Multi-model approach for growth analysis of Evibacus princeps Smith, 1869 (Decapoda, Scyllaridae) in the Gulf of California

Abstract

In Mexico, the spiny lobster fishery is well established but this is not the case with the slipper lobster fishery. For a sustainable fishery, many biological traits must be known, one of which is growth. The objective of the present study was to probe the multi-model approach to identify the curve that best describes the growth of Evibacus princeps from the Gulf of California. Specimens were collected aboard commercial trawlers during the industrial shrimp fishing season (October 2021-March 2022) at depths ranging from 10 to 55 m. Five versions of the Schnute model (including the Von Bertalanffy model) were applied and the best model was selected using the Bayesian information criterion. The estimation of an average model was performed because no model obtained 90% of the evidence. E. princeps from the Gulf of California exhibit an indeterminate growth pattern.