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Overfishing and the Replacement of Demersal Finfish by Shellfish: An Example from the English Channel
| Content Provider | Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) |
|---|---|
| Author | Molfese C Beare, Douglas J. Hall-Spencer, Jason M. |
| Description | The worldwide depletion of major fish stocks through intensive industrial fishing is thought to have profoundly altered the trophic structure of marine ecosystems. Here we assess changes in the trophic structure of the English Channel marine ecosystem using a 90-year time-series (1920–2010) of commercial fishery landings. Our analysis was based on estimates of the mean trophic level (mTL) of annual landings and the Fishing-in-Balance index (FiB). Food webs of the Channel ecosystem have been altered, as shown by a significant decline in the mTL of fishery landings whilst increases in the FiB index suggest increased fishing effort and fishery expansion. Large, high trophic level species (e.g. spurdog, cod, ling) have been increasingly replaced by smaller, low trophic level fish (e.g. small spotted catsharks) and invertebrates (e.g. scallops, crabs and lobster). Declining trophic levels in fisheries catches have occurred worldwide, with fish catches progressively being replaced by invertebrates. We argue that a network of fisheries closures would help rebalance the trophic status of the Channel and allow regeneration of marine ecosystems. |
| Related Links | https://cgspace.cgiar.org/items/4fb183fd-67fb-4f2c-a208-a817374646af |
| File Format | |
| ISSN | 19326203 |
| DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0101506 |
| Journal | PLOS ONE |
| Issue Number | 7 |
| Volume Number | 9 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Public Library of Science |
| Publisher Date | 2014-01-01 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Rights License | CC-BY-4.0 |
| Subject Keyword | Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security Climate Change Agriculture Food Security Fish Marne Ecology Fisheries Freshwater Fisheries Climate-smart Technologies AND Practices |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
| Subject | Agronomy and Crop Science Food Science Plant Science |
