Bayesian inference and assessment for rare-event bycatch in marine fisheries: a drift gillnet fishery case study
Abstract
Fisheries bycatch is a global threat to marine megafauna. Environmental laws require bycatch assessment for protected species, but this is difficult when bycatch is rare. Low bycatch rates, combined with low observer coverage, may lead to biased, imprecise estimates when using standard ratio estimators. Bayesian model-based approaches incorporate uncertainty, produce less volatile estimates, and enable probabilistic evaluation of estimates relative to management thresholds. Here, we demonstrate a pragmatic decision-making process that uses Bayesian model-based inferences to estimate the probability of exceeding management thresholds for bycatch in fisheries with < 100% observer coverage. Using the California drift gillnet fishery as a case study, we (1) model rates of rare-event bycatch and mortality using Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo estimation methods and 20 years of observer data; (2) predict unobserved counts of bycatch and mortality; (3) infer expected annual mortality; (4) determine probabilities of mortality exceeding regulatory thresholds; and (5) classify the fishery as having low, medium, or high bycatch impact using those probabilities. We focused on leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) and humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). Candidate models included Poisson or zero-inflated Poisson likelihood, fishing effort, and a bycatch rate that varied with area, time, or regulatory regime. Regulatory regime had the strongest effect on leatherback bycatch…
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Observer coverage for the catch dataset was approximately 15% of all sets within the fishery for 1990-2011.
“Observer coverage for the catch dataset was approximately 15% of all sets within the fishery for 1990-2011 (Martin et al., 2015).”
From Oceanographic determinants of ocean sunfish (Mola mola) and bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) bycatch patterns in the California large mesh drift gillnet fishery (2017) · cites this paper as Martin et al., 2015
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Bayesian estimation of catch and bycatch performance in novel fishing methodsPreprint
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- Authors
- Martin, S. L., Stohs, S. M., & Moore, J. E.
- Affiliations
- NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (US)
- Corresponding author
- Martin, Summer L.
- Venue
- Ecological Applications
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2015-03
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 416-429
- ISSN
- 1051-0761 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-5582
- OpenAlex
- W2155734453
- Cited by
- 40
- References
- 45
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 2
- FWCI
- 2.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Ecological Applications (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Turtle Biology and Conservation
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Marine and fisheries research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Marine animal studies overview
- Keywords
- bycatch, Dermochelys coriacea, humpback whale, Bayesian inference, zero-inflated Poisson regression, management thresholds, potential biological removal, observer data, Endangered Species Act
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Bayes Theorem, California, Conservation of Natural Resources, Environmental Monitoring, Fisheries, Models, Biological, Pacific Ocean, Turtles, Models, Statistical, Humpback Whale
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