Fishery exploitation and stock assessment of the endangered Nassau grouper, Epinephelus striatus (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Serranidae), in the Turks and Caicos Islands
| Autor: | Matthew Ashley, Steven P. Newman, Anh-Thu E. Vo, Angela Dikou |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2014 |
| Předmět: |
Stock assessment
maximum sustainable yield biology Serranidae Ecology Fishing small-scale fisheries Endangered species Aquatic Science Epinephelus biology.organism_classification Perciformes Fishery Geography calibrated length-cohort analysis Nassau grouper fisheries management regulations Stock (geology) exploitation mass-at-size estimates |
| Zdroj: | Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria 44(2): 117-122 |
| ISSN: | 1734-1515 0137-1592 |
| DOI: | 10.3750/AIP2014.44.2.05 |
| Popis: | Background. The Nassau grouper, Epinephelus striatus (Bloch, 1792), is an endangered species that has been historically overexploited in numerous fisheries throughout its range in the Caribbean and tropical West Atlantic. Data relating fishery exploitation levels to stock abundance of the species a re deficient, and protective regula- tions for the Nassau grouper are yet to be implemented in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). The goal of this study was to conduct a stock assessment and evaluate the exploitation status of the Nassau grouper in the TCI. Materials and methods. Calibrated length cohort analysis was applied to published fisheries data on Nassau grouper landings in the TCI. The total lengths of Nassau groupers among the catches of spearfishers, lobster t rap- pers, and deep sea fishers on the island of South Caicos during 2006 and 2008 were used with estimates of growth, natural mortality, and total annual landings to derive exploitation benchmarks. Results. The TCI stock experienced low to moderate fishing mortality (0.28, 0.18) and exploitation rates (0.49, 0.38) during the period of the study (2006, 2008). However, 21.2%-64.4% of all landings were reproductively immature. Spearfishing appeared to contribute m ost to fishing mortality relative to the use of lobster traps or hydraulic reels along bank drop-offs. Conclusion. In comparison with available fisheries data for the wider Caribbean, the results reveal the TCI as one of the remaining sites, in addition to the Bahamas, with a substantial Nassau grouper stock. In light of increasing development and tourism in the TCI, continued monitoring is essential to maintain sustainable harvesting practices. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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