Population size and exploitation of giant squid (Dosidicus gigas D'Orbigny, 1835) in the Gulf of California, Mexico

The most important landing sites of the giant squid (Dosidicus gigas D'Orbi gny, 1835) fishery in the Gulf of California, Mexico are Guaymas, in Sonora and Santa Rosalia, in Baja California Sur. An increase in the species biom ass resulted in increased landings, ranging from 6, 200 tons in 1994 to 140 ,000 tons in 1996. The development of a management strategy for this fisher y based on the proportional escapement has been suggested. This necessitate s the estimation of the population size when the fishing season begins in o rder to determine the amount of fishing effort. Weekly catch and effort dat a were reported from October 1995 to March 1996 for three fleets operating in the Gulf of California. The population size estimated using a maximum li kelihood model was 82,000 tons with a proportional escapement of 66%.