Biomass, Size, and Trophic Status of Top Predators in the Pacific Ocean
Abstract
Fisheries have removed at least 50 million tons of tuna and other top-level predators from the Pacific Ocean pelagic ecosystem since 1950, leading to concerns about a catastrophic reduction in population biomass and the collapse of oceanic food chains. We analyzed all available data from Pacific tuna fisheries for 1950-2004 to provide comprehensive estimates of fishery impacts on population biomass and size structure. Current biomass ranges among species from 36 to 91% of the biomass predicted in the absence of fishing, a level consistent with or higher than standard fisheries management targets. Fish larger than 175 centimeters fork length have decreased from 5% to approximately 1% of the total population. The trophic level of the catch has decreased slightly, but there is no detectable decrease in the trophic level of the population. These results indicate substantial, though not catastrophic, impacts of fisheries on these top-level predators and minor impacts on the ecosystem in the Pacific Ocean.
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Overpredictions of relative species richness in the Atlantic Ocean are possibly the result of prolonged and well-documented exploitation in this region relative to the Pacific Ocean, where exploitation has been substantial but with a potentially lesser effect.
“Overpredictions of relative species richness in the Atlantic Ocean are possibly the result of prolonged and well-documented exploitation in this region (Myers & Worm 2003) relative to the Pacific Ocean, where exploitation has been substantial but with a potentially lesser effect (Sibert et al. 2006).”
From Effects of temperature on global patterns of tuna and billfish richness (2008) · cites this paper as Sibert et al. 2006
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“Such approaches have been very controversial (Ben Yami 2003, Hampton et al. 2005, Sibert et al. 2006), particularly because commercial catch data could be biased by changes in fishing technology or strategies.”
A historical index of abundance for the blue shark (Prionace glauca) in the western North Atlantic
Aires-da-Silva, A., Hoey, J., & Gallucci, V. (2008) · Fisheries Research · doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2007.12.019 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Jensen, O., Ortega-García, S., Martell, S., Ahrens, R., Domeier, M., Walters, C., & Kitchell, J. (2010) · Progress In Oceanography · doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2010.04.020 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
“The long-line CPUE trends examined by Squire and Au (1990) support their ‘‘core area” hypothesis; however, as with all analyses of raw CPUE (Sibert et al., 2006), it is not clear how much of this increase can be explained by changes in abundance rather than variability due to observation error or changes in oceanograp…”
Reitz, E. J., Quitmyer, I. R., & Marrinan, R. A. (2009) · The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology · doi:10.1080/15564890802349894 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
“These impact the habits and habitats of predator and prey alike, with or without human initiative (e.g., Frank et al. 2005; Hackney et al. 1976; Hughes 1994; Hutchings and Reynolds 2004; Jones et al. 2005; Myers and Worm 2003; Rose 2004; Sibert et al. 2006; Silliman et al. 2005).”
Bornatowski, H., Angelini, R., Marta Coll, M., Barreto, R. R. P., & de Amorim, A. F. (2017) · Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries · doi:10.1007/s11160-017-9492-z · Cited by 55 · see citing works
The paradox of the pelagics: why bluefin tuna can go hungry in a sea of plenty
Golet, W., Record, N., Lehuta, S., Lutcavage, M., Galuardi, B., Cooper, A., & Pershing, A. (2015) · Marine Ecology Progress Series · doi:10.3354/meps11260 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
“Populations of many of the ocean’s largest fish have decreased substantially (Myers & Worm 2003), al - though the magnitudes of the declines are not as universal across regions and species as previously thought (Sibert et al. 2006).”
Climate change and the Antarctic marine ecosystem: an essay on management implications
Trathan, P., & Agnew, D. (2010) · Antarctic Science · doi:10.1017/s0954102010000222 · Cited by 50
“…such as the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission which calculates current target (tuna) stock biomass with respect to the state that they would be without fishing, and does not compare these to historical baselines, which are not considered to be appropriate (Sibert et al. 2006).”
Lipid composition and diet inferences in abyssal macrourids of the eastern North Pacific
Drazen, J., Phleger, C. F., Guest, M. A., & Nichols, P. (2009) · Marine Ecology Progress Series · doi:10.3354/meps08106 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
“…may change in response to increases in fishing pressure and consequent discards (Votier et al. 2004), be reduced as epipelagic stocks are depleted (Sibert et al. 2006) or simply shift in composition as species such as the Humboldt squid Dosidicus gigas expand their range into the North Pacific…”
Adding the Third Dimension to Marine Conservation
Noam Levin, A., Kark, S., & Danovaro, R. (2017) · Conservation Letters · doi:10.1111/conl.12408 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
“…evident, for example, in the global scale depletion of some pelagic fisheries in recent decades (Juan-Jordá et al. 2011), especially for large fish (Sibert et al. 2006), accompanied by an increase in the average depth of trawling (50- 100 m increase per decade; Glover & Smith 2003; Gordon 2001).”
