Bycatch of jumbo flying squid (Dosidicus gigas) in the Peruvian purse-seine fishery

Abstract

We analyzed the bycatch of jumbo flying squid (Dosidicus gigas) in the Peruvian purse-seine fishery between 2000 and 2015. The area of study corresponded to the space between the northern and southern extremes of the 200 mile Peruvian jurisdictional sea. The highest bycatch in the north-central zone (Northern tip - 16°S) is noteworthy, being significantly lower south of 16°S. The analysis of the bycatch during the first fishing season for anchoveta shows that the greatest incidence of jumbo flying squid was recorded between April and June (autumn), which together represented 18.67% of the period coinciding with the greatest coverage (10 to 100 nm) and therefore the greatest deployment of fishing effort. During the fishery for jack and chub mackerel, the highest incidence was recorded between January and May (summer-autumn), coinciding with the highest availability of jack mackerel, with records up to 230 miles from the coast. The wide distribution of D. gigas in Peru from the coastal zone to beyond 200 nm, makes it present as a fauna accompanying the capture of pelagic resources in the different fisheries, mainly in Northern Peru.