Skip to main content
Duke University Libraries
DukeSpace Scholarship by Duke Authors
  • Login
  • Ask
  • Menu
  • Login
  • Ask a Librarian
  • Search & Find
  • Using the Library
  • Research Support
  • Course Support
  • Libraries
  • About
View Item 
  •   DukeSpace
  • Theses and Dissertations
  • Undergraduate Honors Theses and Student papers
  • View Item
  •   DukeSpace
  • Theses and Dissertations
  • Undergraduate Honors Theses and Student papers
  • View Item
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

Applying Fishery Catch Data to Population Trends and Community Structures in Atlantic Pelagic Species

Thumbnail
View / Download
3.2 Mb
Date
2017-05-06
Author
May, Eva
Advisor
Boustany, Andre
Repository Usage Stats
156
views
117
downloads
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that fishing can influence marine trophic networks, as larger, higher trophic level species are preferentially targeted by fishers. In this study, we investigate US Pelagic Longline catch dynamics of twenty-nine Atlantic species from 1986 to 2008 using information provided by the fishermen’s logbook data program. Two different analyses were performed on the data for this study. Data were cleaned and monthly catch per unit effort (CPUE) for each species within each of five fishing effort regions – the Mid Atlantic Bight and Northeast Costal area, The Caribbean area, the Florida East Coast and South Atlantic Bight area, the Gulf of Mexico area, and the Northeast Distant area – were calculated to examine trends in catch rates. Annual CPUE graphs were made for all areas combined, correcting for changes in fishing dynamics to examine changes in relative abundance of species over time. A regression was run through these annual graphs of CPUE over the study period in order to estimate increases or decreases in relative population abundance for each species. The slopes from these annual abundances regressions were further regressed versus trophic level, average generation length, and resiliency to test for significant correlations between these ecological factors and trends in population size. Though trends matched our predictions (species with higher trophic level, lower resiliency, and longer generation length showed greater declines in abundance), no significant p-values were found. It seems likely that ecosystem structural shifts similar to those seen in other recent studies are occurring, but the lack of significance makes it difficult to draw strong conclusions. The lack of significance between ecological factors and population trends observed in this study may be due to trophic shifts in fishing are not occurring or may be due to issues with the data used for regressions. Future studies using different methods of obtaining demographic factors and incorporating additional years of catch data could bring more clarity to this work.
Type
Honors thesis
Department
Environmental Science
Subject
fishery
trophic structure
marine science
marine ecology
pelagic species
pelagic longlining
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/14291
Citation
May, Eva (2017). Applying Fishery Catch Data to Population Trends and Community Structures in Atlantic Pelagic Species. Honors thesis, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/14291.
Collections
  • Undergraduate Honors Theses and Student papers
More Info
Show full item record
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Rights for Collection: Undergraduate Honors Theses and Student papers


Works are deposited here by their authors, and represent their research and opinions, not that of Duke University. Some materials and descriptions may include offensive content. More info

Make Your Work Available Here

How to Deposit

Browse

All of DukeSpaceCommunities & CollectionsAuthorsTitlesTypesBy Issue DateDepartmentsAffiliations of Duke Author(s)SubjectsBy Submit DateThis CollectionAuthorsTitlesTypesBy Issue DateDepartmentsAffiliations of Duke Author(s)SubjectsBy Submit Date

My Account

LoginRegister

Statistics

View Usage Statistics
Duke University Libraries

Contact Us

411 Chapel Drive
Durham, NC 27708
(919) 660-5870
Perkins Library Service Desk

Digital Repositories at Duke

  • Report a problem with the repositories
  • About digital repositories at Duke
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Deaccession and DMCA Takedown Policy

TwitterFacebookYouTubeFlickrInstagramBlogs

Sign Up for Our Newsletter
  • Re-use & Attribution / Privacy
  • Harmful Language Statement
  • Support the Libraries
Duke University