Structure by size, sex and maturity stage of the withe croaker (Micropogonias furnieri, Desmarest, 1823; Teleostei: Sciaenidae) in the bycatch of the artisanal fishery at Rocha Lagoon, Uruguay

The structure of the population of white croaker (Micropogonias furnieri), a bycatch species of the multi-specific artisanal fishery at the coastal lagoon of Rocha, was analyzed. This species is Uruguay's second fishery resource and it has been declared fully exploited. Few data are available on the artisanal fishery and the biology of this fish, which inhabits the Uruguayan coastal lagoons. The white croakers were obtained from the bycatch of five fisheries that target diverse species in different parts of the lagoon. The five net types studied (mesh sizes 1, 2, 4, 10 and 20 cm) caught different fractions of the structure per size, sex and maturity stage. Both the median and first quartile of the size composition retained by each net size were bigger than the size at first maturity. This work shows the effect of different kinds of artisanal fishery on the structure of the white croaker population and provides basic information for the conservation and management of one of the fishery resources whose habitat forms part of the national park within the MAB/UNESCO Bañados del Este Biosphere Reserve.