Volume 53
Portrait ofthe Commercial Fishery of the Red Hind, Epinephelus guttatus, in Puerto-Rico During 1992 – 1999.
Authors
Matos-Caraballo, D. Download PDF Open PDF in BrowserOther Information
Date: 2002
Pages: 446-459
Event: Proceedings of the Fifty Third Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute
City: Fort Pierce, Florida
Country: USA
Abstract
Puerto Rico's fishery has shown symptoms of overfishing for the last fifteen years. Groupers (Serranidae) represented 4% of the total catch reported in Puerto Rico. The red hind, Epinephelus guttatus, is the grouper most reported in the landings of the commercial fishery and also is a very important component of the recreational fishery. E. guttatus is a protogynous hermaphrodite and forms spawning aggregations. This event occurs around the full moon of December, January and February. The spawning aggregation sites are well known by commercial fishermen, leading to a high exploitation rate of E. guttatus. This activity affects negatively the reproduction of this species.\Since 1995, three E. guttatus spawning aggregation sites off the west coast of Puerto Rico have been closed to all fishing activity. This paper analyzes the landings, catch per unít effort (CPUE), and length frequency distributions during 1992 - 1999 to evaluate fue status of E. guttatus.