Artificial lights improve the catchability of snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) traps
| Autor: | Corey J. Morris, Paul D. Winger, Scott M. Grant, Khanh Q. Nguyen |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Field experiment Fishing Aquatic Science 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences lcsh:Aquaculture. Fisheries. Angling Catchability Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Crab behaviour lcsh:SH1-691 East coast Ecology biology LED light 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology Chionoecetes opilio Catch per unit effort biology.organism_classification Snow Fishery Light colour Oceanography Geography Snow crab Field conditions |
| Zdroj: | Aquaculture and Fisheries, Vol 2, Iss 3, Pp 124-133 (2017) |
| Popis: | This study investigated the behaviour and commercial catchability of snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) in response to different low-powered LED lights under laboratory and field conditions. We created a novel choice-experiment in a laboratory setting in which we investigated the behaviour of snow crab in response to coloured LED lights. The results showed that snow crab movement was dependent on light colour, with animals choosing to move toward blue and white lights, away from purple lights, and no detectable effect for green and red lights. We then conducted two field experiments to investigate the effect of the same LED lights on the catch rates of commercial traps during the 2016 snow crab fishery on the east coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. Results from the first field experiment showed that adding white and purple LED lights into baited traps significantly improved Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) by 77% and 47% respectively. Results from the second field experiment showed that unbaited traps equipped with only LED lights (no bait), could also catch snow crab in comparable amounts to traditional baited traps, with soak time and depth explaining some of the variation in CPUE. Taken together, these experiments suggest that fishing enterprises can improve their catching performance and profitability by adding LED lights to their traps, or by using LED lights as a bait replacement. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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