Olsson, Jens
- Department of Aquatic Resources (SLU Aqua), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Review article2011Peer reviewedOpen access
Eriksson, Britas Klemens; Sieben, Katrin; Eklöf, Johan; Ljunggren, Lars; Olsson, Jens; Casini, Michele; Bergström, Ulf
By mainly targeting larger predatory fish, commercial fisheries have indirectly promoted rapid increases in densities of their prey; smaller predatory fish like sprat, stickleback and gobies. This process, known as mesopredator release, has effectively transformed many marine offshore basins into mesopredator-dominated ecosystems. In this article, we discuss recent indications of trophic cascades on the Atlantic and Baltic coasts of Sweden, where increased abundances of mesopredatory fish are linked to increased nearshore production and biomass of ephemeral algae. Based on synthesis of monitoring data, we suggest that offshore exploitation of larger predatory fish has contributed to the increase in mesopredator fish also along the coasts, with indirect negative effects on important benthic habitats and coastal water quality. The results emphasize the need to rebuild offshore and coastal populations of larger predatory fish to levels where they regain their control over lower trophic levels and important links between offshore and coastal systems are restored.
Mesopredator release; Human transformation; Commercial fisheries; Cod; Baltic Sea; Swedish coast
AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment
2011, Volume: 40, number: 7, pages: 786-797
Publisher: SPRINGER
Coastal and sea areas
SDG14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Fish and Aquacultural Science
Ecology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-011-0158-0
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/53522