Introducing size limits as a management tool for the recreational line fishery of silver kob, Argyrosomus inodorus (Griffiths and Heemstra), in Namibian waters

Individual silver kob Argyrosomas inodorus (Griffiths and Heemstra) first m ature at just over 1 yr of age and the median age at maturity is approximat ely 1.5 yr. Spawning of silver kob was observed in the southern and central region of the stock's range, but little spawning activity was found in sil ver kob sampled from the northern region. The spawning period is protracted over 6 months (October-March), which coincides with warmer water temperatu res (> 15 degreesC) and the occurrence of large-sized spawning silver kob i n the southern and central part of Namibia. Implementing a minimum size lim it for the silver kob fishery is not recommended as it will have serious ec onomic implications for the coastal communities. The protection of the spaw ning areas, Meob Bay and Sandwich, should be continued and a strict bag lim it on large-sized silver kob is recommended for the Namibian silver kob rec reational fishery.