SEMINAR: MBF 602 Mark Fitchett Friday 4-1-11, 2pm S/A 103

["Mark D. Fitchett" <mfitchett@rsmas.miami.edu>]

Satellite logbook system to remotely capture real-time data to define billfish population densities and fishing effort distribution: the Guatemala billfish sport fishery as a case study.

Billfishes, particularly the Indo-Pacific sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus), remain in high densities off the Pacific coast of Central America due to environmental and ecosystem dynamic characteristics in the region. These conditions have a dual beneficial effect on billfish by inhibiting suitable volumetric habitat and increasing forage species densities that lead to high billfish catch rates. A state-of-the-art satellite logbook system has been utilized in the region to monitor the behavior of sport fishing vessels and densities of billfish species with respect to ecosystem dynamics in the region on a real-time and spatially explicit basis. This system allows the ability to hindcast and extrapolate billfish densities on a high precision spatial-temporal scale to better estimate local densities that may be susceptible to exploitation by both catch-and-release sport fisheries and commercial fisheries. Preliminary analyses exhibit that billfish density “hot spots” correspond with strong convergence zones that fall within vessel fishing ranges. Additionally, satellite logbook data shows a significant effect of water color and primary productivity on billfish aggregations. In addition to ecosystem dynamics, satellite logbook data yields important information on the proximity of fishing vessels to one another and allows the ability to elucidate effects of crowding, density, and patchiness of fishing vessels relative to their catch rates. The long-term research on the billfish ecosystem off Guatemala offers the opportunity to define an effective habitat range and develops the unique ability to explore open ocean marine protected areas to promote sustainability of pelagic resources.

Mark D. Fitchett
B.S. Zoology
B.S. Marine Resources
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (2004)
Entered MBF: Fall 2004
M.S. Marine Biology and Fisheries
University of Miami, RSMAS, Miami, FL (2007)

Advised by: Dr. Nelson M. Ehrhardt

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Mark D. Fitchett
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
Marine Biology and Fisheries
4600 Rickenbacker Causeway
Miami, FL 33149
Office: 305-421-4881
Mobile: 305-989-8308
Guatemala: +011 502-4753-6814