Fisheries
REPE
Marine gastropods represent an important resource within invertebrate fisheries worldwide, with high economic value in many international markets. Marine gastropods have been commercially exploited in Argentina for more than 80 years and locally consumed since prehispanic ages. In the last 30 years marine gastropod landings have noticeably increased. In north Patagonian gulfs there is an important artisanal benthic fishery where gastropods are a bycatch of bivalve catches. Some gastropod species of the Argentine Sea have important fisheries potential which is enhanced by the drop in fisheries stocks due to overexploitation worldwide. This justifies the study of local populations of edible gastropods and the implementation of sustainable exploitation regimes.
The studies we carry out at LARBIM allow us to evaluate the potential gastropod fisheries resource in coastal areas of the Province of Chubut and provide data for management and sustainable exploitation of this artisanal resource. We obtain basic population and fisheries parameters such as sexual sex proportion, size and weight, species yield, size at first maturity, reproductive seasonality and catch per unit effort.
Concurrently, we also study food quality of the resource through biochemical composition (protein, lipids, fatty acids, ash, humidity and glucogen), as well as, the presence and concentration of Paralytic Shellfish Toxin (PST) and heavy metals. Another of interest and research at LARBIM is the culture of gastropods through biofilm and artificial feeding in experimental aquariums.
Our fisheries studies are in close relationship with the reproductive and ecotoxicology work also carried out at LARBIM which allows for interdisciplinary activities with other researchers at CENPAT and worldwide.
Researchers: Dr. Soledad Zabala, Dr. Gregorio Bigatti and Dr. Andrés Averbuj.
Patagonia Argentina
Bvd. Brown 2915 (U9120ACD)
Puerto Madryn, Chubut - Argentina
Tel.: +54 (0280) 488-3184 int 1329
https://www.larbim.com.ar