Mario Pinho | Azores University (original) (raw)

Papers by Mario Pinho

Research paper thumbnail of Unraveling distributional patterns and life-history traits of a deep-water shrimp Plesionika edwardsii (Decapoda, Pandalidae) under unexploited virgin conditions: a benchmark for fisheries management

Research paper thumbnail of MEFEPO: South Western Waters Atlas

Essential fish habitats 35-38 Plankton 39-40 Animals in the sea floor 41-44 Marine mammals 45-47 ... more Essential fish habitats 35-38 Plankton 39-40 Animals in the sea floor 41-44 Marine mammals 45-47 Sea birds 48 Sea Turtles 49-51 Distribution of human activities 52 Fisheries in the SWW atlas area 53-55 Mixed bottom trawl fishery 56 Nephrops French fishery 57-59 Purse Seine 60-61 Mixed lines demersal fishery in the Azores 62 Glossary, Acknowledgements and image credits 63 References Welcome to MEFEPO! Making the European Fisheries Ecosystem Plan Operational Summary 1. The South Western Waters Regional Advisory Council (SWW RAC) covers the Atlantic area from the point of Brittany in the north to the Straits of Gibraltar in the south, as well as the ultraperipheric regions of Madeira, Azores and the Canarias Islands. Only the Azores Archipelago is considered in this atlas and in the MEFEPO project. The SWW RAC area has a very diverse range of depths from the broad shelf in the French area, to the narrow and steep shelf with numerous canyons in the Cantabrian Sea, and the Iberian Basin with numerous sea mounts that arise from the deep sea to the mid Atlantic Ridge. 2. The main large-scale currents associated with the eastern part of the anticyclonic North Atlantic subtropical gyre are the North Atlantic Current, the Azores Current, Portugal Current and the Canary Current. The Mediterranean flow is a relatively warm current that sinks to around 1000 m depth as it enters in the Atlantic and flows northwards with variable intensity from year to year. These currents in combination with the winds produce upwelling events of great importance in Portuguese and Galician coasts. 3. The Azores High, (also known as North Atlantic High/Anticyclone or the Bermuda High/Anticyclone in the United States), is a large subtropical semi-permanent centre of high atmospheric pressure found near the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean, at the Horse latitudes. It forms one pole of the North Atlantic Oscillation, the other being the Icelandic Low. 4. The North East Atlantic upper waters have experienced progressive warming during the past and the present century. Mean surface water temperatures increased by 1.4°C in the southeastern Bay of Biscay over the period 1972-1993 (0.6°C per decade) and by 1.03°C over the past century. 5. The North West Atlantic waters are dominated by high-salinity North Atlantic Central Water separated into Polar and Tropical modes. The Polar mode is formed at the Bay of Biscay and diffuses east and southeast , reaching the Azores. The Tropical mode is observed mainly close to the continental margin, between the Canaries and Iberian Peninsula. 6. In the Eastern North Atlantic, coastal upwelling occurs between April and October. The high productivity of upwelling regions on the food web are well-known and the Atlanto-Iberian fisheries benefit from this. In the Bay of Biscay the rivers are the major source of nutrients. 7. The distribution of organisms which live on or near the sea floor is determined by the type of substrate present (e.g. mud, sand, gravel or rock). Examples of these maps in the SWW area are presented in this atlas. 6 Welcome to MEFEPO! Making the European Fisheries Ecosystem Plan Operational 8. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are areas of the ocean protected from human activities. Maps of MPAs in the SWW area are included in the Atlas, which include MPAs developed for conservation purposes and those to protect fish stocks. 9. Essential fish habitat are broadly defined to include those waters and substrates necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, orgrowth to maturity. Following this definition, essential fish habitats for species as hake, Norway lobster, megrim, horse mackerel, sardine, and blackspot seabream and bluemouth rockfish inhabiting the sea mounts in the Azores Islands, are presented.

Research paper thumbnail of Abundance and population structure of Plesionika narval (Fabricius, 1787) in the Northeastern Atlantic

Brazilian Journal of Biology, 2019

Analysis of abundance and population structure of Plesionika narval was performed on data concern... more Analysis of abundance and population structure of Plesionika narval was performed on data concerning 5,255 specimens obtained from 62 fishing sets carried out off the Madeira archipelago (Northeastern Atlantic) between 2004 and 2008 in a depth range from 101 to 350 m. Abundance ranged from 0.01 to 19.74 specimens-per-trap and significant differences were found between seasons, probably as a result of an increment of population in the spring during the recruitment season. The analysis of size distribution revealed that the carapace length (CL) ranged from 2.45 to 28.61 mm and that mean female size consistently exceeded that of males. Differences in mean CL were statistically significant between depth strata and seasons. Of the specimens sampled, 57.00% were males, 41.88% females and 1.42% undetermined. Sex ratio also differed significantly between seasons according to depth strata, consolidating the hypothesis of the existence of seasonal migrations related with the reproductive cycl...

