Éditeur(s) : Pêche thonière et dispositifs de concentration de poissons, Caribbean-Martinique, 15-19 Oct 1999
Résumé : This paper discusses the hypothesis that small tunas and the various species found in association with drifting fads (such as "mahi-mahi", rainbow runner, wahoo, etc.) may be biologically trapped by such a strong association. Massive seeding of drifting artificial fads was observed worldwide during recent years. In this hypothesis, we suggest that fads may alter some biological characteristics of epipelagic populations associated with them: migration, growth, condition factors, predation and natural mortality. As fads are most often used in the equatorial currents, they tend to exhibit zonal drift. Therefore, the associated populations would be artificially transferred from one part of the ocean to another, when they would show different movement patterns in the absence of fads. Natural logs were probably beneficial in terms of ecology and evolution, because they tend to accumulate in convergence areas, most often considered as rich forage areas. Now, fads are seeded in offshore areas, which are not necessarily favourable for tuna feeding. This apparently strong association between fishes and drifting fads may then produce an unexpected biological impact on tuna populations and their associated fauna. The plan is to test this hypothesis in the Atlantic, developing an ad hoc research programme based on tagging, biological and physiological studies, in association to an analysis of high resolution fishery data before and after the development of the fad fishery.Original Abstract: Cet article discute l'hypothese selon laquelle les petits thons et les differentes especes associees a des DCP derivants (comme les coryphenes, elagatis, thazards, etc.) pourraient etre pris dans un piege biologique resultant de cette forte association. Le deploiement massif de DCP artificiels derivants a ete constate a l'echelle mondiale au cours des dernieres annees. Dans cette hypothese, ces DCP, colonises en permanence par de grandes fractions de populations epipelagiques, pourraient modifier les caracteristiques biologiques des especes concernees: leur migration, leur croissance, leurs facteurs de condition, la predation et la mortalite naturelle. Les DCP etant plus frequemment utilises dans les courants equatoriaux, ils tendent a deriver zonalement. Ainsi, les populations associees seraient artificiellement transferees d'un bord a l'autre de l'ocean, alors qu'elles manifesteraient d'autres types de deplacements en l'absence de DCP. Les debris naturels etaient probablement benefiques sur le plan de l'ecologie et de l'evolution car ils s'accumulent dans des zones de convergence le plus souvent considerees comme des zones riches en nourriture. Maintenant, les DCP sont mouilles au large, dans des zones qui peuvent ou non etre favorables a l'alimentation des thons. Cette association apparemment forte entre poissons et DCP derivants pourrait alors causer un impact biologique inattendu sur les populations pelagiques (thons et faune accompagnante). L'objectif est de tester cette hypothese dans l'Atlantique au moyen d'un programme de recherche s'appuyant sur du marquage et des etudes biologiques et physiologiques, parallelement a une analyse des donnees de peche (tailles et CPUE, avant et apres le deploiement des DCP derivants).

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15303/12636.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15303/

Éditeur(s) : Pêche thonière et dispositifs de concentration de poissons, Caribbean-Martinique, 15-19 Oct 1999
Résumé : Abidjan is the biggest fishing harbour of tropical tunas in the Gulf of Guinea (around 100 000 mt per year). Three canneries work on four species (yellowfin, skipjack, bigeye and albacore). Small size tuna, minor tuna and by-catches are refused by the canneries and are sold on the local market fish. It is the only part of the industrial purse seine catches directly sold in Abidjan. Since 1990, fishing operations on schools of tuna associated with artificial drifting FADs has become widespread. Log fishery allow to catch a majority of small tunas, and generates by-catches of various other pelagic species associated to the logs. The landed amounts of local market fish have increased: from 8 500 Mt per year estimated between 1987 and 1990, 21 000 Mt is reached between 1991 and 1993. Since 1994, controls have been carried out by French fishing companies. A sampling scheme allows us to analyse precisely the landings since 1998. From an interdisciplinary approach, we study the socio-economic role of this local fish market, especially the links between the different actors on this market, and we analyse his impact on fishing strategies by identifying the distribution networks (actors, prices, profit) and estimating the turnovers connected to this sector.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15318/12642.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15318/

Éditeur(s) : Pêche thonière et dispositifs de concentration de poissons, Caribbean-Martinique, 15-19 Oct 1999
Résumé : In 1998, the French and Spanish tuna-boat owners associations have volentarily reconducted the Atlantic tuna protection plan (also called moratorium) initiated the previous year. This plan which has become an iccat recommendation for 1999, consists mainly in preventing fishing on floating objects (logs) and in having observers on board tuna purse seiners. Data collected by these observers and landing statistics allow to draw preliminary conclusions on some effects of the protection plan, on the fleets and on the Atlantic tuna stocks. Largely respected, the moratorium has led to a spatial redistribution of the fishing effort, an important reduction of the proportion of sets on logs and a decrease of the landings by one third compared to those realised the years before during the same months, particularily for the skipjack and the bigeye tunas. Moreover, data collected allow to calculate catch rates for a number of by-catch species in the purse seine fishery.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15313/12660.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15313/

