Departamento de Oceanografia

Three species are subject to fisheries in the lower shelf and upper slope (150 to 500 m) off Northern-Central Chile: two galatheid squat lobsters (Cervimunida johni and Pleuroncodes monodon) and a pandalid shrimp (Heterocarpus reedi). Actually, their fisheries are administered through a Quota system and therefore swept area surveys are conducted every year to provide tuning information for the VPA

A multispecies virtual population analysis (MSVPA) model for the southern Chilean demersal fishery was developed. Species included the Southern Hake Merluccius australis, Pink Cusk-eel Genypterus blacodes (hereafter, “Kingklip”), Southern Blue Whiting (SBW) Micromesistius australis, and Patagonian Grenadier (also known as Argentine Straptail) Macruronus magellanicus (hereafter, “Hoki”). Due to a lack of stomach content data, we constructed suitability coefficients based on predator–prey size ratios. Terminal fishing mortality (Fterm) was estimated by fitting a cohort analysis model to estimates of abundance from single-species models developed by the Chilean Instituto de Fomento Pesquero (IFOP; Institute for Fishing Development). Values of Fterm were used as input data in the MSVPA, driving the dynamics of the species and producing adult abundance estimates that were similar to IFOP estimates. Comparison of MSVPA and IFOP estimates suggested consistency in adult abundance and total abundance estimates for SBW. Differences were identified for adult Hoki abundance estimates. Differences in recruitment estimates were small for SBW, whereas greater differences