Two Fish in a Pod. Mislabelling on Board Threatens Sustainability in Mixed Fisheries
Accuracy in reporting captures is a key element to achieve fisheries sustainability. However, identification of the catches might be a challenge when two or more species are morphologically similar and caught jointly, like the mixed fisheries of black hakes in East Atlantic African waters. Black hak...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-03-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.841667/full |
| _version_ | 1811329439925010432 |
|---|---|
| author | Carmen Blanco-Fernandez Karim Erzini Sara Rodriguez-Diego Pablo Alba-Gonzalez Ndiaga Thiam Fambaye Ngom Sow Mamadou Diallo Jónas R. Viðarsson Duarte Fernández-Vidal Jorge M. S. Gonçalves Mafalda Rangel Kim Stobberup Eva Garcia-Vazquez Gonzalo Machado-Schiaffino |
| author_facet | Carmen Blanco-Fernandez Karim Erzini Sara Rodriguez-Diego Pablo Alba-Gonzalez Ndiaga Thiam Fambaye Ngom Sow Mamadou Diallo Jónas R. Viðarsson Duarte Fernández-Vidal Jorge M. S. Gonçalves Mafalda Rangel Kim Stobberup Eva Garcia-Vazquez Gonzalo Machado-Schiaffino |
| author_sort | Carmen Blanco-Fernandez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Accuracy in reporting captures is a key element to achieve fisheries sustainability. However, identification of the catches might be a challenge when two or more species are morphologically similar and caught jointly, like the mixed fisheries of black hakes in East Atlantic African waters. Black hakes (Merluccius senegalensis and M. polli) are tough to differentiate without previous training due to their high morphological resemblance. The two species are managed as a single stock, although the biological differences between them suggest the need of a separate management. In this study, a total of 806 black hakes were visually identified by fishers on deck of fishing vessels operating in Mauritania and Senegal waters, then assigned to a species by sequencing 450bp of the Mitochondrial Control Region. Comparing the results with visual identification we found 31.4% of the total catch were incorrectly labelled on board by the fishermen. The accuracy of the fishers’ identification depended on the depth of capture and on fish size, larger individuals caught from deeper waters being more correctly assigned to M. polli. Mislabelling biased to M. polli suggests that M. senegalensis, already catalogued as endangered, is being underreported, which could endanger the conservation of this species and threaten the sustainability of black hake fisheries. Our results highlight the need for separate evaluation of the stocks in mixed fisheries for morphologically similar fish. Thus, monitoring through DNA barcoding in the very first step of the seafood chain surveys would improve accurate species delimitation and reduce its impact on the correct assessment of the stocks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T15:45:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2f83ef8617e4440097af5d58ea80a581 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T15:45:08Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-2f83ef8617e4440097af5d58ea80a5812022-12-22T02:41:01ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452022-03-01910.3389/fmars.2022.841667841667Two Fish in a Pod. Mislabelling on Board Threatens Sustainability in Mixed FisheriesCarmen Blanco-Fernandez0Karim Erzini1Sara Rodriguez-Diego2Pablo Alba-Gonzalez3Ndiaga Thiam4Fambaye Ngom Sow5Mamadou Diallo6Jónas R. Viðarsson7Duarte Fernández-Vidal8Jorge M. S. Gonçalves9Mafalda Rangel10Kim Stobberup11Eva Garcia-Vazquez12Gonzalo Machado-Schiaffino13Department of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, SpainCentro de Ciências do Mar (CCMAR), Universidade do Algarve, Faro, PortugalDepartment of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, SpainDepartment of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, SpainCentre de Recherches Océanographiques de Dakar-Thiaroye (CRODT), Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA)-Sénégal, Pôle de Recherche de l’ISRA, Dakar, SenegalCentre de Recherches Océanographiques de Dakar-Thiaroye (CRODT), Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA)-Sénégal, Pôle de Recherche de l’ISRA, Dakar, SenegalConservation and Research of West African Aquatic Mammals (COREWAM), Dakar, SenegalIcelandic Food and Biotech R&D, Matís ohf., Reykjavík, IcelandFisheries Socioeconomic Department, Centro Tecnológico Del Mar - Fundación CETMAR, Vigo, SpainCentro de Ciências do Mar (CCMAR), Universidade do Algarve, Faro, PortugalCentro de Ciências do Mar (CCMAR), Universidade