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2 - Effects of fisheries on ecosystems: just another top predator?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2009

C. J. Camphuysen
By
A. W. Trites ,
V. Christensen  and
D. Pauly
Edited by
I. L. Boyd  and
S. Wanless
C. J. Camphuysen
Affiliation:
Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
A. W. Trites
Affiliation:
Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
V. Christensen
Affiliation:
Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
D. Pauly
Affiliation:
Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
I. L. Boyd
Affiliation:
University of St Andrews, Scotland
S. Wanless
Affiliation:
NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, UK
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Summary

Apex predators – such as pinnipeds, cetaceans, seabirds and sharks – are constrained by the sizes of prey they can consume and thus typically feed within a narrow range of trophic levels. Having co-evolved with their prey, they have influenced the behaviours, physiologies, morphologies and life-history strategies of the species they target. In contrast, humans can consume prey of any size from all trophic levels using methods that can rapidly deplete populations. On an ecological time scale, fisheries, like apex predators, can directly affect the abundance of other species by consuming or out-competing them; alternatively they can indirectly affect the abundance of non-targeted species by removing other predators. However, there is growing evidence that the effects of fisheries go well beyond those imposed by apex predators. Theory and recent observations confirm that the continued development and expansion of fisheries over the past half century has led to a decrease in the size and life spans of targeted species, with reproduction of fish occurring at earlier ages and at smaller sizes. In addition, high levels of fishing have altered the makeup of many ecosystems, depressing the average trophic level of heavily fished ecosystems and speeding up the rate of nutrient turnover within them. Inevitable consequences of fishing down the food web are increased ecosystem instability, unsustainable fisheries and an inability for the ecosystem to support healthy, abundant populations of apex predators.

Type
Chapter
Information
Top Predators in Marine Ecosystems
Their Role in Monitoring and Management
 , pp. 11 - 27
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2006

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  • Effects of fisheries on ecosystems: just another top predator?
    • By A. W. Trites, Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4, V. Christensen, Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4, D. Pauly, Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
  • Edited by I. L. Boyd, University of St Andrews, Scotland, S. Wanless, NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, UK
  • C. J. Camphuysen, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
  • Book: Top Predators in Marine Ecosystems
  • Online publication: 31 July 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511541964.003
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  • Effects of fisheries on ecosystems: just another top predator?
    • By A. W. Trites, Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4, V. Christensen, Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4, D. Pauly, Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
  • Edited by I. L. Boyd, University of St Andrews, Scotland, S. Wanless, NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, UK
  • C. J. Camphuysen, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
  • Book: Top Predators in Marine Ecosystems
  • Online publication: 31 July 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511541964.003
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Effects of fisheries on ecosystems: just another top predator?
    • By A. W. Trites, Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4, V. Christensen, Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4, D. Pauly, Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
  • Edited by I. L. Boyd, University of St Andrews, Scotland, S. Wanless, NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, UK
  • C. J. Camphuysen, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
  • Book: Top Predators in Marine Ecosystems
  • Online publication: 31 July 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511541964.003
Available formats
×