Zusammenfassung: We compared the von Bertalanffy growth function (VBGF) and five polynormial functions (PF) in modelling fish growth for 16 populations comprising six species of freshwater fishes. Ranked results of the variance explained by each growth function indicated that VBGF described growth data better than three- and four-parameter polynomial functions. Log-transforming length and age greatly improved the goodness-of-fit of the three-parameter polynomial function. Statistical comparison of growth between populations or sexes was done using a general linear model for polynomial functions. The VBGF proved to be the best growth model for all 16 populations.

Zusammenfassung: The influences of density-dependent and density-independent factors on year-class strength (YCS) of Corogonus lavaretus in Lake Constance were studied by multiple linear regression analyses for the period from 1962 to 1982. Meteorological conditions that lead to early thermal stratification of the lake in April are of prime importance for YCS and account for 41% of the total YCS variance. Zooplankton concentration during spring has no significant influence on YCS. The extensive stocking program on the lake (50-200 million larvae stocked per year) significantly supports YCS, but this relationship becomes apparent only after the influence of meteorological conditions are removed from the data.

Zusammenfassung: Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) escapements in natural streams are often determined by conducting fence counts in conjunction with mark-recapture operations. Typical field conditions are characterized by protracted floods, undetected immigration, variation in sampling rates, mortality during the census periods, small sample sizes, and few successive recaptures. Closed population models tend to overestimate escapement under such conditions, and traditional open population models cannot always be relied on due to the lack of sufficient data. A likelihood-based estimation method was specifically designed for such conditions. A distinguishing feature of this model is that individual recapture histories are not required for parameter estimation. The model is also structured to incorporate ancillary data in the estimation process to improve the precision and accuracy of the estimates. The model is described in detail, and suggestions are made to facilitate its application.

Zusammenfassung: A dynamic model for open-access fisheries is presented. In addition to density dependence in recruitment and fishing effort changing in proportion to the level of profit fishermen earn which characterizes previous open-access models, it incorporates full age structure for the fish stock, lognormal environmental recruitment variability, and gear selectivity. The predator-prey cycling solution of the original Schaefer dynamic model, and subsequent open-access models, persists for these model extensions. Density dependence in recruitment induces greater global stability. Environmental recruitment variability, common in marine populations, is destabilizing in the neighborhood of the open-access equilibrium. Approximating model steady states of effort and catch by the corresponding averages from data time series underlies a new algorithm of parameter evaluation, applied here to an open-access model of the Georges Bank sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) fishery.