Abstract

Catchability (q) is a relevant parameter for stock assessment; it is defined as the portion of the population that can be extracted per Unit of Fishing effort or the fishing mortality rate caused by this unit. An adequate estimation of this parame-ter for several population components allows to determining zones or periods where the specimens are highly vulnerable to a certain fishing gear. The present study aimed to evaluate the q spatial differences at different sizes of the octopus popula-tion (O. maya) caught by the small-scale fleet that operates in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. It was expected this infor-mation can help to determine potential recruitment zones and define management implications. To do so, samplings of animals was undertaken twice a month through the 2009 fishing season in seven fishing communities of the study area. Recording of the mantle length (ML) and total weight (TW) of landed organism per boat was done at the fishing ports. Information on fishing time and number of alijos (boats smaller than 3 m) per boat was also collected through interviews applied to fishers at their arrival to the port. The results showed that there is spatial variability in the study area regarding q with two regions of high q values associated to small octopus (< 14 cm ML). The identified zones were assumed as potential recruitment zones. Discussion about management implications of fishing operations in these areas is presented.

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