Modelling artisanal coastal fisheries of Galicia (NW Spain) based on data obtained from fishers:: the case of Octopus vulgaris

The small-scale common Octopus (Octopus vulgaris) fishery in Galician waters (NW Spain) was studied using a model based on information obtained from fishers. The Gomez-Munoz model was applied using information obtained from the artisanal Galician fleet from 1998 to 2000. This information was used to estimate catches per unit of effort (CPUE) and total catch for the whole directed creel fishery. A total of 73 interviews were conducted in 22 ports in the west part of ICES division VIIIc and 75 interviews in 16 ports in the north part of ICES division IXa. The estimated total catch during the fishing season for the whole Galician fleet was 5214 t (2528 t in VIIIc and 2686 1 in IXa), and the average CPUE for the VIIIc and IXa fishing grounds obtained from the model was 44.11 and 23.83 kg haul(-1) respectively. To test the reliability of the model, the outputs obtained for a subset of 35 ports (19 in VIIIc and 16 in IXa), were compared with the official statistics of these ports. The average official catch from 1997 to 2000 and estimated total catch data were significantly correlated.