Trends in population structure of Patagonian toothfish over 25 years of fishery exploitation at South Georgia

Abstract

Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) supports valuable fisheries across the Southern Ocean under the management of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. The fishery at South Georgia accounts for 26 % of the catch of this species in the Southern Ocean in the last 25 years. This study assesses the effects of exploitation and changes in management of the fishery on long-term trends in biological traits of Patagonian toothfish at South Georgia. Our results show variability in the size of fish, but no evidence of a systematic decline during the 25-year period. The mean size of fish was linked to recruitment, with pulses of recruitment associated with a reduction in mean size of the fishery. The years when recruitment was highest were in 2000–2010, with >50 % of toothfish of length classes < 90 cm. Management measures implemented over the last 25 years, including depth restrictions and benthic closed areas, have resulted in a gradual stabilization of the population structure. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) dropped from 1997 to 2010, gradually increased until 2017 and since 2018 has returned to values typical of the mid-2010s. Monthly changes in fish length, depth of capture and CPUE confirm that the spawning peak is in July. Size at maturity has remained stable over the last 25 years, suggesting the fishery has not had a major impact on population size structure. These results illustrate the role of management regulations in limiting the impacts of commercial exploitation on the population structure of a long-lived fish species. Given the bigger-deeper size pattern in Patagonian toothfish, there may be a case for increasing the minimum depth of the fishery (currently 700 m) when strong recruitment pulses are detected.