Modern Fisheries Engineering

Realizing a Healthy and Sustainable Marine Ecosystem

Stephen A. Bortone, Shinya Otake, Stephen A. Bortone, Shinya Otake

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9780367347925
• eBook ISBN: 9781000201321
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Biology
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Modern Fisheries Engineering: Realizing a Healthy and Sustainable Marine Ecosystem is a compendium of the latest and most cutting-edge information on the diversity of technical aspects associated with Fisheries Engineering. Expanding on presentations given at the International Conference on Fisheries Engineering (ICFE) held in Nagasaki in 2019, it aims to encourage and inspire future generations of young researchers in the field. Topics include artificial reefs, ocean ranching, fishing gear developments, modern monitoring technologies, and other subjects related to the latest practices for conducting efficient, sustainable fishing.

This volume brings together world authorities to address a critically important topic, with a fresh and modern approach that includes the latest development in environmental and fisheries science.

1  Introduction

Stephen A. Bortone and Shinya Otake

Fisheries Engineering is a field of study and investigation that likely had its origins when the earliest humans pursued fish as a resource. In its modern form, the discipline can cover the broadest range of topics, including: fish passageways, habitat protection and restoration, fishing gear development, bycatch reduction, hatchery management, artificial reefs, and aquaculture, among others. By way of example, the introduction to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sea Grant program for Fisheries Engineering and Aquaculture has as its goals to investigate: fisheries, aquaculture, aquatic natural resources, food supply, employment, economic and cultural benefits from the aquatic environment, and investigations to support fishing communities, industries as well as commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries (MIT 2020). Similarly, the purpose of the Fisheries Engineering program in the Fisheries Sciences Department at the Hokkaido University has several goals. Among these are: maintain sustainable fisheries, rationally manage the marine environment and its fisheries resources, develop fishing vessels and fisheries research equipment, as well as analyze fisheries information and the behavior of living marine resources (Hokkaido University 2020).

One could easily argue that the ultimate goal of Fisheries Engineering is to sustain fisheries and its associated human socio-economic communities through the application and development of information and technology.

It is important to note that Fisheries Engineering has been interpreted as being responsible for the engineering sector of the fishery industry. In the past, fisheries (the fish and the associated human fishing community) were at the center of the fishing industry. Processing technology was needed to process the fish that had been caught. Engineering knowledge was required to streamline fishing and processing, and it was inevitable that Fisheries Engineering would be born there. Let us refer to these as the features of “old-school” Fisheries Engineering. Here let us consider what “new-school” Fisheries Engineering is. It starts with the self-awareness that the fishing industry is responsible for catching autonomous biological resources from the irreplaceable environment of the sea. Therefore, all aspects of the natural, social, and economic sciences are required to support the fishing industry. Fisheries Engineering is a conglomerate of these sciences, with artificial reefs as an associated environmental conservation technology.

Historically, Japan is one of the world’s largest fisheries nations. Japan is dependent on the sea for its livelihood and way of life. In September 2019, an International Conference on Fisheries Engineering (ICFE2019) was held in Japan. The conference attracted more than 100 researchers from more than ten countries from around the world. The purpose of this international conference was to give an overview of the multi-faceted nature of Fisheries Engineering and to introduce new technologies for coastal environmental engineering. There was a special emphasis in the conference on addressing the future of fisheries and marine wind-power generation issues that are attracting attention around the world. Importantly, the conference also emphasized how artificial reefs are being incorporated into Fisheries Engineering.

This volume is important from several aspects, as it presents the achievements and advances of modern Fisheries Engineering by offering research results and perspectives on a broad range of topics. Because the conference at which these chapters were initially presented was held in Japan, the majority of chapters herein address issues in Japan. It should be noted that Fisheries Engineering is also included as part of fisheries science in various engineering departments of fisheries in Japan. Nevertheless, the general perspectives offered here have worldwide application.

A major focus of the ICFE2019 and the chapters here was the worldwide design and use of artificial reefs. Regarding artificial reefs, the Organizing and Steering Committees decided to include trends in artificial reefs around the world—including South America, Europe (chiefly France), Southeast Asia (mainly Malaysia), China, and Korea. In Japan, artificial reefs have been deployed since the Edo period (420 years ago), but many reefs are still being deployed today.

It is also important to realize that Fisheries Engineering in Japan differs somewhat from its comparable practice in the West, as in Japan, Fisheries Engineering includes environmental improvement engineering represented by artificial reef deployment and development, whereas in the West, artificial reefs are considered a facet of fisheries management. Based on the Japanese perspective, environmental improvement engineering (i.e., artificial reefs) is included here. Below is a brief introduction to the chapters in the volume.

