Toxic materials, fishing, and environmental variation: Simulated effects on striped bass population trends

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
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Abstract

Decreased survival of larval striped bass Morone saxatilis resulting from toxic chemicals in the environment and decreased survival of adults caused by fishing both are suspected as agents contributing to the decline in the Chesapeake Bay stock since the mid‐1970s. The relative power of each type of mortality to cause population declines was evaluated with simulation techniques. Equivalent levels of added mortality induced qualitatively identical and quantitatively similar trends in population simulations for all conditions examined except if strong density‐dependent mortality preceded the contaminant toxicity. In this case the contaminant effect caused a greater reduction in yield, but the population did not tend toward extinction. The results indicate that the observed downward trend in the Chesapeake Bay population can be halted or reversed by a reduction in fishing mortality, even if contaminant toxicity is the proximate cause for the decline.

Suggested Citation

Goodyear, C., 1985, Toxic materials, fishing, and environmental variation: Simulated effects on striped bass population trends: Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, v. 114, no. 1, p. 107-113, https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8659(1985)114<107:TMFAEV>2.0.CO;2.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Toxic materials, fishing, and environmental variation: Simulated effects on striped bass population trends
Series title Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
DOI 10.1577/1548-8659(1985)114<107:TMFAEV>2.0.CO;2
Volume 114
Issue 1
Year Published 1985
Language English
Publisher American Fisheries Society
Contributing office(s) Leetown Science Center
Description 7 p.
First page 107
Last page 113
Country United States
State Maryland
Other Geospatial Chesapeake Bay
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