Gillne byca ch o
seabi ds in Sou h-
wes G eenland,
2003 - 2008
TECHNICAL REPORT NO. 85, 2011
PINNGORTITALERIFFIK
GREENLAND INSTITUTE OF NATURAL RESOURCES
Da a shee
Ti le: Gillne byca ch o seabi ds in Sou hwes G eenland, 2003 - 2008
Se ies i le and no.: Technical Repo No. 85
Au ho (s): Flemming R. Me kel
Depa men (s): Na ional En i onmen al Resea ch Ins i u e, Aa hus Uni e si y
G eenland Ins i u e o Na u al Resou ces
Publishe : Pinngo i ale i ik, G eenland Ins i u e o Na u al Resou ces
Yea o publica ion: Feb ua y 2011
Re e ee(s): Mo en F ede iksen, Kaj Sünksen, Rasmus Hedeholm and Jens Bagge
Financing: Depa men o Domes ic A ai s, Na u e and En i onmen
Please ci e as: Me kel, F.R. 2011. Gillne byca ch o seabi ds in Sou hwes G eenland, 2003 - 2008. Technical
Repo No. 85, Pinngo i ale i ik, G eenland Ins i u e o Na u al Resou ces
T ansla ion: Sø en K is iansen
D awings:
Co e pho os: Bo Be gs øm
ISBN: 87-91214-55-6
ISSN (elec onic): 1397-3657
Numbe o pages: 25
In e ne e sion: The epo is a ailable only in elec onic o ma (pd ) a GINR's websi e
h p://www.na u .gl
P in s can be eques ed om:
Pinngo i ale i ik
Pos boks 570
3900 Nuuk
G eenland
Phone. +299 36 12 00
Fax. +299 36 12 12
[email p o ec ed]
Gillne byca ch o seabi ds
in Sou hwes G eenland,
2003 - 2008
Flemming Ra n Me kel
Na ional En i onmen al Resea ch Ins i u e,
Aa hus Uni e si y,
G eenland Ins i u e o Na u al Resou ces
Technical Repo No. 85, 2011
Pinngo i ale i ik
G eenland Ins i u e o Na u al Resou ces
Con en s
Summa y 7
Sammen a ning 8
Eqikkaaneq 9
1 In oduc ion 11
1.1 Acknowledgemen s 11
2 Me hods 12
2.1 Byca ch s a is ics and ish landings 12
2.2 Analyses 12
3 Resul s and discussion 13
3.1 Species and numbe s epo ed as byca ch 13
3.2 Po en ial byca ch sou ces 16
3.3 The epo ed byca ch o mu es 17
3.4 The byca ch o eide s 18
4 Conclusions and ecommenda ions 21
5 Re e ences 24
6 Appendix 26
6.1 Hun ing epo 26
G eenland Ins i u e o Na u al Resou ces
Technical Repo No. 85
Summa y
P e ious s udies (2000/2001) in Sou hwes G eenland, limi ed o he
Nuuk a ea, showed ha byca ch in gillne s, especially lumpsucke
(Cyclop e us lumpus) gillne s, was o conse a ion conce n o he
common eide (Soma e ia mollissima). F om 2002 i became manda o y o
epo he byca ch as pa o he annual hun ing s a is ics and he e I
p esen he da a epo ed o 2003 – 2008, wi h he pu pose o desc ibing
he ela i e magni ude o he p oblem wi hin G eenland. Landing
s a is ics ep esen ing gillne ca ches o lumpsucke , cod (Gadus mo hua)
and inged seal (Phoca hispida) we e analysed o iden i y sou ces o he
byca ch.
and he
ci cums ances.
The da a show ha byca ch o seabi ds in G eenland is la gely limi ed o
Sou hwes G eenland and conce ns almos exclusi ely he common eide
and o a smalle ex en also he king eide (Soma e ia spec abilis). Mu es
(U ia spp.) we e also consis en ly epo ed as byca ch, 307 - 1,911 bi ds
annually. Howe e , hese numbe s appea o be s ongly biased by e-
po ing e o s. No ela ionship was ound be ween he a ious gillne
ca ches in Sou hwes G eenland and he epo ed byca ch, bu a signi i-
can p opo ion (52%) o he byca ch a ia ion was explained by he
hun ing eco ds o mu es, indica ing ha some hun e s inco ec ly e-
po ed hun ed bi ds as byca ch. P obably, he ue numbe o mu es
caugh as byca ch in gillne s is negligible. Fi e o he seabi d species we e
epo ed as byca ch, bu also in negligible numbe s.
