Zygochlamys patagonica fishery: by-catch data from the “Observers On Board Program” (INIDEP).

ESCOLAR M.; DIEZ M.; MARECOS A.; CAMPODONICO S.; VALLARINO E.; SCHEJTER L.; BREMEC C.

Halifax, Canada

Workshop; 16th. International Pectinid Workshop; 2007

Since the beginning of the Patagonian scallop fishery in 1996 (Res. ex-SAGPyA N°150/96), an Observers On Board Program (INIDEP) was established. Observers are technically qualified to collect information about fishing practices.This information is a useful tool to evaluate the relationships between the non-target organisms and the resource, regarding to fishery fluctuations, together with the information from annual monitoring and evaluation cruises developed by the INIDEP. Considering that bottom otter trawls scrape the seabed affecting the substrate as well as densities of the benthic species (Bergman et al., 1992; Orensanz et al.1991; Lasta and Bremec, 1998), the goals of this study were to build a database with information on catches, by-catches and fishing efforts (trawls shots number by area and year) provided by the observers and to determine the invertebrates by-catch composition between 1997 and 2002 in commercial fishing grounds of Patagonian scallops in the Argentine Sea.