Research paper thumbnail of Making the European Fisheries Ecosystem Plan Operational (MEFEPO) North Western Waters Atlas

Research paper thumbnail of Prospective study of the fishery of the shrimp Plesionika narval (Fabricius, 1787) in the Northeastern Atlantic

Brazilian journal of biology = Revista brasleira de biologia, Jan 24, 2016

Several experimental surveys were carried out in the Northeastern Atlantic, Madeira archipelago f... more Several experimental surveys were carried out in the Northeastern Atlantic, Madeira archipelago from 1991 to 2008 to explore new fisheries resources. This study examined the selectivity of bottom and floating traps and the analysis of yield-per-recruit (YPR) and biomass-per-recruit (BPR) providing helpful insight to the management of the shrimp Plesionika narval. A total of 28,262 specimens were sampled and the analysis of length at first capture returned higher values when using floating traps indicating that these traps are more selective, exerting less pressure on the resource. The YPR and BPR analysis showed that the stock is under exploited for the studied area and suggests that the use of floating traps in the commercial fisheries of P. narval is recommended, which will allow a higher maximum allowable limit of exploitation and greater yield. The results suggest that P. narval has the potential to support a viable and sustainable fishery using floating traps.

Research paper thumbnail of South Western Waters: Fisheries Ecosystem Plan

INTRODUCTION TO THE SOUTH WEST WATERS REGION The South Western Waters (SWW) RAC region covers the... more INTRODUCTION TO THE SOUTH WEST WATERS REGION The South Western Waters (SWW) RAC region covers the north east Atlantic Ocean from the point of Brittany in the north to the Straits of Gibraltar in the south, as well as the ultra-peripheral regions of Madeira, Azores and Canary Islands. From the ultra-peripheral regions only the Azores Archipelago region is considered in the MEFEPO project. The SWW covers approximately 3 million km 2 and comprises ICES zones VIII, IX, X, COPACE divisions 34.1.1., 34.1.2, 34.2.0 and OSPAR regions IV and V. Parts of the EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) of France, Spain and Portugal make up the SWW. The SWW RAC area has a diverse range of depths from the broad shelf in the French area, to the narrow and steep shelf with numerous canyons in the Cantabrian Sea. The Iberian Basin has numerous sea mounts that arise from the deep sea to the mid Atlantic Ridge.

Research paper thumbnail of Using life-history traits to predict the vulnerability to overexploitation in soldier striped shrimps

Marine and Freshwater Research, Feb 8, 2022

The global overfishing scenario of the historically exploited marine stocks have generated concer... more The global overfishing scenario of the historically exploited marine stocks have generated concern and encouraged the search for new potentially exploitable fisheries resources. In this sense, shrimps are potential alternative resources to be exploited, given their high diversity and stock resilience. This study had an objective to estimate life-history traits and analyse yield and abundance fishing levels to see whether Plesionika edwardsii shrimp is vulnerable to overexploitation or not in the mid-North Atlantic (Azores region, ICES Subdivision 10a2). The females showed larger L∞ (asymptotic length) and k (coefficient of growth; L∞ = 27.3 mm, k = 0.75 year−1) than did males (L∞ = 24.58 mm, k = 0.73 year−1). The mortality rates of males (Z = 1.00 year−1; M = 0.84 year−1) and females (Z = 0.92 year−1; M = 0.85 year−1) were very similar. In terms of longevity, the males (3.47 year−1) survived longer than did females (3.34 year−1). Depletion experiments showed a fast and straight-forward decline of CPUEs (3, 5 and 9 days), confirming a low mobility and vulnerability to high fishing efforts. The maximum sustainable yield (MSY) estimates (5.4–10.7 tonnes (Mg) year−1) showed a low annual sustainable catch. These values combined with the life-history characteristics indicated that this stock is less resilient and highly vulnerable to overfishing.

Research paper thumbnail of Azorean demersal longline survey abundance estimates: Procedures and variability

Regional Studies in Marine Science, Sep 1, 2020

Survey data from the Azores is used for fisheries stock assessments under the ICES Working Group ... more Survey data from the Azores is used for fisheries stock assessments under the ICES Working Group on the Biology and Assessment of Deep-sea Fisheries Resources (WGDEEP) covering deep open ocean areas. The Azores research cruise using bottom longlines for abundance estimation is probably unique in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. This study analyzed data from annual Azorean bottom longline surveys (ICES subdivision 10a2) from 1996 to 2018 to calculate abundance indices of commercial demersal species, to estimate the statistical significance of the annual changes in the abundance estimates, and to examine the possible factors that cause this variability. The catch rates of these surveys appear to provide accurate indices of abundance for most of the commercially important demersal species. The observed inter-annual variability of the survey abundance estimates can be explained by survey effort distribution, fishery dynamics, aggregation patterns of some species, habitat preferences, fish movements, and environmental effects. However, other factors can affect these estimates (soak time, gear saturation and competition for hooks) and we recommend that additional studies be undertaken to understand these effects.

Research paper thumbnail of Can we consider the stocks of alfonsinos<i>Beryx splendens</i>and<i>Beryx decadactylus</i>from the Azores a discrete fishery management unit?

Journal of Fish Biology, Mar 15, 2019

This paper summarises the detailed information on catch, fork length, weight, sex and maturity of... more This paper summarises the detailed information on catch, fork length, weight, sex and maturity of alfonsinos Beryx splendens and Beryx decadactylus collected from targeted surveys in Azores waters, complemented by fishery data, over the past c. 20 years. To date, it was not possible to define if the Azorean component of the population can be considered as a discrete local management unit. The reason for this is the lack of available information for these resources covering the entire spatial distribution of the species in the North Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, there are some conflicts between the different genetic results available, poor understanding about the species movements and data from the Azores show some discrepancies in aspects of reproduction. Consequently, there is no analytical assessment for this resource and the stock of Beryx spp. is currently managed based on the precautionary approach. Outputs of recent analyses are presented in this study and possible assumptions and strategies for the assessment are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Trends in abundance indices derived from commercial fisheries for priority marine stocks in the Azores

