Fleet efficiency in the Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) fishery in the Gulf of California, Mexico

Abstract

The control of the fishing effort and establishment of individual catch quotas has been proposed as a strategy to manage the Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) fishery in the north of the Gulf of California. In this study, the issues related to the efficiency of hake fishing vessels are analyzed. Two different types of vessels, large and small, were identified using the physical characteristics of 53 vessels in a cluster analysis. Using generalized linear models (GLM), efficiency variation (catch per unit of effort CPUE) was assessed with data derived from onboard observations of 74 trips made by 25 vessels and 814 sets from 2015 to 2019. The variables used to determine their contribution to CPUE were years, vessel types, fishing areas, depth strata, and their interactions. The factors year, fishing area, net type, and vessel type explain the interannual variability in the CPUE. The model, which included the interactions, showed 18% of explained deviance and indicated that interactions between year and area and between depth and vessel were significant and contributed the most to the deviance explained by the model. A GLM exhibited 11% of the explained deviance without considering interactions and indicates that large vessels are 1.5 times more efficient than small vessels.