Fo he eide s, he da a con i m ha he byca ch in Sou hwes G eenland
o a la ge ex en is caused by he gillne ing o lumpsucke in Ma ch,
Ap il and May, and especially he egions o Nuuk and Manii soq ap-
pea o be high- isk a eas o eide byca ch. The lumpsucke landings
explained 40% o a ia ion in eide byca ch, bu also he gillne ca ches o
inged seal con ibu ed signi ican ly o he byca ch. Combined, he wo
a iables explained 68% o he byca ch a ia ion. In con as o p e ious
obse a ions om Nuuk, he cod ishe y was no de ec able as a ac o
in luencing he le el o eide byca ch, howe e , his may be due o he
a ailable s a is ics on cod landings, which does no disc imina e be ween
gillne ishe y and o he ishe ies. In mon hs wi h no eco ds o lump-
sucke landings only he hun ing eco ds o eide s could explain a sig-
ni ican p opo ion o he eide byca ch (56%), indica ing ha e o s due
o misalignmen also occu when hun ed eide s a e epo ed. The o al
numbe o eide s epo ed as byca ch anged be ween 1,000 and 5,930
bi ds annually in 2003 - 2008, bu an al e na i e es ima e indica es ha
he ac ual le el o eide byca ch, om lumpsucke gillne s alone, was be-
ween 6,000 and 20,000 bi ds.
The as es and mos e ec i e solu ion o educe he byca ch o eide s
would be o manage he lumpsucke ishe y acco ding o abundance-
based ishe y openings, which would imply a pos ponemen o he
lumpsucke ishe y un il May. This may be implemen ed h oughou
Sou hwes G eenland, o limi ed o he ishing a eas wi h he highes
byca ch isk. The la e would, howe e , equi e mo e de ailed
in o ma ion abou he exac loca ions o he byca ch
7
Sammen a ning
Tidlige e unde søgelse i Syd es g ønland (2000/2001) ha is a
bi angs i iskega n og sæ lig i s enbide ga n, e e po en iel
o al ningsp oblem o almindelig ede ugl (Soma e ia mollissima).
P obleme s om ang ha dog kun æ e unde søg omk ing Nuuk. I 2002
ble de imidle id lo plig ig a indbe e e bi angs en som en del a
jag udby e og i denne appo p æsen e es disse indbe e ninge o
å ene 2003 – 2008. De e med henblik på a besk i e den ela i e s ø else
a bi angs p obleme i o skellige dele a G ønland. Indhandlingss a is ik
de ep æsen e e ne angs (i nedga n) a s enbide (Cyclop e us lumpus),
o sk (Gadus mo hua) og ingsæl (Phoca hispida) e inklude e og
analyse e o e en uelle sammenhænge med den appo e ede bi angs
a ha ugle.
Tallene ise a bi angs en a ha ugle i g o e æk e beg ænse il
Syd es g ønland og p imæ ed ø e almindelig ede ugl og i mind e
g ad kongeede ugl (Soma e ia spec abilis). Lom ie (U ia spp.) ble også
konsis en appo e e , å lig mellem 307 og 1.911 ugle, men
ilsyneladende e disse al ejlbehæ ede. Ingen sammenhæng a a
inde mellem de indhandlede isk og bi angs en a lom ie , men il
gengæld kunne en signi ikan andel (52%) a a ia ion i den
appo e ede bi angs o kla es med ind appo e ingen a skud e
lom ie . De e indike e , a nogle a ange ne ejlag ig egis e e
oplysninge om skud e ugle som bi angs , sandsynlig is o di allene
o skydes il den o ke e ække i angs egis e ingsskemae . Den eelle
bi angs a lom ie e o men lig ube ydelig. Fem and e a e a ha ugle
ble egis e e som bi angs , men i e ube ydelig an al.
Fo ede uglene bek æ e esul a e ne, a bi angs en i Syd es g ønland i
s o uds ækning o å sages a s enbide iske i i ma s, ap il og maj
måned. Sæ lig om åde omk ing Nuuk og Manii soq se ud il a æ e
belas e a bi angs . Indhandlingen a s enbide kunne o kla e 40% a
a ia ionen i den appo e ede bi angs , men også ne angs a ingsæl
bid agede signi ikan . Tilsammen o kla ede de o a iable 68% a
a ia ionen i bi angs . I mods id il idlige e obse a ione ed Nuuk
kunne o ske angs en ikke de ek e es som en be ydende ak o o
bi angs en a ede ugle. De e skal sandsynlig is ses i sammenhæng
med, a den ilgængelige indhandlingss a is ik o o sk ikke skelnede
mellem nedga ns iske i og ande iske i. I månede uden indhandling a
s enbide a de kun an alle a skud e ede ugle, som kunne o kla e en
signi ikan andel (56%) a a ia ionen i bi angs , h ilke indike e , a de
også he ske en be ydelig ejl egis e ing a skud e ugle. I al ble de
å lig i pe ioden 2003 - 2008 appo e e mellem 1.000 og 5.930 ede ugle
som bi angs , men e al e na i es ima indike e , a den eelle bi angs ,
alene a s enbide iske ie , måske sna e e a ie ede mellem 6.000 og
20.000 ede ugle.
