The evolution of the fishing of Aristeus antennatus during the last 15 years on the Catalan coast has been analyzed. Major components of catches, are mature individuals. The exploited length frequency distribution, as well as the mean size of catches remained stable during 1984-1991; the fishing effort directed to this species has undergone slight variations. The exploited sizes ranged between 15-66 mm carapace length for females and 17-38 mm for males. The exploitation of this species is limited to fishing grounds located in submarine canyons, between 400-800 m depth. Catches showed marked seasonality, with maximum values in spring-summer, during the reproduction period. Annual natural mortality rates M of 0.5 for females and 0.8 for males are proposed, values much lower than those estimated for other penaeids. Considering all these facts together, it appears that we are dealing with a bottom trawl fishing strategy close to the optimum.