Density-dependent size selectivity in Antillean fish traps EDITOR-IN CHIEF EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Density-dependent size selectivity in Antillean fish traps

Fonds Documentaire ORSTQnn cote: 8% K380z EX. * 4 ---ELSEVIER An international journal on fisheries science, fishing technology and fisheries management Aims and scope.This journal provides an international forum for the publication of papers in the areas of fisheries science, fishing technology, and fisheries management. As these areas inevitably impinge on, and interrelate with each other, the approach of the journal is multidisciplinary. Authors are encouraged to emphasize the relevance of their own work to that of other disciplines covered by the journal. The scope covers salt, brackish and freshwater systems, and all aspects of fisheries, including economics, are relevant. Both practical and theoretical papers are eligible for publication. Review articles are also published. The journal is intended for fisheries biologists, gear technologists, naval architects, fisheries economists, administrators, policymakers and legislators. EDITOR-IN CHIEF Abstract Size selection in fish traps is often considered to depend only on mesh size and fish length. A fishery-independent trap survey conducted in three islands of the Lesser Antilles showed important differences in location of the left arm of the length-frequency distribution (selection profile, and average selection lengths Lso) among sampled sectors, in spite of standardized gear and processing methodology. Differences in size structure of the populations could cause such gaps only in sets of conditions which are highly unlikely, if not impossible, in real situations. Differences in the selection process (probability for a fish to be retained by the mesh) are, therefore, thought to be the factors explaining these observations. The inverse relation between the average catchhap and the shift of the selection profile strongly suggests that fish escapement through the mesh by squeezing is a density-dependent process, which confirms previous observations by other researchers. 0 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. A l l rights reserved