Economic aspects of fish stock accounting as a renewable marine natural capital: The Eastern Mediterranean continental shelf ecosystem as a case study

Michael-Bitton, Geula; Corrales, X.; Ofir, E.; Shechter, Mordechai; Zemah-Shamir, Shiri

doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107539

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The consequences of alien species and fisheries have also been studied in other parts of the Levantine basin such as the insular shelf ecosystem of Cyprus (Michailidis et al, 2019;Michailidis et al, 2023) and the Gulf of Mersin in Turkey (Saygu et al, 2020). Moreover, EwE was applied to model the effects of aquaculture (Livne et al, 2020), to inform marine spatial planning (Shabtay et al, 2018), and to assess energy- (Grossowicz et al, 2020) and economy-related (Peled et al, 2020;Michael-Bitton et al, 2022) questions.…”

Section: Eastern Mediterranean Seamentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecotrophic perspective in fisheries management: a review of Ecopath with Ecosim models in European marine ecosystems

et al. 2023

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The aim of this work is to present the food web models developed using the Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) software tool to describe structure and functioning of various European marine ecosystems (eastern, central and western Mediterranean Sea; Black Sea; Bay of Biscay, Celtic Sea and Iberian coast; Baltic Sea; North Sea; English Channel, Irish Sea and west Scottish Sea; and Norwegian and Barents Seas). A total of 195 Ecopath models based on 168 scientific publications, which report original, updated and modified versions, were reviewed. Seventy models included Ecosim temporal simulations while 28 implemented Ecospace spatiotemporal dynamics. Most of the models and publications referred to the western Mediterranean Sea followed by the English Channel, Irish Sea and west Scottish Sea sub-regions. In the Mediterranean Sea, the western region had the largest number of models and publications, followed by the central and eastern regions; similar trends were observed in previous literature reviews. Most models addressed ecosystem functioning and fisheries-related hypotheses while several investigated the impact of climate change, the presence of alien species, aquaculture, chemical pollution, infrastructure, and energy production. Model complexity (i.e., number of functional groups) increased over time. Main forcing factors considered to run spatial and temporal simulations were trophic interactions, fishery, and primary production. Average scores of ecosystem indicators derived from the Ecopath summary statistics were compared. Uncertainty was also investigated based on the use of the Ecosampler plug-in and the Monte Carlo routine; only one third of the reviewed publications incorporated uncertainty analysis. Only a limited number of the models included the use of the ECOIND plug-in which provides the user with quantitative output of ecological indicators. We assert that the EwE modelling approach is a successful tool which provides a quantitative framework to analyse the structure and dynamics of ecosystems, and to evaluate the potential impacts of different management scenarios.

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Section: Eastern Mediterranean Seamentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecotrophic perspective in fisheries management: a review of Ecopath with Ecosim models in European marine ecosystems

et al. 2023

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“…Our bioeconomic approach explored the dynamics of different fishing efforts on the various fished groups represented in the model to maximize the fisher profits [27], and how their biomass might change as a result. In addition, expected trends in fishing costs (due to rising fuel prices) and fish prices were used [2,28] to derive a possible range for the model to operate in. Using the EwE together with the Monte Carlo tool, multiple runs of the bioeconomic model were carried out, resulting in mean recommended effort levels.…”

Section: Food Provisioningmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The marine ecosystem of the Israeli Mediterranean Sea, located in the Levantine basin of the eastern Mediterranean, has undergone significant changes in recent decades caused primarily by species invasion, fishing activity [1,2], river damming, and climate change [3]. The Levantine basin has the hottest, saltiest, and most nutrient-poor waters in the Mediterranean Sea, as a result of high evaporation rates, very low riverine inputs, and limited vertical mixing [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Economic Valuation of Fish Provision, Wastewater Treatment, and Coastal Protection in the Israeli Mediterranean Sea

