Can fisheries-induced evolution shift reference points for fisheries management?

Hmmm, should we be sampling more fish? Foto: Julie Skadal

ICES Journal of Marine Science has just published a paper entitled Can fisheries-induced evolution shift reference points for fisheries management? Fisheries-induced evolution alters fish life histories, and consequently, population characteristics (see the figure below). Because of these changes, it will also lead to “shifting” of reference points by modifying the underlying biological processes or by changing the perception of a fishery system. Whether these changes make the reference points more or less precautionary than intended depends on the details—the reference point in question as well as the biological and fishery context. The bottom line is that the reference points will change. And unless updated, their intended meaning will gradually be lost.

In addition to discussing reference points, the paper also reviews our current knowledge on life-history responses to exploitation and the population and fishery level consequences of these. It is a good read for any body interested in fisheries-induced evolution!

The paper is coauthored by the participants of the Study Group on Fisheries-Induced Adaptive Change (SGFIAC), now Working Group on Fisheries-induced Evolution (WGEVO). The group includes many past and present EvoFishers.

Read the abstract here. Download the paper for free here.

Reference:

Heino, M., Baulier, L., Boukal, D. S., Ernande, B., Johnston, F. D., Mollet, F. M., Pardoe, H., Therkildsen, N. O., Uusi-Heikkilä, S., Vainikka, A., Arlinghaus, R., Dankel, D. J., Dunlop, E. S., Eikeset, A. M., Enberg, K., Engelhard, G. H., Jørgensen, C., Laugen, A. T., Matsumura, S., Nusslé, S., Urbach, D., Whitlock, R., Rijnsdorp, A. D., and Dieckmann, U. 2013. Can fisheries-induced evolution shift reference points for fisheries management? ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70: 707–721. doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fst077.

Fisheries-induced evolution impacts life-history traits and other individual-level properties (a), with repercussions for the demography of fish stocks (b), and for fisheries (c)