RALSTON and POLOVINA: COMMERCIAL DEEP-SEA HANDLING FISHERY 



species groups are recognized based on cluster 

 analyses which measure the tendencies of the 

 various species to appear with one ar. >ther in the 

 catch. These groups seem to segregate on the 

 basis of depth distribution, providing convenient 

 biological assemblages for aggregating catch 

 statistics. 



Application of the Schaefer stock-production 

 model to this fishery on a species-by-species basis 

 provides an inadequate description of produc- 

 tivity. When species are aggregated into the 

 cluster groups and analyzed with TBSM, the 

 results are much improved. In this regard con- 

 sistently significant results and production esti- 

 mates were obtained from the MLKM bank, a 

 region which presently accounts for half of the 

 State of Hawaii's catch. No significant inter- 

 action among these groups was detected. When 

 all 13 species are analyzed together, the results 

 are in agreement with the preceding analysis. 

 Based on TBSM applied to the MLKM bank, we 

 estimate the annual MSY of the commercial 

 deep-sea handline fishery to be 106 1 or about 272 

 kg/nmi of 100-fathom isobath. Because recrea- 

 tional catch is unaccounted for, these figures are 

 considered lower bounds for the gross produc- 

 tion obtainable from this type of fishery although 

 currently the commercial fishery is operating 

 close to this MSY level. 



By examining the effect of aggregating catch 

 statistics we show that the production models 

 based on the intermediate level of catch aggre- 

 gation (cluster groups) together explain slightly 

 more of the variation in the total catch than does 

 the production model based on the total aggre- 

 gate catch in spite of a higher coefficient of deter- 

 mination resulting from the latter analysis. High 

 correlations of fishing effort among cluster 

 groups account for this nonintuitive result. 



Application of the Schaefer stock-production 

 model to catch and effort data aggregated over 

 species can be a useful tool for the analysis of a 

 multispecies fishery. The appropriate level of 

 aggregation will depend on biological and geo- 

 graphic factors. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



This work is the result of research sponsored in 

 part by the University of Hawaii Sea Grant 

 College Program under Institutional Grant No. 

 NA79AA-D-00085 from NOAA Office of Sea 

 Grant, Department of Commerce, and consti- 

 tutes journal contribution UNIHI-SEAGRANT- 



JC-81-08. We would like to thank John L. Munro 

 for his early encouragement to undertake this 

 study and Roy Mendelssohn, who suggested 

 employing aggregation theory to examine our 

 results. Darryl T. Tagami helped with much of 

 the computer work. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Andersen, K. P., and E. Ursin. 



1977. A multispecies extension to the Beverton and Holt 

 theory of fishing, with accounts of phosphorus circula- 

 tion and primary production. Medd. Dan. Fisk.- 

 Havunders. (N.S.) 7:319-435. 

 Anderson, W. D., Jr. 



1981. A new species of Indo-west Pactific Etelis (Pisces: 

 Lutjanidae), with comments on other species of the 

 genus. Copeia 1981:820-825. 

 Brander, K. M. 



1977. The management of Irish Sea fisheries - A 

 review. G.B. Minist. Agric. Fish. Food Fish. Lab. 

 Leafl. 36, 40 p. 

 Brock, V. E., and T. C. Chamberlain. 



1968. A geological and ecological reconnaissance off 

 western Oahu, Hawaii, principally by means of the re- 

 search submarine "Asherah." Pac. Sci. 22:373-394. 

 Brown, B. E., J. A. Brennan, M. D. Grosslein, E. G. 

 Heyerdahl, and R. C. Hennemuth. 



1976. The effect of fishing on the marine finfish biomass 

 in the Northwest Atlantic from the Gulf of Maine to Cape 

 Hatteras. Int. Comm. Northwest Atl. Fish. Res. Bull. 

 12:49-68. 



Dixon, W. J. (editor). 



1977. BMD biomedical computer programs, P-series. 

 Univ. Calif. Press, Los Angeles, 880 p. 



FAO 



1978. Some scientific problems of multispecies fisheries. 

 Report of the expert consultation on management of 

 multispecies fisheries, Rome, 20-23 September 1977. 

 FAO Fish. Tech. Pap. 181, 42 p. 



Fox, W. W., Jr. 



1975. Fitting the generalized stock production model by 

 least-squares and equilibrium approximation. Fish. 

 Bull., U.S. 73:23-37. 

 Gosline, W. A., and V. E. Brock. 



1960. Handbook of Hawaiian fishes. Univ. Hawaii 

 Press, Honolulu, 372 p. 

 Grigg, R. W., and R. T. Pfund (editors). 



1980. Proceedings of the Symposium on Status of Re- 

 source Investigations in the Northwestern Hawaiian 

 Islands, April 24-25, 1980, University of Hawaii. 

 Honolulu, Hawaii. Sea Grant Misc. Rep., UNIHI- 

 SEAGRANT-MR-80-04, 333 p. 

 Grunfeld, Y., and Z. Griuches. 



1960. Is aggregation necessarily bad? Rev. Econ. 

 Statist. 42:1-13. 

 GULLAND, J. A. 



1972. Population dynamics of world fisheries. Wash. 



Sea Grant Publ. 72-1, Univ. Wash., Seattle, 336 p. 

 1974. The management of marine fisheries. Univ. 

 Wash. Press, Seattle, 198 p. 

 Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources. 



1979. Hawaii fisheries development plan. Department 

 of Land and Natural Resources, State of Hawaii, 297 p. 



447 



