Abstract
Buccinanops globulosus is a commercially exploited gastropod common in coastal waters of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean. We determined the age and estimated growth and mortality rates of B. globulosus in a population from Golfo Nuevo (Patagonia, Argentina). Age was determined by counting opercular rings and growth was described by the von Bertalanffy function fitted to data of length-at-age. Mortality rate (Z) was estimated by the linearized catch curve method. The maximum age was determined at 8 years. Growth parameters estimated for the whole population were TSL ∞ =37.87 mm, k=0.33 year−1 and t 0=−0.65 year. Likelihood ratio tests indicated significant differences in asymptotic length and fitted growth models between sexes. Annual mortality rate (the first reported for the species) was estimated to be 0.34 year−1 (0.49–0.20). Information on growth parameters of B. globulosus showed that TSL ∞ and the index of overall growth performance of the population studied here were intermediate compared to previously studied populations, thus indicating site-specific growth differences. Taking into account that the most common management strategy in gastropod fisheries is the use of a minimum size limit (MSL), we suggest that fishery measurements such as MSL for this species should be established only for small geographical scales.
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