Aquatic food resources Flashcards
What does demersal fishing include?
Fishing for species that live on the seabed eg cod, haddock, shrimp
2 types of demersal fishing
Demersal trawling
Demersal long lines
Demersal long lines
Uses a line of baited hooks to catch species such as cod and haddock
Shellfish traps
Baited traps to catch crustaceans like crabs,crayfish and lobsters
What is pelagic fishing?
It includes fishing for species that live in open water above the seabed, often near water surface
4 types of pelagic fishing
Pelagic trawling
Drift nets
Purse seining
Pelagic long lines
Pelagic trawling
Used for species that form shoals in mid water or near the surface
E.g. bass, anchovies, herrings, mackerels
What is the advantage of pelagic trawling?
Pelagic fish are often in single species shoals
Little chance of catching non-target species except predator species e.g. dolphins
Drift nets
Long curtain like nets supported by floats and catch pelagic species near the surface line tuna and herring
Purse seining
Uses a net laid round a shoal
Top is held by floats
The bottom is held by weights, then pulled tight underneath the shoal
Used for tuna, sardines,herring and anchovies
Pelagic long lines
Lines of baited hooks which can be many Km in length
Catch species like tuna and squid
4 main types of environmental impacts of fishing
Population decline due to overfishing
Bycatch
Ghost fishing
Habitat damage
How can overfishing cause population decline?
Population of any species will decline if the mortality rate exceeds the birth rate
K-selected species are most vulnerable to overfishing-fewer young at older age
Some species reach a catchable size before they reach sexual maturity, so overfishing could remove the entire breeding population
What species of fish recover quicker from overfishing?
R-selected species because they breed at a younger age and produce more young
The populations recover more rapidly after over-fishing
E.g. herring, yellow fin tuna
Give an example of a species that is vulnerable to overfishing
Greenland shark
It was fished commercially for lubricating and lamp oil until the 1960s
Main threat now is deep-sea trawling bycatch
It can live over 400 years, doesnt start breeding until 100-150 years and it produces few young
Impact of over-exploited local fisheries on countries like the UK
It will still be maintained by exploited fisheries just further away
What is bycatch ?
The catch that is not wanted
Usually non-target species included in the catch of target species, or individuals too small to be legally sold.
Give 3 reasons why bycatch might be unwanted
Immature fish- too small to sell, will affect future catches
If the catch quota for a species has already been reached- must be discarder
Species with no commercial value
What impact does bycatch have, on the organisms in the bycatch?
They are usually dead or will be injured and not survive when they are thrown back into the sea
Compare the bycatch from different fishing methods
Purse seine nets/pelagic trawling have a lower bycatch usually than demersal trawling
Demersal trawling usually exploits mixed fisheries
Drift net bycatch
They are non selective and will catch any animals swimming near the surface including whales,dolphins,turtles and sharks
Impacts of Pelagic long line fishing
Albatrosses caught by long line fishing and drown because of it
They have a low reproduction rate, and lay one egg every second year, but it takes 7-10 years before they start breeding
So populations can be seriously effected
Pelagic trawling bycatch
Pelagic pair trawls for sea bass can kill porpoises
Because the porpoises are trying to catch the bass but get trapped in the nets and drown
Demersal trawling bycatch
Seabed fish often live in mixed-species shoals so the chance of catching a mixture of species is high
Shrimp bycatch
Shrimp use trawling nets with very small mesh size so few bycatch animals can escape
E.g. crabs,molluscs,sea urchins,starfish
Can make up to 99% of shrimp trawling
What is ghost fishing?
When discarded or lost fishing gear can continue to trap and kill marine organisms
Dead organisms that are trapped often act as bait so more organisms get caught and die
5 ways habitats can be damaged by fishing
1) Seabed damage
2) Coral reef impact
3) Seagrass beds
4) Dynamite fishing
5) Food web impacts
What type of fishing causes the most damage to the seabed?
Demersal trawling
Impact of seabed damage
Loss of marine habitat
Coral reef impact
coral is highly sensitive to physical damage. Nets, traps, ropes and discarded gear can all cause physical damage.