Papers by Jocelyn Runnebaum
Commercial fisher perceptions illuminate a need for social justice considerations in navigating climate change impacts on fisheries systems
Ecology and Society
Frontiers in Marine Science
The uncertainty of future ocean conditions caused by climate change challenges the conventional f... more The uncertainty of future ocean conditions caused by climate change challenges the conventional fisheries management model that assumes resource extraction occurs in a steady-state environment. As managers respond to climate impacts and focus on long-term preparedness, an overarching goal is to minimize the vulnerability of fishing businesses and communities. However, during the adaptation process, challenges can arise when perceptions of climate change vulnerability differ among scientists, managers, and harvesters. A harvester’s perception of their risk to climate change influences their willingness to plan for and respond to change, yet these views are often overlooked in adaptation planning. To better understand this dynamic, we conducted a regional survey to evaluate the perceptions harvesters hold regarding the impacts of climate change on commercially fished species in the Northeastern United States and the resulting risks from those changes. The waters in this region of the ...
Journal of Northwest Atlantic Fishery Science
The data-limited nature of Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) in U.S. waters hampers ev... more The data-limited nature of Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) in U.S. waters hampers evaluation of what may be a slow but steady rebuilding pattern. Here, we collaborate with the commercial fishery to design and implement a multi-gear sampling program that collected 100s of biological samples from throughout the Gulf of Maine in a five-year period, 2014–2018. Examination of sectioned otoliths revealed a maximum age of 12 years (females) and 13 years (males); in comparison, Atlantic halibut as old as 40–50 years have been collected elsewhere in the western North Atlantic. Growth modeling confirmed sexual dimorphism, with a larger asymptotic length (L∞) for females (214 cm fork length [FL]) than males (195 cm FL). Estimates of median female length at maturity, L50, of 128 cm FL (124–132 cm, 95% confidence limits), and median female age at maturity, A50, of 9.6 years old (9.0–10.8 years), were longer and older than previous reports for the Gulf of Maine, likely resulting from...
A framework to incorporate environmental effects into stock assessments informed by fishery-independent surveys: a case study with American lobster (Homarus americanus)
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 2020
Stock assessments for a majority of the world’s fisheries often do not explicitly consider the ef... more Stock assessments for a majority of the world’s fisheries often do not explicitly consider the effects of environmental conditions on target species, which can raise model uncertainty and potentially reduce forecasting quality. Model-based abundance indices were developed using a delta generalized linear mixed model that incorporates environmental variability for use in stock assessment to understand how the incorporation of environmental variability impacts our understanding of population dynamics. For this study, multiple model-based abundance indices were developed to test the incorporation of environmental covariates in a length-structured assessment of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) stock in the Gulf of Maine – Georges Bank on the possible improvement of stock assessment quality. Comparisons reveal that modelled indices with environmental covariates appear to be more precise than traditional indices, but model performance metrics and hindcasted fishery statuses revea...
Predicting bycatch hotspots based on suitable habitat derived from fishery-independent data
Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2020
Bycatch remains a global problem in managing sustainable fisheries. A critical aspect of manageme... more Bycatch remains a global problem in managing sustainable fisheries. A critical aspect of management is understanding the timing and spatial extent of bycatch. Fisheries management often relies on observed bycatch data, which are not always available due to a lack of reporting or observer coverage. Alternatively, analyzing the overlap in suitable habitat for the target and non-target species can provide a spatial management tool to understand where bycatch interactions are likely to occur. Potential bycatch hotspots based on suitable habitat were predicted for cuskBrosme brosmeincidentally caught in the Gulf of Maine American lobsterHomarus americanusfishery. Data from multiple fisheries-independent surveys were combined in a delta-generalized linear mixed model to generate spatially explicit density estimates for use in an independent habitat suitability index. The habitat suitability indices for American lobster and cusk were then compared to predict potential bycatch hotspot locat...
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 2018
Habitat use and distribution is a critical aspect in the management and conservation of a species... more Habitat use and distribution is a critical aspect in the management and conservation of a species, particularly for those in decline. Habitat suitability indices (HSI) are a common method of habitat mapping dependent on empirical data that can easily lead to misunderstanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of marine species experiencing population decline and density-dependent catchability within surveys. This is especially true when only a single monitoring program with limited spatiotemporal coverage is used. A delta-generalized linear mixed model was used to combine trawl and longline surveys to predict density estimates for cusk (Brosme brosme) in unsampled locations for use in HSIs. Catchability was estimated for longline and trawl gear without having an estimate of area fished for the longline survey. HSIs performed better using model-based density estimates from multiple surveys compared with sample-based abundance indices from a single survey. The increased spatial resolution ca...
