Potential Yield and Current Exploitation of Deep Water Pink Shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris), Hake (Merluccius merluccius) and Giant Red Shrimp (Aristaeomorpha foliacea) in the Strait of Sicily

Deep water pink shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris, Lucas 1846), Hake (Merluccius merluccius, Linnaeus, 1758) and Giant red shrimp (Aristaeomorpha foliacea, Risso 1827) are the main target species of the bottom trawlers operating in the Strait of Sicily. This paper aims to summarize the results of the studies performed by the IAMC - CNR to evaluate the potential yield and the current exploitation of these main species by using and comparing different assessment approaches. Data used for the analyses derived from both indirect (commercial fisheries) and direct (trawl surveys) monitoring International and National Programs carried out within the frameworks of European Union Common Fisheries Policy. The assessments of P. longirostris suggest that the fishery is being exploited the above a level which is believed to be sustainable in the long term. To move the fishing to a more sustainable pattern (F0.1), a decrease of the current fishing mortality ranging between 30% and 45% is recommended. For M. merluccius, a long living species sensitive to high fishing pressure, a reduction of current fishing mortality from 45% and 70% is suggested. In the case of A. foliacea, the reduction of fishing mortality to reach a more sustainable exploitation ranges from 30% and 65% of the current F.