Journal of Fish Biology, Feb 3, 2023

Large‐scale assessments of fish and shellfish populations may be valuable for identifying the imp... more Large‐scale assessments of fish and shellfish populations may be valuable for identifying the impacts of fishing pressure on stocks, but they are rarely possible due to a lack of long‐term datasets. In this study, a two‐part mixed‐effect model for lognormal data was used to obtain historical abundance indices for 16 priority fish and shellfish stocks in the Azores region derived from catch per unit effort (kg per day at sea per vessel) and landing per unit effort (kg per landing per vessel). This data was obtained over the past 30 years under the EC Data Collection Framework and, in addition to information on effort and catch, included details about the fishing operation such as quarter, vessel length and fishing gear. This information was analysed to investigate how abundance indices changed over the years, verify if trends from different data sources were different and, if possible, relate these results to the population and fishery dynamics. The abundance indices derived from both datasets were generally in agreement with each other. Declining trends have been observed for some commercially important species, such as forkbeard Phycis phycis, European conger Conger conger, parrotfish Sparisoma cretense, red scorpionfish Scorpaena scrofa, offshore rockfish Pontinus kuhlii, common spiny lobster Palinurus elephas, splendid alfonsino Beryx splendens and alfonsino B. decadactylus, which is concerning because they are particularly slow‐growing, long‐lived and have low natural mortality, making them susceptible to overfishing. The results of this study are very important and should help future stock assessment and management initiatives.

Research paper thumbnail of Performance of length-based assessment in predicting small-scale multispecies fishery sustainability

Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries

Small-scale fisheries play a critical role in food security and contribute to nearly half of repo... more Small-scale fisheries play a critical role in food security and contribute to nearly half of reported global fish catches. However, the status of most small-scale fisheries stocks is still poor. In data-limited situations, length-based methods have been widely applied to estimate reference points and to understand stock status. This study applied three different length-based assessment methods (length-based indicators—LBI, length-based spawning potential ratio—LBSPR, and the length-based Bayesian biomass approach—LBB) to predict fisheries stock sustainability in the Azores. Overall, the three methods showed robustness for 15 out of 18 stocks assessed and agreed on their exploitation status. The results showed that 45% of the Azorean stocks were classified as sustainable stocks, 33% possible rebuilding/overfished and 22% overfishing/overfished stock status. Sensitivity analysis showed that biases on the source of initial life-history parameters, especially the asymptotic length (L∞) ...

Research paper thumbnail of Scientific and Fisher’s Knowledge-Based Ecological Risk Assessment: Combining Approaches to Determine the Vulnerability of Fisheries Stocks

Sustainability

Small-scale fishing is a multi-gear activity that focuses on a wide range of species. As there is... more Small-scale fishing is a multi-gear activity that focuses on a wide range of species. As there is a considerable diversity of species, it is often difficult to keep track of all of those that are caught, and due to the lack of data or poor quality, most stock statuses are currently unknown around the world. Therefore, local ecological knowledge provided by fishers has been regarded as a valuable source of information to bridge these crucial gaps. This study assesses the vulnerability status of 22 fishing stocks in the Azores, through productivity and susceptibility analyses (PSAs) using two independent data sources: conventional scientific knowledge and fishers’ knowledge data. We created four PSAs with separate and integrated data sources. Although we found some differences in the vulnerability scores and rankings, the risk outputs of the PSAs using independent and integrated sources of data generally match, reflecting a similar pattern trend. The findings of this work suggest that...

Research paper thumbnail of Life History and Fishing Aspects of the Deep-Sea Silver Scabbardfish Lepidopus caudatus in the Azores

Biology

Deep-sea fisheries are of important economic value. Therefore, it is necessary to generate biolog... more Deep-sea fisheries are of important economic value. Therefore, it is necessary to generate biologically and ecologically based fishing plans to make this fishery sustainable over time. The silver scabbardfish, Lepidopus caudatus, is a worldwide-distributed demersal fish, commercially exploited in the Azores. Despite L. caudatus high landings and discharges in the region, information about its ecology, population structure, biology and fisheries remains little-known. This work analyzed scientific survey and fishery-dependent data from the past 30 years to understand the changes in abundance, spatial distribution and life history of this species. Lepidopus caudatus spatial distribution was associated with depths between 200 and 400 m, close to seamounts and islands, and on sandy bottoms. The size structure varied yearly, and the population was dominated by females (sex ratio, M:F = 0.46:1). Growth rates were between the estimated values in previous studies in the Azores and indicated ...

Research paper thumbnail of Growth Parameters and Mortality Rates Estimated for Seven Data-Deficient Fishes from the Azores Based on Length-Frequency Data

Life

Given the scarcity of information suitable for stock assessments, the growth and mortality of sev... more Given the scarcity of information suitable for stock assessments, the growth and mortality of seven exploited marine fishes in Azorean waters were estimated based on length-frequency data. The studied species were Trachurus picturatus, Sparisoma cretense, Scomber colias, Scorpaena scrofa, Serranus atricauda, Seriola spp. and Aphanopus carbo. The growth parameters L∞ (cm), k (year−1) and ϕ’ estimated through the ELEFAN_GA_boot routine were set at 55.87, 0.08 and 2.39 for T. picturatus; 55.03, 0.11 and 2.53 for S. cretense; 55.93, 0.18 and 2.76 for S. colias; 61.11, 0.11 and 2.61 for S. scrofa; 52.10, 0.12 and 2.51 for S. atricauda; 107.33, 0.12 and 3.18 for Seriola spp.; and 133.16, 0.09 and 3.19 for A. carbo; respectively. The total mortality rate estimated using the length–converted catch curve method was 0.22, 0.35, 0.58, 0.32, 0.31, 0.39 and 0.22 year−1; the natural mortality included 0.15, 0.20, 0.30, 0.20, 0.21, 0.21 and 0.16 year−1; and fishing mortality rate 0.07, 0.15, 0.28,...

