Maximum sustainable yield estimates of barramundi Lates calcarifer fishery from Pakistani waters

摘要

Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) of Barramundi Lates calcarifer (Bloch, 1790) fishery of Pakistan are estimated based on catch and effort data from 1995-2009. Two computer software packages CEDA (catch effort data analysis) and ASPIC (a surplus production model incorporating covariates) were applied. In CEDA initial proportion (IP) was used ranging from 0.1-09. The obtained MSY results using IP 0.8 (because the initial catch was roughly 80% of the maximum catch) in normal, log-normal and gamma error assumptions for Fox, Schaefer and Pella-Tomlinson models were about 107t-117t and estimated R-2 for three models with three error assumptions were about 0.61-0.67. Estimated MSY results of Fox and Schaefer models using ASPIC computer software package were 118t and 109t and estimated R2 for Fox and Schaefer models were 0.803 and 0.794 respectively. Estimated values of MSY are smaller than the recent catch which indicates that the fishery of L. calcarifer in Pakistani waters is over-exploited.