A. Okhotin - Boolean grammar for a simple programming language
Swordfish Fisheries by Phillip Okhotin - San Diego Miramar...
1
Swordfish Fisheries by Phillip Okhotin Abstract: As one of the largest fish in the world, the swordfish (Xiphias gladius) is an impressive titan that dwells in most of the world’s oceans and seas. Admired and revered by many cultures, swordfish have been an important source of food and income for people throughout millennia. Being a keystone species, swordfish are one of the top predators in the marine ecosystem that bring balance in the food chain. In the marine food chain, they serve as predators to smaller baitfish and cephalopods as well as prey to apex predators such as sharks and orcas. A sought after species, swordfish are commonly pursued and caught by both commercial and recreational fishing fleets worldwide. Commercial and recreational fishermen eagerly pursue swordfish because of the delicious, firm texture of the flesh and also of the fighting ability the swordfish gives. Over the years, the swordfish population globally has been under severe decline due to overfishing and the inability to properly control legal stocks being caught. Luckily many conservation organizations su.ch as IUCN and NOAA witnessed the decline of the swordfish population and were able to save this magnificent fish by issuing laws and regulations to prevent overfishing of swordfish. By doing this, the swordfish is in the process of recovery and is no longer threatened with extinction. Introduction: Nothing is more exciting to a fisherman when a big, powerful fish gets caught and is landed onto a vessel. The swordfish is one of such massive fish that are being targeted by fishermen and puts up a fight the angler will never forget in his or her lifetime. As one of the most high-on-demand species of fish, swordfish are one of the primary fish species that are being auctioned off and sold to many seafood markets globally. Having a delicious taste yet firm texture, swordfish appear on every menu in seafood restaurants and on peoples’ dinner plates. By better knowing how to limit the amount of swordfish needed to be caught and consumed, people can make a positive difference by not exploiting the swordfish populations globally so that future generations of responsible fishermen could enjoy catching these titanic fish. Habitat/Geographic Range: A migratory species, swordfish dwell in tropical, subtropical and temperate waters of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans; however they also live in the “Black Sea, Sea of Azov, Sea of Marmara, and the Mediterranean Sea.” (fishbase.org). “During the summer, they live in colder waters and during the winter in warmer waters.” (Robert Cheney, orma.com). Adapted to also dwell in cold waters, swordfish have a specialized organ in their head that heats the brain and allows for better blood circulation as the fish swims through the water column. “They are uniquely adapted to cold, deep waters by the presence of specialized tissue near the eyes that heats the brain through the tissue’s blood supply, which is a vascular system similar to that used to heat and cool the bodies of large pelagic fish species such as tuna.” (marinebio.org). Being a pelagic fish, swordfish can live in any environment in the ocean or sea, from the surface down to depths of several thousand feet as they swim long distances to spawn and feed on small fish and cephalopods. Biology/Characteristics: The swordfish (Xiphias gladius) is one of the largest and strongest fish found in the world’s seas and oceans. In the world, there are three subspecies that occur: “the Atlantic swordfish, Mediterranean swordfish, and the Pacific swordfish. Of these subspecies, the Pacific swordfish is the largest.” (Robert Cheney, orma.com). A formidable and impressive fish, swordfish commonly weigh anywhere from 50-1,000 lbs and cover 5-13 feet long. When reaching adulthood, the females are much bigger than males because of the need to carry tens of thousands of eggs for spawning. Although similar to marlin and sailfish, the swordfish is quite different. In comparison with marlin and sailfish the swordfish lacks pectoral fins, has a rounded appearance to its body and “a longer, more flattened bill.” (Gardieff, flmnh.ufl.edu/fish xiphias gladius). Being a keystone predator, swordfish are pelagic hunters that prey on small baitfish such as mackerel and sardines as well as cephalopods such as squid and octopus. While hunting their prey, the swordfish display a unique hunting behavior by slashing their prey with their sword-like bills before eating them. Fisheries: Although traditionally caught with nets and harpoons, swordfish have now been commonly caught with the use of longlines. This is effective because the fishing fleets can cover many miles of line and baited hooks, which helps out in catching needed numbers of swordfish