Files and links (1)
Preprint VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Preprint
BOATSv2: New ecological and economic features improve simulations of High Seas catch and effort
Geoscientific Model Development Discussions, Vol.2 May 2024
Copernicus GmbH
2024
Abstract
Climate change and industrial fishing have profound effects on marine ecosystems. Numerical models that capture key features of fish biomass dynamics and its interaction with fishing can help assess the biogeochemical and socio-economic consequences of these impacts. However, these models have significant biases and do not include many processes known to be relevant. Here we describe an updated version of the BiOeconomic mArine Trophic Size-spectrum (BOATS) model for global fish and fisheries studies. The model incorporates new ecological and economic features designed to ameliorate prior biases. Recent improvements include reduction of fish growth rates in iron-limited high-nutrient low-chlorophyll regions, and the ability to simulate fisheries management. Novel features described here include a separation of pelagic and demersal fish communities to provide an expanded representation of ecological diversity, and spatially variable fishing costs and catchability for more realistic fishing effort dynamics. We also introduce a new set of observational diagnostics designed to evaluate the model beyond the boundary of large marine ecosystems. Following a multi-step parameter selection, the updated BOATSv2 model shows comparable performance to the original model in coastal ecosystems, accurately simulating catch, biomass and fishing effort. The revised model provides a markedly improved representation of fisheries in the High Seas, largely correcting the biases of the original version, including excessive high-sea catches and too rapid deepening of fishing effort over time. The updated model code is available for simulating both historical and future scenarios.
Details
- Title
- BOATSv2: New ecological and economic features improve simulations of High Seas catch and effort
- Authors
- Jerome Guiet (Corresponding Author) - University of California, Los AngelesDaniele Bianchi - University of California, Los AngelesKim J. N. Scherrer - University of BergenRyan Heneghan - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringEric Galbraith - McGill University
- Publication details
- Geoscientific Model Development Discussions, Vol.2 May 2024
- Publisher
- Copernicus GmbH
- Date published
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.5194/gmd-2024-26
- ISSN
- 1991-962X; 1991-9611
- Copyright note
- © Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991026295902621
- Output Type
- Preprint
Metrics
31 Record Views