Advancing fishery-independent stock assessments for the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) with new monitoring technologies
Jacopo Aguzzi1; 2; Damianos Chatzievangelou1; Nathan J. Robinson1; Nixon Bahamon1; Alan Berry3; Marc Carreras4; Joan Batista Company1; Corrado Costa5; Joaquin del Rio Fernandez6; Ahmad Falahzadeh6; Spyros Fifas7; Sascha Flögel8; Jordi Grinyó1; 9; Jonas Pall Jónasson10; Patrik Jonsson11; Colm Lordan3; Mathieu Lundy12; Simone Marini13; Michela Martinelli14; Ivan Masmitja1; Luca Mirimin15; 16; Atif Naseer17; 18; Joan Navarro1; Narcis Palomeras4; Giacomo Picardi19; Cristina Silva20; Sergio Stefanni2; Maria Vigo1; Yolanda Vila21; Adrian Weetman22; Jennifer Doyle3*;
The Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, supports a key European fishery. Stock assessments for this species are mostly based on trawling and UnderWater TeleVision (UWTV) surveys. However, N. norvegicus are burrowing organisms and these survey methods are unable to sample or observe individuals in their burrows. To account for this, UWTV surveys generally assume that “1 burrow system = 1 animal”, due to the territorial behavior of N. norvegicus. Nevertheless, this assumption still requires in-situ validation. Here, we outline how to improve the accuracy of current stock assessments for N. norvegicus with novel ecological monitoring technologies, including: robotic fixed and mobile camera-platforms, telemetry, environmental DNA (eDNA), and Artificial Intelligence (AI). First, we outline the present status and threat for overexploitation in N. norvegicus stocks. Then, we discuss how the burrowing behavior of N. norvegicus biases current stock assessment methods. We propose that state-of-the-art stationary and mobile robotic platforms endowed with innovative sensors and complemented with AI tools could be used to count both animals and burrows systems in-situ, as well as to provide key insights into burrowing behavior. Next, we illustrate how multiparametric monitoring can be incorporated into assessments of physiology and burrowing behavior. Finally, we develop a flowchart for the appropriate treatment of multiparametric biological and environmental data required to improve current stock assessment methods.
2022 - Articolo in rivista
Frontiers in Marine Science 9 (2022). doi:10.3389/fmars.2022.969071
Keywords: Nephrops norvegicus, UWTV, stocks monitoring, autonomous networks, biomimicking platforms, optoacoustic imaging, geo-sonars, eDNA