Marine Fisheries Management Challenges and Opportunities The Role of Hatchery Science in Fisheries Restoration

Ken Leber
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership Saltwater Media Summit

As population growth continues to increase, how will we sustain fisheries?

Fishery Management 101: fishery yields

Harvest Management: Control fishing catch & effort

seasonal closures, size and catch limitations, area closures, incentives (catch shares), number of angler licenses (limited entry), spatial planning restore essential habitat -- EFH, MPAs, spatial planning, habitat restoration

Habitat Management: We can identify, protect and

Marine Fisheries Enhancement: Fishery managers

can boost abundance by stocking hatchery-reared fish to increase the number of young fish (new recruits) in the population in certain situations

Coupling Fisheries Management and Aquaculture

3rd ISSESR

Marine fisheries enhancement Types:

Stock Enhancement: release of cultured organisms into wild populations to increase the natural supply of juveniles Restocking: release of cultured organisms into wild populations to help rebuild depleted wild stock to higher abundance Sea Ranching: release of cultured juveniles into the ocean for harvest at a larger size (put-grow-take)
(Bell et al., 2008. Reviews in Fisheries Science, 16(1):1-9)

Putting Theory to Practice

The Promise The Deficit Constraints to progress Enlightenment and Policy Change Careful Approach for Putting Theory to Practice

The Promise
Stocking cultured fishes into the sea can
restore abundance lost from overfishing and habitat degradation -- a popular idea starting in the 19th
century, when millions of marine fish eggs and yolk-sac larvae were released per year.

The expectations:
stocking will increase yields in fisheries, aid in restoring depleted, threatened and endangered species, and provide partial mitigation for habitat loss.

The Deficit
By the 1950s, 80 years of stocking had
produced no evidence that fish stocks had been increased.
After nearly a century of stocking fish as the principal way to maintain fisheries, agencies began to close marine hatcheries in the 1950s and use harvest management (control of catch and fishing effort) and dismissed stocking.

Technological Constraints to Progress

During that early period, marine aquaculture
provided only the ability to produce eggs and very young larvae
extremely vulnerable ages to stock.

And, prior to the 1970s no method existed for

identifying released hatchery organisms
no marking or tagging technology was sufficient for the small sizes released.

Fisheries Enhancement Lacked the Science Needed to Use it Effectively

And Has All the Symptoms of a New Science:

No Agreed Upon Terminology No Textbooks on Stock Enhancement Enhancement Paradigm Only Recently Emerged
e.g. Hilborn; Walters; Lorenzen

Scientific Method was Essentially Lacking in All

Investigations Until 1970s (salmon)

Nothing Published on Effectiveness of

Stocking Marine Organisms, Until 1989

Tactical Constraints to Progress

Lack of understanding of effects of releases on
fish population dynamics.

Lack of quantitative assessment tools. Lack of essential governance and fishery

management considerations in planning.

Lack of understanding of when and where

enhancement can work and how to control effectiveness of release strategies.

Enlightenment and Policy Change

After 2 generations of fishery scientists in the
USA had rejected stock enhancement, some began to notice a logarithmic increase in stocking literature in scientific journals over the past 2 decades

New interest in the potential of using stock

enhancement, restocking and sea ranching has emerged, following a few success stories leading to a policy shift towards an increase in funding for stocking and research to evaluate it.

Historical Background: Evaluation of Marine Stock Enhancement

Early Constraints to Successful Enhancement
Aquaculture constraints Assessment constraints

1880s 1980s

Pioneering Work to Quantify Stocking Effects

Svsand, Jrstad, Kristiansen and colleagues in Norway Tsukamoto; Kitada; Tanaka; Yamashita; colleagues in Japan Bannister and colleagues in the UK 1990s Stttrup and colleagues in Denmark Bell in Solomon Islands Stoner; Willis; Smith; Kent; Blankenship, Leber & colleagues in US Rimmer, Russell and colleagues in Australia

Recent Approach
Improved Experimental Design Comprehensive Assessment Efforts

2000s

Science & Fishery PerspectiveDriven Policy Development

New research in early 1990s generated WAS &
EAS began sessions at conferences on marine stock enhancement

International Working Group on Stock

Enhancement formed in 1993 in Spain
Platform Paper: Responsible Approach Presented at 1994 AFS Symposium

International Symposium on Stock Enhancement

and Sea Ranching (ISSESR): every 4-5 years
Norway-1997, Japan-2002, US-2006, China-2011, (Australia-2015...)

A Responsible Approach to Marine Stock Enhancement *

(Spawned by Lee Blankenship, Devin Bartley, Don Kent, Ken Leber, Stan Moberly, Terje Svsand, Katsumi Tsukamoto [and Rich Lincoln])

Stay Within Context of Fisheries Management Plan: Develop Sound Enhancement Strategy:

1. Prioritize Species for Enhancement 2. Make Stocking Plan that Fits with and Helps Achieve the Goals of the Fishery Management Plan and Identify the Expectations 3. Define Quantitative Measures of Success 4. Use Genetic Resource Mgmt. to Prevent Deleterious Effects 5. Use Disease and Health Management 6. Consider Ecological, Biological, & Life-History Patterns 7. Identify Hatchery Fish & Assess Stocking Effects 8. Use an Empirical Process to Define Optimal Release Strategies 9. Identify Economic & Policy Guidelines 10. Use Adaptive Management

(* Blankenship & Leber, 1995. Am. Fish. Soc. Symposium 15:67-175) PDF is online at www.StockEnhancement.org/science/publications.html

Science & Fishery PerspectiveWhere Hatcheries Can Go Wrong

1. Replacement of wild with hatchery recruits, with no net
increase in total stock

2. Unregulated fishing effort responses to presence of

hatchery fish can cause overfishing of wild stock

3. Overexploitation of forage resource base for the stocked

species

4. Genetic impacts on the long-term viability of the wild stock

They stress it is critical to monitor the impacts of enhancement as the program develops to have evidence in hand if debate about effectiveness surfaces
(Carl Walters & Steve Martell, 2004)

 Make certain that management priorities and acceptable

trade-offs are absolutely clear

Science & Fishery PerspectiveCode of Responsible Conduct

Do careful stock assessments to show that the target stock

is recruitment overfished or can no longer rear successfully in the wild

Show that enhanced fish can recruit successfully in the wild Show that total abundance is at least initially increased by
the hatchery fish contribution

Show that fishery regulations are adequate to prevent

continued overfishing of the wild population

Show the hatchery production system is actually sustainable

over the long run, when it is to be a permanent component
(Carl Walters & Steve Martell, 2004)

Updated Responsible Approach to Marine Stock Enhancement *

(Lorenzen, Leber, and Blankenship. 2010. Rev. Fish. Sci. 18(2):189-210)

Most Enhancements are Weak in 5 Areas

Lack of a clear fishery-management perspective Fishery stock assessments & modeling are integral to
exploring the potential of stocking, yet both are found lacking in most stock enhancement efforts

Establishing an institutional framework for enhancements is

largely ignored

Involvement of stakeholders in planning and execution of

stocking programs is key from the start, but is rarely an integral part

Adaptive management is not well integrated into

enhancement plans

Updated Responsible Approach to

Stage 1: Initial Appraisal & Goal Setting 1. Understand the role of enhancement within the fishery system 2. Engage stakeholders & develop a rigorous & accountable decision-making process 3. Quantitatively assess contributions of enhancement to fisheries management goals / compare with harvest & habitat management 4. Prioritize and select target species and stocks for enhancement 5. Assess economic and social benefits and costs of enhancement Stage 2: Research & Technology Development & Pilot Studies 6. Define enhancement system designs suitable for the fishery and management objectives 7. Develop appropriate aquaculture systems and rearing practices 8. Use genetic resource management to avoid deleterious genetic effects 9. Use disease and health management 10. Ensure that released hatchery fish can be identified 11. Use an empirical process for defining optimal release strategies Stage 3: Operational Implementation & Adaptive Management 12. Devise effective governance arrangements 13. Define a fisheries management plan with clear goals, measures of success and decision rules 14. Assess and manage ecological impacts 15. Use adaptive management

