Simulated response to harvesting strategies in an exploited ecosystem in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico
Arreguín-Sánchez, F.; Zetina-Rejón, M.J.; Manickchand-Heileman, S.; Ramírez-Rodríguez, M.; Vidal, L. (2004). Simulated response to harvesting strategies in an exploited ecosystem in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. Ecol. Model. 172(2-4): 421-432
In: Ecological Modelling. Elsevier: Amsterdam; Lausanne; New York; Oxford; Shannon; Tokyo. ISSN 0304-3800; e-ISSN 1872-7026, more
Also appears in:Christensen, V.; Maclean, J.L. (Ed.) (2004). Placing fisheries in their ecosystem context. Ecological Modelling, 172(2-4). Elsevier: Amsterdam. 103-440 pp., more
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| Keywords |
Gulf of Mexico
Hydrographic features > Gulfs > Western central atlantic > Gulf of mexico
Marine/Coastal |
| Authors | | Top |
- Arreguín-Sánchez, F.
- Zetina-Rejón, M.J.
- Manickchand-Heileman, S.
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- Ramírez-Rodríguez, M.
- Vidal, L.
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| Abstract |
The impact of some optimized harvesting strategies on ecosystem structure was investigated using a mass-balanced model ofthe ecosystem in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, where there are four types of artisanal fisheries and a shrimp fishery that hascollapsed. The Ecopath with Ecosim software was used to simulate harvesting strategies aimed at optimizing economic (profit),social (jobs), ecological (conservation of ecosystem structure) and shrimp-recovery criteria. As expected, the ecosystem changesthat would ensue vary according to the combination of optimization goals. We found that for some scenarios, the extractionof biomass from a discrete trophic-level changes impacting ecosystem and catch structure. This was clearly observed throughthe tendency of the mean trophic level of the ecosystem and catch, as well as the fishing-in-balance index (FBI). A particulardiscussion was made about the collapsed shrimp fishery, where the impact of a specific shrimp-recovery strategy was evaluated.Collapse is strongly associated to physical variables and recovery based on trophic relationships is plausible but with a highecosystem structure cost. |
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