Biology and fisheries of western Mediterranean hake (M. merluccius)

Oliver, Pere; Massutı́, Enric

doi:10.1007/978-94-011-1300-7_7

Cited by 42 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The presently reported study analysed the diet of the hake in the northeast Mediterranean, which, given its abundance, plays an important role in comprehending the food chain dynamics. Despite hake's environmental and economic importance (Oliver and Massuti 1995) in the Mediterranean, much of its biology and current exploitation status are scarcely known (Arneri and Morales-Nin 2000) and no data as to its feeding habits in the Adriatic have been analyzed over the last thirty years (Stergiou and Karpouzi 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeding Habits of European Hake, Merluccius Merluccius (Actinopterygii: Gadiformes: Merlucciidae), from the Northeastern Mediterranean Sea

Stagioni¹,

Montanini²,

Vallisneri

2011

Acta Icth et Piscat

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Background. European hake, Merluccius merluccius, is a major predator in demersal ecosystem, and of great importance for the fishery. Knowledge of the feeding ecology of fish species is essential for implementing a multispecies approach to fishery management. Therefore this work was intended to analyse stomach contents and dietary changes according to fish size, season, sex, and depth to better understanding the ecological role of this species in Adriatic demersal marine communities. Materials and methods.A total of 1646 specimens of hake were collected in the Adriatic Sea by oceanographic bottom trawl surveys carried out from 2005 to 2006 during summer-and winter seasons. Principal feeding indices, species diversity Bray-Curtis similarity index, feeding strategy plot, barplot on numeric, and weight abundance data were obtained in order to increase knowledge on the diet of hake.Results. The hake diet mainly consisted of crustaceans (particularly Decapoda) and teleosts (particularly European anchovy, Engraulis encrasicolus, and red bandfish, Cepola macrophthalma). Cluster analysis of %N (numeric prey abundance percent) showed different feeding habits of three mainly groups: small hakes (<150 mm), medium sized hakes (from 150 to 300 mm) and large hake (> 300 mm) from crustaceans (small specimens) to teleost fishes (medium and large specimens). Conclusion.Feeding habits were size-dependant with fish diet being higher in stomachs of larger specimens. Feeding activity seemed to increase during growth, being smaller in immature individuals compared to adults, while no differences were found between females and males diet. Seasonal variation in diet showed an increase of teleost fishes in winter and crustaceans in summer. Keywords:Merluccius merluccius, feeding habits, diet; northeastern Mediterranean Sea biology and current exploitation status are scarcely known (Arneri and Morales-Nin 2000) and no data as to its feeding habits in the Adriatic have been analyzed over the last thirty years (Stergiou and Karpouzi 2002). The purpose of this study was to determine the feeding habits and the trophic ecology of hake in the Adriatic Sea, northeastern Mediterranean. Our specific objectives were to examine the dietary changes according to fish size, sex, season, and depth to better understanding the ecological role of this species in Adriatic demersal marine communities. MATERIALS AND METHODSSampling. European hake, Merluccius merluccius, were collected between 15 to 350 m depth along the coast of the Adriatic Sea (northeast Mediterranean) from the Gulf of Trieste to the Tremiti Islands (Fig. 1) Catches were frozen to prevent digestion of their stomach contents (Carpentieri et al. 2005) and finally taken to the laboratory. A total of 1646 specimens was collected. Hake were measured (total length, TL, in mm) and weighed to the nearest 0.1 g. Sex was determined macroscopically and specimens were classified as females (F), males (M), undetermined (U, macroscopically unidentifiable sex) and not determinable (ND, individual not e...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeding Habits of European Hake, Merluccius Merluccius (Actinopterygii: Gadiformes: Merlucciidae), from the Northeastern Mediterranean Sea

Stagioni¹,

Montanini²,

Vallisneri

2011

Acta Icth et Piscat

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“…European hake shows a strong variability in yearly recruitment indices, both in the Mediterranean (Oliver and Massutí, 1995) and in the Atlantic (Sánchez and Gil, 2000). In the Mediterranean, female hake spawn continuously throughout the year, although spawning activity peaks in autumn in the Catalan sea (Recasens et al, 1998), leading to seasonal variability in recruitment (Maynou et al, 2003;Morales-Nin and Moranta, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Larval development and growth of the European hake Merluccius merluccius in the northwestern Mediterranean

Palomera¹,

Olivar²,

Morales‐Nin³

2005

Sci. Mar.

