Acronym Con EvolHer
Category
Fisheries
Title Can contemporary evolution explain the many enigmas in recent dynamics of Norwegian spring-spawning herring? Programme National Programme
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
NA
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
NA
Specific Programme (FP7)
NA
Funding source National Coordinator Katja Enberg Coordinator email Katja.Enberg@imr.no
Coordinator institution
IMR - Institute of Marine Research (Norway)
Institutions involved
IFREMER - French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (France) ,
UCSC - University of California Santa Cruz (United States of America) ,
Start year 2015 End year 2018 Funding (€) € 1,510,316 Website http://conevolher.imr.no/en/projects/conevolher/participants/internal-participants Summary Pelagic fish constitute a cornerstone of marine ecosystems and marine food production, sustaining one quarter of the global fish catch. In addition to being intensively harvested, they are infamous for seemingly unpredictable stock collapses, and they have intricate behaviours and life histories. Current evolutionary theory predicts that intensive fishing may lead to declining maturation ages, which has been corroborated by time-series analysis from demersal fish stocks. However, no similar trends have been detected in pelagic planktivores, regardless of sustained harvest pressure. Is the lack of a response in these species proving existing theory wrong? Or is something else going on with pelagic fish, making them an exception where mechanisms and traits not yet elucidated determine responses to anthropogenic influence? Norwegian spring-spawning (NSS) herring is not only one of the biggest pelagic fish stock in the world, but also one of the best documented, with time-series for population dynamics extending back to 1904 and with individual biological data from 1935. These data reveal large changes in growth (towards shorter and thicker herring), and an increasing discrepancy between acoustic stock estimates and realized population development, suggesting new drivers of population dynamics. This project will study fishing as a driver of change by developing statistical methods for in-depth analyses of the exceptional time-series of observational data. We will investigate also the role of other drivers such as climate, density dependence, year class strength, and competitor abundance. Where relevant we will include data on other
planktivores. The insights gained will be of relevance also for other mega-fisheries on sardines and anchovy, and by consequence, the ecosystems they dominate.
This project is going to recruit a PhD-candidate and a Postdoc, and thus contribute to the education and career development of two young scientists.
Keywords
Herring;
Impacts;
Environmental impact;
Population dynamic;
Fish;
Fishing mortality;
Climate change;
Marine Region
76
Not associated to marine areas
0
Marine Region Map