Chapter 2 (Fisheries Engineering: Robust Fisheries for Today and Tomorrow by Nobuo Kimura) offers an introduction and review of the field of Fisheries Engineering from the perspective of the current research topics. This article introduces the keynote address of Dr Nobuo Kimura, who gave the purpose of the conference, and introduced the global trends of artificial reef initiatives. Moreover, this review of the literature, chiefly from the publication Fisheries Engineering, examines the development and application of fishery technology. This review also includes an examination of the potential impact of Fisheries Engineering on the future development of fishing vessels based on new regulations in Japan.

Chapter 3 (Trends and Obstacles in Artificial Reef Research by Juliano Silva Lima and Ilana Rosental Zalmon) examines the innovation that has occurred with the more widespread use of innovative materials and evaluation methods in artificial reef research. Notably, there are, however, persistent difficulties in conducting artificial reef research. These difficulties include the negative effects of some construction materials and continuing gaps in socio-economic data, as well as inequities in regional deployments of artificial reefs.

Chapter 4 (Artificial Reefs in France: Current State-of-the-Art and Recent Innovative Projects by Sylvain Pioch, David de Monbrison, and François Simard) offers an examination of past, present, and potential future use of artificial reefs in France to improve biodiversity and facilitate fisheries management. These structures, from the French perspective, have promise in helping to sustain fisheries and improve habitats through a balance of resource usage and thoughtful management.

Chapter 5 (Development and Utilization of Artificial Reefs in Korea by Lee Moon Ock, Oh Tae Geon, Baek Sang Hok, and Kim Jong Kyu) examines advances in artificial reef technology implementation through several innovative implementations to help sustain fisheries. These include seeding fish on artificial reefs and aligning artificial reefs with fish ranching activities. Evidence indicates these efforts have been successful thus far, with more success forthcoming through improved cooperation between local governments and fishing communities to improve environmental conditions.

Chapter 6 (The Status of Artisanal Fish Aggregating Devices in Southeast Asia by Jarina Mohd Jani) focuses on the attraction features of artificial reefs through the development of new materials and designs recently implemented by artisanal fishers. While there are significant problems with some designs and materials, these are being overcome through an integrated management approach and attention to regional/cultural features of Southeast Asia.

Chapter 7 (Design and Creation of Fishing Grounds in Japan with Artificial Reefs by Shinya Otake) introduces design guidelines for implementation of artificial reefs in Japan. These guidelines, based on previous efforts, facilitate the application of artificial reefs to improve and create fishing grounds. Future applications of artificial reefs made toward the improvement of fishing will benefit from input from fishermen and serve to guide future efforts in fisheries enhancement.

Chapter 8 (Using Standardized CPUE to Estimate the Effect of Artificial Reefs on Fish Abundance by Nariaki Inoue, Satoshi Ishimaru, Kengo Hashimato, Junji Kuwamoto, Takahito Masubuchi, and Minoru Kanaiwa) significantly elevates our ability to more accurately portray changes in fisheries when they have been enhanced by artificial reefs as a fishing habitat. This improvement in analysis has broad applications toward evaluating the impact of artificial reefs in habitats around the world.

Chapter 9 (Using Artificial Substrata to Recover from the Isoyake Condition of Seaweed Beds off Japan by Osamu Hashimoto, Motobumi Manabe, Akira Watanuki, Masaru Kawagoshi, Takeshi Hosozawa, Fumihisa Okashige, Yasuyuki Gonda, Syouichi Ito, Takeshi Tajima, Yousuke Fukui, Tomomi Terajima, Hirokazu Nishimura, Tetsuya Shirokoshi, and Toru Aota) examines efforts to overcome the impacts of isoyake (barren substrate) events off Japan. The devastating effect of these events has impeded the sustainability of many local coastal fisheries. The efforts outlined here include defenses against herbivores and improvements to the environment that include planting, fertilization, and deploying alternative substrates. Success depends on a balance between both structural and non-structural countermeasures.

Chapter 10 (Why do Japanese Fishermen Not Wear Life Jackets? Answers Based on Interviews with Fishermen by Hideyuki Takahashi, Kenji Yasuda, and Kimiyasu Saeki) takes up an examination of safety issues experienced by fishermen. Here, different safety vests were worn under normal working conditions. The conclusions that safety vest design must accommodate actual working situations will go far in giving direction to future efforts to refine this essential lifesaving equipment.

