Stock status of the calva (Centropomus parallelus) fishery in Barra del Colorado: Evidence of overfishing from a length-based assessment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15517/z7cvwe07Keywords:
data-limited, fisheries, length-based, protandry, snook, stock assessment.Abstract
Introduction: Most small-scale tropical fisheries remain unassessed because they lack the data required by conventional stock-assessment models. In response, a range of methods tailored to data-limited fisheries have been developed, including the Length-Based Pseudo-Cohort Analysis (LBPA) model.
Methods: We applied the LBPA to evaluate, for the first time, the stock status of the artisanal fishery for “calva” (Centropomus parallelus) in Barra del Colorado, Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Between 2019 and 2024, over 2,200 individuals were measured, weighed, sexed, and examined for gonadal maturity as part of a fisheries monitoring program in the Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge. We conducted the analysis across a range of natural mortality–to–growth rate ratios (M/k) from 1.5 to 2.5, while holding the growth coefficient constant at k = 0.34.
Results: The analysis revealed high fishing mortality (F = 2.7 - 2.9), exceeding target reference values (0.56 - 1.91), and primarily affecting individuals larger than 45 cm, which are mostly females. The spawning potential ratio (SPR) ranged between 0.15 and 0.36, remaining below the target threshold for a sustainable fishery (SPR = 0.40).
Discussion: These findings indicate that the population is both overfished and undergoing overfishing, likely driven by the disproportionate removal of large females.
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