| dc.description.abstract | Goldsinny wrasse (Ctenolabrus rupestris) was captured in pots during the years 1994-98 in the area between Arendal and Homborsund, west of Grimstad, along the Norwegian Skagerrak coast. The pots, made of steel 1 x 1 cm square-meshed netting, were 105 cm in length and 31 cm in diameter. They were baited using various crushed crustaceans. The pots were placed at depths between 5 and 10 m on rocky bottom with a dense cover of Lamillaria spp. and other macroalgae. A professional fisherman conducted the fishing. Sometimes the pots were hauled once a day, and sometimes twice or three times a day. This did not influence the catch rates. The catch per pot ranked up to 390. The mean catch per pot was 25.8,18.8,46.9,42.7,55.5 for 1994,1995,1996,1997 and 1998, respectively. Distribution of catch per pot was highly skewed to the left for the first 2 years, while the distribution became progressively more symmetrical for the later years. In 1997, 10% of the pots yielded more than 90 fish, and, in 1998, 9% yielded higher catches. For the other years, this figure ranges from 0.1 % to 3%. The proportion of pots yielding fewer than 10 fish decreased from nearly 40% in 1995 to 1 % in 1998. The catch rates were dependent on temperature. The data available do not indicate that the fishery had a negative effect on the stock. | en_US |
