Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador-Sede Manabí, Manabí, Ecuador.
MigraMar, Bodega Bay, California, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2024 Apr 3;19(4):e0282374. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282374. eCollection 2024.
The waters around the Galápagos Marine Reserve (GMR) are important fishing grounds for authorized artisanal vessels fishing within the reserve as well as for national and foreign industrial fleets operating in the wider Ecuadorian Insular Exclusive Economic Zone (IEEZ). Although it was not originally designed for fisheries management, Automatic Identification System (AIS) data provides useful, open access, near real-time and high-resolution information that allows for increased monitoring, particularly around Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. This study uses AIS data provided by Global Fishing Watch to assess the spatial distribution and seasonal dynamics of fishing effort by vessel flag within the GMR and the IEEZ from 2012 to 2021. Based on kernel density estimation analysis, we determinate the core-use areas (50%) and spatial extent (95%) of fishing activities by fleets (Ecuadorian and foreign), gear types and seasons (warm, from December to May; and cold, from June to November). Our results show that the Ecuadorian fleet recorded the most observed fishing hours in the study area, with 32,829 hours in the IEEZ and 20,816 hours within the GMR. The foreign flags with the most observed fishing hours in the IEEZ were Panama (3,245 hours) and Nicaragua (2,468.5 hours), while in the GMR were the 'Unknown flag' (4,991.4 hours) and Panama (133.7 hours). Vessels fished employing different fishing gears, but the waters of the GMR and IEEZ were mostly targeted by tuna purse-seiners and drifting longlines. The spatial distribution of the fishing effort exhibits marked seasonal variability, likely influenced by seasonal migrations of target species such as tunas (e.g., Thunnus albacares, T. obesus and Katsuwonus pelamis), marlins (e.g., Makaira nigricans) and sharks (e.g., Alopias pelagicus). The collection and use of this type of spatial and seasonal information is an essential step to understand the dynamics of fishing activities in national waters and improve fisheries management, particularly in less studied areas and fisheries.
加拉巴戈斯海洋保护区（GMR）周围的水域是保护区内授权的手工船只捕鱼的重要渔场，也是在更广泛的厄瓜多尔岛屿专属经济区（IEEZ）作业的国家和外国工业船队的重要渔场。虽然自动识别系统（AIS）数据最初并不是为渔业管理设计的，但它提供了有用的、开放获取的、近实时的和高分辨率的信息，允许增加监测，特别是在海洋保护区（MPAs）周围和国家管辖范围以外的区域。本研究使用全球渔业观察组织提供的 AIS 数据，评估了 2012 年至 2021 年间船只旗帜在 GMR 和 IEEZ 内的渔业努力的空间分布和季节性动态。基于核密度估计分析，我们确定了船队（厄瓜多尔和外国）、渔具类型和季节（温暖，从 12 月到 5 月；和寒冷，从 6 月到 11 月）的核心使用区域（50%）和空间范围（95%）。我们的研究结果表明，厄瓜多尔船队在研究区域内记录了最多的观测捕鱼时间，在 IEEZ 内有 32829 小时，在 GMR 内有 20816 小时。在 IEEZ 内观测捕鱼时间最多的外国旗帜是巴拿马（3245 小时）和尼加拉瓜（2468.5 小时），而在 GMR 内则是“未知旗帜”（4991.4 小时）和巴拿马（133.7 小时）。船只使用不同的渔具捕鱼，但 GMR 和 IEEZ 的水域主要以金枪鱼围网渔船和漂流延绳钓渔船为主。渔业努力的空间分布显示出明显的季节性变化，这可能受到金枪鱼（如黄鳍金枪鱼、大眼金枪鱼和鲣鱼）、马林鱼（如黑枪鱼）和鲨鱼（如灰鲭鲨）等目标物种季节性洄游的影响。收集和利用这种空间和季节性信息是了解国家水域渔业活动动态和改善渔业管理的重要步骤，特别是在研究较少的地区和渔业中。
