Trawl-related mortality and injuries to the southern king crab Lithodes santolla of Patagonia

Abstract

The catch and discard of non-target species could have detrimental effects on bycatch, species due, among others, to the increase in mortality and prevalence of injuries. In Argentina, the southern king crab (SKC), Lithodes santolla, supports a profitable trap fishery but is also caught as bycatch in trawl fisheries. The aims of this work were: i) to quantify the mortality and injuries in SKC caught as bycatch in the hake fishery in San Jorge Gulf (southwestern Atlantic Ocean), ii) to assess the factors that affect their mortality and injury occurrence, and iii) to estimate their postdiscard mortality.Immediate mortality (IM) and injuries in SKC were recorded in hauls of the hake fishery, and then related to operational and biological variables. SKC vitality was assessed using the reflex action mortality predictor (RAMP) test. Postdiscard mortality was analyzed in aquaria and wild (sea cages) conditions. The IM of SKC in the common hake fishery was 31%. The IM, as well as increased injuries and decreased vitality, were directly associated with the time and conditions of air exposure. Both the IM and injury occurrence were also affected by biological variables such as the sex,size and molt stage. Postdiscard mortality was lower in wild conditions than in the aquaria (1%). Our results suggest that SKC could have high resistance to handling and high recovery capacity after its return to the sea. In consequence, the quick return of SKC to the sea may have a positive effect on SKC survival.