Description du projet
Gérer les petits poissons pour un grand impact sur la conservation
La consommation mondiale de produits de la mer a plus que doublé ces 50 dernières années pour se chiffrer à plus de 20 kg par personne par an en 2014. En réalité, la demande a augmenté si rapidement que la viabilité de la pêche est compromise. Alors que les stocks de poissons pourraient être renouvelables, ils sont limités et la surpêche peut les épuiser. C’est pourquoi la pêche de poisson fourrage, les petits poissons pélagiques chassés par de plus grands prédateurs, constitue une large part croissante des prises de poissons marins sauvages dans le monde. Le projet MANMAX, financé par l’UE, examinera l’impact écologique de la pêche des espèces fourrage. Il recueillera des données sur la pêche, les poissons et les oiseaux marins dans les principaux groupes d’âge, et réalisera de nouvelles manipulations expérimentales avec la modélisation statistique de pointe.
Objectif
Global fisheries catch ~100 million tonnes annually and this is set to increase. This harvest is driving extinctions and altering marine ecosystems. Fisheries targeting forage fish (small, schooling fish) have the capacity to alter prey availability for marine predators, but whether this is the case or not is hotly debated. Progress in understanding this issue has been hampered by a lack of experiments and studies across marine predator age--classes. Without these elements we cannot understand fully the ecological impacts of forage fisheries, so cannot sustainably manage these vital stocks. By collecting fisheries, fish, and seabird data across key age- classes, and combining and combining novel experimental manipulations (time-area fisheries closures and dispersal experiments) with state--of--the--art statistical modelling, this project will establish the true impact of forage fish extraction on predator populations. Crucially, fisheries effects will be expressed as biologically--meaningful impacts on the components of demography, allowing for intuitive comparisons of the relative merit of MPAs vs stock--based catch limits designed to conserve threatened marine predators. The results will be fed directly into policy in South Africa, will inform the sustainable management of the fisheries that catch one third of all global landings and have important implications for efforts to support healthy marine ecosystems, a central tenet of the Common Fisheries Policy. The current skill set of the experienced researcher, along with newly acquired skills gained under world-class supervisors at the host organisations, will make this timely research possible. The project will facilitate new collaborations, cement a long-term relationship between the host institutions and allow the experienced researcher to meet his career goal of undertaking research that contributes to EU and global policy on sustainable fisheries.
Champ scientifique
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Programme(s)
Régime de financement
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinateur
EX4 4QJ Exeter
Royaume-Uni