Éditeur(s) : Pêche thonière et dispositifs de concentration de poissons, Caribbean-Martinique, 15-19 Oct 1999
Résumé : In recent years, the use of fads in Martinique has evolved from an experimental stage to a productive one. This transformation results in the pitching up of operational device park by the regional fishery committee. Nevertheless, this technical change in fishing practices is not implemented in a homogeneous way all around the island; some differences exist especially between the Atlantic and the Caribbean coasts. From surveys carried out during an annual cycle on two main landing sites, this study describes the pelagic fishing activity around fads and in the open sea. A comparison of fishing strategies adopted in different places as well as an analysis of the results obtained by the fishing units in terms of species (size of catches and daily yields) allow to describe the progress made in the implementation adoption of this new fishing practice. For several fishermen, fishing around fads has become an exclusive job, practised all year round. For others, fads is used in addition to traditional fishing activity on flotsam, "Miquelon" fishing and keeps a seasonal character.Original Abstract: Au cours des recentes annees, l'utilisation des DCP en Martinique est passee du stade experimental au stade operationnel. Cette mutation se traduit par la prise en charge du parc de dispositifs operationnels par le comite regional des peches. Toutefois, l'adoption de cette nouvelle technique d'exploitation ne s'effectue pas de facon homogene dans toutes les communes de l'ile, des differences existent notamment entre les cotes Atlantique et Caraibe. A partir d'enquetes effectuees pendant un cycle annuel, sur deux principaux points de debarquement, cette etude decrit l'activite de peche des poissons pelagiques avec ou sans DCP. Une comparaison des strategies de peche developpees dans les differents sites ainsi qu'une analyse des resultats obtenus par les unites de peche en termes d'especes, de taille des captures, de rendement journalier permettent de decrire la progression differenciee de l'adoption de cette nouvelle activite halieutique. Pour certains pecheurs, la peche sous DCP est devenue un metier exclusif, pratique tout au long de l'annee. Pour d'autres, le DCP est utilise en complement de l'activite traditionnelle de peche sous bois derivants, " peche a Miquelon ", et conserve un caractere saisonnier.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15298/12657.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15298/

Éditeur(s) : EDP Sciences
Résumé : Selective fishing pressure on more highly valued marine living resources is one of the key factors proposed to explain changes occurring in fish communities and associated landings of commercial fisheries. The aim of this paper is to establish the nature of changes in the landings of French fishing fleets operating in the Bay of Biscay in the period 1973-2002, and whether these changes could be related to the relative economic attractiveness of different fish species. The analysis focuses on trends observed in the landings of all commercial fish species over the last three decades. It is based on data of annual quantities landed and ex-vessel prices compiled from official French landings records, and on bio-geographical descriptors of these species derived from published data. Using simple index numbers and multivariate analysis, we examined changes in total landings in terms of their volume and value, as well as changes in their composition. We show that the composition of landings significantly changed over the study period, with an increase in the proportion of pelagic species, of lower economic value. The average ex-vessel price of production by the fleets tended to decrease from the late 1980s; partly due to a cross-species drop in prices, occurring mainly after 1993, but also to the increased proportion of low-priced species in the landings. This caused a significant drop in the total gross value of production in the second half of the study period.
La pression de pêche sélective sur les ressources marines vivantes de forte valeur est un des facteurs-clés proposés pour expliquer les changements qui surviennent dans la structure des communautés de poisson et dans les débarquements des pêcheries commerciales associés. L'objectif de cet article est d'établir la nature des changements dans les débarquements des flottilles de pêche françaises opérant dans le golfe de Gascogne, et d'examiner les relations entre ces changements et l'attractivité relative des espèces de poisson d'un point de vue économique. L'analyse se concentre sur les tendances observées au cours des trois dernières décennies dans les débarquements de toutes les espèces commerciales de poissons effectués par les flottilles de pêche opérant dans le golfe. Elle s'appuie sur des données concernant les quantités annuelles débarquées, les prix compilés à partir des enregistrements officiels des débarquements français, et les données publiées concernant les caractéristiques biogéographiques des espèces étudiées. En s'appuyant sur des indices simples et une analyse multivariée, on examine les changements des débarquements totaux en volume et en valeur, ainsi que les changements dans leur composition. On montre que la composition des débarquements a fortement changé au cours de la période étudiée, avec un accroissement important de la part des espèces pélagiques, de plus faible valeur. Le prix moyen de la production a eu tendance à décroître depuis la fin des années 1980. Ceci est en partie dû à une chute des prix de l'ensemble des espèces, après 1993, et en partie lié à l'accroissement de la part des espèces de plus faible valeur dans les débarquements. Une baisse importante de la valeur de la production en a découlé sur cette deuxième moitié de la période d'étude.
Aquatic Living Resources (0990-7440) (EDP Sciences), 2008-07 , Vol. 21 , N. 3 , P. 317-327

