Fish Population Dynamics in Marine Ecosystems and Fisheries Management

Fish population dynamics in marine ecosystems emerge from the interplay of biological processes—reproduction, growth, natural mortality and dispersal—with external pressures such as fishing and environmental variability. Recruitment success is shaped by spawning biomass, larval survival and oceanographic conditions, while adult abundance responds to both natural mortality and fishing mortality. Fisheries management employs tools ranging from catch quotas and size limits to spatial closures and marine protected areas, aiming to balance exploitation with conservation. Advances in modelling techniques, acoustic telemetry and tag-recovery analyses have refined estimates of vital rates and sub-stock connectivity, facilitating ecosystem-based management that considers trophic interactions and habitat integrity. Climate-driven phenomena, including El Niño-Southern Oscillation events, further complicate forecasting, necessitating adaptive management frameworks. Globally, integrating ecological understanding with socioeconomic objectives is essential to safeguard both the productivity of fisheries and the resilience of marine ecosystems.

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Technical terms

El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO): A recurring climate cycle characterised by warm (El Niño) and cold (La Niña) phases in the tropical Pacific, influencing global oceanographic conditions.
Generalised Additive Model (GAM): A flexible statistical method for modelling nonlinear relationships between predictors and response variables.
Catch-per-Unit-Effort (CPUE): A standardised measure of fish abundance, calculated as the catch divided by the effort expended (e.g. hours of fishing).
Marine Protected Area (MPA): A spatially defined region with restrictions on fishing and other extractive activities to conserve marine biodiversity and ecosystems.
Mark-Recovery Model: A statistical framework that combines tagging data with reporting rates to estimate survival and mortality components of a population.

References

1. Impacts of Strong ENSO Events on Fish Communities in an Overexploited Ecosystem in the South China Sea. Biology (2023).
2. Lobster and cod benefit from small-scale northern marine protected areas: inference from an empirical before–after control-impact study. Proceedings of the Royal Society B (2013).
3. Harvest Pressure on Coastal Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) from Recreational Fishing Relative to Commercial Fishing Assessed from Tag-Recovery Data. PLOS ONE (2016).