Otoliths sagittae of Merluccius hubbsi: an efficient tool for the differentiation of stocks in the Southwestern Atlantic

Authors:
Open Access
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The identification of stocks, defined as homogeneous population units for management purposes (BEGG; WALDMAN, 1999), is very important in the use and management of a fishing resource. The stocks of M. hubbsi throughout its distribution area have been defined based on differences in time and spawning area, concentrations of eggs, larvae and juveniles, growth and abundance (BEZZI et al., 2004; VAZ-DOS-SANTOS; SCHWINGEL, 2015). In Brazil, there are two hake stocks, the Southeastern, between 21ºS-29ºS, and the Southern, between 29ºS-34ºS, the latter shared with Uruguay and Argentina (VAZ-DOS-SANTOS et al., 2009). The conceptual border of these stocks is the parallel 29ºS, where there are transitional oceanographic features between the Southeastern and the Southern regions (CASTRO et al., 2006) and, additionally, this is also the border of FAO fishing areas 2.1 and 2.2 (FAO Major Fishing Areas, 2017). Other two stocks are defined in Uruguay and Argentina, the Bonaerense (between 34ºS-41ºS), and the Patagonic (41ºS-55ºS) (BEZZI et al., 2004).

This publication has 24 references indexed in Scilit: