When conventional fisheries management measures are not effective to reduce the catch and discard of juvenile fish: a case study of Argentine hake trawl fishery in San Matías Gulf

ROMERO, ALEJANDRA; GONZÁLEZ, RAÚL; OCAMPO REINALDO, MATÍAS

NORTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES MANAGEMENT

AMER FISHERIES SOC

Año: 2010 p. 702 - 712

0275-5947

Performance of management measures directed to reduce catch of small-size fish in trawl fisheries requires a proper evaluation taking into account that different factors (e.g., fishermen behavior, gear efficiency, market forces, weak control) may affect the expected results (e.g., reduction of juvenile catch and discard, bycatch minimizing), thus adding uncertainty to their evaluation. High bycatch of juvenile Argentine hake Merluccius hubbsi recorded in San Matías Gulf trawl fishery, Argentina, could be an indication of sub-optimal harvesting pattern and likely a problem that should be addressed. Regulations directed to mitigate these problems, consisting of minimum mesh size and seasonal closure of a nursery area, were established in 1997-1998. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of the size-selectivity measure ten years after its implementation based on the estimation of two key indicators: presence of juvenile Argentine hake in catches and discard rates. Our results showed that this measure was ineffective to reduce the catch and discard of juveniles and that both indicators values increased during the period analyzed. This failure could be the result of the limited scientific advice available when the measure was designed and of poor implementation, monitoring, and control strategies.