Behavior of Exploited Populations

Abstract

The essential biological feature of any fishery is the dynamics of the fish population; the analysis of population dynamics involves trying to make predictions about the birth, death, growth, and movement processes of the fish. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss what is known about fish population dynamics and to establish some preliminary models about how fish stocks respond to harvesting. We begin by exploring how populations behave, first in their unexploited state and then when they are harvested. This requires an analysis of historical and geological records, as well as an examination of modern fisheries. We then discuss some basic ecological theory about the dynamic behavior of populations to provide a framework for later discussion about specific elements in the life history of fish