Was overfishing of predatory fish responsible for a lobster-induced regime shift in the Benguela?
| dc.contributor.author | Blamey, Laura K | |
| dc.contributor.author | Plagányi, Éva E | |
| dc.contributor.author | Branch, George M | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2016-02-26T08:04:33Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2016-02-26T08:04:33Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2014 | |
| dc.date.updated | 2016-02-25T09:03:42Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | The top-down effects of predators have been demonstrated for terrestrial, freshwater and marine systems and their removal can cause a shift in ecosystem state. In many cases, the depletion of top-predators occurred long before humans began monitoring these systems, but models can elucidate likely ecosystem changes. In this paper we use a multispecies model to demonstrate that the abundance of predators can induce different ecosystem states, emphasising the importance of sustainable harvesting. Our model is founded on empirical data documenting a regime-shift that took place in the kelp-forest ecosystem along the south-west coast of South Africa following an ‘invasion’ by the West Coast rock lobster Jasus lalandii in the early 1990s. Formerly dominated by herbivores and encrusting corallines, the ecosystem became dominated by lobsters and macroalgae. A combination of illegal fishing of abalone Haliotis midae and the lobster-induced extermination of the urchin Parechinus angulosus (which shelters juvenile abalone) depleted abalone stocks severely. In this currently over-fished ecosystem where predators of lobsters are scarce, the regime-shift appears irreversible. Using an intermediate complexity model of lobster, urchin and abalone relationships, we simulated the effects of predatory fish at various population levels on the course of development of the currently lobster-dominated system. Our results indicate that current levels of fish biomass (<10% of the pristine population) would have been too small to significantly affect the lobster population. However, at pristine levels of fish abundance (or even 50% less), the invasion of lobsters would have been controlled by linefish, and urchin and abalone populations would not have collapsed. The effect of the lobster invasion had a greater influence on abalone abundance than illegal fishing, but together they severely depleted the abalone. Ecosystem effects of historical exploitation of top predators are of central concern, and our ecosystem model indicates that depletion of linefish had severe consequences for lobsters, urchins and abalone, illustrating how overfishing of top predators may precipitate regime shifts, with profound socio-economic consequences. | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2013.11.004 | |
| dc.identifier.apacitation | Blamey, L. K., Plagányi, É. E., & Branch, G. M. (2014). Was overfishing of predatory fish responsible for a lobster-induced regime shift in the Benguela?. <i>Ecological Modelling</i>, http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17291 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.chicagocitation | Blamey, Laura K, Éva E Plagányi, and George M Branch "Was overfishing of predatory fish responsible for a lobster-induced regime shift in the Benguela?." <i>Ecological Modelling</i> (2014) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17291 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.citation | Blamey, L. K., Plagányi, É. E., & Branch, G. M. (2014). Was overfishing of predatory fish responsible for a lobster-induced regime shift in the Benguela?. Ecological Modelling, 273, 140-150. | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.issn | 0304-3800 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.ris | TY - Journal Article AU - Blamey, Laura K AU - Plagányi, Éva E AU - Branch, George M AB - The top-down effects of predators have been demonstrated for terrestrial, freshwater and marine systems and their removal can cause a shift in ecosystem state. In many cases, the depletion of top-predators occurred long before humans began monitoring these systems, but models can elucidate likely ecosystem changes. In this paper we use a multispecies model to demonstrate that the abundance of predators can induce different ecosystem states, emphasising the importance of sustainable harvesting. Our model is founded on empirical data documenting a regime-shift that took place in the kelp-forest ecosystem along the south-west coast of South Africa following an ‘invasion’ by the West Coast rock lobster Jasus lalandii in the early 1990s. Formerly dominated by herbivores and encrusting corallines, the ecosystem became dominated by lobsters and macroalgae. A combination of illegal fishing of abalone Haliotis midae and the lobster-induced extermination of the urchin Parechinus angulosus (which shelters juvenile abalone) depleted abalone stocks severely. In this currently over-fished ecosystem where predators of lobsters are scarce, the regime-shift appears irreversible. Using an intermediate complexity model of lobster, urchin and abalone relationships, we simulated the effects of predatory fish at various population levels on the course of development of the currently lobster-dominated system. Our results indicate that current levels of fish biomass (<10% of the pristine population) would have been too small to significantly affect the lobster population. However, at pristine levels of fish abundance (or even 50% less), the invasion of lobsters would have been controlled by linefish, and urchin and abalone populations would not have collapsed. The effect of the lobster invasion had a greater influence on abalone abundance than illegal fishing, but together they severely depleted the abalone. Ecosystem effects of historical exploitation of top predators are of central concern, and our ecosystem model indicates that depletion of linefish had severe consequences for lobsters, urchins and abalone, illustrating how overfishing of top predators may precipitate regime shifts, with profound socio-economic consequences. DA - 2014 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town J1 - Ecological Modelling LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2014 SM - 0304-3800 T1 - Was overfishing of predatory fish responsible for a lobster-induced regime shift in the Benguela? TI - Was overfishing of predatory fish responsible for a lobster-induced regime shift in the Benguela? UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17291 ER - | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17291 | |
| dc.identifier.vancouvercitation | Blamey LK, Plagányi ÉE, Branch GM. Was overfishing of predatory fish responsible for a lobster-induced regime shift in the Benguela?. Ecological Modelling. 2014; http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17291. | en_ZA |
| dc.language | eng | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Elsevier | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher.department | Marine Resource Assessment and Management Group | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher.faculty | Faculty of Science | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher.institution | University of Cape Town | |
| dc.source | Ecological Modelling | en_ZA |
| dc.source.uri | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03043800 | |
| dc.subject.other | abalone | |
| dc.subject.other | ecosystem model | |
| dc.subject.other | predator | |
| dc.subject.other | regime shift | |
| dc.subject.other | rock lobster | |
| dc.subject.other | urchin | |
| dc.title | Was overfishing of predatory fish responsible for a lobster-induced regime shift in the Benguela? | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Journal Article | en_ZA |
| uct.subject.keywords | abalone | en_ZA |
| uct.subject.keywords | ecosystem model | en_ZA |
| uct.subject.keywords | predator | en_ZA |
| uct.subject.keywords | regime shift | en_ZA |
| uct.subject.keywords | rock lobster | en_ZA |
| uct.subject.keywords | urchin | en_ZA |
| uct.type.filetype | Text | |
| uct.type.filetype | Image | |
| uct.type.publication | Research | en_ZA |
| uct.type.resource | Article | en_ZA |