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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Population dynamics and status of striped marlin (Kajikia audax) in the western and central northern Pacific Ocean

Kevin R. Piner A G , Hui-Hua Lee B , Ai Kimoto C , Ian G. Taylor D , Minoru Kanaiwa E and Chi-Lu Sun F
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A NOAA Fisheries, SWFSC, 8604 La Jolla Shore Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.

B University of Hawaii, JIMAR, 2570 Dole Street, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.

C National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries, 5-7-1 Orido, Shimizu, Shizuoka, 424-8633, Japan.

D NOAA Fisheries, NWFSC, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA 98112, USA.

E Tokyo University of Agriculture, 196 Yasaka, Abashiri, Hokkaido, 099-2493, Japan.

F National Taiwan University, Institute of Oceanography, 1, Sect. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan.

G Corresponding author. Email: Kevin.Piner@noaa.gov

Marine and Freshwater Research 64(2) 108-118 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF12302
Submitted: 20 October 2012  Accepted: 21 December 2012   Published: 25 February 2013

Abstract

A new understanding of the structure of striped marlin stocks in the Pacific Ocean was the basis for estimating the population dynamics in the western and central northern Pacific (1975–2010). Dynamics were estimated using large-scale spatial data and a fully integrated length-based and age-structured model. The model used fishery-dependent catch, size composition and catch per unit effort (CPUE) as likelihood components. Time-varying selectivity patterns were used in the modelling to account for changes in fishing practices. Estimates of fishing intensity showed a pattern of exploitation generally exceeding the levels associated with maximum sustainable yield (MSY). Estimates of spawning biomass and recruitment described a population that was relatively stable near biomass levels associated with MSY until the 1990s, when recruitment declined and biomass levels fell below those associated with MSY. The reduction in recruitment could be explained by a loss of spawning biomass and potentially changes in environment. The future prospects of rebuilding the stock will depend on the relative importance of the roles maternal biomass and environment play in determining recruitment strength.

Additional keywords: environmental versus maternal effects, integrated modelling, time-varying selection.


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