Open research questions in Marine and fisheries research

What the literature leaves open

• Overfitting can arise in GAMs if the number of basis dimensions used in smooth terms is set too large. Validating the observed data and preventing overfitting can be challenging in GAMs. The paper identifies the need for more quantitative approaches to assess the adequacy of GAMs.

  Generalized Additive Modeling of Ecological Data With mgcv: New Adequacy Assessment Tools · 2026 · DOI

• There is a need for diagnostic tools to assess the adequacy of GAMs. The existing tools for validating GAMs are limited, and there is a need for more quantitative approaches.

  Generalized Additive Modeling of Ecological Data With mgcv: New Adequacy Assessment Tools · 2026 · DOI

• japonicus in Korean waters remains limited; furthermore, comprehensive investigations integrating both reproductive and growth characteristics are lacking.

  Growth and reproduction of Japanese seabass, Lateolabrax japonicus , in the southern waters off the Korean Peninsula · 2026 · DOI

• While progress has been made to understand the potential effects of OWED, information is still lacking about how patterns of vessel presence and fishing effort have changed in response to OWED and how responses differ between commercial and recreational fisheries.

  Mapping the Responses of Commercial and Recreational Fishing Vessels to Offshore Wind Energy Development in Southern New England · 2026

• The research concludes that a one-month seasonal closure is insufficient for stock recovery without addressing overcapacity and enforcement.

  Assessing the Impact of the Closed Fishing Season on Small Pelagic Fish Stock Dynamics in Ghana. · 2026

• The fisheries sector in Oman has experienced significant growth in volume over the last decade; however, issues of sustainability and economic efficiency remain insufficiently defined.

  Evaluation of fisheries trends and sustainability metrics of Omani fisheries (1985–2022) · 2026 · DOI

• ABSTRACT Drifting fish aggregating devices (DFADs) are widely used in tuna purse seine fisheries, yet the mechanisms underlying tuna association behavior remain insufficiently understood.

  Key Factors Influencing Tuna Association Behavior During Prolonged Drift Periods of Fish Aggregating Devices · 2026 · DOI

• However, the vertical impacts of cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies on zooplankton energy transfer efficiency remain unclear in the northern South China Sea (SCS).

  Zooplankton Size Structure and Energy Transfer Characteristics Under the Influence of Mesoscale Eddies in the Northern South China Sea During Spring: Insights From ZooScan Imaging · 2025 · DOI

• To address uncertainties in how threatened coastal China seas fish communities respond to stressors like overfishing and climate change, this study applied Hierarchical Modelling of Species Communities (HMSC) to disentangle the assembly rules shaping these communities, filling a critical gap in understanding their spatiotemporal dynamics.

  Unraveling Fish Community Assembly Rules in Coastal China Seas Based on Hierarchical Modeling of Species Communities · 2025 · DOI

• Therefore, this study provides both a novel perspective for modeling biological habitat distribution with limited data and a scientific basis for the adjustment of fishery resource management and conservation measures in the context of climate change.

  Seasonal-Spatial Distribution Variations and Predictions of Loliolus beka and Loliolus uyii in the East China Sea Region: Implications from Climate Change Scenarios · 2024 · DOI

• The study does not address whether the regional differences are the result of local adaptation or a similar response over different covariate ranges. The study does not provide a comprehensive analysis of the evolutionary implications of the findings.

  The pervasiveness of fish spawning along a complex coastline · 2026 · DOI

• The prevailing paradigm of fish spawning is biased by the sampling strategy. There is a lack of understanding of the spatial patterns of fish spawning. The study addresses this gap by analyzing an extensive 16-year dataset of egg catches along the Norwegian coast.

  The pervasiveness of fish spawning along a complex coastline · 2026 · DOI

• The difficulty in quantifying the extent of the sample area using Stereo Baited Remote Underwater Video. The potential bias in the method, e.g., differentially attracting species, bait type, plume effects, or restricted view. The need to understand the long-term effects of offshore wind turbine foundations on demersal fish species.

  Fine-scale proximity to offshore wind turbine foundations increases biomass of demersal fish species · 2026 · DOI

• The cumulative impact of thousands of turbine foundations on local and regional marine species populations is not fully understood. There is a need to understand the effect of fine-scale proximity to offshore wind turbine foundations on demersal fish species.

  Fine-scale proximity to offshore wind turbine foundations increases biomass of demersal fish species · 2026 · DOI

• The challenge of understanding the complex relationships between environmental factors and the distribution of M. hardwickii. The difficulty of predicting the habitat suitability of M. hardwickii using field survey data. The need to address the impact of climate change on the resource stock of M. hardwickii.

  Seasonal-Spatial Habitat Variation and Resource Status of Spear Shrimp Mierspenaeopsis hardwickii (Miers, 1878) in the Southern Yellow Sea and East China Sea · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of understanding of the distribution patterns related to environmental factors and migration routes of M. hardwickii. The need for more research on the seasonal-spatial habitat variation and resource status of M. hardwickii. The gap in knowledge on the impact of climate change on the resource stock of M. hardwickii.

  Seasonal-Spatial Habitat Variation and Resource Status of Spear Shrimp Mierspenaeopsis hardwickii (Miers, 1878) in the Southern Yellow Sea and East China Sea · 2026 · DOI

• The trophic ecology of the skipjack herring is poorly understood, therefore we quantified the length, mouth gape and gut contents of juvenile skipjack herring from the Mississippi River (fish n = 6), Illinois River (fish n = 181) and Ohio River (fish n = 255) and tested for changes in diets and predator–prey size ratios during ontogeny.