Chapter 11 (Habitat-Creation in the Sustainable Development of Marine Renewable Energy by Hideaki Nakata) considers the habitat creation that occurs when structures are deployed to develop renewable energy. The ever-increasing deployments of artificial habitats through the desirable creation of renewable energy sources has far-reaching implications for the future of fisheries habitat improvement. The application of artificial reef technology toward an alternative purpose can have a dual role in the betterment of our fisheries.

Chapter 12 (Offshore Wind Energy and the Fishing Industry in the Northeastern USA by Michael V. Pol and Kathryn H. Ford) continues with the efforts to create habitats from energy-based constructions, but through an examination of the political/regulatory aspects that confront habitat deployments. Here the case is made for the inclusion of a broad range of interested user-groups in the decision, development, deployment, and evaluation aspects of the effects of adding structures to the marine environment. While not strictly an artificial reef, the thought (and legal) processes of artificial reef deployments are similar to any actions that affect habitats (either purposeful or incidental).

Chapter 13 (Hydrogen Fuel Cell and Battery Hybrid Powered Fishing Vessels: Utilization of Marine Renewable Energy for Fisheries by Jun Miyoshi) expands the breadth of Fisheries Engineering by taking a modern, energy-saving examination of the conversion of a typical diesel-powered fishing vessel and offers a plan to convert its power source to a more energy-efficient, fuel cell design. This chapter demonstrates the future of much of our future efforts in Fisheries Engineering.

Chapter 14 (Summary: The Future of Fisheries Engineering by Stephen A. Bortone and Shinya Otake) presents an overview of practical and likely future avenues for investigations in Fisheries Engineering. The overview includes an expansion of the presentations offered here with a further discussion of near future needs and demands of the discipline. Areas for future research are also offered to, hopefully, serve as a guidepost for future generations of fisheries engineers.

Future compilations of Fisheries Engineering research will have been well served by the perspectives offered here. We sincerely hope that the summaries, guidance, and future directions posited will serve as serve as a firm platform for generations of fisheries engineers.

References

1. Hokkaido University. 2020. Hokkaido University Fisheries Sciences. http://www2.fish.hokudai.ac.jp/language-english/graduate-school/fisheries-engineering/.
2. MIT. 2020. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sea Grant College Program. https://seagrant.mit.edu/sustainable-fisheries-aquaculture/.

2 Fisheries Engineering

Robust Fisheries for Today and Tomorrow

Nobuo Kimura

Contents

Abstract

Introduction

Current Status Surrounding Fishery and Resources

Sustainable Use of Fisheries Resources

Developments and Application of Technologies

Artificial Reefs

Underwater Surveys

Artificial Intelligence in Fisheries and Aquaculture

Application of Computational Fluid Dynamics Technology

Revised Fishery Laws in Japan

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

References

Abstract

The many studies and research conducted in the field of Fisheries Engineering have significantly contributed to the modernization and development of fisheries and aquaculture. This review is based chiefly on the studies published in Fisheries Engineering by the Japanese Society of Fisheries Engineering. The development and application of fishery technology examined here includes four major fields of study: artificial reefs, underwater surveys, utilization of artificial intelligence, and the application of computationa...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Editor Bio
• Contributors
• Chapter 1 Introduction
• Chapter 2 Fisheries Engineering: Robust Fisheries for Today and Tomorrow
• Chapter 3 Trends and Obstacles in Artificial Reef Research
• Chapter 4 Artificial Reefs in France: Current State-of-the-Art and Recent Innovative Projects
• Chapter 5 Development and Utilization of Artificial Reefs in Korea
• Chapter 6 The Status of Artisanal Fish Aggregating Devices in Southeast Asia
• Chapter 7 Design and Creation of Fishing Grounds in Japan with Artificial Reefs
• Chapter 8 Using Standardized CPUE to Estimate the Effect of Artificial Reefs on Fish Abundance
• Chapter 9 Using Artificial Substrata to Recover from the Isoyake Condition of Seaweed Beds off Japan
• Chapter 10 Why Do Japanese Fishermen Not Wear Life Jackets? Answers Based on Interviews with Fishermen
• Chapter 11 Habitat-Creation in the Sustainable Development of Marine Renewable Energy
• Chapter 12 Offshore Wind Energy and the Fishing Industry in the Northeastern USA
• Chapter 13 Hydrogen Fuel Cell and Battery Hybrid-Powered Fishing Vessels: Utilization of Marine Renewable Energy for Fisheries
• Chapter 14 Summary: The Future of Fisheries Engineering
• Index