{"title":"Spatial variability of growth improvement based on river use in Japanese seabass","authors":"Kazuha Takai , Mari Kuroki , Kotaro Shirai , Manabu Kume , Hiroaki Murakami , Yuki Terashima , Hiroyuki Togashi , Hiromichi Mitamura , Yoh Yamashita","doi":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107376","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107376","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Japanese seabass (<em>Lateolabrax japonicus</em>) exhibits partial migration, wherein some individuals seasonally inhabit estuaries and freshwater environments while others complete their life cycle in marine environments. We hypothesized that seabass exhibit different growth patterns in marine and riverine environments at different geographic locations. To elucidate the commonalities and differences in growth, river use, and their interrelationships across different locations, we investigated seabass growth across marine and riverine environments at three distinct locations in Japan: northern (Miyagi), central (Kyoto), and southern (Oita). Annual growth from ages 0–5 was compared by measuring otolith increment widths, and river use histories were reconstructed from the otolith Sr/Ca ratios. The results indicated that females often rely more heavily on riverine environments than males. Linear mixed models were used to assess the effects of river use and geographic location on the annual growth rates. River use had a positive or neutral effect on growth and riverine growth improvements were lowest in the northern location among our study locations. Additionally, growth rates at ages 0–1 were also lowest in the northern location among the three locations. In contrast, the standard length at older ages was longer at more northern locations. These findings suggest that lower temperatures contribute to slower growth at younger ages, whereas higher temperatures may limit body size at older ages. The distinct characteristics of early growth, growth improvement in rivers, and body size at older ages observed at each geographical location may be responsible for the different growth strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50443,"journal":{"name":"Fisheries Research","volume":"285 ","pages":"Article 107376"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143844500","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fisheries ResearchPub Date : 2025-04-15DOI: 10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107370
Eduardo Anaya-Godínez , Claudia A. Silva-Segundo , Mauricio F. Landaeta , René Funes-Rodríguez , Fausto Valenzuela-Quiñonez , Carolina Galván-Tirado , Anidia Blanco-Jarvio , Emigdio Marín-Enríquez , Oscar Trujillo-Millán
{"title":"Population structure of the Chub mackerel Scomber japonicus, in waters of the northwest of Mexico","authors":"Eduardo Anaya-Godínez , Claudia A. Silva-Segundo , Mauricio F. Landaeta , René Funes-Rodríguez , Fausto Valenzuela-Quiñonez , Carolina Galván-Tirado , Anidia Blanco-Jarvio , Emigdio Marín-Enríquez , Oscar Trujillo-Millán","doi":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107370","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107370","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the population structure of commercially harvested species is essential for the effective management of fisheries. The Chub mackerel (<em>Scomber japonicus</em>) is a significant fishery resource in the Mexican Pacific. It exhibits two distinct population units delineated by temporal variations in gonadal maturity stages and spawning seasons, and other features as age and size composition. However, the species' highly migratory behavior may contribute to genetic homogeneity, similar to what has been observed in other small pelagic species. This study aimed to test whether the Chub mackerel presents a discrete population by integrating body morphological (geometric morphometric) and genomic (SNP´s) variability analyses. Fish analyzed were collected in Ensenada, Bahía Magdalena, Mazatlán, and the Gulf of California center from autumn 2020 to spring 2021 (N = 291). The body morphological variability (geometric morphometrics) allowed us to differentiate between two morphotypes: one with an elongated and hydrodynamic shape related to the areas with higher current intensity, followed by weaker covariation with increasing temperature; and the second, with a shorter head associated with less dynamic waters and sea surface height increased. However, the population genomic analysis with 4877 neutral SNPs showed a single population in the Mexican Pacific. These results indicate that the Chub mackerel presents a single population with two morphotypes linked to the variability of ocean dynamics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50443,"journal":{"name":"Fisheries Research","volume":"285 ","pages":"Article 107370"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143829304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fisheries ResearchPub Date : 2025-04-14DOI: 10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107367
Youfeng Peng , Guoping Zhu
{"title":"Inferring population structure of mackerel icefish (Champsocephalus gunnari) between South Orkney Islands shelf and South Georgia shelf, Antarctic using otolith ecomorphological analyses","authors":"Youfeng Peng , Guoping Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107367","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107367","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As an important species in the Southern Ocean, the mackerel icefish (<em>Champsocephalus gunnari</em>) is not only a major food source for a wide range of top predators, but also a predominant consumer of a key species, Antarctic krill (<em>Euphausia superba</em>), in the Southern Ocean ecosystem. In the Scotia Sea, this species is commercially harvested at South Georgia. However, the studies on the population structure of this species are inconclusive. Combining Trait Probability Density and Ecological Niche Modeling analyses on otolith shape, this study investigated the diffidence in populations of <em>C. gunnari</em> between the South Orkney Islands shelf and South Georgia shelf. Significant differences were identified in the otolith shape characteristics and ecological niches of fish from these two regions, with otolith roundness and aspect ratio likely being the primary factors responsible for these differences. The results of these analyses indicate that populations are separated between the two regions. This multi-dimensional approach offers new insights for otolith study and valuable data for understanding the ecological niche and population structure of fish species, thereby enhancing our ability to effectively manage and conserve <em>C. gunnari</em> populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50443,"journal":{"name":"Fisheries Research","volume":"285 ","pages":"Article 107367"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143829405","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fisheries ResearchPub Date : 2025-04-14DOI: 10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107369