Den hu igs e og mes e ek i e måde a educe e bi angs en a
ede ugle, il æ e a o al e s enbide iske ie e e såkald e
”abundance-based ishe y openings”, h ilke il indebæ e a s a en på
s enbide iske ie udskydes il maj måned. De e kunne implemen e es
o hele Syd es g ønland, elle al e na i kun de s ede h o bi angs en
e s ø s . Sids næ n e il imidle id k æ e yde lige e unde søgelse .
8
Eqikkaaneq
Ki aa a kuja aani siusinne usukku (2000/2001) misissuine i aku ippaa
qassu inik aalisaga niu inik, ingammik nipisanniu inik, mi e nik sio a -
uunik (Soma e ia mollissima) pisa isuukka mi e nik amakkuninnga
aqu sine mu ajo na o siu aasinnaasu . Nuulli eqqaani anne une usu-
mik amanna ajo na o siu igineqa sima oq. 2002-mili pinia ne mu
nalunaa sui immu pisa isuukka pisa ilaa u nalunaa u igineqa a -
nissaa ina sisi igu piumasaqaa aale poq, nalunaa usiamilu ma umani
2003 – 2008-mi pisa u nalunaa u igineqa simasu aku inneqa pu .
Tama umani kalaalli Nunaa a ilaani sumii inni assigiinngi suni pisa-
isuukkanik ajo na o siu e passui allaase ineqa nissaa siune a ine-
qa luni. Qassu inik ki isi akkanik nipisanik (Cyclop e us lumpus), saa-
ullinnik (Gadus mo hua) aamma na se nik (Phoca hispida) unisine ni
kisi sisi ilanngunneqa pu immissanillu ima miunik pisa isuukka u
nalunaa so neqa simasunu a aqa igii oqa sinnaane a misissoqqissaa -
neqa luni.
Kisi sisi aku ippaa immissanik ima miunik pisa isuukka Ki aa a
kuj aaniune usoq pisa isoo neqa a u amakkulu nalinginnaasumik
assaane ullu ik meqqi sio a uu ikinne usullu meqqi sio aki su
(Soma e ia spec abilis). Appa (U ia spp.) pisa isuukka nalunaa -
so neqa unu aamma naape uuppu , ukiumu immissa 307 1.911-i
ako nanni, kisi sisilli amakku kukkune aqa sinnaappu . Aalisakka
unineqa simasu appallu pisa isuukka a aqa igiinne a akuneqa -
sinnaanngilaq ake lianilli pisa isuukka u nalunaa u- igineqa simasu
(52%) appa u aallaasa u nalunaa so neqa simasu u nassuia neqa -
sinnaappu . Taamaalilluni pinia u ilaasa kukkullu ik immissa
aallaasa ik pisa isuukka u nalunaa so a simassagaa ilimanaa-
eqale poq, imaassinnaa oq pisanik nalunaa sui immu kukkusumik
ulle iiaa neqa a simane annik pissu eqa umik. Appanilli pisa isuuga-
ii ame la allaa simagunanngilla . Timmiaqa igii ima miu alla pisa i-
suukka u aamma nalunaa so neqa a simappu , amakkuli ame lan-
ngilla .
Mi e nu unnga illugu angusa uppe na sisippaa Ki aa a kuja aani
ma simi, ap iilimi maajimilu nipisannia ne ni pisa isuukka ame la-
ne paajusu . Ingammik Nuup Manii sullu eqqaanni pisa isuukka ame -
lasoo passoo pasippu . Nipisanik unisine ni 40 %-nik nikingassu
pisa isuukka allanngo a ne annik nassuia neqa sinnaaguna poq, aam-
mali na sii qassu inik ki isi akkanik pisa isuukka ame langaa-
sia oo pasippu . Taakku ka inne a 68 %-inik pisa isuukkani
allanngo a ne nu ma luusunu aakkununnga nassuiaa aappu . Nuup
eqqaani siusinne usukku akusanu ake liusumik saa ullinnia ne mi
mi e nik pisa isuukka ame lasoo sua u oqaa igineqa sinnaanngilla .
