Stock Reduction Analysis of Bigeye Croaker <i>Micropogonias megalops</i> in the Upper Gulf of California, Mexico
Ricardo Urías-Sotomayor,
Guillermo Rodríguez-Domínguez,
José Adán Félix-Ortiz,
Gilberto G. Ortega-Lizárraga,
Horacio A. Muñoz-Rubí,
Eugenio Alberto Aragón-Noriega
Affiliations
Ricardo Urías-Sotomayor
Unidad Guaymas del Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C. Km 2.35 Camino a El Tular, Estero de Bacochibampo, Guaymas 85454, Sonora, Mexico
Guillermo Rodríguez-Domínguez
Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Paseo Claussen S/N, Mazatlan 82000, Sinaloa, Mexico
José Adán Félix-Ortiz
Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Paseo Claussen S/N, Mazatlan 82000, Sinaloa, Mexico
Gilberto G. Ortega-Lizárraga
Centro Regional de Investigación Acuícola y Pesquera Mazatlán, Calzada Sábalo-Cerritos s/n, Contiguo Estero del Yugo, Mazatlan 82112, Sinaloa, Mexico
Horacio A. Muñoz-Rubí
Centro Regional de Investigación Acuícola y Pesquera Mazatlán, Calzada Sábalo-Cerritos s/n, Contiguo Estero del Yugo, Mazatlan 82112, Sinaloa, Mexico
Eugenio Alberto Aragón-Noriega
Unidad Guaymas del Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C. Km 2.35 Camino a El Tular, Estero de Bacochibampo, Guaymas 85454, Sonora, Mexico
A stock reduction analysis (SRA) of bigeye croaker Micropogonias megalops was performed based on commercial catch data. SRA solutions were restricted to a 2011 bigeye croaker stock biomass estimate of 14,412 t. The viable solution indicated a reduction in stock of 73.6% from 1983 to 2020 with an initial biomass of 22,186 t. In addition, a possible effect of hyperstability of the stock was evaluated by applying different versions of the Cobb–Douglas catch function. The most probable function based on a multi-model selection procedure was the one wherein the catch does not depend on biomass and is directly proportional to the applied fishing effort of small boats (~7 m) and vessels (~24 m). This situation suggests that in a free access regime, fishing can deplete the resource until it collapses, without observing a significant reduction in its catches until the event is very close.