Mattias Van Opstal , Jasper Van Vlasselaer , Léonore Page , Bart Ampe
{"title":"Illuminating square meshed panels with white-coloured LED ropes to stimulate escape of undersized fish in beam trawl fisheries","authors":"Mattias Van Opstal , Jasper Van Vlasselaer , Léonore Page , Bart Ampe","doi":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107369","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107369","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Belgian beam trawl mixed-species fishery is associated with high bycatch and discard rates. Research on the effects of Square Mesh Panels (SMPs) and artificial light to improve the size selectivity of demersal trawls are relevant for ecosystem health as well as compliance with minimum conservation reference size (MCRS) requirements. This study was conducted as comparative fishing trials during five fishing campaigns in different areas. The influence of artificial illumination on the escape rates of undersized species was tested by placing white-coloured LED ropes on either a square mesh discard release panel (DRP) in the back of the net or a square mesh benthic release panel (BRP) in the belly of the net with a mesh size of 180 mm. Results showed that commonly discarded undersized European plaice (<em>Pleuronectes platessa</em>), escaped significantly more frequently through illuminated SMPs than through reference SMPs. The highest reduction was achieved in the clear waters of the Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS) during daytime, where only 34 % of undersized plaice were found in the illuminated gear and 66 % in the reference gear. Cover codend catches showed that plaice mainly escaped through the BRP either when the BRP or the DRP were illuminated with LED ropes. Although the effect of a LED-DRP and a LED-BRP were evaluated on different fishing trials, the results suggest a greater reduction of undersized plaice when using a LED-BRP. In this study, no significant differences in catches of the other species were observed when SMPs were illuminated. This research shows that the use of LED rope as a Bycatch Reduction Light (BRL) offers opportunities to reduce bycatch of plaice in beam trawling, a mixed-species fishery where the options for reducing bycatch are otherwise very limited.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50443,"journal":{"name":"Fisheries Research","volume":"285 ","pages":"Article 107369"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143829406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fisheries ResearchPub Date : 2025-04-13DOI: 10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107371
Wendell Medeiros-Leal , Régis Santos , Michael F. Sigler , Tobias K. Mildenberger
{"title":"Dwindling deep-water fish stocks in the Azores: The first quantitative assessment","authors":"Wendell Medeiros-Leal , Régis Santos , Michael F. Sigler , Tobias K. Mildenberger","doi":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107371","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107371","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems are increasing, especially in the deep-sea. Deep-water fishing effort has increased rapidly in the last four decades. However, the economics and sustainability of deep-water fisheries remain debated. This study applied the Stochastic Surplus Production Model in Continuous Time (SPiCT) model to provide the first quantitative assessment of four data-limited deep-water/demersal fish stocks using the Azores as a case study. The application of SPiCT followed good practice and benchmark assessment guidelines and converged for all four assessed stocks. The results showed that blackspot seabream, blackbelly rosefish, and red porgy are classified as overfished, while forkbeard is classified as a recovering stock. These findings underscore the vulnerability of these deep-water stocks to overfishing and advocate for reductions in current catches based on the recommended harvest control rules. Additionally, the study demonstrates that the SPiCT model serves as a valuable tool for stock assessment in data-limited deep-water/demersal fisheries and can enhance their category to data-moderated stocks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50443,"journal":{"name":"Fisheries Research","volume":"285 ","pages":"Article 107371"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143823225","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fisheries ResearchPub Date : 2025-04-13DOI: 10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107373
Paola E. Braicovich, Ana L. Lanfranchi, Eugenia Levy, Delfina Canel, Manuel M. Irigoitia, María Paz Gutiérrez, Delfina M.P. Cantatore, Juan T. Timi