Tamanna saa ullinnik unisine ni kisi sisini qassu inik ki isi akkanik
alla ullu saa ullinnia ne ni pisa immikkoo inneqa neq ajo ne annik
pissu eqa una poq. Qaamma ini nipisa suaannik unisi iunngi suni
mi i aallaallugi pisa pisa isuukka allanngo a ne annu (56 %) pissu-
aappu , ama uma ilimana sisippaa immissa aallaallugi pisa ine-
qa a o passui kukkusumik nalunaa so neqa a simasu . 2003 – 2008-
mi meqqi ukiumu ka illugi 1.000 aamma 5.930-i pisa isuukka u
nalunaa u igineqa simappu , alla ulli missingiine i ilisimana sisippaa
9
3.2 Po en ial byca ch sou ces
Figu e 4, 5 and 6 shows he annual, seasonal and egional ca ch dis ibu-
ion o h ee p e iously iden i ied sou ces o seabi d byca ch in
G eenland; he lumpsucke and cod ishe y and he ne ing o inged
seals (Me kel 2004).
The lumpsucke and he cod landings appea o ha e inc eased consid-
e ably since he la e 1990s and ea ly 2000s, and a leas o he lump-
sucke he e was a dis inc seasonal o e lap be ween he byca ch o ei-
de s and he lumpsucke landings. Lumpsucke s a e caugh mainly due
o he highly alued and emune a i e oe p oduc ion, wi h he spawn-
ing season s a ing in Ap il in shallow bays along he ou e coas line o
in he jo ds (Nielsen e al. 2000). These spawning a eas o en o e lap
wi h he o aging a eas o he eide s and occasionally he bi ds eed di-
ec ly on he eggs (Bus nes & E iks ad 1988, Me kel e al. 2007).
The cod ishe y in May and June may also add o he byca ch o eide s
(Fig. 3 and 5) because gillne s a e used o some ex en in he cod ishe y.
Howe e , app oxima ely 70-80% o he annual ca ches a e caugh using
pound-ne s, which a e no likely o cause byca ch o eide s (Anja Re zel,
pe s. com. 2010). Ano he eason no o expec a meaning ul co ela ion
be ween cod landings and he eide s byca ch is he ac ha he a ailable
landing s a is ics om S a is ics G eenland we e also mixed wi h o -
sho e ca ches o cod.
The byca ch o mu es was epo ed almos exclusi ely du ing win e
(Fig. 3). The highes numbe s we e epo ed in No embe , Decembe
and Janua y, along wi h simila numbe s o eide s. This win e byca ch
appea s only o o e lap wi h he gillne ca ches o inged seal (Fig. 5).
Fo he eide s, he seal gillne s a e known o cause some byca ch, a leas
in he Nuuk a ea (Me kel 2004), howe e , o he mu es no such byca ch
has been desc ibed and should pe haps no be expec ed. In gene al, win-
e ing mu es in Sou hwes G eenland a e dis ibu ed a he o sho e
han he eide s (Me kel e al. 2002) and only spo adically o e lap wi h
he gillne ing o seals, which usually akes place in coas al bay a eas o
in he jo ds (Me kel 2004; Aqqalu Rosing-As id and Bjø n Rossing, pe s.
com. 2010).
P e iously, a la ge comme cial o sho e salmon (Salmo sala ) ishe y ook
place in Wes G eenland and was known o cause la ge byca ches o
mu es in o sho e d i ne s du ing he au umn. S udies indica ed ha
up o hal a million bi ds we e killed annually when he salmon ca ches
peaked in he ea ly 1970s (Tull e al. 1972, Ch is ensen & Lea 1977, Falk
1998). Howe e , since hen he salmon ca ches g adually dec eased and
wen om mo e han 2000 ons a yea in he ea ly 1970s o a epo ed 9
ons in 2003 (Jensen 1990, Rasmus Nygaa d, pe s. com. 2010). F om
a ound he la e 1980s, he salmon ishe y was no longe conside ed a
signi ican byca ch issue in G eenland due o ac ha he mo emen s o
he mu es and he salmon ishe y became sepa a ed in ime and space
(Kampp e al. 1994).
16
3.3 The epo ed byca ch o mu es
Only o inged seals a posi i e signi ican co ela ion was ound be-
ween cu en gillne ishe ies in G eenland and he epo ed byca ch o
mu es ( = 0.47, P < 0.001, n = 58). Howe e , his co ela ion did no ex-
is when excluding he la ge bulk o inged seals epo ed om Uum-
mannaq, Upe na ik, Qaanaaq and Ammassalik (Fig. 6, = 0.25, P = 0.06).
