Abstract

VARISCO, Martín  and  VINUESA, Julio H. Diet of Munida gregaria(Fabricius, 1793) (Crustacea: Anomura: Galatheidae) in fishing beds of the San Jorge Gulf, Argentina. Rev. biol. mar. oceanogr. [online]. 2007, vol.42, n.3, pp. 221-229. ISSN 0718-1957.  doi: 10.4067/S0718-19572007000300002.

The area encompassing San Jorge gulf and surroundings is one of the most important fishing grounds in Argentina. Heavy fishing pressure affects the dynamics of natural communities. The discards of low commercial value species may have an impact on benthic-demersal communities by increasing the amount of organics in the seafloor. This accumulation initially favours generalist species, which are capable of ingesting the available organic matter; such is the case of the lobster krill Munida gregaria. This study evaluates if the lobster krill benefits from discards of the different fisheries in the gulf and how the species adjusts to local conditions caused by the fishing activity. In order to achieve these goals, five bottom samples were taken from the central region and five from the north of the San Jorge gulf. The dietary composition of 30 specimens from each sample was determined, and statistical analyses were performed to test for differences among sampling sites. The results recognized significant differences among sampling sites in the diet of the lobster krill, the larger consumption of decapod crustaceans in the northern section of the gulf was attributed to its larger abundance in the bycatch composition

Keywords : Feeding strategy; obster krill; fishery; bycatch; discard.