Weaknesses in understanding of tuna distributions and movements have constrained the development of rational management policies. Uncertainties exist in: the selection of management plans and catch and effort data that are representative of a stock; quantification of exchange of adults among management jurisdictions and fishing gears; and identification of the relationships between the environment and tuna movements. This report summarizes a series of discussions between a panel and groups of experts on how to increase understanding of these and other tuna problems. We discuss the uncertainties in current management policy caused by lack of understanding of tuna movement dynamics. We describe and evaluate the research approaches presently used to describe the movements of tunas--mark and recapture and acoustic tracking-- and those which might be used or are just being applied, including new tagging systems, measurement of physiological state and microconstituents of mineralized tissue. Actions needed to improve the knowledge of tuna movements are: 1) establish international arrangements to share tuna movement data, to analyse movements on an oceanwide and worldwide basis and to link international oceanographic programs; 2) increase number and kinds of observations of movements of tuna in the vertical plane; 3) develop and use technology for tracing the actual paths followed by tunas over extended periods and for measuring movements independent of the fishery; and 4) conduct intensive studies on tuna movement dynamics which combine old with the new technologies discussed in the report.

The 2nd international tagging and tracking symposium was held in San Sebastian, Spain, in October 2007, seven years after the first symposium was held in Hawaii in 2000 (Sibert and Nielsen 2001). In the intervening seven years, there have been major advances in both the capability and reliability of electronic tags and analytical approaches for geolocation of tagged animals in marine habitats. Advances such as increased data storage capacity, sensor development, and tag miniaturization have allowed researchers to track a much wider array of marine animals, not just large and charismatic species. Importantly, data returned by these tags are now being used in population analyses and movement simulations that can be directly utilized in stock assessments and other management applications. Papers in this volume are divided into three sections, the first describing insights into behavior achieved using acoustic, archival, and novel tags, the second reporting on advances in methods of geolocation, while the final section includes contributions where tag data have been used in management of marine species. Accurate documentation of animal movements and behaviors in critical marine habitats are impossible to obtain with other technologies. The management and conservation of marine species are critical in today’s changing ocean environment and as electronic tags become more accurate and functional for a diversity of organisms their application continues to grow, setting new standards in science and technology.

Celebrating the centenary of the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) Fisheries Research Laboratory at Lowestoft, UK, this peer-reviewed, edited tome discusses four interwoven themes: · The consequences and management of unregulated/unreported catches · Competition · External drivers and resource behaviour · Ecosystems and migration With contributions from fisheries scientists, policy-makers and managers from more than twenty countries, this international volume has evolved from the CEFAS symposium on International Approaches to Management of Shared Fish Stock- Problems and Future Directions. The editors, Andrew Payne, Carl O’Brien and Stuart Rogers, have succeeded in bringing together the research of over sixty participants into an essential source of reference for all those involved in, or studying, fisheries management across the globe.

The workshop referred closely to the results of a first workshop held in Bangkok in 2002 (The International Workshop on Factors Contributing to Unsustainability and Overexploitation in Fisheries) but aimed more specifically at answering the following three major questions: What are the major obstacles to the implementation of major legal instruments? What are the main lessons learned and the possible paths to solutions for improved implementation? What are the possible gaps that may exist in these instruments to guide the international community in improving the management of marine fisheries? The workshop was based on a review of eleven case studies, each relating to one of the following categories of fishery: large volume small pelagics; tuna and tuna-like species; large volume demersals; and coastal fisheries. This publication contains the report of the Workshop, discussion papers containing case studies and notes submitted by participants. The document, and in particular the conclusions adopted by workshop participants, will serve as a basis for further analytical work aimed at improved fisheries management and a more effective implementation of major international fisheries instruments.

Recent decades have witnessed strong declines in fish stocks aroundthe globe, amid growing concerns about the impact of fisheries onmarine and freshwater biodiversity. Fisheries biologists andmanagers are therefore increasingly asking about aspects ofecology, behaviour, evolution and biodiversity that weretraditionally studied by people working in very separate fields.This has highlighted the need to work more closely together, inorder to help ensure future success both in management andconservation. The Handbook of Fish Biology and Fisheries has beenwritten by an international team of scientists and practitioners,to provide an overview of the biology of freshwater and marine fishspecies together with the science that supports fisheriesmanagement and conservation. This volume, subtitled Fish Biology, reviews a broadvariety of topics from evolutionary relationships and globalbiogeography to physiology, recruitment, life histories, genetics,foraging behaviour, reproductive behaviour and community ecology.The second volume, subtitled Fisheries, uses much of thisinformation in a wide-ranging review of fisheries biology,including methods of capture, marketing, economics, stockassessment, forecasting, ecosystem impacts and conservation. Together, these books present the state of the art in ourunderstanding of fish biology and fisheries and will serve asvaluable references for undergraduates and graduates looking for acomprehensive source on a wide variety of topics in fisheriesscience. They will also be useful to researchers who needup-to-date reviews of topics that impinge on their fields, anddecision makers who need to appreciate the scientific backgroundfor management and conservation of aquatic ecosystems. To order volume I, go to the box in the top right hand corner.Alternatively to order volume II, go to:http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/book.asp?ref=063206482X or toorder the 2 volume set, go to:http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/book.asp?ref=0632064838. Provides a unique overview of the study of fish biology andecology, and the assessment and management of fish populations andecosystems. The first volume concentrates on aspects of fish biology andecology, both at the individual and population levels, whilst thesecond volume addresses the assessment and management of fishpopulations and ecosystems. Written by an international team of expert scientists andpractitioners. An invaluable reference tool for both students, researchers andpractitioners working in the fields of fish biology andfisheries.