Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Assessment of the exploitable biomass of thread herring (Opisthonema spp.) in northwestern Mexico

  • Articles
  • Marine Biology
  • Published:
Acta Oceanologica Sinica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In recent years, the small pelagic fishery on the Pacific northwest coast of Mexico has significantly increased fishing pressure on thread herring Opisthonema spp. This fishery is regulated using a precautionary approach (acceptable biological catch (ABC) and minimum catch size). However, due to fishing dynamics, fish aggregation habits and increased fishing mortality, periodic biomass assessments are necessary to estimate ABC and assess the resource status. The Catch-MSY approach was used to analyze historical series of thread herring catches off the western Baja California Sur (BCS, 1981–2018) and the Gulf of California (GC, 1972–2018) to estimate exploitable biomass and target reference points in order to obtain catch quotas. According to the results, in GC, the maximum biomass reached in 1972 (at the beginning of fishery) and minimum biomass reached in 2015; the estimated exploitable biomass for 2019 was 42.2×104 t; and the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) was 15.4×104 t. In the western BCS coast, the maximum biomass was reached in 1981 (at the beginning of fishery) and minimum biomass was reached in 2017; the estimated exploitable biomass for 2019 was 3.2×104 t; and the MSY was 1.2×104 t. Both stocks showed a decrease in biomass over the past years and were currently near to point of full exploitation. The results suggest that the use of the Catch-MSY method is suitable to obtain annual biomass estimates, in order to establish an ABC, to know the current state of the resource, and to avoid overcoming the potential recovery of the stocks.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barange M, Bernal M, Cergole M C, et al. 2009. Current trends in the assessment and management of stocks. In: Checkley D, Alheit J, Oozeki Y, et al., eds. Climate Change and Small Pelagic Fish. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 191–255

    Google Scholar 

  • Berry F H, Barrett I. 1963. Gillraker analysis and speciation in the thread herring genus Opisthonema. Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission Bulletin, 7(2): 110–190

    Google Scholar 

  • Castro-González J J, Galindo-Cortes G, De la Cruz F J, et al. 2013. Dictamen técnico para la recomendación de la cuota de captura de Curvina golfina (Cynoscion othonopterus) en el Alto Golfo de California, Temporada de pesca 2013–2014. Ensenada, Mexico: Instituto Nacional de la Pesca, Secretaría de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural of México, 8

    Google Scholar 

  • Cervigón F, Bastida R. 1974. Contribución al conocimiento de la fauna ictiológica de la provincia de Buenos Aires. Anales de la Sociedad Científica Argentina, 197: 3–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Cisneros-Mata M A, Nevárez-Martínez M O, Hammann M G. 1995. The rise and fall of the Pacific sardine, Sardinops sagax caeruleus Girard, in the Gulf of California, Mexico. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations Reports, 36: 136–143

    Google Scholar 

  • Comisión Nacional de Acuicultura y Pesca. 2011. Anuario Estadístico de Acuacultura y Pesca. Mazatlán, México: Comisión Nacional de Acuicultura y Pesca, Secretaría de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural, 311

    Google Scholar 

  • Costello C, Gaines S D, Lynham J. 2008. Can catch shares prevent fisheries collapse?. Science, 321(5896): 1678–1681, doi: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1159478

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diario Oficial de la Federación. 2012. Plan de Manejo Pesquero para la Pesquería de Pelágicos Menores (Sardinas, Anchovetas, Macarela y Afines) del noroeste de Mexico. Ciudad de Mexico, México: Diario Oficial de la Federación, 51

    Google Scholar 

  • Diario Oficial de la Federación. 2019. Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-003-SAG/PESC-2018 Para regular el aprovechamiento de las especies de peces pelágicos menores con embarcaciones de cerco, en aguas de jurisdicción federal del océano pacífico, incluyendo el Golfo de california. Ciudad de México, México: Diario Oficial de la Federación, 15

    Google Scholar 

  • Enciso C E. 2014. Evaluación de la pesquería de curvina golfina Cynoscion othonopterus (Gilbert y Jordan, 1882) en el Alto Golfo de California [dissertation]. Mazatlán, México: Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, 65

    Google Scholar 

  • Fréon P, Cury P, Shannon L, et al. 2005. Sustainable exploitation of small pelagic fish stocks challenged by environmental and ecosystem changes: a review. Bulletin of Marine Science, 76(2): 385–462

    Google Scholar 

  • Froese R, Pauly D. 2019. World Wide Web electronic publication. FishBase. https://www.fishbase.in/search.php [2020-12-21]

  • García-Borbón F. 2009. Construcción de un modelo estructurado por edades para la determinación del inicio de temporada de captura de camarón café (Farfantepenaeus californiesis, Holmes) en Bahía Magdalena-Almejas, Baja California Sur, México [dissertation]. La Paz, Mexico: Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, 194

    Google Scholar 

  • Haddon M J. 2011. Modelling and Quantitative Methods in Fisheries. 2nd ed. Boca Raton, Florida: Chapman and Hall/CRC Press, 449

