Socio-Ecological Overview of the Greater Amberjack Fishery in the Balearic Islands

To expand our understanding on Carangidae ecology, this study provided the first socio-ecological overview of the Seriola dumerili fishery occurring in the Balearic Islands (Spain). This marine pelagic top-predator is a highly important species for recreational and commercial fisheries worldwide and is among the five most valued fish resources of the Balearic community. Shining light on its ecology can help with the species conservation and allow the fishery to be sustainably and effectively managed. Historical catches from 1950 - 2021, alongside detailed landing data of the last two decades, was analysed to identify potential patterns in ecological and socio-economic factors. Significant inter-annual variability among years was found in historical catches of greater amberjack, while catches and mean prices of the different size categories revealed significant results between seasons and months, respectively. Additionally, the Purse seine fleet was responsible for the highest percentage of S.dumerili catches and CPUE did not appear to change greatly between months and years after the imposed regulation. Overall, this study suggested seasonality occurring in the S.dumerili fishery of the Balearic Islands, with both socio-economic and ecological indicators influencing the fishery, although, the latter seemed to hold a higher regulating power.