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ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil Advance Access originally published online on June 23, 2008
ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil 2008 65(7):1175-1183; doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsn104
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© 2008 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Oxford Journals. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Changes in spawning-stock structure and recruitment pattern of red mullet, Mullus barbatus, after a trawl ban in the Gulf of Castellammare (central Mediterranean Sea)

F. Fiorentino1, F. Badalamenti2, G. D’Anna2, G. Garofalo1, P. Gianguzza3, M. Gristina1, C. Pipitone2, P. Rizzo1 and T. Fortibuoni1

1 IAMC–CNR, Sede di Mazara del Vallo, Via L. Vaccara 61, 91026 Mazara del Vallo (TP), Italy
2 IAMC–CNR, Sede di Castellammare del Golfo, Via G. Da Verrazzano 17, 91014 Castellammare del Golfo (TP), Italy
3 Dipartimento di Biologia Animale, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 18, 90123 Palermo, Italy

Correspondence to F. Fiorentino: tel: +39 0923 948966; fax: +39 0923 906634; e-mail: fabio.fiorentino{at}iamc.cnr.it.

Fiorentino, F., Badalamenti, F., D’Anna, G., Garofalo, G., Gianguzza, P., Gristina, M., Pipitone, C., Rizzo, P., and Fortibuoni, T. 2008. Changes in spawning-stock structure and recruitment pattern of red mullet, Mullus barbatus, after a trawl ban in the Gulf of Castellammare (central Mediterranean Sea). – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 1175–1183.

The increase in biomass of red mullet, Mullus barbatus, in the Gulf of Castellammare (northwestern Sicily, central Mediterranean) after a 14-year trawl ban, prompted us to compare the spawning-stock structure and the recruitment pattern before and after the closure. Datasets obtained from three experimental trawl surveys were available before the ban (April and September 1985; April–May 1986) and four post-ban (September and November 2004; March and May 2005). Spawning-stock biomass increased significantly after the ban. Moreover, females at depths >50 m in the post-ban period were larger than those collected before the ban at the same depth. The recruitment pattern of the population also changed. Notably, recruit numbers increased and recruitment occurs over a broader period. The increase in biomass after the trawl ban seems to be the result of a combination of different processes, mainly associated with the lowering of fishing mortality. A positive trend in sea surface temperature in the area may have played a role too.

Keywords: Mediterranean Sea, recruitment, red mullet, size structure, spawning-stock biomass, trawling ban

Received 23 July 2007; accepted 18 May 2008; advance access publication 23 June 2008.


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