TY - JOUR
T1 - Critically Endangered totoaba Totoaba macdonaldi
T2 - Signs of recovery and potential threats after a population collapse
AU - Valenzuela-Quiñonez, Fausto
AU - Arreguín-Sánchez, Francisco
AU - Salas-Márquez, Silvia
AU - García-De León, Francisco J.
AU - Garza, John C.
AU - Román-Rodríguez, Martha J.
AU - De-Anda-Montañez, Juan A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The authors 2015.
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - The lack of long-term monitoring programs makes it difficult to assess signs of population recovery in collapsed marine populations. Fishery-induced changes in the life history of exploited marine fishes, such as truncated size and age structure, local extirpations, reductions in age at maturity, and changes in mortality patterns, have occurred. In the present study, we explored life history aspects of totoaba Totoaba macdonaldi, almost 40 yr after a population collapse, to examine whether totoaba maintained their life history pattern and to identify the potential threats of using fishing gear (hooks, gillnets). The results of the present study indicate that the totoaba size structure was not truncated as expected in overexploited populations; indeed, it was similar to that observed in the past. Totoaba have maintained their known historical distribution range. The spatial size structure and temporal distribution followed the known migration patterns of totoaba. Total and natural mortality were similar. Contrary to recommendations for sustainable fisheries, caught fish contained a large number of juveniles, irrespective of method used. We conclude that the general life history (size structure, distribution, migration, and mortality) has not changed since the fishery collapse. However, the choice of fishing gear could compromise a positive recovery trend of the population. Moreover, poaching is a major ongoing threat to the recovery of totoaba.
AB - The lack of long-term monitoring programs makes it difficult to assess signs of population recovery in collapsed marine populations. Fishery-induced changes in the life history of exploited marine fishes, such as truncated size and age structure, local extirpations, reductions in age at maturity, and changes in mortality patterns, have occurred. In the present study, we explored life history aspects of totoaba Totoaba macdonaldi, almost 40 yr after a population collapse, to examine whether totoaba maintained their life history pattern and to identify the potential threats of using fishing gear (hooks, gillnets). The results of the present study indicate that the totoaba size structure was not truncated as expected in overexploited populations; indeed, it was similar to that observed in the past. Totoaba have maintained their known historical distribution range. The spatial size structure and temporal distribution followed the known migration patterns of totoaba. Total and natural mortality were similar. Contrary to recommendations for sustainable fisheries, caught fish contained a large number of juveniles, irrespective of method used. We conclude that the general life history (size structure, distribution, migration, and mortality) has not changed since the fishery collapse. However, the choice of fishing gear could compromise a positive recovery trend of the population. Moreover, poaching is a major ongoing threat to the recovery of totoaba.
KW - Fishery collapse
KW - Gulf of California
KW - Recovery
KW - Totoaba
KW - Totoaba macdonaldi
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84954515202&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3354/esr00693
DO - 10.3354/esr00693
M3 - Artículo
SN - 1863-5407
VL - 29
SP - 1
EP - 11
JO - Endangered Species Research
JF - Endangered Species Research
IS - 1
ER -