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Science, Policy & the $30,000 Fish
Phaedra Doukakis, Ph.D.
Institute for Ocean Conservation Science, SoMAS, SUNY SB
October 9, 2009
SPECIES MANAGEMENT
GLOBAL
TRADE
CONSUMER CHOICE
SCIENCE
Science-Policy Interface
Where can science make the difference for
conservation?
Presentation Outline• Molecular genetic approaches
– Caviar trade regulation, species boundaries, species relationships
• Caspian Sea sturgeon fieldwork – Species biology and status
•Stock assessment, fisheries management
• Policy influence
“Living fossils”: lineage extending into the Jurassic.
Anadromous, Northern hemisphere
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Age at maturity -females (years)
S
paw
ning
per
iodi
city
- f
emal
es (
year
s)
S. albus
H. dauricusA. medirostris
A. transmontanus
A. fulvescens
A. baeriiA. o. oxyrhinchus
H. husoA. gueldenstaedtii
A. o. destoi
A. schrenckii
A. persicus
A. nudiventris
A. brevirostrum
P. spathula
A. stellatus
S. suttkusiA. ruthenus
S. platorynchus
Fish and Fisheries 6: 233-265
The most valuable fish on Earth
Guinness World Record Most Valuable Fish: A Russian sturgeon weighing 2,706 lb caught in
1924 yielded 540 lb of caviar, today worth nearly $1.35-2.7 million.
When market fluctuations cause you to change the title of your talk!
$8,000 per kilo= $50,000.00 per fish given size of fish now
Caviar: the eggs of a mature female
THE BEGINNING-ALBANY BEEF FROM THE HUDSON RIVER
Caspian & Black Sea
Hatcheries main management tool
More than 10 around the Caspian Sea; millions released annually
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
FAOSTAT data
Sturgeon& Paddlefish Capture
FAOSTAT data
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
Capture
Total
Aquaculture
Sturgeon& Paddlefish Total
A.gueldenstadtii
A.stellatus
H.huso
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Year
Kg
. D
ay -1
. 10
0 g
illn
et -1
Effort calibrated data shows population decline
Decline of beluga (Huso huso ) in the Volga River
0
5
10
15
20
25
1967-1970
1971-1975
1976-1980
1981-1985
1986-1990
1991-1995
1996-1997
Ca
tch
(t)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Nu
mb
er
of
ind
ivid
ua
ls
mig
rati
ng
(th
ou
san
ds)
From Khodorevskaya et al. 1997, 2000; Khodorevskaya 1999
Catch and # Spawners over Time
GLOBAL OVERVIEW 2005 Fish and Fisheries 6: 233-265
• Most major sturgeon fisheries now catch 85% fewer fish than at their peak.
• Boom and bust: >1/3 of fisheries examined crashed within 7-20 years.
• Local extinctions in 19 of 27 species.
.
•In 1997 CITES was considering listing all sturgeons and paddlefishes.
•CITES works through trade regulation with trade quotas set based on sustainable take.
•Illegal harvest and trade problematic.
•Morphological inspection inaccurate for species id – need enforcement method.
Develop a molecular method to assist in CITES enforcement and
trade regulation
Yes! Cytb-based, species specific nucleotides, PCR and tree building
approaches for species ID
Position number
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Species 1 T G C A T G C A T G C A T G C A T G C A
…Species 24
. C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Species 25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . A . . . . . .
Species specific
primer
|
A
|
C
|
G
|
T
|
A
|
C
|
G
|
T
|
A
|
C
|
G
|
T
|
A|
T
No! Basin of origin of commercial caviar
•Commercial species of sturgeon cannot be distinguished by basin of origin based on mtDNA (Molecular Ecology 8: S117-S127;. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 21(6): 457-460 )
•Restocking, geology, marker evolution explanations.
Using the species identification system
•Test on 95 lots of commercial caviar (1998).
•23% mislabeling.
•Endangered species & cheap caviar substitutes.
(Conservation Biology 12(4): 766-775).
•System can be developed; monitoring trade is necessary.
•Importing countries need to adopt method.
