Tropical cyclones, derelict traps, and the future of the Florida Keys commercial spiny lobster fishery
Advanced Search
Select up to three search categories and corresponding keywords using the fields to the right. Refer to the Help section for more detailed instructions.

Search our Collections & Repository

For very narrow results

When looking for a specific result

Best used for discovery & interchangable words

Recommended to be used in conjunction with other fields

Dates

to

Document Data
Library
People
Clear All
Clear All

For additional assistance using the Custom Query please check out our Help Page

i

Tropical cyclones, derelict traps, and the future of the Florida Keys commercial spiny lobster fishery

Filetype[PDF-705.64 KB]


Details You May Also Like

Details:

  • Journal Title:
    Marine Policy
  • Personal Author:
    Uhrin, Amy V.
  • NOAA Program & Office:
  • Description:
    Derelict commercial spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) traps may move hundreds of meters during high wind events, resulting in tissue abrasion, breakage, and often complete removal of critical habitat elements such as seagrass, sponge, and coral. Ghost traps continue to confine lobsters, often resulting in mortality. The legacy of trap debris in the Florida Keys (USA) combined with possible increased inputs of trap debris resulting from tropical cyclone intensification presents an immediate challenge for this fishery where social, economic, and ecological vulnerabilities to disturbance are intrinsically linked. Here, predictions of percent monthly trap loss in relation to maximum wind speed (km/h) under three scenarios of tropical cyclone intensification were evaluated across four levels of fishing effort (number of traps used). Across all tropical cyclone scenarios, Historical fishing effort (986,000 traps) produced the greatest number of lost traps, followed in decreasing order by Existing (479,000), Target (400,000), and Maximum Economic Yield (MEY; 180,000) efforts. Under a Business-as-Usual scenario of intensification, converting from Existing fishing effort to MEY reduced trap loss by over 62%. The scenarios suggest that were Existing fishing effort to be maintained in the coming decades, tropical cyclone-related trap loss could exceed 11 million over 60 years depending upon the rate of storm intensification. Existing programs for derelict trap removal cannot currently keep pace with accumulation; consequently, the proximal source of trap debris is increasing in the environment. The net increase in derelict traps and debris generated from their degradation will only be exacerbated under potential tropical cyclone intensification. This study underscores the need for using scenarios for future exploration of these issues, particularly incorporation of fisher responses to changes in climatic, economic, and management drivers (i.e., storms, market demand, gear reduction) that may affect trap deployment patterns.
  • Keywords:
  • Source:
    Marine Policy, 69, 84-91
  • DOI:
  • ISSN:
    0308-597X
  • Publisher:
    Elsevier BV
  • Document Type:
    Journal Article
  • Place as Subject:
    Florida
  • Rights Information:
    Accepted Manuscript
  • Rights Statement:
    This manuscript is made available under the Elsevier user license https://www.elsevier.com/open-access/userlicense/1.0/
  • Compliance:
    Library
  • Main Document Checksum:
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:

Supporting Files

  • No Additional Files
More +

You May Also Like

Checkout today's featured content at repository.library.noaa.gov

Version 3.26.1