Indi idual bag epo s indica e ha pe haps he epo ed byca ch ep e-
sen s e o s. Occasionally, hun e s appa en ly ill in he space o byca ch
ins ead o ha o hun ed bi ds. The wo spaces a e loca ed nex o each
o he in a a he la ge shee con aining many ows and columns (App.
1). A suspiciously la ge numbe o blanks exis o hun ed bi ds a
mon hs whe e byca ch o bi ds we e epo ed. Du ing he mu e hun ing
seasons (Sep embe – Ma ch) in 2003 – 2008, byca ch o mu es we e e-
po ed in 130 mon hs (65 hun e s, 1 – 7 epo s), bu only in 28 cases
(22%) did hese hun e s also epo sho bi ds in he same mon h. This is
an unusual low p opo ion gi en he high equency o bag eco ds
no mally epo ed o sho bi ds in he Sep embe – Ma ch pe iod: 14,670
mon hly epo s in 2003 - 2008 (2669 hun e s).
A co ela ion analysis con i med ha he e was a posi i e and signi ican
ela ionship be ween he epo ed numbe o sho mu es and he e-
po ed numbe o bi ds caugh as byca ch ( = 0.65, P < 0.001). An e en
s onge co ela ion was ound when analysing he numbe o epo s (
= 0.72, P < 0.001), ins ead o numbe o indi iduals, indica ing ha he
isk o misalignmen o bag eco ds inc eased as he o al numbe o e-
po s wen up, as one should expec i his was caused by andom e o s.
A eg ession analysis showed ha he mon hly epo s o sho mu es
explained a la ge and signi ican p opo ion (52%) o he a ia ion in
mon hly epo s o mu e byca ch ( = 7.78, P < 0.001, n = 58). Adding
gillne ca ches o inged seals as a ac o o he byca ch did no add any
explana ion o he byca ch a ia ion, as mon hly epo s o sho mu es
we e in e -co ela ed wi h gillne ca ches o inged seal. P obably his in-
e -co ela ion was an a e ac caused by coinciding seasonal pa e ns in
he ca ch/hun ing a es. In eali y, he e is a spa ial seg ega ion be ween
he seal ca ches and he mu e hun ing in mos cases (sec ion 3.2).
The p oblem o misplacemen , and in pa icula misalignmen , o bag e-
co ds when epo ing o Pinia neq is known o o he species, especially
hose ha no mally a e epo ed in small numbe s, such as la ge ma ine
mammals. Fo such species a single misplaced igu e can make a huge
di e ence o he annual o al and his is how he Depa men o Fishe -
ies, Hun ing and Ag icul u e became awa e o his p oblem (Kaa e Win-
e Hansen, pe s. com. 2010). To educe he numbe o e o s, he De-
pa men has edesigned he epo o m a numbe o imes o e he
yea s. Appa en ly, his was no su icien . In ac , he isk o making e -
o s occu s wice since he epo ing is a wo-s ep p ocedu e. Fi s , he
hun e s ill in a day-log o m and a he end o he hun ing yea hese
igu es a e copied o a inal submission o m ha summa izes mon hly
o als (App. 6.1). Finally, mis akes can also occu when he igu es a e
en e ed in o he G eenland Go e nmen da abase. Ideally, his h ee-s ep
p ocedu e should be educed o a single en y p ocedu e, which could
be achie ed by an in e ne solu ion we e hun e s/ ishe men epo di-
17
ec ly o he G eenland Go e nmen da abase. Con i ma ion p ocedu es
ela ed o species, ha es me hods and da es would be an in eg a ed
pa o such a sys em. This would o cou se ha e o be in oduced
g adually and on a olun a ily basis o accoun o he ac ha some
ha e limi ed access o he in e ne o will be eluc an o use such a sys-
em.
3.4 The byca ch o eide s
Lumpsucke and cod gillne s ha e been iden i ied as key sou ces o by-
ca ch o eide s in se e al coun ies, including G eenland (Falk 1998,
Me kel 2004, Ch is ensen-Dalsgaa d e al. 2008, Žydelis e al. 2009). In
Nuuk, lumpsucke gillne s accoun ed o 86% o he byca ch b ough o
local ma ke in 2000 and 2001, cod gillne s o 11% and seal gillne s, as a
hi d sou ce, accoun ed o 3% o he byca ch (Me kel 2004).
