Gillnet selectivity in the Ebro delta coastal lagoons and its implications for the management of the sand smelt, Atherina boyeri (Actinopterygii:Atherinidae)

Multimesh nylon gillnets were set in three Ebro Delta (North-East of Spain) lagoons to determine mesh selectivity for the inhabiting fish community. Each gillnet consisted on a series of twelve panels of different mesh size (ranging from 5.0 to 55.0 mm bar length) randomly distributed. The SELECT me...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Rodríguez Climent, Sílvia, Caiola, Nuno, Ibáñez, Carles, Alcaraz, Carles, Nebra Costas, Alfonso, Muñoz Camarillo, Gloria, Vinyoles Cartanyà, Dolors, Sostoa Fernández, Adolfo de
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2012
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:2445/107635
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/107635
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Pesca
Legislació
Ebre, Delta de l' (Catalunya)
Ecologia aquàtica
Fishing
Legislation
Ebro River Delta (Catalonia)
Aquatic ecology
Descripción
Sumario:Multimesh nylon gillnets were set in three Ebro Delta (North-East of Spain) lagoons to determine mesh selectivity for the inhabiting fish community. Each gillnet consisted on a series of twelve panels of different mesh size (ranging from 5.0 to 55.0 mm bar length) randomly distributed. The SELECT method (Share Each Length's Catch Total) was used to estimate retention curves through five models: normal location, normal scale, gamma, lognormal and inverse Gaussian. Each model was fitted twice, under the assumptions of equal and proportional to mesh size fishing effort, but no differences were found between approaches. A possible situation of overfishing in the lagoons, where artisanal fisheries are carried out with a low surveillance effort, was assessed using a vulnerable species inhabiting these brackish waters as case study: the sand smelt, Atherina boyeri. The minimum size for its fishery has not been established, thus remaining under an uncontrolled exploitation situation. Therefore, a Minimum Landing Size (MLS) is proposed based on sexual maturity data. The importance of establishing an adequate MLS and regulate mesh sizes in order to respect natural maturation length is discussed, as well as, the proposal of other measures to improve A. boyeri fishery management.