Evaluation of <em>Homarus gammarus</em> (Crustacea: Decapoda: Nephropidae) catches and potential in a Mediterranean small-scale fishery

Abstract

The aim of this study was to obtain a better understanding of the exploitation pattern of the European lobster population in a fully representative small-scale fishery of the Mediterranean (Corsica, France) and to collect initial biological information on this species. Data were collected by scientific observers on board net fishing vessels for eight consecutive years from 2006 until 2013. Average annual catches were estimated at 6.7 t. Length frequencies indicated that exploitation focused on large individuals. Catch per unit of effort varied significantly as a function of month, fishing area and depth. Our approach to catch distribution revealed spatial heterogeneity with large catches in the south area. A fishery-independent survey was performed in 2013 and 2014 in west Cap Corse using 540 lobster traps; it showed an extremely low catch rate, confirming the low abundance for this area. This study provided new biological knowledge of a little-studied species in the Mediterranean.

Population Characteristics of the European Lobster, Homarus gammarus in the Adriatic Sea: Implications for Sustainable Fisheries Management

“…They also showed that anthropogenic impacts did not significantly affect H. gammarus genetic diversity. Exploitation patterns and biological data of H. gammarus around Corsica were reported by Pere et al [14]. In the absence of published data, parameters for complete population assessment of any crustacean species (i.e., sex, growth, age, and mortality), morphometric relationships, and allometry are useful tools to reveal population characteristics during growth [33,34], to estimate population biomass, to compare morphological traits between different species or populations across the distribution range [35][36][37], and to estimate functional maturity [27,38].…”

“…Around 80% of landings came from the North-Eastern Atlantic, while landings in Mediterranean countries never reached those levels [13]. New estimations confirmed the general underestimates of the FAO data in the French Mediterranean [14], suggesting that they might be generally accurate for the whole distribution. It was clearly demonstrated that specific lobster stocks in the Mediterranean suffered from overexploitation [15][16][17], with sharp declines in landings reported for more than a century [18,19].…”

“…It is well-known that environmental factors contribute to the interannual variability of key parameters for all marine stocks, and changes in these factors might affect their population dynamics [55]. Moreover, the reliability of landings reported by all Mediterranean countries, including those in the EU are marked by high uncertainty, and there are also reports of general underestimates of FAO data in the Mediterranean [14]. Croatian reported landings of the European lobster, ranging from 1.9 to 4.7 tons per year, showed an increase in recent years; however, these data should be considered with caution since they are based solely on fisher logbooks.…”

“…It was clearly demonstrated that specific lobster stocks in the Mediterranean suffered from overexploitation [15][16][17], with sharp declines in landings reported for more than a century [18,19]. The European lobster is targeted mainly by trap fisheries in Northern Europe [19,20] and with baited pots and different gillnets throughout the coastal Mediterranean Sea [14]. In the Mediterranean, the EU rules define a minimum landing size of 105 mm carapace length or 300 mm total length [21].…”

Population Genetic Structure and Connectivity of the European Lobster Homarus gammarus in the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas

“…Namely, majority of marine stocks are considered fully exploited or overexploited ( Vasilakopoulos et al, 2014 ; Osio et al, 2015 ; Tsikliras et al, 2015 ; FAO, 2018 ). Nowadays, European lobster stocks are considered depleted due to significant declines in catches in many Mediterranean regions ( Lloret and Riera, 2008 ; Lotze et al, 2011 ; Pere et al, 2019 ), although stock assessment has not been performed yet. To support genetically informed European lobster fisheries management in the Adriatic Sea, 14 neutral microsatellites loci and partial mtDNA region were used to explore fine-scale genetic structure of species and migration patterns that affect genetic connectivity, by comparing 331 individuals sampled from the central and eastern regions of the Mediterranean.…”