Preliminary analysis of gillnet catch composition of Scomberomorus in northern South China Sea

We conducted a gillnet fishery survey during April 21~24, 2012 in northern South China Sea to obtain the information of the fishery Scomberomorus including catch composition, biological characteristics of domain species and percentage of immature fish, etc.. Moreover, we discussed the capturing parts of the domain species. The results show that the dominant species of gillnet fishery are S.commersoni, S.guttatus and Formio niger, whose IRI are 10 969.80, 5 502.49, 1 937.34 and dominant groups of body length are 701~800 mm, 501~600 mm, 231~250 mm, respectively. To achieve sustainable development of gillnet fishery for Scomberomorus, it is suggested that optimum capture length for the domain species be determined, experiments of fishing gear selectivity be conducted, and relative management measures for minimum mesh size be formulated.