Status-quo management of marine recreational fisheries undermines angler welfare

Community structure and environmental drivers of offshore hard-bottom reef fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Understanding patterns in community structure in large marine ecosystems is necessary for advancing community- and ecosystem-based approaches to marine fisheries management. We analyzed data from a large-scale, fishery-independent video survey to quantify the structure of reef fish communities on offshore hard-bottom reef habitats in the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM). A novel aspect of this work is that all species visualized on videos were identified and enumerated over a 13-year period, which allowed for a comprehensive analysis of fish community structure. We observed a total of 243 fish species from 54 families and 14 orders. Species richness and biodiversity varied considerably across the nGOM and were highest in regions that harbor extensive coral reef habitat (south Florida, Louisiana-Texas shelf). Multivariate analyses identified 12 species assemblages, with important fishery species and species of concern (i.e. IUCN-listed) occurring in the largest identified assemblages. One assemblage composed mostly of large-bodied fishery species accounted for 45% by number and 89% by weight of all fish observed. Species assemblages were most strongly associated with depth, temperature, and substrate composition, with weaker associations with the amount of attached algae and vertical relief, while species richness was positively correlated with bottom water temperature. In general, large-scale bathymetric and hydrographic factors (e.g. depth, temperature) were more important than local topographic structure and biogenic habitat in structuring reef fish communities at the spatial scales (i.e.1000 km) considered here. Our results advance ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management by providing a basis for incorporating multispecies spatial dynamics into the monitoring and assessment of hard-bottom reef fish communities in the nGOM.

Quantifying the economic effects of different fishery management regimes in two otherwise similar fisheries

In the southeast U.S., two very similar fisheries are managed by very different management regimes. In the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish fishery, all major species are managed by individual transferable quotas (ITQs). The neighboring S. Atlantic Snapper-Grouper fishery continues to be managed by traditional regulations such as vessel trip-limits and closed seasons. Using detailed landings and revenue data from logbooks together with trip-level and annual, vessel-level economic survey data, we develop financial statements for each fishery to estimate cost structures, profits, and resource rent. By comparing the two fisheries from an economic perspective, we illustrate the detrimental effects of the regulatory measures on the S. Atlantic Snapper-Grouper fishery and quantify the difference in economic outcomes, including estimating the difference in resource rent. We find that the choice of fishery management regime shows up as a regime shift in the productivity and profitability of the fisheries. The ITQ fishery generates substantially more resource rents than the traditionally managed fishery; the difference is a large fraction of revenue (~30%). In the S. Atlantic Snapper-Grouper fishery, the potential value of the resource has almost completely dissipated via lower ex-vessel prices and hundreds of thousands of gallons of wasted fuel. Excess use of labor is a lesser issue.

HN1L/AP-2γ/PLK1 signaling drives tumor progression and chemotherapy resistance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Hematological and neurological expressed 1 like (HN1L) is a newly identified oncogene in lung cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma recently identified by our team, but its roles in the development and treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remain incompletely cataloged. Here, using ESCC tissue array and public database analysis, we demonstrated that HN1L was highly expressed in ESCC tissues, which was associated with tumor tissue invasion, poor clinical stage and short survival for ESCC patients. Loss- and gain-of-function studies in ESCC cells revealed that HN1L enhances ESCC cell metastasis and proliferation in vitro and in mice models. Moreover, high level of HN1L reduces the sensibility of ESCC cells to chemotherapeutic drugs, such as Docetaxel. Mechanism studies revealed that HN1L activated the transcription of polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) by interacting with transcription factor AP-2γ, which increased the expression of malignancy related proteins Cyclin D1 and Slug in ESCC cells. Blocking PLK1 with inhibitor BI-2356 abrogated the oncogenic function of HN1L and significantly suppressed ESCC progression by combining with chemotherapy. Therefore, this study demonstrates the vital pro-tumor role of HN1L/AP-2γ/PLK1 signaling axis in ESCC, offering a potential therapeutic strategy for ESCC patients with high HN1L by blocking PLK1.

Estimation and use of recreational fishing values in management decisions

In many countries, commercial and recreational fishing compete for access to marine resources. In some cases, recreational catch outweighs commercial harvest and may threaten species otherwise protected from commercial fishing. This has led to increasing calls for improved management of recreational fishing in the broader context of general fisheries management. As a result, fisheries managers face the challenge to decide how to allocate the available marine resources between competing uses. In this paper, we review and explain two common approaches that have been used to support recreational fishing allocation decisions. While economic activity analysis is an appropriate tool to assess how a change in resource allocation would affect regional economic activity (economic contributions and impacts), it is ill-suited to assess associated gains or losses in welfare of society as a whole (economic efficiency). Hence, economic activity analysis and social cost-benefit analysis complement each other, with each providing a different set of information answering a different set of questions. Unfortunately, both types of analysis use the term "economic value" suggesting that they are alternative approaches that provide the same information, whereas in fact they are not. If the objective of fishery managers is to ensure that society as a whole is made better off, the appropriate metric is economic value as defined by welfare economics. Under this definition, all goods and services provided by marine resources that are beneficial to humans have economic value. This includes non-use values such as the continued existence of an endangered marine species. The aim of this paper is to support managers and policymakers in allocating marine resources by reviewing relevant economic principles, concepts, and tools in the context of recreational fishing, including the use and challenges of estimating the non-market benefits generated by recreational fishing experiences.