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Fisheries

Measuring biodiversity in marine ecosystems

Nature volume 468, pages 385–386 (2010)Cite this article

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The use of catch data to determine indicators of biodiversity such as 'mean trophic level' does not adequately measure ecosystem changes induced by fishing. Improved ways to assess those changes are required. See Letter p.431

Accurate indicators of biodiversity are essential for managing exploited marine ecosystems. The currently most widely adopted indicator is the 'mean trophic level' of catches, the position of a specific species in the food chain (trophic level) averaged over all the species in the catch. Declines in catch mean trophic levels have been interpreted as showing shifts in ecosystem diversity from high-trophic-level predators to lower-trophic-level species. But are indicators based on catch data accurately depicting what is happening to an ecosystem? This question has now been addressed by Branch and co-workers on page 431 of this issue1.

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References

  1. Branch, T. A. et al. Nature 468, 431–435 (2010).

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  3. Worm, B. et al. Science 325, 578–585 (2009).

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  1. Joseph E. Powers is in the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA. jepowers@lsu.edu

    Joseph E. Powers

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  1. Joseph E. Powers
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Powers, J. Measuring biodiversity in marine ecosystems. Nature 468, 385–386 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/468385a

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/468385a

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