Research paper thumbnail of Demographics and Yield–Per–Recruit Assessment of the Vulnerable Spiny Lobster Palinurus elephas in the Azores—Implications for Conservation and Fisheries Management

Biology

The spiny lobster Palinurus elephas has been intensively harvested across its range and is genera... more The spiny lobster Palinurus elephas has been intensively harvested across its range and is generally considered overfished, with global landings declining sharply from an average of 820 t in 1960–79 to 385 t in 2000–19. Despite its economic and ecological importance, limited information is available to perform stock assessments and make robust management decisions. In this study, demographics and exploitation levels of P. elephas were determined from coastal areas of the Azores, and the relevance of these data for conservation planning was discussed. Carapace length varied between 39.6 and 174.3 mm, with mean sizes decreasing by depth. Males reached larger sizes and grew faster than females but were less dominant. Lifespan was 43 years for females and 60 years for males. The estimated mean length at first capture was 101.65 mm—around 58% of its asymptotic length. Fishing mortality and exploitation levels were close to the optimal values, indicating an uncertain future for Azorean po...

Research paper thumbnail of Fishers’ Experiential Knowledge about Biological Traits of Commercial Marine Species in the Azores

SIBIC 2022

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

Research paper thumbnail of Error Distribution Model to Standardize LPUE, CPUE and Survey-Derived Catch Rates of Target and Non-Target Species

Modelling, 2021

Indices of abundance are usually a key input parameter used for fitting a stock assessment model,... more Indices of abundance are usually a key input parameter used for fitting a stock assessment model, as they provide abundance estimates representative of the fraction of the stock that is vulnerable to fishing. These indices can be estimated from catches derived from fishery-dependent sources, such as catch per unit effort (CPUE) and landings per unit effort (LPUE), or from scientific survey data (e.g., relative population number—RPN). However, fluctuations in many factors (e.g., vessel size, period, area, gear) may affect the catch rates, bringing the need to evaluate the appropriateness of the statistical models for the standardization process. In this research, we analyzed different generalized linear models to select the best technique to standardize catch rates of target and non-target species from fishery dependent (CPUE and LPUE) and independent (RPN) data. The examined error distribution models were gamma, lognormal, tweedie, and hurdle models. For hurdle, positive observation...

Research paper thumbnail of Biological Knowledge of Thornback Ray (Raja clavata) from the Azores: Improving Scientific Information for the Effectiveness of Species-Specific Management Measures

Biology, 2021

Elasmobranchs are globally recognized as vulnerable due to their life-history characteristics, fi... more Elasmobranchs are globally recognized as vulnerable due to their life-history characteristics, fishing pressure, and habitat degradation. Among the skates and rays caught by commercial fisheries, the thornback ray Raja clavata is one of the most economically important in Northwest European seas. However, the scarcity of biological knowledge about this species in Azorean waters has limited the stock assessment types that can be conducted. To improve information on its habitat preferences, spatial distribution and movement pattern, growth, sex ratio, mortality, and reproduction, as well as to investigate long-term changes in abundance and size, this study analyzed approximately 25 years of fishery-dependent and independent data from the Azores. Raja clavata was mainly caught at depths up to 250 m. Most of the tagged fish were recaptured near the release point. A larger–deeper trend was found, and females were larger and more abundant than males. Life-history parameters showed that R. ...

Research paper thumbnail of Contributions to Management Strategies in the NE Atlantic Regarding the Life History and Population Structure of a Key Deep-Sea Fish (Mora Moro)

Biology, 2021

With the commercial fishery expansion to deeper waters, some vulnerable deep-sea species have bee... more With the commercial fishery expansion to deeper waters, some vulnerable deep-sea species have been increasingly captured. To reduce the fishing impacts on these species, exploitation and management must be based on detailed and precise information about their biology. The common mora Mora moro has become the main deep-sea species caught by longliners in the Northeast Atlantic at depths between 600 and 1200 m. In the Azores, landings have more than doubled from the early 2000s to recent years. Despite its growing importance, its life history and population structure are poorly understood, and the current stock status has not been assessed. To better determine its distribution, biology, and long-term changes in abundance and size composition, this study analyzed a fishery-dependent and survey time series from the Azores. M. moro was found on mud and rock bottoms at depths below 300 m. A larger–deeper trend was observed, and females were larger and more abundant than males. The reprodu...

Research paper thumbnail of The fish family Muraenidae: an ideal group for testing at small-scale the coherency of Macaronesia as a biogeographic unit, with the first report on separate fishery statistics

Scientia Marina, 2021

The present study was conceptualized to study the muraenid species (moray eels) occurring around ... more The present study was conceptualized to study the muraenid species (moray eels) occurring around the volcanic archipelagos of the Azores, Madeira, Selvagens, Canary and Cabo Verde islands (eastern-central Atlantic). The biogeographic patterns of these species were analysed and compared. We then hypothesized that this fish family is an ideal group for testing at small-scale the coherency of Macaronesia and its direct biogeographic units: i.e. the Azores, Webbnesia and Cabo Verde, as proposed in recent scientific literature. Additionally, this paper provides for the first time separate fishery statistics for this group in the region that were analysed to contrast the biogeographic results.

