Fishing impact and environmental status in European seas: a diagnosis from stock assessments and ecosystem indicators

• Published in: Fish and Fisheries
• Main Authors: Gascuel, Didier, Coll, Marta, Fox, Clive, Guénette, Sylvie, Guitton, Jérome, Kenny, Andrew, Knittweis, Leila, Nielsen, J. Rasmus, Piet, Gerjan, Raid, Tiit, Travers-Trolet, M., Shephard, Samuel
• Other Authors: Écologie et santé des écosystèmes (ESE), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-AGROCAMPUS OUEST, UMR 212 EME "écosystèmes marins exploités" (EME), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de Montpellier (UM), Scottish Marine Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Lowestoft (CEFAS), Faculty of Science, Department of Biology (UNIVERSITY OF MALTA), University of Malta Malta, Technical University of Denmark, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Wageningen IMARES (Institute for Marine Resources & Ecosystem Studies), Estonian Marine Institute, University of Tartu, Laboratoire Ressources halieutiques Boulogne sur mer (LRHBL), Halieutique Manche Mer du Nord (HMMN), Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER), Queen's University Belfast (QUB), European Commission;Spanish Research Program Ramon y Cajal
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2016
• Subjects: Ecosystem approach to fisheries management ecosystem indicators good environmental status Marine Strategy Framework Directive stock assessment trophic level marine food webs celtic sea fisheries management mathematical-theory northeast atlantic recovery decline implementation communication biodiversity; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Isi; North East Atlantic; Northeast Atlantic
• Online Access: https://institut-agro-rennes-angers.hal.science/hal-01523694; https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12090

ISI Document Delivery No.: DF3JU Times Cited: 6 Cited Reference Count: 70 Gascuel, Didier Coll, Marta Fox, Clive Guenette, Sylvie Guitton, Jerome Kenny, Andrew Knittweis, Leyla Nielsen, J. Rasmus Piet, Gerjan Raid, Tiit Travers-Trolet, Morgane Shephard, Samuel European Commission; European Commission through the Marie Curie CIG grant; Spanish Research Program Ramon y Cajal This study was initially conducted during the 2012 meeting of the Experts working group on the 'Development of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management in European Seas' set up by the Scientific Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), and funded by the European Commission. MC was funded by the European Commission through the Marie Curie CIG grant and the Spanish Research Program Ramon y Cajal. We sincerely thank Trevor Branch and anonymous referees for their useful comments and suggestions on an earlier version of the manuscript. Wiley-blackwell Hoboken International audience Stock-based and ecosystem-based indicators are used to provide a new diagnosis of the fishing impact and environmental status of European seas. In the seven European marine ecosystems covering the Baltic and the North-east Atlantic, (i) trends in landings since 1950 were examined; (ii) syntheses of the status and trends in fish stocks were consolidated at the ecosystem level; and (iii) trends in ecosystem indicators based on landings and surveys were analysed. We show that yields began to decrease everywhere (except in the Baltic) from the mid-1970s, as a result of the over-exploitation of some major stocks. Fishermen adapted by increasing fishing effort and exploiting a wider part of the ecosystems. This was insufficient to compensate for the decrease in abundance of many stocks, and total landings have halved over the last 30years. The highest fishing impact took place in the late 1990s, with a clear decrease in stock-based and ecosystem indicators. In particular, trophic-based indicators exhibited a continuous decreasing trend in almost all ...