Oceans and Fisheries

Dr. John T. Everett

National Marine Fisheries ServiceNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

United States Department of Commerce

About the Ocean

• Half of Americans live and work within 50 miles of the coast

• Coastal areas are only 11 percent of our land• An acre of coastal waters or wetlands can

produce more food than the best farm land • Commercial and recreational fisheries support

more than 1.3 million jobs, and in 1995 added more than $20 billion to the economy

• 80 % of ocean pollution comes from the land• Coastal tourism provides 28 million jobs

Functions of Oceans

• Climate Regulator• Resources and Products

– fish and shellfish, marine mammals, and seaweeds– petroleum, sand and gravel, sulfur, hot brines,

manganese nodules, and polymetallic sulfides at spreading centers

– include water and unconventional energy resources

• Waste Reception and Recycling• Recreation and Tourism• Transportation

Pollution

The ocean is so big. Is pollution a problem?

Recreation

Is all recreation harmless to the ocean?

What are some ways to harm the ocean?

Touching coral, running through beach grass, leaving trash, catching too many fish, chasing whales.......

Recreation No-Nos

The ocean is so big. Aren’t there plenty of fish?

Fishing

Sustainable Fisheries

• Some fisheries have lasted for 100s of years• Many have disappeared quickly• How do we bring them all back to full production?

Million Tons

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1957....1958....1959....1960....1961....1962....1963....1964....1965....1966....1967....1968....1969....1970....1971....1972....1973....1974....1975....1976....1977....1978....1979....1980....1981....1982....1983....1984....1985....1986....1987....1988....1989....1990....1991....1992....

MarineGlobal Total

FreshwaterAq.

USA

Aquaculture and USA figures are non-additive

Fisheries Production

Being a Fisheries Scientist

• What kinds of fish are there? • How many fish are there? Where? When?• How fast do they grow?• What should the quota be?• What diseases are there? What causes

them?• What are the ecosystem relationships?• What habitats are needed?

Getting the Education

• Are you interested in fish or marine mammals?

• Are you interested in biology, ecology, or math?

• Get BS and MS in marine biology and/or math

• PhD needed for college teaching and senior scientist

• Shortage in stock assessment scientists

Apparent Oceanwide Synchrony in Pacific Basin Sardines

Historical catches in the sardine fisheries of Japan, California and Peru-Chile have exhibited parallel patterns, possibly in response to global-scale changes in climate (modified from Kawasaki, 1992).

Year

Cal

iforn

ia S

ardi

ne C

atch

(Tho

usan

d M

etri

c T

ons)

Japan and Peru/Chile Sardine

Catch (M

illion Metric T

ons)

Sources: U.S. GLOBEC, FAO 1995, NMFS/Our Living Oceans 1996

Peru/Chile

California

Japan

0100200300400500600700800

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 19900

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Normalized Catch Time SeriesComparison of pink salmon catch in the Gulf of Alaska with coho salmon catch in the Washington, Oregon, California region (Francis and Sibley, 1991).

Year

Stan

dard

Inde

x

-1.5-1

-0.50

0.51

1.52

2.5

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990

WOC CohoGOA Pink

Getting the Information

• Surveys with research vessels– Trawls, long lines, pots, gill nets, sonar

• Surveys with aircraft– LIDAR, observation

• Catch statistics• Phone interviews with creel census• Observers on fishing vessels

Research Tools

• Laboratories and Equipment• Research Vessels• Satellite Remote Sensing• Computers• People• Money

Infrastructure - Labs

Montlake

Auke Bay Sandy Hook

Miami

Fisheries Ships

OREGON II - AGE: 31

TOWNSEND CROMWELL - AGE: 34 AGE: 30

ALBATROSS IV - AGE: 34

El Niño

• ENSO makes weather vary in much of the world• Every 3 to 10 years; in recent years more frequently• Will ENSO change with global warming?

Ocean Currents

Will ocean currents change?

What Can You Do?

• Learn all you can. Read, surf the web, and go to the ocean.• Be a smart shopper. Learn more about your seafood. • Conserve water. • Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway. • Use less household chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides and

cleaners. Reduce waste. • Dispose of trash properly. Recycle, re-use, and compost.• Reduce automobile pollution. Fix leaks. • Protect ocean wildlife. Don't dispose of fishing lines, nets or plastic in

or near the water. Be considerate of sealife habitats. • Don't feed sea birds or mammals or disturb their nest areas. • Get involved. Take part in a beach cleanup. • Care! Tell others!

Where to Put the City

• Near healthy stocks of fish• On firm bottom• Near warm water to reduce energy needs • Outside shipping routes• Near a supply center• Near an energy source, at least for backup.