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dc.contributor.authorStäbler, Moritz
dc.contributor.authorKempf, Alexander
dc.contributor.authorSmout, Sophie
dc.contributor.authorTemming, Axel
dc.date.accessioned2019-01-30T11:29:13Z
dc.date.available2019-01-30T11:29:13Z
dc.date.issued2019-01-28
dc.identifier257557958
dc.identifierf3e94ed7-32cd-4ab1-b484-c3d4d90ca67d
dc.identifier85060579711
dc.identifier000457041800013
dc.identifier.citationStäbler , M , Kempf , A , Smout , S & Temming , A 2019 , ' Sensitivity of multispecies maximum sustainable yields to trends in the top (marine mammals) and bottom (primary production) compartments of the southern North Sea food-web ' , PLoS ONE , vol. 14 , no. 1 , e0210882 . https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210882en
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203
dc.identifier.otherRIS: urn:D941196D5925FA89E4E698CCACC9E183
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/16959
dc.descriptionThe authors (MS, AK, SS, AT) gratefully acknowledge financial support through the European Commission’s MYFISH project (Maximising yield of fisheries while balancing ecosystem, economic and social concerns, FP7/2007-2013 under grant agreement n°289257; http://myfishproject.eu).en
dc.description.abstractIn marine ecosystems, maximum sustainable yield considerations are affected by any substantial changes that occur in the top and bottom compartments of the food-web. This study explores how the southern North Sea’s fisheries may need to adjust their fishing efforts to maintain optimum yields of sole, plaice, cod and brown shrimps under increased marine mammal populations and a reduced primary productivity. We constructed plausible scenarios of ongoing food-web changes using the results of Bayesian age-structured population models to estimate carrying capacities of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus). Losses in primary productivity were predicted by lower trophic level ecosystem models. These scenarios were implemented in a food-web model of the southern North Sea. For each scenario, we sought mixed-fleet fishing efforts that would deliver maximum yields of sole, plaice, cod and brown shrimp combined. We also did so for a baseline run with unaltered mammal and primary production, and compared the differences in optimal fishing strategies, predicted yields, and states of the stocks between the scenarios. We found stocks and yields to be far more sensitive to changes in primary productivity than to increased marine mammal predation. The latter predominantly impacted cod, and even benefitted brown shrimps compared to the baseline run. Under 30% reduced primary productivity, fishing efforts had to be reduced by 50% to still provide maximum yields, whereas the marine mammal scenario induced no need to adjust the fishing regime. This draws attention to the potential gains of incorporating bottom-up processes into long-term management considerations, while marine mammal predation may be less of a concern, in particular for flatfish fisheries in the North Sea, and may even benefit shrimp trawlers because of reduced predation on shrimp from fish predators.
dc.format.extent18
dc.format.extent2878620
dc.language.isoeng
dc.relation.ispartofPLoS ONEen
dc.subjectQH301 Biologyen
dc.subjectNDASen
dc.subjectSDG 14 - Life Below Wateren
dc.subject.lccQH301en
dc.titleSensitivity of multispecies maximum sustainable yields to trends in the top (marine mammals) and bottom (primary production) compartments of the southern North Sea food-weben
dc.typeJournal articleen
dc.contributor.sponsorEuropean Commissionen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. School of Biologyen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Sea Mammal Research Uniten
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Scottish Oceans Instituteen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Centre for Research into Ecological & Environmental Modellingen
dc.identifier.doi10.1371/journal.pone.0210882
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.identifier.grantnumber289257en


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