Abstract

The octopus fishery is the most important fishery of the Yucatan coast; it comprises two species (Octopus maya and Octopus vulgaris). Its catches have shown great fluctuations through time and an increase on the demand of this product in the last years impose pressure on the resources. Given this context, despite management regulations exist, the compliance and effectiveness of the tools employed have not been evaluated. In this paper we use some indicators associated with the fishing operations to evaluate those tools. The study involved collection of data in four fishing ports in Yucatan during the 2007 fishing season, considering the three fleets that capture both species. The population structure by size and sex in the landings of each fleet was analyzed. In addition a time series analysis (ARIMA) to forecast catches of both species in future fishing seasons was undertook. The analysis discriminated by fleet indicated that fishers do not comply with current management regulations given: a) high incidence of organisms below the legal size landed by the fleets, b) high proportion of females were present in catches at the beginning of the fishing season, c) there is a tendency to overpass catch quotas, and d) the use of forbidden fishing methods has been reported. Capture of sub-legal animals, especially by the artisanal fleet, can generate in the long-term, impacts on the O. maya population and on the catches of the other fleets with the consequent economic impacts. Before a trend of reduction of catches, it is questionable the applicability of current management regulations. The impact of current fishing operations on the octopus fishery and the implications of not taking actions regarding violation of management regulations are discussed.

PDF Preview