Zemah-Shamir¹,

Peled²,

Shechter

et al. 2023

Fishes

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While many current and potential uses of the Israeli Mediterranean Sea have clearly defined the economic value and apparent benefits to various stakeholders (e.g., energy and raw materials extraction and maritime traffic), the benefits of these local marine ecosystems are still severely underexplored and are not manifested in economic terms. Coupled with ongoing environmental deterioration such as overfishing, climate change, and biological invasion, the need for performing monetary valuations of the benefits derived from this ecosystem is clearly evident. In this study, we evaluated three marine and coastal ecosystem services, namely, food provisioning, wastewater treatment, and coastal protection, in order to better quantify and map their importance to society. Food provisioning was inspected through the fishing sector, and its benefits were analyzed using the bioeconomic model. The results recommend a reduction in fishing efforts to increase overall biomass levels of both local and invasive fish species. However, this may lead to an economic loss in fishery profits due to reduced catch levels. The economic valuation of wastewater treatment as an ecosystem service hint at possible thresholds governed by effluent volumes and environmental conditions, whereby exceedance of Good Environmental Status (GES) standards may lead to a reduction of ~25% in the potential benefit of this ecosystem service. Finally, this study proposes an engineering restoration solution for compromised intertidal abrasion platforms, with estimated costs and potential benefits for the conservation of at-risk areas. The annual economic value of this ecosystem service is NIS 65–209 million (EUR 16.2–52.2 million).

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“…30 trawler boats, a fleet of 519 coastal fishing boats for cast net fishing and longline fishing, and a small fleet of ca. 28 boats for purse seine net fishing (Michael-Bitton et al, 2022). Likewise, there is a growing recreational fishing sector, namely amateur fishing with rods on the beach, or with rods or a floating longline from a boat or kayak (Stambler, 2014;Corrales et al, 2017b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of fisheries management policies in the alien species-rich Eastern Mediterranean under climate change

Ofir¹,

Corrales²,

Coll³

et al. 2023

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Recent decades have witnessed declines in the amount of fishing catch due to changes in the marine ecosystem of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. These changes are mainly a consequence of direct human activities as well as global warming and the entry of invasive species. Therefore, there is a need to improve fisheries management so that it accounts for the various stressors and uses of the marine environment beyond fishing, while providing sustainable catches and maintaining a healthy ecosystem. The ability to understand, and sustainably manage, the fishing industry relies on models capable of analyzing and predicting the effects of fishing on the entire ecosystem. In this study, we apply Ecospace, the spatial-temporal component of the Ecopath with Ecosim approach, to study the Israeli continental shelf to evaluate the impact of climate change and alternative management options on the ecosystem. We examine several management alternatives under the severe assumption of the RCP8.5 climate change scenario for the region. Results indicate that under business-as-usual conditions, the biomass of the native species will decrease, the biomass of the invasive species will increase, and there will be a decrease in the fishing catch. In addition, of the management alternatives examined, the alternative of prohibition of fishing in the northern region of Israel along with the establishment of a network of marine nature reserves provides the optimal response for the ecosystem and fisheries. The Achziv Nature Reserve is projected to be successful, improving the biomass of local species and reducing, to some extent, the presence of invasive species. These results are consistent with visual surveys conducted inside and outside the reserve by the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority. Furthermore, simulation results indicate spill-over effects in areas close to nature reserves yielding higher catches in those regions.

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Economic aspects of fish stock accounting as a renewable marine natural capital: The Eastern Mediterranean continental shelf ecosystem as a case study

Cited by 8 publications

References 34 publications

Ecotrophic perspective in fisheries management: a review of Ecopath with Ecosim models in European marine ecosystems

Ecotrophic perspective in fisheries management: a review of Ecopath with Ecosim models in European marine ecosystems

Economic Valuation of Fish Provision, Wastewater Treatment, and Coastal Protection in the Israeli Mediterranean Sea

Evaluation of fisheries management policies in the alien species-rich Eastern Mediterranean under climate change

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