A. sinensisA. sturio
Polyodon
A. persicusA. naccariiA. gueldenstaedtiiA. baeriiA. brevirostrumA. fulvescensA. stellatusP. hermanniP. kaufmanniA. nudiventrisA. ruthenusH. husoH. dauricusS. suttkusiS. platorynchusS. albusA. mikadoiA. medirostrisA. schrenckiiA. transmontanus
A. oxyrinchus
Psephurus
A. persicusA. naccariiA. gueldenstaedtiiA. baeriiA. brevirostrumA. stellatusP. hermanniP. kaufmanniA. ruthenusH. husoH. dauricusA. fulvescensA. nudiventrisA. mikadoiA. medirostrisA. transmontanusA. schrenckiiA. sinensisA. sturioA. oxyrinchusS. suttkusiS. platorynchusS. albusPolyodonPsephurus
7598
85(80)
93
26
2
6
100100
1427
10017
1297
79(74)
67
61(59)
58(63)
100
100
100
1
2
38
77
3
4
5
41
Pesky speciesSystematics work: Copeia 2002(2): 287-301
Black Sea Caspian Sea
Adriatic Sea
Siberian Rivers
Sea of Azov
Morphologically similar
Persian(3)RussianNC2Persian2RussianI3RussianI7Persian3Persian5Persian11Persian6RussianNC3RussianNC4RussianNC7Persian7RussianK4RussianD(7)RussianD9Persian10Italian(2)RussianNC8RussianNC9RussianI5RussianD7RussianBlRussianDnRussianK3RussianI4RussianK(2)RussianC(2)RussianI8SiberianB(6)SiberianO2SiberianL(12)SiberianO1SiberianO3SiberianO6SiberianO5SiberianY(2)SiberianO4SiberianO(5)SiberianO10SiberianY(2))RussianNC1RussianI6RussianNC5RussianNC6RussianI9SiberianO8AstellatusHhuso
100
7486
61
96
7096
64
9174
74
91
89
87
72
89
99
100
100
6266
76
10087
7497100
8598
8569
95
95
89
95
100
100
Increased sampling and loci; too few samples to consider Italian sturgeon
Persian(3)RussianNC2Persian2RussianI3RussianI7Persian3Persian5Persian11Persian6RussianNC3RussianNC4RussianNC7Persian7RussianK4RussianD(7)RussianD9Persian10Italian(2)RussianNC8RussianNC9RussianI5RussianD7RussianBlRussianDnRussianK3RussianI4RussianK(2)RussianC(2)RussianI8SiberianB(6)SiberianO2SiberianL(12)SiberianO1SiberianO3SiberianO6SiberianO5SiberianY(2)SiberianO4SiberianO(5)SiberianO10SiberianY(2))RussianNC1RussianI6RussianNC5RussianNC6RussianI9SiberianO8AstellatusHhuso
100
7486
61
96
7096
64
9174
74
91
89
87
72
89
99
100
100
6266
76
10087
7497100
8598
8569
95
95
89
95
100
100
Two clades: Russian sturgeon in Caspian have Siberian-like genotype
30bp fixed differences
1 bp difference
Black Sea Caspian Sea
Adriatic Sea
Siberian Rivers
Sea of Azov
Siberian sturgeon aren’t supposed to be in the Caspian Sea??
?
•Caspian Sea Russian-Siberian sturgeon and true Russian sturgeon present.•Decreases mislabeling to 19%.
Law enforcement relevance
Morphology and MoleculesSystematics & Biodiversity 3(2): 203-218
Compare “pure” Siberian to Caspian Sea Siberian.
Pure Siberian sturgeon distinct from Russian and Russian-Siberian sturgeon in the Caspian
Sea.
Hybrid from aquaculture?
Persian(3)RussianNC2Persian2RussianI3RussianI7Persian3Persian5Persian11Persian6RussianNC3RussianNC4RussianNC7Persian7RussianK4RussianD(7)RussianD9Persian10Italian(2)RussianNC8RussianNC9RussianI5RussianD7RussianBlRussianDnRussianK3RussianI4RussianK(2)RussianC(2)RussianI8SiberianB(6)SiberianO2SiberianL(12)SiberianO1SiberianO3SiberianO6SiberianO5SiberianY(2)SiberianO4SiberianO(5)SiberianO10SiberianY(2))RussianNC1RussianI6RussianNC5RussianNC6RussianI9SiberianO8AstellatusHhuso
100
7486
61
96
7096
64
9174
74
91
89
87
72
89
99
100
100
6266
76
10087
7497100
8598
8569
95
95
89
95
100
100
Persian and Russian sturgeon don’t form monopyletic clades. Once subspecies
•No fixed morphological differences; valid species?•Persian sturgeon are considered separate from Russian sturgeon in management and at CITES.•Need better understanding of species structure and biology.