In his s udy he analyses o ha es s a is ics indica ed ha bo h he
lumpsucke ishe y and he gillne ca ches o inged seals con ibu ed o
he byca ch o eide s, bu as wi h he mu es, misplacemen e o s when
epo ing also appea ed o in luence he byca ch s a is ics (see below). In
con as o Me kel (2004), he cod ishe y could no be iden i ied as a con-
ibu ing ac o o he byca ch o eide s ( < 0, P > 0.05); howe e , keep-
ing in mind he limi a ions o he a ailable s a is ics on cod landings
men ioned ea lie (sec ion 3.2).
The ela i e impo ance o he lumpsucke landings, he inged seal
ca ches and he misplacemen e o s a ied be ween seasons. When ana-
lysing only he mon hs wi h posi i e eco ds o lumpsucke landings
(mainly Ap il – June, n = 35), bo h lumpsucke landings and inged seal
ca ches we e signi ican ly co ela ed wi h he byca ch o eide s ( = 0.64,
P < 0.001; = 0.48, P < 0.01; espec i ely), while he epo ed numbe o
sho eide s was no ( = 0.14, P = 0.40). Acco ding o a eg ession analysis
lumpsucke landings explained 40% o he a ia ion in he epo ed by-
ca ch o eide s and combined wi h a inged seal a iable he model ex-
plained 68% o he byca ch a ia ion (Lumpsucke : = 6.62, P < 0.001;
Seals: = 5.19, P < 0.001). The lack o a signi ican misplacemen ac o
does no ule ou he possibili y ha e o s we e made when epo ing
sho eide s du ing he lumpsucke season, only ha he amoun o e o s
we e insigni ican compa ed o he in luence o he lumpsucke ishe y.
When analysing mon hs wi h no eco ds o lumpsucke landings (n =
37), he numbe o sho eide s and he ca ches o inged seal we e bo h
signi ican ly co ela ed wi h he byca ch o eide s ( = 0.75, P < 0.001; =
0.66, P < 0.001; espec i ely). Howe e , as in he mu e case, hese wo
a iables we e in e -co ela ed ( = 0.84, P < 0.001), and only sho bi ds
con ibu ed signi ican ly o he a ia ion o eide byca ch (56%, = 6.72, P
< 0.001). As known om he Nuuk s udy he dis ibu ion o eide s and
he gillne ing o seals a e no necessa ily spa ially seg ega ed, bu i ap-
pea s ha any po en ial byca ch was insigni ican compa ed o he e o s
in epo ing.
The p e ious s udies om Nuuk s ongly sugges ed ha he byca ch o
eide s was hea ily unde epo ed in Pinia neq. Summa ized o Ma ch,
Ap il and May be ween 65 - 376 eide s we e epo ed as byca ch in Nuuk
18
in he yea s 2003 – 2008, while Me kel (2004) es ima ed ha a minimum
o 1576 – 1989 bi ds we e caugh du ing hese mon hs in 2000 and 2001.
Local ishe men ecen ly poin ed ou ha byca ch o eide s is a se e e
p oblem in he dis ic o Nano alik, and hey belie e ha up o 2,000
eide s can be caugh in lumpsucke gillne s on a single day (Ben B edde
Olesen, Nano alik, pe s. com.). On a no mal day in Nano alik he by-
ca ch is p obably a below his le el, bu he in o ma ion is indeed
highly con as ing o he numbe s epo ed o Pinia neq, which we e be-
ween 65 – 1137 bi ds in Nano alik du ing Ma ch, Ap il and May, 2003 –
2008.
Based on he 2001 byca ch es ima es om Nuuk (Me kel 2004) and he
ela i e dis ibu ion o lumpsucke landings in G eenland (2001 – 2008),
i was es ima ed ha oughly 6,000 eide s was caugh as byca ch du ing
Ma ch, Ap il and May in 2001 in Sou hwes G eenland (Qeqe a suaq –
Nano alik, which accoun o 99% o he lumpsucke landings). This is
based on he calcula ion ha Nuuk accoun ed o 28% o he lumpsucke
landings and he assump ion ha he 2001 byca ch a e calcula ed o
Nuuk (1.8 eide s/ on o lumpsucke ) was ep esen a i e o he emain-
ing Sou hwes G eenland. The las assump ion is p obably no ue;
howe e , in o ma ion was only a ailable o Nuuk. An e en mo e c i i-
cal ques ion is whe he he s a is ics on lumpsucke landings, showing a
ac o 3.34 inc ease om 2001 o 2006, a e eliable (Fig. 4). I his is ue,
he o al byca ch o eide s may ha e been as high as 20,000 eide s in 2006
(when lumpsucke landings peaked). And his does no include he po-
en ial byca ch in he gillne s used o inged seal and cod, which in he
Nuuk case accoun ed o addi ional 14% (Me kel 2004).
