Population Characteristics of the European Lobster, Homarus gammarus in the Adriatic Sea: Implications for Sustainable Fisheries Management

Mišo Pavičić,Sanja Matić-Skoko,Ante Vujević,Dario Vrdoljak

doi:10.3390/w13081072

Mišo Pavičić, Sanja Matić-Skoko + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/w13081072

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Abstract

The European lobster, Homarus gammarus, was sampled from September 2016 to August 2017, using pots and gillnets in the Eastern Adriatic Sea. Official landings were also analyzed (2008–2020). The majority of landings were from the Northern Adriatic and showed an increase of 18.5% over the study period. Results revealed an extremely low catch rate that fluctuated significantly by season. Dominance by specimens in the size classes of 90–110 mm carapace length (CL) was observed. Experimental design revealed spatial heterogeneity, with larger individuals caught further from the coast (>3 nm) and undersized specimens caught near the coast (<3 nm). With increasing CL and total length (TL), an increase in weight was higher in males than females. TL and abdomen width (AW) increased linearly with CL and were more pronounced in females. At 80 mm CL, females started to develop secondary sex characteristics with wider AW than males. The results suggest that the modern legal framework is appropriate for lobster fisheries and a longer fishing season is not advisable, despite a positive catch trend in the northern part of the sea. Additional efforts are desirable to reduce fishing pressure in the coastal part. The morphometric relationships could reveal population characteristics required as inputs in stock assessment analysis for effective management.

Highlights

Nikos NeofitouModern fisheries management design and implementation should draw on insights into biological, environmental, and socioeconomic issues, and their interconnections at the local, regional, or national scales [1]
Lobsters below the minimum landing size (MLS) of 105 mm carapace length (CL) accounted for 52.83%
All Homarus gammarus stocks along European coasts are progressively declining as a consequence of intensive fisheries, high fishing effort and high efficiency of fishing gears [54]

Summary

Introduction

Modern fisheries management design and implementation should draw on insights into biological, environmental, and socioeconomic issues, and their interconnections at the local, regional, or national scales [1]. Fisheries management tools are imperative for the Mediterranean Sea, due to its heterogeneity and uncertainty surrounding the implementation of measures to date [2,3,4]. It should be stressed that the coastal Mediterranean fisheries, whether artisanal, recreational, subsistence or a combination of the above, play an important socioeconomic role in Europe [5,6]. Small-scale fishers (SSF) along the Mediterranean coast operate with a variety of fishing gears on a seasonal basis, and catches are composed of a wide range of species [7].

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