[Characteristics of fish aggregation devices (FADs)and associated tuna schools behavior in Chinese tuna purse seine fishery.] / æˆ‘å›½çƒ­å¸¦é‡‘æžªé±¼å›´ç½‘äººå·¥é›†é±¼è£ ç½®ç‰¹å¾åŠéšé™„é±¼ç¾¤è¡Œä¸º.

The use of fish aggregation devices (FADs) can increase catchability of tuna purse seine for associated tuna schools. In the past decades, large scale deployments of FADs have drawn the international attention due to their negative effects on the marine environment. Finding a FAD design ecologically and economically compatible has therefore become a challenge for tuna purse seine fishe-ry. Nowadays, knowledge and comprehension of interaction between FADs and catch species are quite lacking as a result of limited experimental investigation. We interviewed the captain of Chinese tuna purse seiner based on questionnaire to summarize the status of FADs deployment strategy, structural design, capture and ecological characteristics, and the behavior characteristics of associa-ted schools from the perspective of fishermen's knowledge and experience. We also quantified the cognitive differences of the investigated issues based on the index of consistency (IoC). Our results showed that: 1) the average number of year-round FADs deployment was (102±37) per vessel, and the number of that being lost was (72±1). 2) empirical knowledge from fishing masters indicated that man-made FADs could attract more tuna than natural floating objects (e.g. logs). Submerged structure was the predominant mechanism for aggregating tunas around the FADs. Hanging attractors (e.g. palm leaves) would facilitate the aggregation of tunas. 3) Fishing masters' observations in practical operation revealed that the duration needed for tunas to be associated with a FAD was around 32 days, and fish aggregation would tend to stabilize in the following month. Entanglement of sea turtles and sharks by netting was incidental events. 4) Most fishing masters had identical opinion on "bio-fouling was helpful for FADs to attract tunas" (IoC=0.73) and "modifying FADs design to reduce the detectability by other vessels" (IoC=0.73), while the answers for "the effect of raft type on tuna attraction capability" (IoC=0.34) were quite different. 5) The results of questionnaire suggested that the current design of FADs used by Chinese tropical tuna purse seiner had high risks of detected by other vessels and increased vulnerability of non-target species to fishery. Moreover, our results provided valuable references that promote sustainable exploitation of purse seine in a way of reconciling profitability with ecological preservation.

[Behavioral and physiological ecology of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba): A review]. / å—æžç£·è™¾è¡Œä¸ºä¸Žç”Ÿç†ç”Ÿæ€å­¦ç ”ç©¶è¿›å±•.

Behavioral and physiological ecology are two important research aspects of ecological field. Related studies help us better understand the marine animal's habit and adaptability to environment. Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba, thereafter krill) is a key-stone species in the Southern Ocean. Understanding its behavioral and physiological ecology can understand the ability of marine organisms such as krill to cope with extreme environment. We summarized the typical ecological characteristics of krill from both aspects of behavioral ecology and physiological ecology. Behavioral ecology included its swarming (size and behavior) and swimming (angle, beat of pleopod), while physiological ecology included respiration, excretion, metabolism, molting and growth. Generally, the studies on behavioral and physiological ecology of krill were very limited, and many studies were based on land-based krill aquarium. In view of the large difference between land-based aquarium and natural environment of krill, it's extremely urgent to develop the in-situ experimental ecology of krill in the sea.

[Spatial-temporal and environmental effects of catch rate on Antarctic krill fishery in the South Georgia Island in the austral winter season based on the fine scale data].

The waters around the South Georgia Island is one of the main fishing ground of Antarctic krill fishery and many predators such as sea seal and whale inhabited this island target Antarctic krill as a food source. So it is very important for further understanding Antarctic ecosystem to conduct the research on abundance fluctuation of Antarctic krill resource around this island. Consequently, based on the fine scale fishery data collected in the winter 2013, using the generalized additive model (GAM), the present study analyzed the relationship between environmental factors and the catch rate of Antarctic krill. The results showed the model could explain 32.0% of the accumulation of deviance of the catch rate. The variable that provided the maximum contribution was ten-day with a contribution rate of 21.4% and followed by the latitude (4.4%). Generally, the catch rate decreased from the first 10 days of July to September. Higher catch rates occurred in the eastern fishing ground, particularly the central-eastern part of survey area, and lower catch rates presented in the northern part. The mean catch rate deceased with the increasing change rate of bathymetry. The oceanographic condition with wind scale below 4 was suitable for fishing operation and associated with the higher catch rate, but the wind direction did not significantly affect the catch rate. The mean catch rate increased with the increasing sea surface temperature within 0.5 to 2.0 degrees C.

[Reasons of drifting floating objects aggregating rainbow runner (Elagatis bipinnulata)].

Many pelagic species tend to aggregate under drifting floating objects. This has led to the development of drifting fish aggregation devices (FADs) to attract the tropical tunas for the tuna purse seine fishery. However, FADs can also attract other non-targeting small pelagic species such as rainbow runner Elagatis bipinnulata, although it is still unclear why those species can be attracted and aggregated under an FAD. Using the fishery biological data collected in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean by the scientific observers on board Chinese tuna purse seine fishing vessels, we evaluated the potential motivations for rainbow runner to aggregate under drifting objects. This study indicated 1) Fork length of rainbow runner ranged from 30.0 to 90.6 cm, with the dominant fork lengths of 60.0 to 80.0 cm, accounting for 76.3% of the total sampled fish, suggesting large rainbow runner dominating around the drifting objects; 2) Size (fork length) of E. bipinnulata at 50% maturity was 65.7 cm, and mature individuals were dominant under the FADs; and 3) Some commonly observed small fish species, such as Decapterus macarellus, Kyphosus cinerascens, Caranx sexfasciatus, Katsuwonus pelamis and the juveniles of Thunnus obesus and Thunnus albacares, were found in the stomach of rainbow runner, which suggested that rainbow runner under FAD preyed on other associated small pelagic species. As an oceanic predator associated with drifting objects, feeding is perhaps one of the most possible motivations for adult E. bipinnulata to aggregate under the FAD. Both the "concentration of food supply" hypothesis and the "comfortability stipulation" hypothesis can be used to explain why E. bipinnulata aggregate under drifting floating objects.

[Age identification and growth characteristics of Katsuwonus pelamis in western and central Pacific Ocean].

Fish age and growth are the important biological parameters for the assessment of fishery resources. With the help of purse seiners, 262 individuals of skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) were sampled from western and central Pacific Ocean in October 2007 - January 2008. The measurements in situ showed that the fork length of the samples ranged from 278 to 746 mm, and their body mass ranged from 345 to 9905 g. The first dorsal spine of each individual was collected for age identification and growth parameters estimation. The relationship between fork length (L, mm) and body mass (M, g) was expressed as M = 3.612 x 10(-6) L3.278 (R2 = 0.9782), and no significant difference was found for the males and females (F = 2.002, P > 0.05). A comparison with Akaike information criterion (AIC) suggested that among power regression equation, linear regression equation, and exponential regression equation, linear regression equation was most suitable for describing the relationship between fork length and spine radius (AIC = 2257.4). The mean back-calculated fork lengths of K. pelamis with the ages of 1-5 estimated by Fraser-Lee's method were 398.4, 494.2, 555.4, 636.8, and 728.8 mm, respectively. Residual analyses indicated that there was no significant difference in the growth of male and female K. pelamis (F = 0.670; df = 182; P > 0.05). The sex-combined von Bertalanffy growth equation of K. pelamis was L(t) = 706.51 (1 - e(-0.64(t + 0.037))).