Realizing the potential of trait‐based approaches to advance fisheries science

Abstract

Analysing how fish populations and their ecological communities respond to perturbations such as fishing and environmental variation is crucial to fisheries science. Researchers often predict fish population dynamics using species‐level life‐history parameters that are treated as fixed over time, while ignoring the impact of intraspecific variation on ecosystem dynamics. However, there is increasing recognition of the need to include processes operating at ecosystem levels (changes in drivers of productivity) while also accounting for variation over space, time and among individuals. To address similar challenges, community ecologists studying plants, insects and other taxa increasingly measure phenotypic characteristics of individual animals that affect fitness or ecological function (termed “functional traits”). Here, we review the history of trait‐based methods in fish and other taxa, and argue that fisheries science could see benefits by integrating trait‐based approaches within existing fisheries analyses. We argue that measuring and modelling functional traits can improve estimates of population and community dynamics, and rapidly detect responses to fishing and environmental drivers. We support this claim using three concrete examples: how trait‐based approaches could account for time‐varying parameters in population models; improve fisheries management and harvest control rules; and inform size‐based models of marine communities. We then present a step‐by‐step primer for how trait‐based methods could be adapted to complement existing models and analyses in fisheries science. Finally, we call for the creation and expansion of publicly available trait databases to facilitate adapting trait‐based methods in fisheries science, to complement existing public databases of life‐history parameters for marine organisms.

A review of potential factors promoting fish movement in inter‐basin water transfers, with emergent patterns from a trait‐based risk analysis for a large‐scale project in china

“…Selected factors in these analyses were expanded from previous trait-based approaches for entrainment and invasion, adapted specifically for risk in long-distance IBT transfers (full details in Appendix S1) (Copp, 2013;Pracheil, McManamay, et al, 2016). Selection of traits for inclusion in predictive models was based on their relationship with entrainment and movement (full rationale and support of variables are found in Appendix S1), with weighting based on confidence of this relationship (Barnett et al, 2019).…”

“…Additionally, trait-based approaches have specifically been used to examine patterns and predictions of fish entrainment in water diversion structures (Harrison et al, 2019;Pracheil, McManamay, Bevelhimer, DeRolph, & Čada, 2016). Development of a trait-based approach for predicting movement in IBT systems (which combine aspects of entrainment, dispersal and invasion risk) could likewise be useful for compiling potential influencing factors, guide future empirical studies and provide a theoretical foundation for the development of mitigation strategies (Barnett, Jacobson, Thorson, & Cope, 2019). The purpose of this study is to (a) review ecological and environmental factors that promote movement in IBT systems, and (b) use those traits in assessments specifically developed to assess movement risk and invasion risk for fishes in a case study connecting multiple habitat types.…”

Rebound in functional distinctiveness following warming and reduced fishing in the North Sea

“…Along with climate change, overexploitation of fish stocks directly impacts marine biodiversity and can weaken the resilience of marine ecosystems [22,23]. Therefore, fisheries management requires a better knowledge of fish community responses, particularly in terms of species traits, to various anthropogenic pressures and environmental changes [24].…”

Life‐history, exploitation and extinction risk of the data‐poor Baraka's whipray (Maculabatis ambigua) in small‐scale tropical fisheries

“…Understanding species and stock‐specific life‐history traits is important when assessing the sustainability of fisheries exploitation, conducting stock assessment, producing demographics models and predicting rebound potential (Cailliet & Goldman, 2004; Frisk et al ., 2001; Smith et al ., 2008). Thus, species and population‐specific life‐history traits are pivotal in the formulation of evidence‐based fisheries management (Barnett et al ., 2019).…”