Reproductive traits exhibited by the paedomorphic gobies exploited in the Majorcan transparent goby fishery (western Mediterranean) and their management implications

An important small-scale fishery in Majorca targets three similar goby species: Aphia minuta, Pseudaphia ferreri and Crystallogobius linearis. Histological examination of the gonads of these species sampled from landings during the fishing season revealed characteristic reproductive traits that coul...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientia marina 2023-03, Vol.87 (1), p.e054
Main Authors: Riera-Batle, Inma, Massutí-Pascual, Enrique, Pastor Gracia, Elena, Grau Jofre, Antonio María, Grau Jofre, Amalia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
abbreviate iteroparity
Abundance
Aphia minuta
batch spawners
Crystallogobius linearis
Environmental changes
Fecundity
Females
Fisheries
Fisheries management
Fishing
Fishing effort
Gametocytes
Gobiidae
Gonads
Iteroparity
Landing statistics
Life span
Marine fishes
Morphology
Oocytes
Overexploitation
Pseudaphia ferreri
reproduction
Reproductive strategy
Seasons
Small-scale fisheries
Spawning
Spawning seasons
Sustainability
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Summary:An important small-scale fishery in Majorca targets three similar goby species: Aphia minuta, Pseudaphia ferreri and Crystallogobius linearis. Histological examination of the gonads of these species sampled from landings during the fishing season revealed characteristic reproductive traits that could be defined as abbreviate iteroparity. The transparent goby (Aphia minuta) and Ferrer’s goby (Pseudaphia ferreri) showed batch abbreviate iteroparity as a reproductive strategy, whereas the crystal goby (Crystallogobius linearis) showed total abbreviate iteroparity. Despite their short lifespans, all of them have a spawning season whose duration is longer than the legal fishing season. Additionally, all of them maintain a standing stock of primary growth oocytes in their gonads, indicating more than one spawning season in their lifespan. These reproductive features partially offset their special sensitivity to potential overexploitation and environmental changes but also suggest that the fishery needs special management to avoid breaking the balance between sustainability and fishing effort. The results of size at maturity and potential annual fecundity in the three species of the fishery are also reported and discussed.
ISSN:0214-8358
1886-8134
DOI:10.3989/scimar.05311.054