Size selectivity of the net pot for common octopus Octopus minor used in the southern coastal sea of Korea

Abstract

This paper presents the mesh selectivity of a net pot for common octopus Octopus minor for the sustainable resources management of common octopus. The filed experiments were carried out the total 10 times in the southern part of coastal sea in Korea from March to May in 2010 using net pots of five different mesh sizes (16, 18, 20, 22 and 26mm). The test of size selectivity, indicated a 50% selection value on the logistic master curve of 3.195, whereby 50% of individuals with a mantle size of approximately 70.3mm selected a mesh size of 22mm. Considering that 50% of common octopus entering sexual maturity have a mantle size of 70.6mm, the optimum mesh size should be equal to, or larger than 22mm.