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hilborn R, Walters C J. 1992. Quantitative fisheries stock assessment: choice, dynamics and uncertainty. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 2(2): 177–178, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00042883

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hsieh C H, Kim H J, Watson W, et al. 2009. Climate-driven changes in abundance and distribution of larvae of oceanic fishes in the southern California region. Global Change Biology, 15(9): 2137–2152, doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.01875.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacob-Cervantes M L. 2010. La pesquería de peces pelágicos menores en el sur del Golfo de California. Análisis de la temporada de pesca 2008. Ciencia Pesquera, 18(2): 47–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Ji Yupeng, Liu Qun, Liao Baochao, et al. 2019. Estimating biological reference points for Largehead hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus) fishery in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 38(10): 20–26, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-019-1343-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kimura D K, Tagart J V. 1982. Stock reduction analysis, another solution to the catch equations. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 39(11): 1467–1472, doi: https://doi.org/10.1139/f82-198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lanz E, Nevárez-Martínez M, López-Martínez J, et al. 2009. Small pelagic fish catches in the Gulf of California associated with sea surface temperature and chlorophyll. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations Reports, 50: 134–146

    Google Scholar 

  • Li Jiuqi, Ye Changchen, Wang Wenbo, et al. 2011. A stock assessment of small yellow croaker by Bayes-based Pella-Tomlinson model in the East China Sea. Journal of Shanghai Ocean University (in Chinese), 20(6): 873–882

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin Longshan. 2009. Study on the fishery biology and management strategy of Larimichthys polyactis in the southern Yellow Sea and the East China Sea (in Chinese) [dissertation]. Qingdao: Ocean University of China

    Google Scholar 

  • Lluch-Belda D, Magallon F J, Schwartzlose R A. 1986. Large fluctuations in the sardine fishery in the Gulf of California: possible causes. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations Reports, 27: 136–140

    Google Scholar 

  • MacCall A D. 1975. Density dependence of catchability coefficient in the California Pacific sardine, Sardinops sagax caerulea, purse seine fishery. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations Reports, 18: 136–148

    Google Scholar 

  • Martell S, Froese R. 2013. A simple method for estimating MSY from catch and resilience. Fish and Fisheries, 14(4): 504–514, doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-2979.2012.00485.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nevárez-Martínez M O, Martínez-Zavala M A, Jacob-Cervantes M L, et al. 2014. Peces Pelágicos Menores Sardinops sagax, Opisthonema spp., Scomber japonicus, Engraulis mordax, Cetengraulis mysticetus, Etrumeus teres, Trachurus symmetricus, Oligoplites spp. In: Beléndez-Moreno L F J, Espino-Barr E, Galindo-Cortes G, et al., eds. Sustentabilidad y Pesca Responsable en México: Evaluación y Manejo 2013. Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación, México: Instituto Nacional de la Pesca, 453

    Google Scholar 

  • Pérez-Quiñonez C, Quiñonez-Velázquez C, García-Rodríguez F J. 2018. Detecting Opisthonema libertate (Günther, 1867) phenotypic stocks in northwestern coast of México using geometric morphometrics based on body and otolith shape. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research, 46(4): 779–790, doi: https://doi.org/10.3856/vol46-issue4-fulltext-15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perrotta R G, Viñas M D, Hernandez D R, et al. 2001. Temperature conditions in the Argentine chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) fishing ground: implications for fishery management. Fisheries Oceanography, 10(3): 275–283, doi: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2419.2001.00171.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Polacheck T, Hilborn R, Punt A E. 1993. Fitting surplus production models: comparing methods and measuring uncertainty. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 50(12): 2597–2607, doi: https://doi.org/10.1139/f93-284

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Post J R, Sullivan M, Cox S, et al. 2002. Canada’s recreational fisheries: the invisible collapse?. Fisheries, 27(1): 6–17, doi: https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8446(2002)027<0006:CRF>2.0.CO;2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prager M H. 1994. A suite of extensions to a nonequilibrium surplus production model. Fishery Bulletin, 92: 347–389

    Google Scholar 

  • Radovich J. 1976. Catch-per-unit-of-effort: fact, fiction, or dogma. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations Reports, 18: 31–33

    Google Scholar 

  • Ricard D, Minto C, Jensen O P, et al. 2012. Examining the knowledge base and status of commercially exploited marine species with the RAM legacy stock assessment database. Fish and Fisheries, 13(4): 380–398, doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-2979.2011.00435.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ricker W E. 1975. Computation and Interpretation of Biological Statistics of Fish Populations. Ottawa, Canada: Department of Fisheries and Oceans

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodríguez-Domínguez G, Castillo-Vargasmachuca S G, Pérez-González R, et al. 2014. Catch—Maximum sustainable yield method applied to the crab fishery (Callinectes spp.) in the Gulf of California. Journal of Shellfish Research, 33(1): 45–51, doi:https://doi.org/10.2983/035.033.0106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruelas-Peña J H, Valdez-Muñoz C, Aragón-Noriega E A. 2013. La pesquería de la corvina golfina y las acciones de manejo en el Alto Golfo de California, México. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research, 41(3): 498–505