19
Fig. 7. Byca ch o
common eide s in
seal gillne s. Pho o:
Bo Be gs øm, Nuuk
Fjo d, Ma ch 2006.
20
4 Conclusions and ecommenda ions
The byca ch o seabi ds in G eenland is la gely limi ed o Sou hwes
G eenland and conce ns almos exclusi ely eide s - p ima ily he com-
mon eide and o a small ex en also he king eide . The byca ch can be
cha ac e ized as a ypical gillne byca ch phenomenon, caused by one o
mo e coas al gillne ishe ies in ol ing a di e se lee o nume ous small
boa s ha usually a e di icul o moni o (Žydelis e al. 2009). Byca ch o
eide s due o comme cial ne ing in he li o al zone is also known om
coas al New oundland, Iceland, No way, Ge many, and he Bal ic Sea
(Kies & Tomek 1990, Folles ad & Runde 1995, Hen iksen 1997, Bakken &
Falk 1998, Ki chho (1982) in Taske e al. 2000). See addi ional e e -
ences o Sweden and Ge many in Žydelis e al. (2009).
Based on he analyses o a ious G eenlandic ha es s a is ics his e-
po suppo p e ious indings om Nuuk (Me kel 2004), ha he by-
ca ch o eide s in Sou hwes G eenland o a e y la ge ex en is caused
by he gillne ing o lumpsucke in Ma ch, Ap il and May. Especially
shallow wa e s in he a ea o Nuuk and Manii soq can be ca ego ized as
high- isk a eas o eide byca ch due o la ge amoun s o lumpsucke
landings (50% o o al), howe e , lumpsucke ishe ies occu h oughou
Sou hwes G eenland (Fig. 6). The analyses also con i m ha he gillne
ca ches o inged seal con ibu e o he byca ch o eide s a ce ain pe i-
ods. Howe e , he cod ishe y was no de ec able as a ac o in luencing
he le el o byca ch, in con as o wha was p e iously obse ed in
Nuuk (Me kel 2004).
The epo emphasizes ha ha es s a is ics based on hun ing epo s o
ish landings a e augh wi h a ious unce ain ies, and unde line he
need o in e p e hese wi h g ea cau ion. The landing s a is ics o cod
was a mix u e o in o ma ion om h ee ypes o ishe ies, in ol ing di-
e ging ishing echniques and ca ch a eas, making i highly unlikely o
de ec any possible mino link o he byca ch o eide s. Based on wha
was p e iously known abou byca ch le els o eide s in Sou hwes
G eenland, i is sa e o conclude ha he o al amoun o byca ch e-
po ed by hun e s/ ishe men cons i u e a subs an ial unde es ima e. Be-
ween 1,000 and 5,930 eide s we e epo ed o Pinia neq as byca ch an-
nually in 2003 - 2008, bu acco ding o a byca ch a e calcula ed o Nuuk
and he ela i e dis ibu ion o lumpsucke landings in G eenland, his
epo sugges s ha he ue numbe o eide s caugh as byca ch in
lumpsucke gillne s in Sou hwes G eenland anged be ween 6,000 and
20,000 bi ds pe yea . I should be emphasized ha his is a e y c ude
es ima e; pa ly because i elies on a simpli ied and single byca ch a e
calcula ion o he Nuuk a ea. This igu e (1.8 eide s/ on o lumpsucke )
may indeed no be ep esen a i e ac oss yea s and a eas. Compa ison
wi h byca ch a es om he li e a u e is no eally possible, because hese
ep esen o he species and a eas and usually a e epo ed as bi ds/ne -
leng h/day (Žydelis e al. 2009).
The byca ch es ima e o ~20,000 eide s when lumpsucke landings a e as
high as in 2006, sugges s ha byca ch om he lumpsucke ishe y may
be simila in magni ude o hun ing. Be ween 24,130 and 31,722 eide s
(bo h species combined) we e epo ed sho annually in G eenland om
2003 o 2008 (Pinia neq 2010). Bea ing in mind ha he byca ch has been
21
shown o a ge an olde segmen o he popula ion han hun ing
(Me kel 2004), he byca ch caused by lumpsucke gillne s is indeed o
conse a ion conce n. Pe haps his is no a huge conce n o G eenland
as long as he b eeding popula ion o common eide inc eases as as as
ecen ly documen ed in No hwes G eenland - howe e , high g ow h
a es like his a e usually some hing ha a e obse ed du ing a eco e y
phase o pe iods wi h pa icula a ou able b eeding condi ions and no
some hing ha can be expec ed o con inue o se e al decades (Me kel
2010).
