Abstract
The yellow mandi Pimelodus maculatus is a medium-sized species with a wide geographical distribution. The species is very common in the Neotropical region, representing an important share of fishing activity in several Brazilian reservoirs. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the current situation of the yellow mandi fish stock in the Itá reservoir, located in the Upper Uruguay River. Data collected from January 2004 to December 2016 were used to estimate growth, mortality, and fish recruitment rates. In addition, a stock assessment was performed, and the results were used to verify the status of the fishery. The mean of the population parameters were: total length (L) = 55.65 cm; length at which 50% of fish are vulnerable to capture (Lc) = 23.08 cm, growth rate (k) = 0.260 year-1, growth performance index (íËœ) = 3.047, natural mortality rate (M) = 0.537, fishing mortality rate (F) = 0.413, total mortality rate (Z) = 0.95, exploitation rate (E) = 0.434, maximum age (Tmax) = 6.68 years. The growth curve obtained via ELEFAN I revealed that fishing operates on eight of the eleven cohorts of the population. Yellow mandi stock assessment did not show signs of fish overexploitation or any risk of depletion.
Highlights
Inland fishing, performed both in rivers and in reservoirs, stands out as an activity of great social and economic importance (Junk, 2007)
The aim of this study was to evaluate the current situation of the fishing stock of the yellow mandi P. maculatus in the Itá reservoir, based on data collected over a 15-year study
The length growth curves obtained using ELEFAN I showed that fishing was operating on eight P. maculatus cohorts, with the highest catches occurring mainly on five cohorts
Summary
Inland fishing, performed both in rivers and in reservoirs, stands out as an activity of great social and economic importance (Junk, 2007). One way of studying fishing stocks is through the yield-per-recruit model (Munyandorero, 2018), which facilitates the estimation of the biomass that is being replaced in the population, to ensure an equilibrium condition. In this model, fishing catch data, species growth, and natural mortality are related to estimate the maximum fishing mortality (Fmax) that guarantees the maximum yield‐per‐recruit for the renewal of the species stock, i.e., the maximum sustainable yield. Biological Reference Points (BRPs), which contain additional information to assess the current status of a fish stock, are usually selected depending on the type of data available about the target species
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