Research paper thumbnail of Unraveling distributional patterns and life-history traits of a deep-water shrimp Plesionika edwardsii (Decapoda, Pandalidae) under unexploited virgin conditions: a benchmark for fisheries management

Research paper thumbnail of MEFEPO: South Western Waters Atlas

Essential fish habitats 35-38 Plankton 39-40 Animals in the sea floor 41-44 Marine mammals 45-47 ... more Essential fish habitats 35-38 Plankton 39-40 Animals in the sea floor 41-44 Marine mammals 45-47 Sea birds 48 Sea Turtles 49-51 Distribution of human activities 52 Fisheries in the SWW atlas area 53-55 Mixed bottom trawl fishery 56 Nephrops French fishery 57-59 Purse Seine 60-61 Mixed lines demersal fishery in the Azores 62 Glossary, Acknowledgements and image credits 63 References Welcome to MEFEPO! Making the European Fisheries Ecosystem Plan Operational Summary 1. The South Western Waters Regional Advisory Council (SWW RAC) covers the Atlantic area from the point of Brittany in the north to the Straits of Gibraltar in the south, as well as the ultraperipheric regions of Madeira, Azores and the Canarias Islands. Only the Azores Archipelago is considered in this atlas and in the MEFEPO project. The SWW RAC area has a very diverse range of depths from the broad shelf in the French area, to the narrow and steep shelf with numerous canyons in the Cantabrian Sea, and the Iberian Basin with numerous sea mounts that arise from the deep sea to the mid Atlantic Ridge. 2. The main large-scale currents associated with the eastern part of the anticyclonic North Atlantic subtropical gyre are the North Atlantic Current, the Azores Current, Portugal Current and the Canary Current. The Mediterranean flow is a relatively warm current that sinks to around 1000 m depth as it enters in the Atlantic and flows northwards with variable intensity from year to year. These currents in combination with the winds produce upwelling events of great importance in Portuguese and Galician coasts. 3. The Azores High, (also known as North Atlantic High/Anticyclone or the Bermuda High/Anticyclone in the United States), is a large subtropical semi-permanent centre of high atmospheric pressure found near the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean, at the Horse latitudes. It forms one pole of the North Atlantic Oscillation, the other being the Icelandic Low. 4. The North East Atlantic upper waters have experienced progressive warming during the past and the present century. Mean surface water temperatures increased by 1.4°C in the southeastern Bay of Biscay over the period 1972-1993 (0.6°C per decade) and by 1.03°C over the past century. 5. The North West Atlantic waters are dominated by high-salinity North Atlantic Central Water separated into Polar and Tropical modes. The Polar mode is formed at the Bay of Biscay and diffuses east and southeast , reaching the Azores. The Tropical mode is observed mainly close to the continental margin, between the Canaries and Iberian Peninsula. 6. In the Eastern North Atlantic, coastal upwelling occurs between April and October. The high productivity of upwelling regions on the food web are well-known and the Atlanto-Iberian fisheries benefit from this. In the Bay of Biscay the rivers are the major source of nutrients. 7. The distribution of organisms which live on or near the sea floor is determined by the type of substrate present (e.g. mud, sand, gravel or rock). Examples of these maps in the SWW area are presented in this atlas. 6 Welcome to MEFEPO! Making the European Fisheries Ecosystem Plan Operational 8. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are areas of the ocean protected from human activities. Maps of MPAs in the SWW area are included in the Atlas, which include MPAs developed for conservation purposes and those to protect fish stocks. 9. Essential fish habitat are broadly defined to include those waters and substrates necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, orgrowth to maturity. Following this definition, essential fish habitats for species as hake, Norway lobster, megrim, horse mackerel, sardine, and blackspot seabream and bluemouth rockfish inhabiting the sea mounts in the Azores Islands, are presented.

Research paper thumbnail of Abundance and population structure of Plesionika narval (Fabricius, 1787) in the Northeastern Atlantic

Brazilian Journal of Biology, 2019

Analysis of abundance and population structure of Plesionika narval was performed on data concern... more Analysis of abundance and population structure of Plesionika narval was performed on data concerning 5,255 specimens obtained from 62 fishing sets carried out off the Madeira archipelago (Northeastern Atlantic) between 2004 and 2008 in a depth range from 101 to 350 m. Abundance ranged from 0.01 to 19.74 specimens-per-trap and significant differences were found between seasons, probably as a result of an increment of population in the spring during the recruitment season. The analysis of size distribution revealed that the carapace length (CL) ranged from 2.45 to 28.61 mm and that mean female size consistently exceeded that of males. Differences in mean CL were statistically significant between depth strata and seasons. Of the specimens sampled, 57.00% were males, 41.88% females and 1.42% undetermined. Sex ratio also differed significantly between seasons according to depth strata, consolidating the hypothesis of the existence of seasonal migrations related with the reproductive cycl...

Research paper thumbnail of Making the European Fisheries Ecosystem Plan Operational (MEFEPO) North Western Waters Atlas

Research paper thumbnail of Prospective study of the fishery of the shrimp Plesionika narval (Fabricius, 1787) in the Northeastern Atlantic

Brazilian journal of biology = Revista brasleira de biologia, Jan 24, 2016

Several experimental surveys were carried out in the Northeastern Atlantic, Madeira archipelago f... more Several experimental surveys were carried out in the Northeastern Atlantic, Madeira archipelago from 1991 to 2008 to explore new fisheries resources. This study examined the selectivity of bottom and floating traps and the analysis of yield-per-recruit (YPR) and biomass-per-recruit (BPR) providing helpful insight to the management of the shrimp Plesionika narval. A total of 28,262 specimens were sampled and the analysis of length at first capture returned higher values when using floating traps indicating that these traps are more selective, exerting less pressure on the resource. The YPR and BPR analysis showed that the stock is under exploited for the studied area and suggests that the use of floating traps in the commercial fisheries of P. narval is recommended, which will allow a higher maximum allowable limit of exploitation and greater yield. The results suggest that P. narval has the potential to support a viable and sustainable fishery using floating traps.

