Biochemical composition during the reproductive cycle of a novel gastropod resource from Atlantic Patagonia

Abstract

Marine gastropods are a popular seafood, abundant along coastal shores and healthy for human consumption.We studied variations in nutritional components during the gonadal cycle of Tegula patagonica, a novel gastropodresource protected by a recent artisanal fishery regulation. Similar to other marine gastropods consumed worldwide,T. patagonica was found to have a high protein content (mean s.d., 28.8 15.4%) and a low lipid (1.36 0.43%) andcarbohydrate (1.7 0.8%) content. The spawning peak was registered during spring and summer, concordant withincreases in temperature and photoperiod, as observed for other gastropods from Atlantic Patagonia. According to ourresults, the optimal quality of T. patagonica for consumption is during the austral autumn, after the spawning season andwhen the gastropods have a high bodyweight and best nutritional contribution. Thus, this resource could be captured whenits quality is optimal and its conservation promoted if established minimum catch sizes are respected.