do Algarve, Faro, PortugalCentro de Ciências do Mar (CCMAR), Universidade do Algarve, Faro, PortugalDepartment of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, SpainDepartment of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, SpainAccuracy in reporting captures is a key element to achieve fisheries sustainability. However, identification of the catches might be a challenge when two or more species are morphologically similar and caught jointly, like the mixed fisheries of black hakes in East Atlantic African waters. Black hakes (Merluccius senegalensis and M. polli) are tough to differentiate without previous training due to their high morphological resemblance. The two species are managed as a single stock, although the biological differences between them suggest the need of a separate management. In this study, a total of 806 black hakes were visually identified by fishers on deck of fishing vessels operating in Mauritania and Senegal waters, then assigned to a species by sequencing 450bp of the Mitochondrial Control Region. Comparing the results with visual identification we found 31.4% of the total catch were incorrectly labelled on board by the fishermen. The accuracy of the fishers’ identification depended on the depth of capture and on fish size, larger individuals caught from deeper waters being more correctly assigned to M. polli. Mislabelling biased to M. polli suggests that M. senegalensis, already catalogued as endangered, is being underreported, which could endanger the conservation of this species and threaten the sustainability of black hake fisheries. Our results highlight the need for separate evaluation of the stocks in mixed fisheries for morphologically similar fish. Thus, monitoring through DNA barcoding in the very first step of the seafood chain surveys would improve accurate species delimitation and reduce its impact on the correct assessment of the stocks.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.841667/fullblack hakecontrol regionmerlucciusmislabellingmixed fisheries |
| spellingShingle | Carmen Blanco-Fernandez Karim Erzini Sara Rodriguez-Diego Pablo Alba-Gonzalez Ndiaga Thiam Fambaye Ngom Sow Mamadou Diallo Jónas R. Viðarsson Duarte Fernández-Vidal Jorge M. S. Gonçalves Mafalda Rangel Kim Stobberup Eva Garcia-Vazquez Gonzalo Machado-Schiaffino Two Fish in a Pod. Mislabelling on Board Threatens Sustainability in Mixed Fisheries Frontiers in Marine Science black hake control region merluccius mislabelling mixed fisheries |
| title | Two Fish in a Pod. Mislabelling on Board Threatens Sustainability in Mixed Fisheries |
| title_full | Two Fish in a Pod. Mislabelling on Board Threatens Sustainability in Mixed Fisheries |
| title_fullStr | Two Fish in a Pod. Mislabelling on Board Threatens Sustainability in Mixed Fisheries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Two Fish in a Pod. Mislabelling on Board Threatens Sustainability in Mixed Fisheries |
| title_short | Two Fish in a Pod. Mislabelling on Board Threatens Sustainability in Mixed Fisheries |
| title_sort | two fish in a pod mislabelling on board threatens sustainability in mixed fisheries |
| topic | black hake control region merluccius mislabelling mixed fisheries |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.841667/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT carmenblancofernandez twofishinapodmislabellingonboardthreatenssustainabilityinmixedfisheries AT karimerzini twofishinapodmislabellingonboardthreatenssustainabilityinmixedfisheries AT sararodriguezdiego twofishinapodmislabellingonboardthreatenssustainabilityinmixedfisheries AT pabloalbagonzalez twofishinapodmislabellingonboardthreatenssustainabilityinmixedfisheries AT ndiagathiam twofishinapodmislabellingonboardthreatenssustainabilityinmixedfisheries AT fambayengomsow twofishinapodmislabellingonboardthreatenssustainabilityinmixedfisheries AT mamadoudiallo twofishinapodmislabellingonboardthreatenssustainabilityinmixedfisheries AT jonasrviðarsson twofishinapodmislabellingonboardthreatenssustainabilityinmixedfisheries AT duartefernandezvidal twofishinapodmislabellingonboardthreatenssustainabilityinmixedfisheries AT jorgemsgoncalves twofishinapodmislabellingonboardthreatenssustainabilityinmixedfisheries AT mafaldarangel twofishinapodmislabellingonboardthreatenssustainabilityinmixedfisheries AT kimstobberup twofishinapodmislabellingonboardthreatenssustainabilityinmixedfisheries AT evagarciavazquez twofishinapodmislabellingonboardthreatenssustainabilityinmixedfisheries AT gonzalomachadoschiaffino twofishinapodmislabellingonboardthreatenssustainabilityinmixedfisheries |