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Estimating Virus Production Rates in Aquatic Systems

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Published on: September 22, 2010

Sustaining fisheries yields over evolutionary time scales.

David O Conover¹, Stephan B Munch

¹Marine Sciences Research Center, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5000, USA. dconover@notes.cc.sunysb.edu

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|July 6, 2002

Summary

Fishery management must account for evolution. Harvesting fish populations can unexpectedly alter their growth rates, impacting long-term sustainable yields and requiring genetic diversity preservation.

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Fisheries Science

Background:

Fisheries management plans often overlook evolutionary impacts on fish populations.
Harvesting can exert selective pressures that drive rapid evolutionary changes in fish traits.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the evolutionary responses of fish populations to different size-selective harvesting strategies.
To determine how harvesting affects growth rates and overall yield in exploited fish.

Main Methods:

Experimental populations of Atlantic silversides (Menidia menidia) were subjected to large, small, or random size-selective harvesting over four generations.
Harvested biomass and evolutionary shifts in growth rates were monitored and compared to control populations.

Main Results:

Harvested fish populations evolved rapidly, often in opposition to the selective pressure of fishing.
Large-harvesting initially increased yield but led to rapid evolution of lower yield; small-harvesting showed the opposite trend.
Observed shifts in yield were attributed to selection for genotypes with altered growth rates.

Conclusions:

Sustainable fisheries management requires incorporating evolutionary dynamics.
Maintaining genetic diversity is crucial for ensuring long-term productivity and resilience in harvested fish stocks.
Current management tools may be insufficient without considering evolutionary potential.