Marine Stock Enhancement

Key Areas of Expertise Needed in Marine Fisheries Enhancement

Fisheries science Fisheries management Adaptive Management Marine aquaculture Population genetics Aquatic animal health Population ecology Behavioral ecology Community ecology

Resource economics Social science and

institutional analysis and design Statistics and experimental design Tagging Technology Communications and Outreach

(In: Leber, K.M., in press. Marine Fisheries Enhancement: Coming of Age in the New Millennium. Springer Science)

Human-Biological Interactions: Institutional Analysis and Design: the key is to provide incentives to individuals to cooperate & contribute positively to the outcomes
Operational interactions Dynamic interactions

Adapted from: Oakerson, 1992 and Pido et al. 1996

(Lorenzen, Rev. Fish. Sci. 16: 10-23, 2008)

3rd ISSESR

Effect of Enhancements, harvest and habitat management should be modeled, a priori, and integrated into the decision making process
1400000
Target: 0.4 unexploited spawner biomass

1200000
Spawner biomass (kg)

1000000 800000

Total

Directly stocked hatchery type

600000 400000 200000 0 0 200000 400000 600000 800000 1000000 1200000

Number of recruits stocked
(http://www.aquaticresources.org/pubs/EnhanceFish_Manual.pdf)

Naturally recruited hatchery-wild type t Wild

System Design affects production efficiency & fitness of released fish

-Sourcing of broodstock -Production of wild-like types -Minimize domestication

Genetic Management Is Essential

Avoid transfer of exogenous alleles

Avoid change in gene frequencies

Avoid inbreeding and outbreeding depression

Virtually all aspects of enhancement research and management require the ability to identify released fish

Release Variables: Critical Uncertainties

Critical Choices Managers of Hatchery Releases
Need to Make
Tag type, tag placement, tagged proportion Acclimation at release site Size-at-release (SAR) Season and tidal timing Release habitat/microhabitat Effects of interactions Release magnitude

Thus, use of pilot studies and adaptive management to optimize release

strategies is key to understanding effects and effectiveness and efficiencies

Release Design
Day 1: Stocked Acclimation pens

NCO

NCL

CCL

NCM

Day 3: Released snook from acclimation pens & also Stocked non-acclimated snook

NCO

NCL

CCL

NCM

Replicated this experiment 3 times

(Brennan, Darcy and Leber, 2006. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 16(1):1-9)

Nearly doubled survival of released hatchery fish

Acclimation effect on recapture rate

(Brennan, Darcy and Leber, 2006. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 16(1):1-9)

Pacific Threadfin in Hawaii

1.50 1.25
RECAPTURE FREQUENCY

Releases at Kaalaea Beach

Season: P < 0.007* SAR: P < 0.001* Interact.: P > 0.085 n=210 48-70 mm 70-100 mm 100-130 mm

1.00 0.75 0.50

n=172 n=155

0.25 0.00

SUMMER

FALL
SEASON

WINTER

Leber, K. M., N. P. Brennan and S. M. Arce. 1998. Recruitment patterns of juvenile, cultured Pacific threadfin, Polydactylus sexfilis (Polynemidae), released along sandy marine shores in Hawaii. Bulletin of Marine Science 62(2):389-408.