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruiz-Domínguez M, Quiñonez-Velázquez C. 2018. Age, growth, and mortality of Opisthonema libertate on the coasts of northwestern México. Ciencias Marinas, 44(4): 235–250, doi: https://doi.org/10.7773/cm.v44i4.2908

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruiz-Luna A, Lyle F L P. 1992. Fluctuaciones periódicas de la captura de sardina crinuda (Opisthonema spp.) en el Golfo de California, 1972–1990. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations Reports, 33: 124–129

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer M B. 1954. Some aspects of the dynamics of populations important to the management of commercial marine fisheries. Bulletin of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, 1(2): 23–57

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer M B. 1957. A study of the dynamics of the fishery for yellowfin tuna in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. Bulletin of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, 2(6): 247–268

    Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan K J. 1991. The estimation of parameters of the multispecies production model. ICES Marine Science Symposium, 193: 185–193

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson W F, Bell F H. 1934. Biological statistics of the Pacific halibut fishery. (2) Effect of changes in intensity upon total yield and yield per unit of gear. Washington: Reports of the International Pacific Halibut Commission, 1–49

    Google Scholar 

  • Vega Corrales L A. 2010. Population evaluation of the explotable stock of the Opisthonema complex (Pisces: Clupeidae) in the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica. Journal of Marine and Coastal Sciences, 2: 83–94

    Google Scholar 

  • Vera M D J Z, Vera M N Z. 2016. Consideraciones generales acerca del Opisthonema spp. (pinchagua). Ecuador. Dominio de las Ciencias, 2: 53–62

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang Yu, Liu Qun. 2013. Application of CEDA and ASPIC computer packages to the hairtail (Trichiurus japonicus) fishery in the East China Sea. Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 31(1): 92–96, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-013-2073-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitehead P J P, Rodríguez-Sánchez R. 1995. Clupeidae: Sardinas, Sardinetas, Machuelos, Sabalos, Piquitinga. In: Fischer W, Krupp F, Schneider W, et al., eds. Guía FAO Para Identificación de Especies Para los Fines de la Pesca. Pacífico Centro-Oriental. Volumen II, Peces Oseos Parte 1. Rome: FAO, 1015–1025

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu Kaida, Liu Zifan. 2007. The current stock of large yellow croaker Pseudosciaena crocea in the East China sea with respects of its stock decline. Journal of Dalian Fisheries University (in Chinese), 22(5): 392–396

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu Hanxiang, Liu Zifan, Zhou Yongdong, et al. 2011. The relation between parents and recruitment of hairtail on status of summer closed fishing in East China Sea. Fishery Modernization (in Chinese), 38(1): 64–69

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Kui, Chen Zuozhi. 2015. Using Bayesian state-space modelling to assess Trichiurus japonicus stock in the East China Sea. Journal of Fishery Sciences of China (in Chinese), 22(5): 1015–1026

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Kui, Zhang Jun, Xu Youwei, et al. 2018. Application of a catch-based method for stock assessment of three important fisheries in the East China Sea. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 37(2): 102–109, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-018-1173-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu Lixin, Li Lifang, Liang Zhenlin. 2009. Comparison of six statistical approaches in the selection of appropriate fish growth models. Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 27(3): 457–467, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-009-9236-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zwolinski J P, Demer D A. 2012. A cold oceanographic regime with high exploitation rates in the Northeast Pacific forecasts a collapse of the sardine stock. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109(11): 4175–4180, doi: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1113806109

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the Instituto Nacional de Pesca y Acuacultura through its program on small pelagic fish CRIAP Guaymas for information provided. The manuscript was greatly benefited by the comments and suggestions of two anonymous reviewers.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Mazatlán, 82000, México

    Marcelino Ruiz-Domínguez

  2. Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, La Paz, 23000, México

    Casimiro Quiñonez-Velázquez & Víctor Manuel Gómez-Muñoz

  3. Instituto Nacional de Pesca y Acuacultura, Centro Regional de Investigación Pesquera Unidad Guaymas, Guaymas, 85400, México

    Dana Isela Arizmendi-Rodriguez & Manuel Otilio Nevárez-Martínez

Authors
  1. Marcelino Ruiz-Domínguez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Casimiro Quiñonez-Velázquez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Dana Isela Arizmendi-Rodriguez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Víctor Manuel Gómez-Muñoz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Manuel Otilio Nevárez-Martínez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Casimiro Quiñonez-Velázquez.

Additional information

Foundation item

The Fund of Secretaría Académica y de Investigación of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional; the Fund of the National Council for Science and Technology (Mexico) and Instituto Politécnico Nacional; the Fund of the Comisión de Operación y Fomento de Actividades Académicas-Instituto Politécnico Nacional.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ruiz-Domínguez, M., Quiñonez-Velázquez, C., Arizmendi-Rodriguez, D.I. et al. Assessment of the exploitable biomass of thread herring (Opisthonema spp.) in northwestern Mexico. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 40, 53–65 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-021-1785-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-021-1785-3

Key words

Search

Navigation