Droits : 2008 EDP Sciences
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2008/publication-5926.pdf
DOI:10.1051/alr:2008048
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/5926/

Éditeur(s) : Pêche thonière et dispositifs de concentration de poissons, Caribbean-Martinique, 15-19 Oct 1999
Résumé : This paper develops a comparative overview of the development of Fish Aggregating Devices (or fads) by the tropical purse seine fisheries in various ocean areas (Atlantic, Indian, Western and Eastern Pacific Oceans). First, a comparative review of fishery statistics is developed. Recent catches on fads by purse seiners can be estimated at a level of one million tons yearly. This comparison allows to describe the fishing zones and catch trends over time, the species composition and size taken in the various fad fisheries. Skipjack tuna is the dominant species in most fad fisheries, but significant amounts of yellowfin and bigeye are also frequently taken under fads. The paper also presents an overview of various observer data concerning the by-catches of the various fisheries using fads. This comparison allows to estimate the total worldwide yearly by-catches at about 100,000 t, and their species composition in each ocean. The fad technology used in the various oceans by purse seiners is described. The recent use of fads by purse seiners has introduced major uncertainties in most stock assessments, because analyses are hampered by changes in the fishing effort in a fad fishery, by changes in fishing zones and in sizes caught. As a last point, the management of fads presently done or in view by the various tuna bodies are introduced. It appears that the present massive use of fads worldwide is perhaps an unsafe fishing mode, which could produce serious overfishing of many stocks. There is then a consensus that the use of fads needs to be controlled and limited to sustainable biological levels.

Droits : Ifremer
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15278/12664.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15278/

Éditeur(s) : Pêche thonière et dispositifs de concentration de poissons, Caribbean-Martinique, 15-19 Oct 1999
Résumé : The original baitboat fishing technique using a permanent association between the fishing boat and the tuna school has been developed by the baitboat fleet of Dakar, Senegal and is also in use in the Canary Islands. This new fishing technique, the result of 20 years of improvements still on, has induced a dramatic increase of the catch yields which, in turn, has sustained the survival and even a recent development of the fleet. This technique is based on the aggregating behaviour of tropical tunas. However, it contains a dynamic component which is not found in tuna fishing on drifting or anchored fads. The specifications of the method, its refinement over the years and its main consequences for the fishery are described together with the school exchanges between baitboats over months even from one year to the next. Based on the analysis of 1228 recoveries from 5500 tagged fish, tuna movements among associated schools, between associated schools and free schools fished by purse seiners and movements in and out of the baitboat fishing grounds help to better understand the dynamics of tunas and schools of this peculiar tuna association. These data show a very high recovery rate, a remarkable tuna fidelity to the original school for all species, a small number of recoveries within the purse seine catch as well as the rare tuna movements outside the baitboat area. The study highlights the complexity and the numerous consequences of tuna and school behaviour.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15304/12637.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15304/

Éditeur(s) : Pêche thonière et dispositifs de concentration de poissons, Caribbean-Martinique, 15-19 Oct 1999 15-19 octobre 1999
Résumé : The Mediterranean small-scale fleet is highly adaptive, showing a dynamic fishing intensity and strategy, and exploiting seasonal abundant resources. In this area, the aggregatory behaviour under floats of juvenile fish has been used since ancient times to exploit oceanic migratory species such as dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus), using Fish Aggregating anchored Devices (fads). A total of 2 300 boats are engaged in this fishery from August to December, the main fishing areas being those around Malta, Tunisia, Sicily and Majorca. The fads ( arrow right m2) are made of different cheap floating materials, and are moored in fixed places, ranging from shore waters to areas 60 miles off the coast (1 500 m depth). Each boat deploys an average of 20 to 100 fads. The gears used are special surrounding nets without purse line, and traditional purse seine nets. The fishery exploits young-of-the-year dolphinfish (<6 months old), originated by a pre-spawning migration of adults from Atlantic waters. Their catches show high annual and monthly variability, depending on the recruitment and the accessibility of recruits to the fishery. Pilotfish (Naucrates ductor) and greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) are also exploited in this fishery as by-catch. A total of about 1 000 metric tons of dolphinfish are yearly caught mainly in September-October. The fads are historically laid in August. Recently, the fads fishing period has increased in Sicily, and the fads are laid in July, so as to catch pilotfish and greater amberjak juveniles. In recent years, the interest for this fishing method and the study of these fisheries has increased in the Mediterranean. Though the market and its seasonality limit this exploitation, this fishery is economically profitable with good revenue.

Droits : Ifremer
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15286/12672.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15286/