On the Dynamics of Exploited Fish Populations, 1993
Fish & Fisheries Series, Vol. 11

Among the fishes, a remarkably wide range of biological adaptations to diverse habitats has evolved. As well as living in the conventional habitats of lakes, ponds, rivers, rock pools and the open sea, fish have solved the problems of life in deserts, in the deep sea, in the cold antarctic, and in warm waters of high alkalinity or of low oxygen. Along with these adaptations, we find the most impressive specializations of morphology, physiology and behaviour. For example we can marvel at the high-speed swimming of the marlins, sailfish and warm-blooded tunas, air-breathing in catfish and lungfish, parental care in the mouth-brooding cichlids, and viviparity in many sharks and toothcarps. Moreover, fish are of considerable importance to the survival of the human species in the form of nutritious, delicious and diverse food. Rational exploitation and management of our global stocks of fishes must rely upon a detailed and precise insight of their biology. The Chapman & Hall Fish and Fisheries Series aims to present timely volumes reviewing important aspects of fish biology. Most volumes will be of interest to research workers in biology, zoology, ecology and physiology but an additional aim is for the books to be accessible to a wide spectrum of non-specialist readers ranging from undergraduates and postgraduates to those with an interest in industrial and commercial aspects of fish and fisheries.

I Fundamentals of the Theory of Fishing, Illustrated by Analysis of a Trawl Fishery.- Section 1: Introduction—Theoretical Methods in the Study of Fishery Dynamics.- Section 2: The Basis of a Theoretical Model of an Exploited Fish Population and Definition of the Primary Factors.- Section 3: Mathematical Representation of the Four Primary Factors.- Section 4: A Simple Model Giving the Annual Yield in Weight from a Fishery in a Steady State.- Section 5 : Adaptation of the Simple Model to Give Other Characteristics of the Catch and Population.- II Some Extensions of the Simple Theory of Fishing.- Section 6: Recruitment and Egg-production.- Section 7: Natural Mortality.- Section 8: Fishing Mortality and Effort.- Section 9: Growth and Feeding.- Section 10: Spatial Variation in the Values of Parameters; Movement of Fish within the Exploited Area.- Section 11: Mixed Populations—the Analysis of Community Dynamics.- III Estimation of Parameters.- Section 12: Relative Fishing Power of Vessels and Standardisation of Commercial Statistics of Fishing Effort.- Section 13: Estimation of the Total Mortality Coefficient (F + M), and the Maximum Age, t?.- Section 14: Separate Estimation of Fishing and Natural Mortality Coefficients.- Section 15: Recruitment and Egg-Production.- Section 16: Growth and Feeding.- IV The use of Theoretical Models in a Study of the Dynamics and Reaction to Exploitation of Fish Populations.- Section 17: Application of Population Models of Part I.- Section 18: Application of Population Models of Part II.- Section 19: Principles and Methods of Fishery Regulation.- Section 20: Requirements for Regulation of the North Sea Demersal Fisheries.- Resumé.- Appendices.- I Tables.- II List of symbols and their definitions.- III Derivation of indices of totalEuropean fishing effort on North Sea plaice and haddock during the pre-war period.- Bibliography and Author Index.- Appendix — Errata Compiled by the American Fisheries Society.