In con as o he eide s, he esul s indica e ha he numbe o mu es
epo ed as byca ch is s ongly biased in he opposi e di ec ion due o e -
o s made when illing ou he ha es epo s. Occasionally hun e s e-
po hun ed bi ds inco ec ly as byca ch, mos likely due o misalign-
men o he bag eco ds. Mos likely, he ue numbe o mu es caugh
as byca ch in gillne s in Sou hwes G eenland is negligible. The p oblem
o misalignmen o bag eco ds in Pinia neq was also de ec able o ei-
de s ou side he lumpsucke season, when he byca ch o eide s was low
and he hun ing le el was high. To some ex en he misalignmen o bag
eco ds p obably occu s be ween all neighbou ing ows in he epo
shee , and o species o he wise epo ed in low numbe s his po en ial
bias may ep esen a signi ican e o .
In e ms o mi iga ion measu es o educe he byca ch in gillne s, Žydelis
e al (2009) emphasized ha he key o he solu ion o he p oblem is he
willingness o ishe men and au ho i ies o ake ac ion and o p omo e
he co-exis ence o ishe ies and bi d popula ions. In G eenland a ban on
local ade o seabi d byca ch was in oduced in 2002, bu o he wise no
ac ions ha e been aken o educe he byca ch. In he mean ime he p ob-
lem p obably inc eased conside ably, a leas based on he ecen de el-
opmen in lumpsucke landings (Fig 4).
Few me hods ha e been de eloped o seabi d byca ch educ ion in gill-
ne s, howe e , among h ee gene al oolboxes used in he mi iga ion o
gillne byca ch, i.e., gea modi ica ion, ime-o -day es ic ions and
abundance-based ishe y openings (Mel in e al. 1999, Bull 2007), Me kel
(2004) concluded ha abundance-based ishe y openings p obably is he
as es and mos e ec i e solu ion o he p oblem o eide byca ch in
Sou hwes G eenland. This ep esen s he idea o allowing a ge ishe y
only in pe iods when ca ch pe uni e o is e y high. The o al ish
ca ch can be secu ed by only a small inc ease in e o a such imes, and
byca ch will be educed because o al ishing e o is educed. By pos -
poning lumpsucke ishe ies in Sou hwes G eenland un il May (when
many eide s ha e le he win e ing a ea) a la ge p opo ion o eide by-
ca ch could be a oided. Pe haps he ishe men will ha e he oppo uni y
o compensa e o los income in Ap il by inc easing ishing e o in
May. A compa ison o he eide byca ch and lumpsucke landings in
Ap il and May (Fig. 3 and 5), sugges s ha he byca ch a e in May was
only hal o he le el in Ap il. I should be emphasized ha he o al gill-
ne e o o lumpsucke is no known, only he ca ches.
A so e e sion o he abundance-based ishe y op ion would be o e-
s ic he lumpsucke ishe y in only some ishing a eas – hose wi h he
highes byca ch isk. Howe e , his would equi e mo e de ailed in o -
ma ion abou he exac loca ions o he byca ch and he ci cums ances.
22
The e a e se e al ways o pu suing his and below h ee possibili ies a e
men ioned, o which he hi d may also imp o e he possibili y o quan-
i y he magni ude o he byca ch p oblem by gene a ing byca ch a es
pe ca ch uni o ishing e o .
Pu sue he possibili y ha hun ing wa dens conduc egula su eys
o known lumpsucke ishing a eas (e.g., Nielsen e al. 2000). Ideally
hey should ma k a GPS posi ion and collec in o ma ion abou num-
be o ne s, numbe s o bi ds, bi d species and app oxima e age.
Comple e a semi-quan i a i e ques ionnai e su ey asking all he eg-
is e ed lumpsucke ishe men o g ade used ishing si es acco ding o
a simpli ied scale o byca ch isk. The su ey may co e a single ish-
ing season o mul iple seasons.
Comple e a quan i a i e ques ionnai e su ey asking a selec ed g oup
o lumpsucke ishe men o ill in a ques ionnai e o each ishing
ip. In addi ion o he byca ch de ails, hey should ill in in o ma ion
abou he ne s, ishing ime and lumpsucke ca ches. This would al-
low he calcula ion o byca ch a es bo h as bi ds/ne -leng h/day and
as bi ds/lumpsucke ca ch uni .
Fig. 8. Byca ch o common
eide in lumpsucke gill-
ne s. Pho o: La s Mal ha
Rasmussen, Nepisa Sund,
Nuuk, Ap il 2009.
23
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25
