MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO ASSESS COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT MARINE STOCKS IN THE COASTAL WATERS OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA – CONTRIBUTION BY CCBA-UADY

Abstract

Background. Since the formation of the research group in marine biology at the CCBA, different aspects of this discipline have been developed. One of them is the identification of populations and possible stocks of fish of commercial importance, using different techniques. The stock delineation (or population structure) are central considerations for fishery assessment and strategic management of marine natural resources and have to be addressed from a meta-population perspective where complementary technical approaches meet to enable the best picture to delineate complex stock structures. Objective. To review the current knowledge on the stock concept and the use of a multidisciplinary approach to properly assess commercially important marine stocks in the coastal waters of the Yucatan peninsula. Methodology. We present the research explored so far by the marine biology laboratory (LABIOMA by its acronym in Spanish) of the Autonomous University of Yucatán regarding the marine resources off the coast of the Yucatan peninsula, and the future lines of investigation pursued by our personnel, from fishing gear selectivity, abundances and catchability estimates, traditional morphometrics, parasitological and life history traits as biological tags, to more precise analyses such as fish otolith shape or even stable isotope analysis, genotypic markers, and marine natural products chemistry. Main findings. Single technical approaches are insufficient to delineate complex stock structures, especially in wide marine open access ecosystems, and there is a need to harness the full power of complementary and synergistic multidisciplinary approaches to improve fishery assessment and management efficiency in marine natural resources from the coastal areas of the Yucatan peninsula. Implications. Most stock assessment models are based on a single unit stock assumption, however the full impact of management actions, including identifying the complexity of the stock of any marine species subject to fishing, could affect the perpetuity of its abundances if the population subunits are not properly located. Conclusion. Identification of stocks is necessary for several reasons including allocation of catches, recognition and protection of nursery and spawning areas, and for development of optimal harvest and monitoring strategies. To this end, the LABIOMA are strengthening the assessments of commercially important marine stocks by using multidisciplinary approaches, whose lines of research represent basic aspects to be known and would be of great help to decision makers at the time of establishing more precisely, catch quotas, fishing areas, closed seasons, and therefore make more efficient the management strategies.