| The trophic fingerprint of marine fisheries. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 21085178 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Biodiversity indicators provide a vital window on the state of the planet, guiding policy development and management. The most widely adopted marine indicator is mean trophic level (MTL) from catches, intended to detect shifts from high-trophic-level predators to low-trophic-level invertebrates and plankton-feeders. This indicator underpins reported trends in human impacts, declining when predators collapse ("fishing down marine food webs") and when low-trophic-level fisheries expand ("fishing through marine food webs"). The assumption is that catch MTL measures changes in ecosystem MTL and biodiversity. Here we combine model predictions with global assessments of MTL from catches, trawl surveys and fisheries stock assessments and find that catch MTL does not reliably predict changes in marine ecosystems. Instead, catch MTL trends often diverge from ecosystem MTL trends obtained from surveys and assessments. In contrast to previous findings of rapid declines in catch MTL, we observe recent increases in catch, survey and assessment MTL. However, catches from most trophic levels are rising, which can intensify fishery collapses even when MTL trends are stable or increasing. To detect fishing impacts on marine biodiversity, we recommend greater efforts to measure true abundance trends for marine species, especially those most vulnerable to fishing. |
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Authors:
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Trevor A Branch; Reg Watson; Elizabeth A Fulton; Simon Jennings; Carey R McGilliard; Grace T Pablico; Daniel Ricard; Sean R Tracey |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Nature Volume: 468 ISSN: 1476-4687 ISO Abbreviation: Nature Publication Date: 2010 Nov |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-11-18 Completed Date: 2011-01-06 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0410462 Medline TA: Nature Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 431-5 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Box 355020, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-5020, USA. tbranch@uw.edu |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Animals Aquatic Organisms / isolation & purification*, metabolism* Biodiversity Biomass Databases, Factual Ecosystem* Environmental Policy Fisheries* Fishes* / metabolism Food Chain Human Activities Invertebrates / metabolism Models, Biological Plankton / metabolism |
| Comments/Corrections | |
Comment In:
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Nature. 2010 Nov 18;468(7322):385-6
[PMID:
21085170
]
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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