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SUMMARY:The larval growth and development of the European hake, Merluccius merluccius, was studied from field larvae. Larvae were collected in the northwestern Mediterranean on three cruises carried out during the peak spawning months (November 1998, September 1999 and November 1999. Like other species of the genus, these larvae are characterised by a well-developed anterior part of the body, head and trunk region. Nevertheless, yolk sac larvae are much more slender than larvae at notochordal flexion stages. In the present study we analysed the allometric relationships between several body measurements and body length. This is the first attempt to infer larval growth of Merluccius merluccius by means of sagittal otolith analysis. Our results show the change in the otolith shape from a lenticular otolith in early larvae to an almond-shaped otolith in larger larvae. Otolith diameter showed a power relation with larval size, with no significant differences between seasons. In spite of the sea surface temperature differences between the three periods of larval collection, the early growth estimates showed no significant differences. This was explained by the similarity in the temperature at the depths at which the larvae are located. Absolute growth rates in length were estimated by relating daily growth increments in otoliths and larval size (standard length). When using the whole larval size range the values obtained were similar to those found for other Merluccius species. Nevertheless, the present data evidenced that growth for larvae younger than 12 days is very low, showing a significant increase thereafter. This indicates that length is probably not the best parameter for describing the growth of hake larvae in the first days of life, as allometric analysis suggested.Keywords: hake, Merluccius merluccius, morphometric, larval growth, larval development, otoliths, age.RESUMEN: DESARROLLO Y CRECIMIENTO LARVARIO DE LA MERLUZA EUROPEA MERLUCCIUS MERLUCCIUS, EN EL MEDITERRÁ-NEO NOROCCIDENTAL. -Se estudió el crecimiento y desarrollo larvario de la merluza europea, Merluccius merluccius, a partir de larvas capturadas en el mar. Las larvas se pescaron en el Mediterráneo noroccidental en tres campañas que se realizaron durante los meses de máxima puesta (Noviembre 1998, Septiembre 1999 y Noviembre 1999). Como otras especies del mismo género, estas larvas se caracterizan por tener la parte anterior del cuerpo, la cabeza y el tronco, bien desarrollada. Sin embargo, las larvas lecitotróficas son mucho más alargadas que las larvas en estado de flexión del notocordio. En este estudio, analizamos las relaciones alométricas entre algunas medidas del cuerpo y la longitud del mismo. Es la primera vez que se realiza un estudio del crecimiento larvario de Merluccius merluccius por medio del análisis de los otolitos sagitta. Nuestros resultados muestran que hay un cambio en la forma del otolito, pasando de forma lenticular en larvas pequeñas a forma almendrada en larvas de mayor tamaño. El diámetro del otolito se relaciona con la...

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“…The European hake Merluccius merluccius (L.), is one of the most commercially important demersal species in the western Mediterranean (Aldebert and Carries, 1988;Martín, 1991;Oliver and Massutí, 1995). In the Gulf of Lions, M. merluccius is the main demersal target species of the Spanish and French fishing fleets.…”

Section: Application To the Hake (Merluccius Merluccius) Fishery Of Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given the commercial importance of M. merluccius, various studies have compiled biological and MEDITERRANEAN BIOECONOMIC MODEL 347 fishing data from the area under study (Oliver and Massutí, 1995;Recasens et al 1998;Morales et al 1998). Therefore, this is a good example for showing gear interaction and its implications for a stock and the fishermen's economy.…”

Section: Application To the Hake (Merluccius Merluccius) Fishery Of Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

A bioeconomic model for Mediterranean fisheries, the hake off Catalonia (western Mediterranean) as a case study

Lleonart¹,

Maynou²,

Recasens³

et al. 2003

Sci. Mar.

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SUMMARY:The theoretical aspects and the associated software of a bioeconomic model for Mediterranean fisheries are presented. The first objective of the model is to reproduce the bioeconomic conditions in which the fisheries occur. The model is, perforce, multispecies and multigear. The main management procedure is effort limitation. The model also incorporates the usual fishermen strategy of increasing efficiency to obtain increased fishing mortality while maintaining the nominal effort. This is modelled by means of a function relating the efficiency (or technological progress) with the capital invested in the fishery and time. A second objective is to simulate alternative management strategies. The model allows the operation of technical and economic management measures in the presence of different kind of events. Both deterministic and stochastic simulations can be performed. An application of this tool to the hake fishery off Catalonia is presented, considering the other species caught and the different gears used. Several alternative management measures are tested and their consequences for the stock and economy of fishermen are analysed.

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Biology and fisheries of western Mediterranean hake (M. merluccius)

Cited by 42 publications

References 3 publications

Feeding Habits of European Hake, <I>Merluccius Merluccius</I> (Actinopterygii: Gadiformes: Merlucciidae), from the Northeastern Mediterranean Sea

Feeding Habits of European Hake, <I>Merluccius Merluccius</I> (Actinopterygii: Gadiformes: Merlucciidae), from the Northeastern Mediterranean Sea

Larval development and growth of the European hake <i>Merluccius merluccius</i> in the northwestern Mediterranean

A bioeconomic model for Mediterranean fisheries, the hake off Catalonia (western Mediterranean) as a case study

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