  Diet of juvenile skipjack herring Alosa chrysochloris : Ontogenetic shifts, predator–prey size ratios and mouth gape allometry · 2026 · DOI

• There is a need to understand the relationship between physico-chemical parameters and fish diversity in artificial reefs. The study aims to address this gap by investigating the correlation between physico-chemical parameters and fish abundance in artificial reefs of the Sea of Oman.

  Seasonal variability of physico-chemical parameters and their effects on fish diversity in artificial reefs of the Sea of Oman · 2026 · DOI

• The study shows seasonal effects on diversity are depth-dependent through season-depth interactions but does not investigate whether this interaction pattern differs between artificial and natural reefs, or determine threshold depth values where seasonal effects on fish community organization shift or reverse.

  Seasonal variability of physico-chemical parameters and their effects on fish diversity in artificial reefs of the Sea of Oman · 2026 · DOI

• The effectiveness of management actions implemented through the Fishery Ecosystem Initiative loop requires peer review and reassessment, but no standardized protocol for evaluating outcomes of harvest control rules or other HAB-related management responses in real-time has been established for application in future red tide events.

  A garden of forking paths: an ecosystem-based fisheries management case study of Florida red tides · 2026 · DOI

• The paper notes that some ecosystem issues may have no immediate fishery management response due to insufficient information, but does not specify which knowledge gaps about red tide formation, propagation, or ecosystem effects on the West Florida Shelf are most critical to prioritize for research recommendations to overcome statutory authority limitations.

  A garden of forking paths: an ecosystem-based fisheries management case study of Florida red tides · 2026 · DOI

• The study identifies a gap in the understanding of the spawning and larval habitats of tuna and billfish in a warming ocean. The study identifies a gap in the ability to disentangle complex environmental drivers shaping the early life stages of tuna and billfish.

  Tuna and billfish larval distributions in a warming ocean · 2026 · DOI

• There is a lack of understanding of the ontogenetic and sex-related variations in otolith morphology and structure. The study aims to fill this gap by investigating the sagittal otolith of the thinlip gray mullet.

  Ontogenetic and sex-related variations in otolith morphology and structure of thinlip gray mullet from a transitional environment in northern Italy · 2026 · DOI

• Future research should focus on assessing the ecological risk comprehensively and systematically. Studies should investigate the effects of artificial release on the invasion risk of largemouth bass.

  Identifying wild and hatchery-reared largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) using otolith microstructure: a snapshot for the invasion situation in China · 2026 · DOI

• The study identifies a gap in the understanding of the invasion risk of largemouth bass in China. There is a need for effective management systems to mitigate the invasion risk.

  Identifying wild and hatchery-reared largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) using otolith microstructure: a snapshot for the invasion situation in China · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Marine and fisheries research

• Historical Overfishing and the Recent Collapse of Coastal Ecosystems · Science · 2001 · 4,908 citations
• Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services · Science · 2006 · 3,471 citations
• Fishing Down Marine Food Webs · Science · 1998 · 3,410 citations
• Climate Change and Distribution Shifts in Marine Fishes · Science · 2005 · 2,586 citations
• Predation, Body Size, and Composition of Plankton · Science · 1965 · 2,389 citations
• The Identification, Conservation, and Management of Estuarine and Marine Nurseries for Fish and Invertebrates · BioScience · 2001 · 2,063 citations
• The Ocean's Food Web, A Changing Paradigm · BioScience · 1974 · 897 citations
• Dramatic Declines in North Atlantic Diadromous Fishes · BioScience · 2009 · 613 citations
• Marine Fish Population Collapses: Consequences for Recovery and Extinction Risk · BioScience · 2004 · 534 citations
• Fish in larger shoals find food faster · Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology · 1982 · 454 citations

Most recent work

• Generalized Additive Modeling of Ecological Data With mgcv: New Adequacy Assessment Tools · Ecology and Evolution · 2026
• Evaluation of fisheries trends and sustainability metrics of Omani fisheries (1985–2022) · Discover Sustainability · 2026
• Quota constraints, market pressures, and structural change in Polish Baltic fisheries: Evidence across fleet segments and fishing activities · Marine Policy · 2026
• The use of remote sensing to detect illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) tuna fishing activities in the Peruvian Exclusive Economic Zone · Marine Policy · 2026
• Accounting for unreported harvest in fisheries with diverse social dynamics · Ecosphere · 2026
• How Grouping Data over Time Can Hide Signs of Stock Status: A Case Study Using LBSPR on Frigate Tuna (Auxis thazard, Lacépède, 1800) in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean · Biology · 2026
• Revisiting rebuilding options of European fisheries · Frontiers in Marine Science · 2026
• Tuna and billfish larval distributions in a warming ocean · Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries · 2026
• Optimizing Light Traps for Littoral Mysids and Mesopredatory Fish in the Baltic Sea: Environmental Drivers and Seasonal Monitoring Efficacy · bioRxiv · 2026
• Climate Attribution in Fishery Stock Assessment: Case Studies From the Northeast U.S. Groundfish Stocks · Fish and Fisheries · 2026

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