STANDARDIZED CATCH RATES OF ALBACORE (THUNNUS ALALUNGA BONNATERRE, 1788) IN THE SPANISH RECREATIONAL FISHERY IN THE WESTERN MEDITERRARREAN IN THE PERIOD 2005-2019

Abstract

Catch and effort data from the Spanish recreational fishery in the Balearic Sea (Western Mediterranean) were analysed to estimate an index of relative abundance for albacore for the years 2005-2019. Standardized catch per unit effort (CPUE) in number were estimated through a General Linear Mixed Modeling (GLMM) approach under a negative binomial (NB) error distribution assumption. Nominal catch rates and a standardized abundance index are presented along with estimates of 95% confidence limits of the predicted means. These indices show an upward trend from the start of the series 2005 peaking in 2013; followed by a decrease until 2015. For the latest four-year period (2016-2019), the index shows a relatively stable trend fluctuating around a level two times lower than the maximum abundance recorded in the time series.