A Review of the Methods and Problems of Quantitative Assessment of Loligo opalescens

AbstractAn examination of the knowledge about sampling Loligo opalescens populations leads to two general conclusions regarding the assessment of their abundance. First, it is suggested that studies concentrate on spawning ground organisms, since they aggregate during spawning, are commercially fished at this time, and their numbers can be assessed using a combination of data from market catch, adult and egg case densities, acoustic sensing, and perhaps larval densities. Second, it is suggested that large-scale acoustic surveys coupled with large midwater trawling activities be used to qualitatively assess adult organisms off the spawning grounds.