Study on the fishing activity of torch-light squid fishery in the waters off Northeastern Taiwan

10.29822/JFST.202103_48(1).0002

Manh-Linh Nguyen；Jin-Yih Chen；Cheng-Hsin Liao；Jun-Hong Wu；Ming-An Lee

Swordtip squid ； Uroteuthis edulis ； torch-light fishery ； Northeastern Taiwan

臺灣水產學會刊

48卷1期（2021 / 03 / 01）

11 - 18

英文

Swordtip squid (Uroteuthis edulis) is a commercial species and is obtained through inshore torch-light fishery in the waters off Northeastern Taiwan. Using fishery data collected from 2015 and 2019, we analyzed the characteristics of the fishing ground as well as the spatial and temporal distributions of U. edulis to obtain a preliminarily understanding of resource utilization. The results indicated that the cumulative catch of swordtip squid accounts for 45% of the total cephalopod catch in this area, with the highest cumulative catch and highest monthly average catch-per-unit effort between April and October. In addition, based on the longitudinal and latitudinal gravity centers of the fishing ground, we concluded that in the first 3 months of the year, swordtip squid fishing is mainly concentrated in the area adjacent to Peng-Chia Yu Islet; the fishing ground then moves northeastward and to the waters off Peng-Chia Yu Islet. Lastly, the longitudinal and latitudinal frequency distribution showed that the traditional fishing area is adjacent to Peng-Chia Yu Islet. Further studies are needed to understand the environmental effects on spatial and temporal variations in swordtip squid distribution.