as possible. However, a problem with longlining is that other marine wildlife could be accidentally caught. “Bycatch from this method is very high, and is particularly worrying because many threatened or endangered species, such as sharks, turtles and seabirds, can be accidentally caught.” (slowfood.com). On the contrary, fishing for swordfish with the use of harpoons doesn’t pose a big risk on threatened marine wildlife because the fishermen can visualize the swordfish before hurling the harpoon. Being an important economic livelihood for fishermen, swordfish play an important role in providing financial profit for the fishermen in order for them to provide for their families. Conservation: Over the past decades, swordfish populations particularly in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans have been in steady decline. What most affected the swordfish populations was that fishermen were catching more juvenile swordfish than mature adults, and thus weren’t aware of the importance in releasing the juveniles back into the ocean for them to grow and mature. “While the harpoon fishery targeted large mature fish, long-liners caught fish (and countless other creatures) indiscriminately, so the swordfish catch soared because swordfish of every size were being hauled in. There is no way to prevent smaller fish from taking the baited hooks; the only restrictions on the fishermen simply prevent them from selling the juveniles commercially.” (Richard Ellis, pg. 208). In finding a solution to better prevent the decline of swordfish, conservation organizations such as NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), have undertaken important steps in enforcing quotas and regulations to commercial and recreational fishermen as to how many swordfish could be legally caught. By enforcing those laws to the fishermen, swordfish have made a tremendous comeback from being overfished and going extinct. References: flmnh.ufl.edu/fish xiphias gladius http://www.orma.com/sea-life/swordfish-facts-swordfish-information/ http://www.fishbase.org/summary/226 http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=240 http://slowfood.com/slowfish/pagine/eng/pagina.lasso?-id_pg=110 Ellis, Richard. Swordfish: A Biography of the Ocean Gladiator. The University of Chicago Press, 2013. (http://awesomeocean.com/2016/09/14/7- swordfish-facts/) A swordfish (Xiphias gladius) breaching out of the water in full power and grace. http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/stories/ 2017/06_02062017_swordfish_efp_tagging.html A swordfish being caught on a long line.
Transcript of Swordfish Fisheries by Phillip Okhotin - San Diego Miramar...
Swordfish Fisheries
by Phillip Okhotin Abstract:
As one of the largest fish in the world, the swordfish (Xiphias gladius) is an impressive titan that dwells in most of the world’s oceans and seas. Admired and revered by many cultures, swordfish have been an important source of food and income for people throughout millennia. Being a keystone species, swordfish are one of the top predators in the marine ecosystem that bring balance in the food chain. In the marine food chain, they serve as predators to smaller baitfish and cephalopods as well as prey to apex predators such as sharks and orcas. A sought after species, swordfish are commonly pursued and caught by both commercial and recreational fishing fleets worldwide. Commercial and recreational fishermen eagerly pursue swordfish because of the delicious, firm texture of the flesh and also of the fighting ability the swordfish gives. Over the years, the swordfish population globally has been under severe decline due to overfishing and the inability to properly control legal stocks being caught. Luckily many conservation organizations su.ch as IUCN and NOAA witnessed the decline of the swordfish population and were able to save this magnificent fish by issuing laws and regulations to prevent overfishing of swordfish. By doing this, the swordfish is in
the process of recovery and is no longer threatened with extinction.
Introduction: Nothing is more exciting to a fisherman when a big, powerful fish gets caught and is landed onto a vessel. The swordfish is one of such massive fish that are being targeted by fishermen and puts up a fight the angler will never forget in his or her lifetime. As one of the most high-on-demand species of fish, swordfish are one of the primary fish species that are being auctioned off and sold to many seafood markets globally. Having a delicious taste yet firm texture, swordfish appear on every menu in seafood restaurants and on peoples’ dinner plates. By better knowing how to limit the amount of swordfish needed to be caught and consumed, people can make a positive difference by not exploiting the swordfish populations globally so that future generations of responsible fishermen could enjoy catching these titanic fish.
