Premium
A Mathematical Model on the Exploitation of Northern Lake Whitefish with Gill Nets
Author(s) -
Berkes Fikret,
Gönenc Türker
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
north american journal of fisheries management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1548-8675
pISSN - 0275-5947
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8659(1982)2<176:ammote>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - coregonus clupeaformis , fishing , fishery , population , bay , fish <actinopterygii> , mathematics , statistics , environmental science , ecology , biology , geology , oceanography , demography , sociology
Mathematical models were used to generate numerical results by (1) combining the growth and mortality curves of a hypothetical lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) population to yield a length‐frequency distribution, (2) calculating the number of fish caught by different mesh sizes and at different rates of exploitation by means of a gill‐net selectivity model, and (3) subtracting the fish caught from the unexploited population. Assumptions on some population parameters and the choice of gill‐net selectivity curves were verified against field data from the James Bay area. Results indicate that the use of a mix of mesh sizes (76.2‐127 mm) is more compatible with the natural population structure than the use of one large mesh size alone, provided that the fishing intensity is controlled. These findings suggest a change in management policy from primarily regulating the mesh size to regulating the fishing intensity.