Purpose
and contents:
In order to reliably define the conditions under which fisheries
can sustainably operate in the long-term, it is essential to have
a thorough understanding of the influence of human activities and
ocean climate on the ecology of the stocks in question. Climatic
variation has been shown to affect behaviour and distribution of
marine organisms. Changes in all of our major fish stocks have occurred
in recent decades due to trends in ocean climate. Commercial fishing
has also altered those which are exploited, at both the inter- and
intra-stock levels. Most often, mortality imposed by fishing is
considerably higher than that which occurs naturally. In addition,
fishing is inherently selective. Accumulating evidence indicates
that fishing has influenced the phenotypic and genetic structure,
production, sustainability and recovery potential of harvested stocks.
This course
will focus on the ecology of exploited marine fish resources, with
particular emphasis on the effects that ocean climate and human
activities have on the physiology, biology and behaviour of fish
populations.
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