This
study characterized the fishery dynamics of blue whiting, a bycatch
species of the bottom trawl Norway lobster fishery, in the NW
Mediterranean. Landings and effort data over the last two decades were
combined with current information on the spatial distribution of effort
and catch, and with the size and age structure of blue whiting over the
year. Recruitment to the demersal habitat occurred from 5 cm total
length (TL) over the shelf break in spring (April-May), when discards
showed the highest values (>95% of the catch). Adults were located
over the upper slope, and large individuals (≥26 cm TL) were abundant
during the reproductive period (January-March). A decline in landings
has been observed in the last decade, probably related to the absence of
intense deep convection processes in winter since 2013, which favour
recruitment of the species. The effect of exploitation on the decrease
in landings cannot be disregarded considering that the bulk of the catch
is made up of immature (age 0) individuals, and the presence of old
individuals is very low. |