dc.contributor.author | Jubinville, Isabelle | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2021-08-25T13:47:25Z | |
dc.date.available | 2021-08-25T13:47:25Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2021-08-25T13:47:25Z | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10222/80728 | |
dc.description.abstract | Bycatch is a pressing concern impeding the sustainability of fisheries. Yet, bycatch is often not well mitigated due to incomplete monitoring of at-sea. This thesis aims to inform management strategies for bycatch mitigation using fisheries-independent data. I utilized spatiotemporal modeling of survey data to predict high-risk regions for three threatened skates in Atlantic Canada caught as bycatch in bottom-trawl fisheries. I identified bycatch risk hotspots across the Scotian Shelf, and independently validated bycatch risk through skate presence in at-sea observer datasets. Bycatch risk estimated by species co-occurrence, modelled from fisheries-independent data, was predictive of species presence in observed fishing sets. I then evaluated relative reductions in bycatch risk to be expected by closing zones to bottom-trawl fishing. When closures are precise, a 50% reduction in bycatch risk for skates would displace less than 10% of bottom-trawl landings by weight (4.9 ± 2.45%). I discuss the need for new approaches to mitigate bycatch of vulnerable species, and how these tools can help to meet regulatory requirements for bycatch reduction at low cost. | en_US |
dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
dc.subject | bycatch | en_US |
dc.subject | elasmobranchs | en_US |
dc.subject | spatiotemporal models | en_US |
dc.title | A Framework to Predict and Mitigate Bycatch for Vulnerable Marine Species | en_US |
dc.date.defence | 2021-08-04 | |
dc.contributor.department | Department of Biology | en_US |
dc.contributor.degree | Master of Science | en_US |
dc.contributor.external-examiner | n/a | en_US |
dc.contributor.graduate-coordinator | Dr. Alastair Simpson | en_US |
dc.contributor.thesis-reader | Dr. Nancy Shackell | en_US |
dc.contributor.thesis-reader | Dr. Aaron MacNeil | en_US |
dc.contributor.thesis-supervisor | Dr. Boris Worm | en_US |
dc.contributor.thesis-supervisor | Dr. Joanna Mills-Flemming | en_US |
dc.contributor.ethics-approval | Not Applicable | en_US |
dc.contributor.manuscripts | Yes | en_US |
dc.contributor.copyright-release | Not Applicable | en_US |