Actualizacion de parametros poblacionales de Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792) procedente de aguas mauritanas (Clupeidae, Clupeiformes)

Abstract

The 30% of the catches off Mauritanian waters carried obtained by the European industrial pelagic freezer trawl fleet are landed in a Spanish port (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands). The activity of this fleet is targeted to catch small pelagic species such as sardine (Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792)), round and flat sardinella (Sardinella aurita Valenciennes 1847, and S. maderensis (Lowe, 1838)), horse mackerel (Trachurus spp.) and chub mackerel (Scomber colias Gmelin, 1789). Due to the importance of the mentioned catches, in 2003 the Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), through its Centro Oceanográfico de Canarias (COC), started monitoring this fleet under Data Collection European Project (Regulation (EC) 1543/2000). In addition to biological information obtained between 2004 and 2011 from 41,959 specimens of Sardina pilchardus, during 2010 and 2011 the COCIEO decided to undertake an updating of the sardine growth parameters from the area. This and other biological aspects of this species are presented in this study.