Habitat/Geographic Range: A migratory species, swordfish dwell in tropical, subtropical and temperate waters of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans; however they also live in the “Black Sea, Sea of Azov, Sea of Marmara, and the Mediterranean Sea.” (fishbase.org). “During the summer, they live in colder waters and during the winter in warmer waters.” (Robert Cheney, orma.com). Adapted to also dwell in cold waters, swordfish have a specialized organ in their head that heats the brain and allows for better blood circulation as the fish swims through the water column. “They are uniquely adapted to cold, deep waters by the presence of specialized tissue near the eyes that heats the brain through the tissue’s blood supply, which is a vascular system similar to that used to heat and cool the bodies of large pelagic fish species such as tuna.” (marinebio.org). Being a pelagic fish, swordfish can live in any environment in the ocean or sea, from the surface down to depths of several thousand feet as they swim long distances to spawn and feed on small
fish and cephalopods.
Biology/Characteristics: The swordfish (Xiphias gladius) is one of the largest and strongest fish found in the world’s seas and oceans. In the world, there are three subspecies that occur: “the Atlantic swordfish, Mediterranean swordfish, and the Pacific swordfish. Of these subspecies, the Pacific swordfish is the largest.” (Robert Cheney, orma.com). A formidable and impressive fish, swordfish commonly weigh anywhere from 50-1,000 lbs and cover 5-13 feet long. When reaching adulthood, the females are much bigger than males because of the need to carry tens of thousands of eggs for spawning. Although similar to marlin and sailfish, the swordfish is quite different. In comparison with marlin and sailfish the swordfish lacks pectoral fins, has a rounded appearance to its body and “a longer, more flattened bill.” (Gardieff, flmnh.ufl.edu/fish xiphias gladius). Being a keystone predator, swordfish are pelagic hunters that prey on small baitfish such as mackerel and sardines as well as cephalopods such as squid and octopus. While hunting their prey, the swordfish display a unique hunting behavior by slashing their prey with their sword-like bills before eating them.
Fisheries: Although traditionally caught with nets and harpoons, swordfish have now been commonly caught with the use of longlines. This is effective because the fishing fleets can cover many miles of line and baited hooks, which helps out in catching needed numbers of swordfish as possible. However, a problem with longlining is that other marine wildlife could be accidentally caught. “Bycatch from this method is very high, and is particularly worrying because many threatened or endangered species, such as sharks, turtles and seabirds, can be accidentally caught.” (slowfood.com). On the contrary, fishing for swordfish with the use of harpoons doesn’t pose a big risk on threatened marine wildlife because the fishermen can visualize the swordfish before hurling the harpoon. Being an important economic livelihood for fishermen, swordfish play an important role in providing financial profit for the fishermen in order for them to provide for their families.
Conservation: Over the past decades, swordfish populations particularly in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans have been in steady decline. What most affected the swordfish populations was that fishermen were catching more juvenile swordfish than mature adults, and thus weren’t aware of the importance in releasing the juveniles back into the ocean for them to grow and mature. “While the harpoon fishery targeted large mature fish, long-liners caught fish (and countless other creatures) indiscriminately, so the swordfish catch soared because swordfish of every size were being hauled in. There is no way to prevent smaller fish from taking the baited hooks; the only restrictions on the fishermen simply prevent them from selling the juveniles commercially.” (Richard Ellis, pg. 208). In finding a solution to better prevent the decline of swordfish, conservation organizations such as NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), have undertaken important steps in enforcing quotas and regulations to commercial and recreational fishermen as to how many swordfish could be legally caught. By enforcing those laws to the fishermen, swordfish have made a tremendous comeback from being overfished and going
extinct.
References: flmnh.ufl.edu/fish xiphias gladius http://www.orma.com/sea-life/swordfish-facts-swordfish-information/ http://www.fishbase.org/summary/226 http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=240 http://slowfood.com/slowfish/pagine/eng/pagina.lasso?-id_pg=110
Ellis, Richard. Swordfish: A Biography of the Ocean Gladiator. The University of Chicago Press, 2013.
(http://awesomeocean.com/2016/09/14/7-swordfish-facts/) A swordfish (Xiphias gladius) breaching out of the water in full power and grace.
http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/stories/2017/06_02062017_swordfish_efp_tagging.html A swordfish being caught on a long line.