Pacific Threadfin in Hawaii

4

Releases at Kahana Bay

Seas: P < 0.002* SAR: P = 0.392 n=526 48-70 mm 70-100 mm 100-130 mm n=277

RECAPTURE FREQUENCY

Inter.: P > 0.006* n=276

SUMMER

FALL
SEASON

WINTER

Leber, K. M., N. P. Brennan and S. M. Arce. 1998. Recruitment patterns of juvenile, cultured Pacific threadfin, Polydactylus sexfilis (Polynemidae), released along sandy marine shores in Hawaii. Bulletin of Marine Science 62(2):389-408.

assess enhancement Effectiveness

One of our Guinea Pigs in Florida: Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalus) Top predator in estuarine and near-shore environments
Attains weights up to 27 kg and lengths of 1.3 m

Prized game fish in Florida

Approximately 1.8 million snook caught by anglers annually in Florida of which Four-fold increase in annual 200,000 are harvested harvest (Florida) since 1988

Requires evaluation of hatchery-wild interactions

at all three stages of developing enhancements

1400 1200

High Augmentation Creeks

3000

3rd ISSESR
Whitaker Bayou
hatchery wild

Bowlees Creek
Post-release loss hatchery fish ~64-85%
Late summer/fall abundance decline

hatchery wild
2500

Number of snook

1000 800 600 400 200 0

2000

1500

1000

500

Late summer/fall abundance decline

May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun 2003 2002

0
May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun 2002 2003

5000 4500

Low Augmentation Creeks 5000

North Creek
hatchery wild
4500 4000 3500 3000

Number of snook

South Creek

hatchery wild

4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0

May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun 2002 2003

Late summer/fall abundance decline

2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0

Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct 2002 Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun 2003

Late summer/fall abundance decline

(Brennan, N.P., C.J. Walters and K.M. Leber. 1998. Rev. Fish. Sci. 16(1-3):228-241 ) Fish. 16(1- 3):228-

Adaptive Management is Crucial

Recognized Production - Enhancement Management Dichotomy
Management Plan

Production
Pr o O du rie ct n t io n ed
P.Eff. Loop

Adaptive Stocking Release Strategy

E.Eff. Loop

Impact Assessment

nt e m ce ted an en nh ri E O Increased Control

(Leber, 2002. Advances in Marine SE: Shifting Emphasis to Theory & Accountability. In Stickney & McVey )

Small-scale stocking clearly making a contribution to a valuable fishery in Florida

PERCENT HATCHRY FISH

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

34 Hatchery Snook -- 6 when released Apr 1999 in Bowlees Creek Caught July 2004 in Bowlees Creek

Legacy from the Past

Allure of a Quick Fix
If not implemented responsibly, enhancements may lull fishery managers into false confidence and thus lead to inaction and delay in development of other fisheries management and restoration programs

Has often prompted stakeholders & managers to skip or ignore several elements needed to allow those programs to succeed

Isolation from the Fisheries Science Community

Often lack funds for monitoring impacts and adaptive management needed to control enhancement effects and effectiveness Often run with no connectivity to existing fishery management process, with hatcheries isolated and operating independent from stock assessment and fisheries monitoring programs

(In: Leber, K.M., in press. Marine Fisheries Enhancement: Coming of Age

Enabling Factors for Expanding Successful Marine Enhancements

Greater awareness among all stakeholders of the issues,
pitfalls, progress and opportunities enhancement programs for success

Use of Adaptive management is critical for managing Adapt the Responsible Approach to local circumstances
the scope for augmentation declines as we better manage wild stocks enhancement becomes a very site specific tool when habitat has been lost or something needs rebuilding or you have species of particularly high value

Seek Assistance from established expertise in this field

and the key associated fields
(In: Leber, K.M., in press. Marine Fisheries Enhancement: Coming of Age in the New Millennium. Springer Science)

StockEnhancement.org/science/publications.html

65 Fisheries Enhancement Publications

GOM Hatchery & Restoration Consortium

UM

UT

LUMCOM MOTE

**

AU USM

Florida Fish & Wildlifes new statewide replenishment initiative

Http://www.fmfei.org

 We have provided a set of issues that need to be

Summary

addressed if enhancements are to be developed or reformed responsibly and effectively fostering steady improvements and careful planning. on the objective increasing yields in fisheries and recovering stocks in restoration programs

The debate focused on enhancement is a healthy one, One of the greatest lessons learned is to keep the focus With the focus shifted to outcomes in marine

enhancement programs, enhancement has become a useful addition to the fishery management toolbox.