Research paper thumbnail of South Western Waters: Fisheries Ecosystem Plan

INTRODUCTION TO THE SOUTH WEST WATERS REGION The South Western Waters (SWW) RAC region covers the... more INTRODUCTION TO THE SOUTH WEST WATERS REGION The South Western Waters (SWW) RAC region covers the north east Atlantic Ocean from the point of Brittany in the north to the Straits of Gibraltar in the south, as well as the ultra-peripheral regions of Madeira, Azores and Canary Islands. From the ultra-peripheral regions only the Azores Archipelago region is considered in the MEFEPO project. The SWW covers approximately 3 million km 2 and comprises ICES zones VIII, IX, X, COPACE divisions 34.1.1., 34.1.2, 34.2.0 and OSPAR regions IV and V. Parts of the EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) of France, Spain and Portugal make up the SWW. The SWW RAC area has a diverse range of depths from the broad shelf in the French area, to the narrow and steep shelf with numerous canyons in the Cantabrian Sea. The Iberian Basin has numerous sea mounts that arise from the deep sea to the mid Atlantic Ridge.

Research paper thumbnail of Using life-history traits to predict the vulnerability to overexploitation in soldier striped shrimps

Marine and Freshwater Research, Feb 8, 2022

The global overfishing scenario of the historically exploited marine stocks have generated concer... more The global overfishing scenario of the historically exploited marine stocks have generated concern and encouraged the search for new potentially exploitable fisheries resources. In this sense, shrimps are potential alternative resources to be exploited, given their high diversity and stock resilience. This study had an objective to estimate life-history traits and analyse yield and abundance fishing levels to see whether Plesionika edwardsii shrimp is vulnerable to overexploitation or not in the mid-North Atlantic (Azores region, ICES Subdivision 10a2). The females showed larger L∞ (asymptotic length) and k (coefficient of growth; L∞ = 27.3 mm, k = 0.75 year−1) than did males (L∞ = 24.58 mm, k = 0.73 year−1). The mortality rates of males (Z = 1.00 year−1; M = 0.84 year−1) and females (Z = 0.92 year−1; M = 0.85 year−1) were very similar. In terms of longevity, the males (3.47 year−1) survived longer than did females (3.34 year−1). Depletion experiments showed a fast and straight-forward decline of CPUEs (3, 5 and 9 days), confirming a low mobility and vulnerability to high fishing efforts. The maximum sustainable yield (MSY) estimates (5.4–10.7 tonnes (Mg) year−1) showed a low annual sustainable catch. These values combined with the life-history characteristics indicated that this stock is less resilient and highly vulnerable to overfishing.

Research paper thumbnail of Azorean demersal longline survey abundance estimates: Procedures and variability

Regional Studies in Marine Science, Sep 1, 2020

Survey data from the Azores is used for fisheries stock assessments under the ICES Working Group ... more Survey data from the Azores is used for fisheries stock assessments under the ICES Working Group on the Biology and Assessment of Deep-sea Fisheries Resources (WGDEEP) covering deep open ocean areas. The Azores research cruise using bottom longlines for abundance estimation is probably unique in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. This study analyzed data from annual Azorean bottom longline surveys (ICES subdivision 10a2) from 1996 to 2018 to calculate abundance indices of commercial demersal species, to estimate the statistical significance of the annual changes in the abundance estimates, and to examine the possible factors that cause this variability. The catch rates of these surveys appear to provide accurate indices of abundance for most of the commercially important demersal species. The observed inter-annual variability of the survey abundance estimates can be explained by survey effort distribution, fishery dynamics, aggregation patterns of some species, habitat preferences, fish movements, and environmental effects. However, other factors can affect these estimates (soak time, gear saturation and competition for hooks) and we recommend that additional studies be undertaken to understand these effects.

Research paper thumbnail of Can we consider the stocks of alfonsinos<i>Beryx splendens</i>and<i>Beryx decadactylus</i>from the Azores a discrete fishery management unit?

Journal of Fish Biology, Mar 15, 2019

This paper summarises the detailed information on catch, fork length, weight, sex and maturity of... more This paper summarises the detailed information on catch, fork length, weight, sex and maturity of alfonsinos Beryx splendens and Beryx decadactylus collected from targeted surveys in Azores waters, complemented by fishery data, over the past c. 20 years. To date, it was not possible to define if the Azorean component of the population can be considered as a discrete local management unit. The reason for this is the lack of available information for these resources covering the entire spatial distribution of the species in the North Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, there are some conflicts between the different genetic results available, poor understanding about the species movements and data from the Azores show some discrepancies in aspects of reproduction. Consequently, there is no analytical assessment for this resource and the stock of Beryx spp. is currently managed based on the precautionary approach. Outputs of recent analyses are presented in this study and possible assumptions and strategies for the assessment are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Trends in abundance indices derived from commercial fisheries for priority marine stocks in the Azores