{"title":"Parasites as indicators of intra-stock variability in marine fisheries","authors":"Paola E. Braicovich, Ana L. Lanfranchi, Eugenia Levy, Delfina Canel, Manuel M. Irigoitia, María Paz Gutiérrez, Delfina M.P. Cantatore, Juan T. Timi","doi":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107373","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107373","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The complex nature of population structure in many marine fishes is being revealed by new techniques (archival tags, genetic markers, otolith microchemistry). Here, parasites of <em>Merluccius hubbsi</em> were evaluated as indicators in that sense. This species inhabits the Argentine Sea between the 41°S and 55°S, a region characterized by a latitudinal gradient of oceanographic conditions that could influence the structure of parasite assemblages. Eight samples from the southern stock (236 hakes), and one from a northern stock were analyzed for parasites, finding 5–17 taxa. Long-lived species, mostly larval or encysted parasites, were selected as tags and analyzed by multivariate methods based on Bray-Curtis dissimilarities. Significant differences between assemblages revealed clear latitudinal patterns in their similarity. This suggests a differential effect of the environmental conditions over parasite populations harbored by hakes caught at the extremes of the distribution of the southern stock. Therefore, intra-stock differences in the parasitefauna should be considered carefully when parasite tags are used as tools for stock identification. This is because an accurate representation of population structure is necessary for providing sufficient information to achieve management objectives, particularly when studying fish populations that inhabit large or oceanographically heterogeneous regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50443,"journal":{"name":"Fisheries Research","volume":"285 ","pages":"Article 107373"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143823222","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fisheries ResearchPub Date : 2025-04-12DOI: 10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107366
Charmaine E. Jagger , Warren M. Potts , Brett A. Pringle , M. Hadi Bordbar , Romina Henriques , Niall J. McKeown , Margit R. Wilhelm
{"title":"Growth rate extremes of a Sciaenid in an ocean-warming hotspot","authors":"Charmaine E. Jagger , Warren M. Potts , Brett A. Pringle , M. Hadi Bordbar , Romina Henriques , Niall J. McKeown , Margit R. Wilhelm","doi":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107366","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107366","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Argyrosomus inodorus</em> is a cool water Sciaenid, important to the recreational and commercial coastal fishery in Namibia, the northern Benguela. Given recent findings on the northern Benguela as an ocean-warming hotspot and <em>A. inodorus</em> being more sensitive to warm temperatures than its congeneric <em>A. coronus</em>, it is important to study long-term growth responses of this Sciaenid. We developed a 34-year otolith biochronology for <em>A. inodorus</em>. The linear mixed-effects models fitted to <em>A. inodorus’</em> otolith biochronology indicated that the best linear unbiased predictor of growth was significantly positively correlated with mean sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in September of the year of formation and significantly negatively correlated with mean summer SSTs (November y-1), in the central Namibian area (20–24<sup>◦</sup>S, 12–14<sup>◦</sup>E). Thus, faster annual growth was observed during warmer winter/spring temperatures (up to 16℃) and slower growth was noted during warmer summer temperatures (> 16℃). These results indicate that the species has a narrow range of thermal plasticity, and highlight the recent reductions in growth of this species in response to rapid thermal change observed in the ocean warming hotspot. Our findings suggest that <em>A. inodorus</em> would not be able to adapt readily with future climate warming predicted to happen and already happening along the northernmost part of the Namibian coast.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50443,"journal":{"name":"Fisheries Research","volume":"285 ","pages":"Article 107366"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143821206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fisheries ResearchPub Date : 2025-04-11DOI: 10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107363
Beatriz Morales-Nin , Robert Arlinghaus , Josep Alós
{"title":"Gender differences in participation rate, socioeconomic profile, recreational motivation, and wildlife-related value orientation among recreational fishers in Spain","authors":"Beatriz Morales-Nin , Robert Arlinghaus , Josep Alós","doi":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107363","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107363","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We analyse gender differences in recreational fisheries, using randomly collected data from Spain as a case study. Specifically, we contrast the participation rate, socioeconomic profile, self-determined motivations, and two wildlife-related value orientations (WVOs) among active (fished in the last 12 months) and lapsed (not fished in the last 12 months and without an intent to do so in the future) females and males participating in Spanish recreational fisheries, assessed via a nationwide telephone survey. Active participation rates in recreational fishing were significantly greater among males (21.5 % of the male population) than among females (11.7 % of the female population). Similar differences were also observed for lapsed participants. Active female recreational fishers were, on average, significantly younger (average 37 years) than their male counterparts (45 years), but other socioeconomic variables, such as residency in urban/rural settlements, income, or educational degree, did not differ. While the socioeconomic profile between active and lapsed male participants did not vary strongly, lapsed female participants in recreational fishing were older than active female participants, and had significantly lower income and degree of education. Female participants attributed significantly greater importance to engage with family than males as a motivation to recreate. Females also expressed greater importance to motives related to learning, discovering something new, and reflecting on one's identity and past good times than males. While the motivations between active and lapsed females were largely similar, the motivations between active and lapsed male participants were substantially different: active male recreational fishers placed significantly greater importance on taking risks, testing equipment, competing with others and teaching others than lapsed males. The WVOs of female and male participants in recreational fisheries were largely similar, but in lapsed fishers the mutualism score was significantly greater in females than males. Our study confirms the finding that the participation rate in recreational fishing is lower in females compared to males, and that males and females who made the decision to become active recreational fisheries share many motivations and values related to the use of wildlife and fish. That said, active female recreational fishers in Spain see fishing as a stronger contributor to family-related recreation than men.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50443,"journal":{"name":"Fisheries Research","volume":"285 ","pages":"Article 107363"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143816305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fisheries ResearchPub Date : 2025-04-11DOI: 10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107348
