The red shrimp Aristeus antennatus (Risso, 1816) fishery and biology in the Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean

The present study updates the information on the red shrimp fishery in the waters of the Balearic Islands in the middle of the Western Mediterranean, from its beginning to the present. Also, the development of the fishery and the biology of the shrimp population exploited from 1992 to 1997 is analys ed. The red shrimp (Aristeus antennatus) is one of the most important resources of bottom trawling in the Balearic Islands. It is fished on the slope betw een depths of 400 to 800 m. In biomass, it represents an average of 5% of t he overall catches, but its economic value is 30% of the total earnings of the fishery. From 1948 to 1997, the landing increased at an average rate of 3405 kg per year. However, this increment was not constant for the whole p eriod, and has been decreasing in the last five years. The engine power of boats fishing on the slope of the Balearic Islands doubled from the 1970s u ntil the end of the study. At the moment, the number of fishing units is de creasing, although the power of the individual boats is increasing continuo usly. The trawl yields varied between 3 and 14 kg/h. The highest yields occ urred in winter and spring. The decline of the sizes at first capture in 19 97 and the increase of juveniles. in the catches can be interpreted as a ch ange in the fishery strategy, which has increased the exploitation effort o n the small sizes. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.