Marine Policy, 2018
Recent paradigm shifts in fisheries science have emphasized the need for cooperative research to ... more Recent paradigm shifts in fisheries science have emphasized the need for cooperative research to address sustainability challenges by bridging epistemological differences between scientists and resource users and promoting power sharing in the production of knowledge for a more holistic understanding of the marine environment. To address the question of power-sharing, this paper explores motivations, perceptions, and personal experiences of Maine lobstermen involved with various types of cooperative fisheries research (CFR). The main finding is that distrust between stakeholders is a persistent challenge, as shown in other research. However, a lack of trust may also sometimes serve as a motivator for participation, particularly where fishermen anticipate the threat of increased regulations. In cases where policies are top-down (e.g. Federal regulations like Endangered Species Act), fishermen are aware of a certain powerlessness despite the degree to which cooperative research involves their input. This reinforces their skepticism that often stifles the ability of researchers to build meaningful relationships, especially in projects with short life spans. Fishermen value personal relationships with researchers based on mutual respect that have been built over time, regardless of the type of research. The findings suggest that a better understanding of these personal relationships and power dynamics could guide researchers in the process of building trust and facilitating transparent communication between groups to overcome persistent barriers in CFR, address sustainability challenges in the fishing industry, and promote more power-sharing between scientists, managers, and industry members.
Modeling habitat suitability index for Chilean jack mackerel (Trachurus murphyi) in the South East Pacific
Fisheries Research, 2016
Abstract Habitat models, such as the habitat suitable index (HSI), have been extensively used to ... more Abstract Habitat models, such as the habitat suitable index (HSI), have been extensively used to estimate the spatial distribution of fish species based on the quality of habitat. Fishery dependent data from commercial fishing vessels are an important or potentially the only source of scientific information available in these fisheries, especially for the highly migratory stocks in the high seas. In this study we use catch and effort data from the Chinese trawl fishery combined with remote sensing data including sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH) and sea surface chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a) to define suitable index (SI) for jack mackerel ( Trachurus murphyi ) in the South East Pacific Ocean. Observed SI values were calculated based on the frequency distribution of fishing effort for each environmental variable, and parameters of the SI models were estimated using nonlinear regression. SI models for SST, SSH, and Chl-a were combined into two empirical HSI models, the arithmetic mean model (AMM) and the geometric mean model (GMM). Results indicate that the AMM performs better than the GMM model to quantify the scale of best available habitat for jack mackerel. Catch distribution fit well with the predicted high-quality habitat in 2013: 85.5%, 100.0% and 97.0% of total catch in fall, winter and spring respectively, were caught in areas predicted with better habitat. The seasonal variation of suitable habitat in latitude is consistent with that of the gravity centers of fishing effort and the 15 °C isotherm. There is strong agreement between annual total catch by the international trawl fishery and mean suitable habitat area during the period 2001–2010, but an opposite tendency from 2011 to 2013. This may be related to the lowest biomass of jack mackerel and catch quota introduced by the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization since 2010.
Spatial Variability in Key Life History Parameters for Groundfish Species in the Gulf of Maine
The Eastern Gulf of Maine has not supported a viable groundfish fishery since the 1990s. Penobsco... more The Eastern Gulf of Maine has not supported a viable groundfish fishery since the 1990s. Penobscot East Resource Center and the University of Maine have developed the Eastern Gulf of Maine Sentinel Survey/Fishery to collect fishery independent information necessary for fisheries stock assessment and management in an area that is not covered by state and federal monitoring programs. The demersal longline survey/fishery is now in the second phase of implementation with sampling stations being chosen following stratified random design or by fishermen’s choice. To increase spatial coverage of inshore waters a jigging component to the survey was added in 2012. Using data collected from the Sentinel Survey/Fishery in conjunction with groundfish bycatch data from the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) lobster sea sampling program, the DMR inshore bottom trawl survey, and National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) offshore bottom trawl survey we will evaluate spatial variability in k...
Assessing Barotrauma Treatments of Cusk (Brosme brosme) Bycaught in the Maine Lobster Fishery
Non-targeted species account for an estimated one-quarter of the world’s fisheries catch, leading... more Non-targeted species account for an estimated one-quarter of the world’s fisheries catch, leading to wasted valuable resources, a potential threat to rare or endangered species, and unaccounted fishing pressure on exploited stocks. The Maine lobster fishery is responsible for an unknown quantity of cusk (Brosme brosme) bycatch which is a Species of Concern and candidate for the Endangered Species Act. Cusk experience barotrauma, physical trauma induced by gas expansion from decompression, during surfacing events such as hauling up a lobster trap. Maine state law mandates lobster harvesters to discard non-targeted species caught in their traps. Upon discarding, cusk are positively buoyant and are incapable of quickly changing their buoyancy which prevents them from returning to depth to avoid predation from birds and seals. Past research has demonstrated that assisted recompression or venting of barotraumatized fish increases their chance of survival. In this research, collaborative ...
Fisheries, 2018
At a time when society appears mistrustful of science, it is critical to understand how scientifi... more At a time when society appears mistrustful of science, it is critical to understand how scientific credibility is evaluated. Scientists often view the peer review process as establishing the credibility of their science, operating under the assumption that sound design and rigorous analysis stand alone. However, scientific knowledge is sometimes rejected by the very stakeholder groups that it is intended to serve. To understand how fisheries stakeholders assess scientific credibility, marine resource stakeholders from Maine were asked to discuss perceptions of credible science. Text analysis of six small group conversations revealed that Accepted Article This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. stakeholders evaluate credibility based on communication style, relationships, and relatability. These attributes are self-reinforcing and are influenced by transparency. We present examples of how efforts to promote transparency and trust can be incorporated into scientists' stakeholder engagement strategies and propose that researchers consider these commitments within their respective fields before they design and implement scientific projects, so they may be assigned greater credibility outside of the scientific community.
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Papers by Jocelyn Runnebaum