Abstract
European hake (Merluccius merluccius) is a commercially important resource in Iberian Atlantic waters. Despite the recovery plan implemented in 2006 and the multiannual management plan for western waters, fishing mortality is still higher than that corresponding to the maximum sustainable yield for the southern European hake stock. The biological processes underlying the dynamics of this stock and its life history traits are essential for assessing population productivity and resilience, making them basic information for management. We analysed the temporal variability of size at maturity (L50) of this species and the main factors influencing it in Atlantic Iberian waters from 1982 to 2019. The annual variability of L50 for each sex was modelled with generalized additive models, considering explanatory environmental variables (Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, North Atlantic Oscillation and sea surface temperature) and biological variables (biomass, spawning biomass at length and relative condition factor). The results showed that the L50 of males decreased by a total of 12.9 cm and L50 of females decreased by a total of 10.9 cm from 1982 to 2019. For females the significant explanatory variables were year, spawning biomass at length, biomass and the North Atlantic Oscillation, while for males only year was an explanatory variable. These results are important for understanding the status of the European hake population, signalling that L50 is a good indicator for predicting future population dynamics.
Funder
Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
Subject
Aquatic Science,Oceanography
Reference57 articles.
1. Albo-Puigserver M., Pennino M.G., Bellido J.M., et al. 2021. Changes in life history traits of small pelagic fish in the western Mediterranean Sea. Front. Mar. Sci. 8: 1197.
2. Ali M., Nicieza A., Wootton R.J. 2003. Compensatory growth in fishes: a response to growth depression. Fish. Fish. 4: 147-190.
3. Ashton W.D. 1972. The logit transformation with special reference to its uses in bioassay. Haffner Publishing Co., INC., New York, 88 pp.
4. Barot S, Heino M, O'Brien L, Dieckmann U. 2004. Estimating reaction norms for age and size at maturation when age at first reproduction is unknown. Evol. Ecol. Res. 6: 659-678.
5. Cerviño S., Domínguez R., Jardim E., et al. 2013. Impact of egg production and stock structure on MSY reference points. Implications for Southern hake management. Fish. Res. 138: 168-178.
Cited by
2 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献