Estimating Consumption to Biomass Ratio in Non-Stationary Harvested Fish Populations.

ABSTRACT: The food consumption to biomass ratio (C) is one of the most important population parameters in ecosystem modelling because its quantifies the interactions between predator and prey. Existing models for estimating C in fish populations are per-recruit cohort models or empirical models, valid only for stationary populations. Moreover, empirical models lack theoretical support. Here we develop a theory and derive a general modelling framework to estimate C in fish populations, based on length frequency data and the generalised von Bertalanffy growth function, in which models for stationary populations with a stable-age distributions are special cases. Estimates using our method are compared with estimates from per-recruit cohort models for C using simulated harvested fish populations of diff

SUBMITTER: Wiff R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4631494 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature