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Seasonal and spatial trends of Mayan octopus, Octopus maya, population dynamics from Campeche, Mexico

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 August 2016

Unai Markaida*
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Pesquerías Artesanales, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (CONACyT), Av. Rancho Polígono 2A, Ciudad Industrial Lerma, 24500 Campeche, Mexico
Iván Méndez-Loeza
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Pesquerías Artesanales, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (CONACyT), Av. Rancho Polígono 2A, Ciudad Industrial Lerma, 24500 Campeche, Mexico
Martha Laura Rosales-Raya
Affiliation:
Facultad de Ciencias Químico Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Campeche, Av. Agustín Melgar s/n, 24039 Campeche, Mexico
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: U. Markaida Laboratorio de Pesquerías Artesanales, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (CONACyT), Av. Rancho Polígono 2A, Ciudad Industrial Lerma, 24500 Campeche, Mexico email: umarkaida@ecosur.mx
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Abstract

High plasticity in cephalopod populations shows dramatic changes in their biological traits. Commercial catches of Mayan octopus (Octopus maya) in six localities of the state of Campeche, Mexico, were sampled monthly for five consecutive fishing seasons (2005–2009) in order to describe variations in population structure and maturation. Octopus maya grows and matures during the fishing season, from August to December. Spent individuals predominate in January and February, revealing a year-long life cycle. However, the presence of a few spent females in all months sampled suggests that a small part of the population shows an extended spawning period. Overall sex ratios did not significantly shift from the expected 1:1 in most samples. Males are mostly mature while the majority of females are immature during the season. Use of illegal fishing gears (spear diving or pots) in central localities accounts for a larger share in mature females. Octopus size showed large interannual and geographic differences. Females mature at a larger size (1024 g body weight, BW; 124 mm mantle length, ML) than males (484 g BW; 91 mm ML). Size at maturity in both sexes varies more between seasons than between localities. Female ML at maturity is larger than the current minimum legal size and implications for current octopus fishing regulations are discussed.

Information

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2016 
Figure 0

Fig. 1. Campeche State shoreline showing Octopus maya landing localities. Depth in meters. Inset shows the states on the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico: CAM, Campeche; YUC, Yucatan and QR, Quintana Roo. Arrows show west (Sabancuy) and east (Holbox) limits of localities with commercial landings.

Figure 1

Fig. 2. Octopus maya annual landings (A) and mean monthly catches (B) by locality in Campeche during 2005–2009.

Figure 2

Table 1. Scale of maturity stages for Octopus maya females and males. Equivalences with maturity stages from a more detailed scale by Arkhipkin (1992) are given.

Figure 3

Fig. 3. Monthly relative frequency of maturity stages for female Octopus maya from Campeche by season (August to December) and locality: (A) Isla Arena; (B) Campeche; (C) Seybaplaya; (D) Villamadero; (E) Champoton; (F) Sabancuy. Dots show mean monthly mantle length (ML) and standard deviation (right axis). Note that after season January and February were sampled at Campeche in 2006 and 2007 (grey box).

Figure 4

Fig. 4. Monthly relative frequency of maturity stages for male Octopus maya from Campeche by season (August to December) and locality: (A) Isla Arena; (B) Campeche; (C) Seybaplaya; (D) Villamadero; (E) Champoton; (F) Sabancuy. Dots show mean monthly mantle length (ML) and standard deviation (right axis). Note that after season January and February were sampled at Campeche in 2006 and 2007 (grey box).

Figure 5

Fig. 5. Monthly sex ratio of Octopus maya by locality and season expressed as percentage of females for each maturity stage and for all octopus (triangles): (A) Isla Arena; (B) Campeche; (C) Seybaplaya; (D) Villamadero; (E) Champoton; (F) Sabancuy. Black triangles denote not significant deviation from the expected 1:1 ratio (shown as a grey horizontal line). White triangles denote significant deviation (P < 0.05).

Figure 6

Fig. 6. Octopus maya sex ratio as female % by 100 g of body weight (BW, lower axis) and by 5 mm mantle length (ML, upper axis) intervals.

Figure 7

Fig. 7. Monthly mean body weight (BW) ± SD for Octopus maya by sex, season (August to December) and locality: (A) Isla Arena; (B) Campeche; (C) Seybaplaya; (D) Villamadero; (E) Champoton; (F) Sabancuy. Note that after season January and February were sampled at Campeche in 2007 (grey box).

Figure 8

Fig. 8. Body weight (BW) distribution of mature and spent Octopus maya from Campeche in 2006, 2007 and 2009 for (A) females and (B) males.

Figure 9

Fig. 9. Octopus maya maturity stage cumulative relative frequencies by 5 mm mantle length (ML) class (left) and by 100 g body weight (BW) class (right) for females (A–D) and males (E–H) from Campeche (A–B, E–F) and Sabancuy (C–D, G–H) during 2007. White logistic curves were fitted to mature plus spent frequencies. White arrows show size at maturity. Blank areas denote no data.

Figure 10

Table 2. Octopus maya size at maturity for mantle length (ML50%) in mm and body weight (BW50%) in grams by sex, landing localities and year in Campeche.