Impact of yellow eel exploitation on spawner production in Lake IJsselmeer, the Netherlands

Abstract

Exploitation of eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) may have contributed to the recruitment decline observed in the past two decades, by depletion of the spawning stock. This study assesses the impact of the relatively well-documented fisheries on lake IJsselmeer, the Netherlands, on spawner production, using a length-structured cohort analysis model. The yellow eel fisheries in lake IJsselmeer overexploit the local stock of eel. Current fisheries reduce male spawner escapement to one in seven parts and reduce female spawner escapement to one in seven-hundred parts of the unexploited situation. Eel fisheries on continental life stages may have substantial impact on spawner production in all areas where a local population is dense enough to be fished. Although exploitation has not necessarily caused the currently observed recruitment decline, uncontrolled exploitation levels in major eel fisheries will impede successful recovery of stock and fisheries.

Published in

Dana
2000, volume: 12, pages: 17-32

SLU Authors

• Dekker, Willem

  • Netherlands Institute for Fisheries Research (RIVO)

UKÄ Subject classification

Fish and Aquacultural Science

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/40655