Journal of Fish Biology, Feb 3, 2023

Large‐scale assessments of fish and shellfish populations may be valuable for identifying the imp... more Large‐scale assessments of fish and shellfish populations may be valuable for identifying the impacts of fishing pressure on stocks, but they are rarely possible due to a lack of long‐term datasets. In this study, a two‐part mixed‐effect model for lognormal data was used to obtain historical abundance indices for 16 priority fish and shellfish stocks in the Azores region derived from catch per unit effort (kg per day at sea per vessel) and landing per unit effort (kg per landing per vessel). This data was obtained over the past 30 years under the EC Data Collection Framework and, in addition to information on effort and catch, included details about the fishing operation such as quarter, vessel length and fishing gear. This information was analysed to investigate how abundance indices changed over the years, verify if trends from different data sources were different and, if possible, relate these results to the population and fishery dynamics. The abundance indices derived from both datasets were generally in agreement with each other. Declining trends have been observed for some commercially important species, such as forkbeard Phycis phycis, European conger Conger conger, parrotfish Sparisoma cretense, red scorpionfish Scorpaena scrofa, offshore rockfish Pontinus kuhlii, common spiny lobster Palinurus elephas, splendid alfonsino Beryx splendens and alfonsino B. decadactylus, which is concerning because they are particularly slow‐growing, long‐lived and have low natural mortality, making them susceptible to overfishing. The results of this study are very important and should help future stock assessment and management initiatives.

Research paper thumbnail of Performance of length-based assessment in predicting small-scale multispecies fishery sustainability

Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries

Small-scale fisheries play a critical role in food security and contribute to nearly half of repo... more Small-scale fisheries play a critical role in food security and contribute to nearly half of reported global fish catches. However, the status of most small-scale fisheries stocks is still poor. In data-limited situations, length-based methods have been widely applied to estimate reference points and to understand stock status. This study applied three different length-based assessment methods (length-based indicators—LBI, length-based spawning potential ratio—LBSPR, and the length-based Bayesian biomass approach—LBB) to predict fisheries stock sustainability in the Azores. Overall, the three methods showed robustness for 15 out of 18 stocks assessed and agreed on their exploitation status. The results showed that 45% of the Azorean stocks were classified as sustainable stocks, 33% possible rebuilding/overfished and 22% overfishing/overfished stock status. Sensitivity analysis showed that biases on the source of initial life-history parameters, especially the asymptotic length (L∞) ...

Research paper thumbnail of Scientific and Fisher’s Knowledge-Based Ecological Risk Assessment: Combining Approaches to Determine the Vulnerability of Fisheries Stocks

Sustainability

Small-scale fishing is a multi-gear activity that focuses on a wide range of species. As there is... more Small-scale fishing is a multi-gear activity that focuses on a wide range of species. As there is a considerable diversity of species, it is often difficult to keep track of all of those that are caught, and due to the lack of data or poor quality, most stock statuses are currently unknown around the world. Therefore, local ecological knowledge provided by fishers has been regarded as a valuable source of information to bridge these crucial gaps. This study assesses the vulnerability status of 22 fishing stocks in the Azores, through productivity and susceptibility analyses (PSAs) using two independent data sources: conventional scientific knowledge and fishers’ knowledge data. We created four PSAs with separate and integrated data sources. Although we found some differences in the vulnerability scores and rankings, the risk outputs of the PSAs using independent and integrated sources of data generally match, reflecting a similar pattern trend. The findings of this work suggest that...

Research paper thumbnail of Life History and Fishing Aspects of the Deep-Sea Silver Scabbardfish Lepidopus caudatus in the Azores

Biology

Deep-sea fisheries are of important economic value. Therefore, it is necessary to generate biolog... more Deep-sea fisheries are of important economic value. Therefore, it is necessary to generate biologically and ecologically based fishing plans to make this fishery sustainable over time. The silver scabbardfish, Lepidopus caudatus, is a worldwide-distributed demersal fish, commercially exploited in the Azores. Despite L. caudatus high landings and discharges in the region, information about its ecology, population structure, biology and fisheries remains little-known. This work analyzed scientific survey and fishery-dependent data from the past 30 years to understand the changes in abundance, spatial distribution and life history of this species. Lepidopus caudatus spatial distribution was associated with depths between 200 and 400 m, close to seamounts and islands, and on sandy bottoms. The size structure varied yearly, and the population was dominated by females (sex ratio, M:F = 0.46:1). Growth rates were between the estimated values in previous studies in the Azores and indicated ...

Research paper thumbnail of Growth Parameters and Mortality Rates Estimated for Seven Data-Deficient Fishes from the Azores Based on Length-Frequency Data

Life

Given the scarcity of information suitable for stock assessments, the growth and mortality of sev... more Given the scarcity of information suitable for stock assessments, the growth and mortality of seven exploited marine fishes in Azorean waters were estimated based on length-frequency data. The studied species were Trachurus picturatus, Sparisoma cretense, Scomber colias, Scorpaena scrofa, Serranus atricauda, Seriola spp. and Aphanopus carbo. The growth parameters L∞ (cm), k (year−1) and ϕ’ estimated through the ELEFAN_GA_boot routine were set at 55.87, 0.08 and 2.39 for T. picturatus; 55.03, 0.11 and 2.53 for S. cretense; 55.93, 0.18 and 2.76 for S. colias; 61.11, 0.11 and 2.61 for S. scrofa; 52.10, 0.12 and 2.51 for S. atricauda; 107.33, 0.12 and 3.18 for Seriola spp.; and 133.16, 0.09 and 3.19 for A. carbo; respectively. The total mortality rate estimated using the length–converted catch curve method was 0.22, 0.35, 0.58, 0.32, 0.31, 0.39 and 0.22 year−1; the natural mortality included 0.15, 0.20, 0.30, 0.20, 0.21, 0.21 and 0.16 year−1; and fishing mortality rate 0.07, 0.15, 0.28,...