Dorleta Garcia , Marga Andrés , Iosu Paradinas , Paula Alvarez , Guillermo Boyra , Rolf A. Groeneveld
{"title":"Biological, economic and social viability of a mesopelagic fishery in the Bay of Biscay","authors":"Dorleta Garcia , Marga Andrés , Iosu Paradinas , Paula Alvarez , Guillermo Boyra , Rolf A. Groeneveld","doi":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107348","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107348","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A recently estimated high mesopelagic biomass level, along with the increasing demand for raw material for fish oil and fishmeal, has sparked interest on exploiting mesopelagic populations. However, their exploitation is controversial due to their ecological role as primary prey for other populations and as CO<sub>2</sub> sequestrators. Therefore, before starting a new fishery, the three pillars of sustainability, ecological, economic and social, should be assessed. In the Bay of Biscay <em>Maurolicus muelleri</em> is the main mesopelagic species. Based on data collected over an eight-year period, a simulation model was implemented to assess the biological, economic and social performance of different fleets and exploitation levels. The conditioning of the population dynamics model presented several challenges, as the available survey index did not cover the full population distribution every year and the population had never been exploited in the Bay of Biscay. To overcome these problems an absolute population index was estimated using a spatio-temporal model, which was later used to adjust an age structured population dynamics model. Both models were fitted using Bayesian statistics to account for inherent uncertainty. The fishery was conditioned by identifying the most suitable fleet and estimating the initial investment and operational costs. The social pillar was approached through the social cost of carbon. The estimated biomass of <em>M. muelleri</em> in the Bay of Biscay fluctuated around 1.2 million tonnes. When it comes to exploitation, an industrial fishery may generate profits while maintaining a sustainable biomass level under good efficiency conditions. However, it would be challenging to recover the initial investment. Additionally, the estimated added value generated by this fishery would not be able to compensate for public costs associated with the impacts on carbon sequestration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50443,"journal":{"name":"Fisheries Research","volume":"285 ","pages":"Article 107348"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143816306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fisheries ResearchPub Date : 2025-04-09DOI: 10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107332
A. Challen Hyman , David Chagaris , Thomas K. Frazer
{"title":"Influence of temporal regulations on harvest and discards in the recreational Gulf of Mexico gag (Mycteroperca microlepis) fishery","authors":"A. Challen Hyman , David Chagaris , Thomas K. Frazer","doi":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107332","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107332","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Changes in fishery regulations intended to constrain harvest can have profound effects on angler behavior – such as the decision to fish or the choice to retain or discard fish – and influence exploited fish stocks in complex ways. Without understanding these interactions, well-intended regulations may have unintended consequences. This study used statistical models to analyze the impact of temporal closures on recreational harvest and discards in the Gulf of Mexico reef fishery, and focused specifically on gag (<em>Mycteroperca microlepis</em>) along Florida’s west coast. We developed two models within an integrated framework: one for gag harvest and another for gag discards. Both harvest and discards were influenced by regional abundance, effort, seasonality, and temporal restrictions. Using these models in conjunction with estimates of fishing effort and gag discard mortality, we simulated harvest, discards, and dead discards under three counterfactual scenarios considered by fisheries managers with differing recreational season start dates (June, September, and November) to assess the changes in discard and dead discard projections relative to a baseline in which the gag season was closed all year. Simulations suggested that a recreational gag season starting in June, September, or November would exceed an annual catch target of 635,000 lbs gutted weight in 27, 59, and 27 days on average, respectively. A recreational season starting in June yielded the highest number of dead discards relative to the baseline, while seasons starting in September or November resulted in statistically fewer dead discards. We conclude that the Gulf of Mexico gag recreational season start date influences overall gag dead discards, and that a recent decision to shift the recreational gag season from June to September both increased the season duration while also likely lowering fishing pressure on the Gulf of Mexico gag stock.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50443,"journal":{"name":"Fisheries Research","volume":"285 ","pages":"Article 107332"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143807301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}