Analysis of size spectra off northwest Africa: a useful indicator in tropical areas?

Changes in the size spectra of demersal fish communities off Cape Verde (1988, 1994), Guinea (1985–1995), and Mauritania (1987–2001) were studied. Intercepts and slopes showed opposite trends for Guinea and Mauritania, but were relatively stable in spite of a strong increase in landings per unit are...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ICES journal of marine science 2005, Vol.62 (3), p.424-429
Main Authors: Stobberup, Kim A., Inejih, Cheikh A.O., Traoré, Sory, Monteiro, Carlos, Amorim, Patrícia, Erzini, Karim
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ecosystem indicators
fishing effects
Marine
northwest Africa
size spectra
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Summary:Changes in the size spectra of demersal fish communities off Cape Verde (1988, 1994), Guinea (1985–1995), and Mauritania (1987–2001) were studied. Intercepts and slopes showed opposite trends for Guinea and Mauritania, but were relatively stable in spite of a strong increase in landings per unit area. For Cape Verde, there were marked changes in size structure, seemingly inconsistent with the more moderate fishing pressure there. Changes in size structure do not seem to be suitable indicators of the effects of fishing in areas characterized by faster growth rates, small sizes, high species diversity, and complex interrelationships, such as the tropics.
ISSN:1054-3139
1095-9289
DOI:10.1016/j.icesjms.2005.01.014