•Better markers for species and populations.
•Polyploidy makes this challenging.
•Next generation sequencing for SNPS and microsats
1998 2008
Pre CITES Post CITES
•91 tins•Single digits.•Fewer species.•Pike!in preparation
10 years later
A.gueldenstadtii
A.stellatus
H.huso
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Year
Kg
. D
ay -1
. 10
0 g
illn
et -1
Trade is regulated but populations still declining
•Last significant Caspian Sea river without a dam.•Last place to study natural migration.•Active, large fishery.
Ural River, Kazakhstan
Three year program (2005-08)
Sturgeon biology and status (beluga focus)Fisheries managementSpecies structure (Persian, Siberian, hybrids)
Survival of hatchery released fish?
Outreach component
Catch, use in hatcheries, tag
and release
Acoustic tags
Pop-up Archival Transmitting (Mk10-PAT) tags
Field catch-and release
Tagging hatchery reared fish
Partnerships formed
•Fishing is intense.
•Catch and release impossible.
•Satellite tagging project difficult.
•Extensive government corruption.
“… when law-enforcement officials realised that the study could prove what everyone in Atyraualready knew – that the poaching pressure was now so intense that no fish ever reached Uralsk, …they refused to allow Doukakis to tag any fish. So she reoriented what she cheerfully calls her “no-data project” and now is trying to…
Get visas for Kazakhstani scientists to come to the USA: stock assessment
workshop
Stock assessment project
• Evaluate the population status of Ural River beluga and determine levels of fishing pressure.– No understanding of current levels
of fishing compared to sustainable levels.
Stock assessment project
• Identify the life history stages best targeted for conservation: – Control harvest of adults and
subadults or increase hatchery production?
– Current management focus is on hatchery production; fishing nations are issued higher quotas with increased hatchery output.
Results
• Precautionary target fishing mortality rates are similar to those for other long-lived species such as sharks and marine mammals but are smaller than those for the productive teleost species that sustain large fisheries.
0
5
10
15
20
25
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
Fishing mortality
Me
an
ag
e (
yea
rs) Mean age of the
population declines with increasing F.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
1 11 21 31 41 51 61 71 81 91
Age, years
Sp
aw
nin
g w
eig
ht,
kg
F=0
F=0.05
F=0.1
F=0.15
F=0.2
Proportion of older and larger fish in the spawning stock declines with increasing F.
Compare with observed
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38
age
pe
rce
nt
1996 2006
Removal rate over 70%; 4-5 times › Fmax.
Fmax average age of the spawning stock: 24 yearsObserved: 21.8 (1996); 17.4 (2006)
Results
• Yield per recruit is maximized at age of entry at 31 years: raise minimum size limits or reduce illegal take of subadults.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
Fishing mortality
Yie
ld p
er
recr
uit,
kg
tmin =11
tmin=20
tmin=25
tmin=30
Results
• Elasticity analysis:– Improving the survival of subadult
and adult females would increase population productivity by 10 times that achieved by improving fecundity and egg to age 1 survival (i.e., hatchery supplementation).
Assessment: in Summary (in review Conservation Biology)
• Strong evidence of overfishing.• Need to focus on recovery.• Best option is to reduce adult and
subadult mortality (limit fishing).• Ask CITES to stop issuing trade quotas!• Stop building hatcheries and eliminate
incentive of hatchery production!
Policy Implications & Actions• CITES recognition of uncertainty regarding
species status; leveraging World Bank funds for additional genetics research.
• Shift burden of proof so that proper assessments are in place before permitting trade in Caspian Sea sturgeons.
• FAO assistance on assessment and TAC method.
• Appendix I transfer.
•Government commitment.
•National market control.
Real Change?
Acknowledgements
• People: Ellen Pikitch (SUNY SB); Elizabeth Babcock (U Miami); Alexei Sharov (Maryland Dept of Natural Resources); Vadim Birstein (Sturgeon Conservation International); Rob DeSalle, George Amato (American Museum of Natural History); Dan Erickson (ODFW); colleagues in the Caspian Sea.
• Funding: American Museum of Natural History, Hudson River Foundation, National Geographic Society Conservation Trust Grant, Packard Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, US EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowship, Yale University, donations to PIOS and IOCS
