Abstract

CORTEZ-LUCERO, Gustavo; ARREOLA-LIZARRAGA, José Alfredo; CHAVEZ-VILLALBA, Jorge  and  ARAGON-NORIEGA, Eugenio Alberto. Distribution and abundance of the Cortés Geoduck Panopea globosa (Bivalvia Hiatellidae), in central Gulf of California, Mexico. Hidrobiológica [online]. 2014, vol.24, n.3, pp.167-174. ISSN 0188-8897.

The geoduck clam Panopea globosa, is a commecially important species due to its high demand. In order to maintain a sustainable fishery, it is necessary to determine its regional distribution and the levels of exploitable biomass. These are contingent on establishing the baseline spatial distribution of clam beds and their density in order to manage the resource through quotas. These population variables were determined in the region between Guaymas to Bahía de Lobos, Sonora. Bed delineation and density estimation involved sampling an area spanning 1 x 1.5 km between 0 and 30 m depth. Ten beds were delineated with an average density of 0.546 ± 0.17 clams*m^-2. The highest density was found in a southern bed (1.202 ± 0.07 clams • m^-2) and the lowest in a northern bed (0.43 ± 0.28 clams • m^-2). We conclude that quotas assigned by individual beds could be the best management strategy in the region.

Keywords : Beds; fishery; geoduck clam; Sonora.

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