Research paper thumbnail of Demographics and Yield–Per–Recruit Assessment of the Vulnerable Spiny Lobster Palinurus elephas in the Azores—Implications for Conservation and Fisheries Management

Biology

The spiny lobster Palinurus elephas has been intensively harvested across its range and is genera... more The spiny lobster Palinurus elephas has been intensively harvested across its range and is generally considered overfished, with global landings declining sharply from an average of 820 t in 1960–79 to 385 t in 2000–19. Despite its economic and ecological importance, limited information is available to perform stock assessments and make robust management decisions. In this study, demographics and exploitation levels of P. elephas were determined from coastal areas of the Azores, and the relevance of these data for conservation planning was discussed. Carapace length varied between 39.6 and 174.3 mm, with mean sizes decreasing by depth. Males reached larger sizes and grew faster than females but were less dominant. Lifespan was 43 years for females and 60 years for males. The estimated mean length at first capture was 101.65 mm—around 58% of its asymptotic length. Fishing mortality and exploitation levels were close to the optimal values, indicating an uncertain future for Azorean po...

Research paper thumbnail of Fishers’ Experiential Knowledge about Biological Traits of Commercial Marine Species in the Azores

SIBIC 2022

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

Research paper thumbnail of Error Distribution Model to Standardize LPUE, CPUE and Survey-Derived Catch Rates of Target and Non-Target Species

Modelling, 2021

Indices of abundance are usually a key input parameter used for fitting a stock assessment model,... more Indices of abundance are usually a key input parameter used for fitting a stock assessment model, as they provide abundance estimates representative of the fraction of the stock that is vulnerable to fishing. These indices can be estimated from catches derived from fishery-dependent sources, such as catch per unit effort (CPUE) and landings per unit effort (LPUE), or from scientific survey data (e.g., relative population number—RPN). However, fluctuations in many factors (e.g., vessel size, period, area, gear) may affect the catch rates, bringing the need to evaluate the appropriateness of the statistical models for the standardization process. In this research, we analyzed different generalized linear models to select the best technique to standardize catch rates of target and non-target species from fishery dependent (CPUE and LPUE) and independent (RPN) data. The examined error distribution models were gamma, lognormal, tweedie, and hurdle models. For hurdle, positive observation...

Research paper thumbnail of Biological Knowledge of Thornback Ray (Raja clavata) from the Azores: Improving Scientific Information for the Effectiveness of Species-Specific Management Measures

Biology, 2021

Elasmobranchs are globally recognized as vulnerable due to their life-history characteristics, fi... more Elasmobranchs are globally recognized as vulnerable due to their life-history characteristics, fishing pressure, and habitat degradation. Among the skates and rays caught by commercial fisheries, the thornback ray Raja clavata is one of the most economically important in Northwest European seas. However, the scarcity of biological knowledge about this species in Azorean waters has limited the stock assessment types that can be conducted. To improve information on its habitat preferences, spatial distribution and movement pattern, growth, sex ratio, mortality, and reproduction, as well as to investigate long-term changes in abundance and size, this study analyzed approximately 25 years of fishery-dependent and independent data from the Azores. Raja clavata was mainly caught at depths up to 250 m. Most of the tagged fish were recaptured near the release point. A larger–deeper trend was found, and females were larger and more abundant than males. Life-history parameters showed that R. ...

Research paper thumbnail of Contributions to Management Strategies in the NE Atlantic Regarding the Life History and Population Structure of a Key Deep-Sea Fish (Mora Moro)

Biology, 2021

With the commercial fishery expansion to deeper waters, some vulnerable deep-sea species have bee... more With the commercial fishery expansion to deeper waters, some vulnerable deep-sea species have been increasingly captured. To reduce the fishing impacts on these species, exploitation and management must be based on detailed and precise information about their biology. The common mora Mora moro has become the main deep-sea species caught by longliners in the Northeast Atlantic at depths between 600 and 1200 m. In the Azores, landings have more than doubled from the early 2000s to recent years. Despite its growing importance, its life history and population structure are poorly understood, and the current stock status has not been assessed. To better determine its distribution, biology, and long-term changes in abundance and size composition, this study analyzed a fishery-dependent and survey time series from the Azores. M. moro was found on mud and rock bottoms at depths below 300 m. A larger–deeper trend was observed, and females were larger and more abundant than males. The reprodu...

Research paper thumbnail of The fish family Muraenidae: an ideal group for testing at small-scale the coherency of Macaronesia as a biogeographic unit, with the first report on separate fishery statistics

Scientia Marina, 2021

The present study was conceptualized to study the muraenid species (moray eels) occurring around ... more The present study was conceptualized to study the muraenid species (moray eels) occurring around the volcanic archipelagos of the Azores, Madeira, Selvagens, Canary and Cabo Verde islands (eastern-central Atlantic). The biogeographic patterns of these species were analysed and compared. We then hypothesized that this fish family is an ideal group for testing at small-scale the coherency of Macaronesia and its direct biogeographic units: i.e. the Azores, Webbnesia and Cabo Verde, as proposed in recent scientific literature. Additionally, this paper provides for the first time separate fishery statistics for this group in the region that were analysed to contrast the biogeographic results.