bias in the relationship between occupancy and abundance ....................... 71 5.5 References ............................................................................................................ 72 5.6 Appendix 1. Species used in the Georges Bank occupancy- abundance analysis and their classification into different ecological groups which form the basis of sub-analyses ................................................. 74 6 Fish assemblages associated with offshore habitats (reefs, sandbanks, gas seeps) identified in the EU Habitats Directive ................................................ 74 6.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 75 6.1.1 Background to the ToR ......................................................................... 75 6.2 Sandbanks which are slightly covered by seawater all the times ................ 76 6.2.1 Definition of the habitat ........................................................................ 76 6.2.2 Characteristic species ............................................................................ 76 6.2.3 A case study of the ichthyofauna of the North Norfolk Sandbanks ............................................................................................... 77 6.3 Reefs ..................................................................................................................... 81 6.3.1 Definition of the habitat ........................................................................ 81 6.3.2 Notes on the ichthyofauna of reefs in the ICES area ......................... 82 6.4 Submarine structures made by leaking gases ................................................. 83 6.4.1 Definition of the habitat ........................................................................ 83 ICES WGFE REPORT 2009 | iii 6.4.2 Characteristic species: ........................................................................... 83 6.4.3 Notes on the ichthyofauna of methane seeps .................................... 84 6.5 References ...........................................................................................................