Sampling mobile oceanic fishes and sharks: implications for fisheries and conservation planning
Letessier, T. B., Bouchet, P. J., & Meeuwig, J. J. (2015) · Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · doi:10.1111/brv.12246 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
“…occur at low densities (although some may form large schools), the logistical difficulties in obtaining ecologically meaningful data for these animals have fuelled heavy debates regarding the extent of population declines (Myers & Worm, 2003; Sibert et al., 2006; Juan-Jordá et al., 2011).”
InfluentialOspina‐Álvarez, A., Catalán, I. A., Bernal, M., Roos, D., & Palomera, I. (2015) · Progress In Oceanography · doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2015.01.011 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
“…and other small pelagic fish, are identified as an important bottom-up flow control group (Bakun, 1996; Cury et al., 2000; Dunne et al., 2004; Freón et al., 2005; Libralato et al., 2006; Pauly and Christensen, 1995; Quentin Grafton et al., 2010; Sibert et al., 2006; A. D. M. Smith et al., 2011).”
Assessment of IUU fishing for Southern Bluefin Tuna
Polacheck, T. (2012) · Marine Policy · doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2012.02.019 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Llopiz, J. K., & Hobday, A. J. (2015) · Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography · doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2014.05.014 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
A scientific alternative to moratoria for rebuilding depleted international tuna stocks
Hillary, R., Preece, A., Davies, C., Kurota, H., Sakai, O., Itoh, T., Parma, A., Butterworth, D., Ianelli, J., & Branch, T. (2016) · doi:10.1111/faf.12121 · Cited by 47
Reeves, R., Leatherwood, S., & Baird, R. (2009) · doi:10.2984/049.063.0207 · Cited by 47
Navarro, J., Sáez‑Liante, R., Albo-Puigserver, M., Coll, M., & Palomera, I. (2017) · Deep Sea Research Part II Topical Studies in Oceanography · doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.06.009 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Climate impacts and oceanic top predators: moving from impacts to adaptation in oceanic systems
Hobday, A. J., Young, J. W., Abe, O., da Costa, D. P., Cowen, R. K., Evans, K., Gasalla, M. A., Kloser, R. J., Olivier, M., & Weng, K. C. (2013) · Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries · doi:10.1007/s11160-013-9311-0 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Erauskin-Extramiana, M., Chust, G., Arrizabalaga, H., Cheung, W. W. L., Santiago, J., Merino, G., & Fernandes-Salvador, J. A. (2023) · Global and Planetary Change · doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2023.104055 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Berger, A. (2019) · Fisheries Research · doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2018.11.028 · Cited by 45
Estimating the impacts of fishing on dependent predators: a case study in the California Current
Field, J. C., MacCall, A. D., Bradley, R. W., & Sydeman, W. J. (2010) · Ecological Applications · doi:10.1890/09-0428.1 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Erauskin-Extramiana, M., Chust, G., Arrizabalaga, H., Cheung, W., Santiago, J., Merino, G., & Fernandes-Salvador, J. A. (2023) · Social Science Research Network · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4059543 · Cited by 43
Frédou, F. L., Kell, L., Frédou, T., Gaertner, D., Potier, M., Bach, P., Travassos, P., Hazin, F., & Ménard, F. (2017) · Deep Sea Research Part II Topical Studies in Oceanography · doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.10.008 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Complex wasp-waist regulation of pelagic ecosystems in the Pacific Ocean
Griffiths, S., Olson, R., & Watters, G. (2013) · Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries · doi:10.1007/s11160-012-9301-7 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
“…of declining abundance of large predatory fishes in the world’s pelagic ecosystems (Baum et al. 2003; Christensen et al. 2003; Ward and Myers 2005; Sibert et al. 2006) and the progressive decline in trophic level of the catch from ‘fishing down the food web’ (Pauly et al. 1998) or ‘fishing…”
InfluentialMaxwell, S., & Morgan, L. (2013) · Marine Ecology Progress Series · doi:10.3354/meps10255 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Do rebuttals affect future science?
Banobi, J. A., Branch, T. A., & Hilborn, R. W. (2011) · Ecosphere · doi:10.1890/es10-00142.1 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
- Authors
- Sibert, J., Hampton, J., Kleiber, P., & Maunder, M.
- Affiliations
- NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (US)
- Corresponding author
- Sibert, John
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2006-12-15
- Volume
- 314
- Issue
- 5806
- Pages
- 1773-1776
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2109278119
- Cited by
- 246
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 18
- FWCI
- 17.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Marine and fisheries research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Fish Ecology and Management Studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Ichthyology and Marine Biology
- Keywords
- Pacific tuna fisheries, top predators, population biomass, size structure, trophic levels, fisheries impacts, pelagic ecosystem
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Conservation of Natural Resources, Fisheries, Pacific Ocean, Perciformes, Population Density, Population Dynamics, Predatory Behavior, Sharks, Tuna, Ecosystem, Biomass, Food Chain, Body Size
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