Specimens of European hake were collected by a traditional demersal trawl between July 2004 and June 2007 from İzmir Bay, Central Aegean Sea. A total of 2108 individuals were sampled during the study and the female: male sex ratio of the stock was 1:0.89. The length–weight relationship was W = 0.00341L3.24 (R2 = 0.994) for all individuals. A high gonadosomatic index was evident over most of the year but it was minimal from August to October. The estimated age composition was 1–5 years; the length and weight at infinity were calculated as L∞ = 54.53 cm and W∞ = 1455.77 g respectively. In addition, growth coefficient was found to be k = 0.315 y−1 and to = −0.223 y (R2 = 0.99). Total mortality ratio of the stock was calculated as Z = 1.539 y−1, while natural and fishing based mortality ratio were estimated as M = 0.579 y−1 and F = 0.959 y−1 respectively, with the exploitation ratio (E) of the stock estimated to be 0.624.

Merluccius merluccius is an economically and ecologically important demersal species inhabiting the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea; however, reproductive knowledge about this species, along the North African coast is still missing. Monthly samples were collected from November 2010 to October 2011 along the North Tunisian coast. Morphometric parameters were measured, and histological preparations of gonadic tissues provided detailed information on the reproductive biology. Ovary maturity data showed a protracted spawning season throughout the year, with peaks in January, April and August. In females of M. merluccius, seasonal variability in weight and length were noticed, with higher values in the first part of the study period (November–April) than from May to October. Analysing separately these two periods, significant relationships were observed between gonadic maturation indices and the somatic and gonadic indices, suggesting a seasonal differential use of energy intake. From November to May the fish alternate the use of their energy for body growth and reserves for later uses (i.e fat, muscle and liver mass) or for gonadic growth. From June to October the energy is converted mainly into gonad weight and less to somatic growth. The maturity ogives obtained by macroscopic and histological maturity staging methods showed significant differences; however, in both cases the length at first maturity estimates were around 29 cm. Nonetheless, when selecting the main spawning period, the L50 estimation was heavily reduced to 24 cm, suggesting careful attention in the selection of the samples to be used specially for fishery management purposes.

Simulation of fisheries systems is a widely used approach that integrates monitoring and assessment tools. We applied the ALADYM (age-length based dynamic model) simulation model to three different studies aimed at investigating correlations between pressure and population metrics, exploring the viability of different mortality levels in long-term scenarios and predicting the effects of combined management measures. Uncertainty was incorporated into the simulations following the Monte Carlo paradigm. Three stocks were used for these exercises: red mullet in the central-southern Tyrrhenian Sea and European hake in both the Bay of Biscay and the Aegean Sea. The analysis of the relationships between total mortality and indicators highlighted significant pairwise negative correlations for red mullet. These signals of decline were supported by the spawning potential ratio indicator (mean exploited to mean unexploited spawning-stock biomass ESSB/USSB), which was low compared to target levels. It only remained within safe bounds (>0.2; probability: 0.90–0.95) at total mortality levels lower than 1.6. The simulation results for European hake in the Bay of Biscay showed that a sustainable exploitation rate might range from 0.87 to 1.04. The benefits of combined management measures were demonstrated for European hake in the Aegean Sea, and with a further dataset on the Eastern cod stock in the Baltic Sea.

We investigated daily ration, feeding rhythms and gastric evacuation rates of juvenile (<16 cm total length) European hake Merluccius merluccius, using stomach samples collected during four 24-hour trawl surveys carried out in 2001–2002 on the continental shelf-break (from 120 m to 160 m in depth) off the western coast of central Italy (central Mediterranean Sea). In each survey 8 hauls of 30 minutes were performed every three hours throughout the 24-hour period to cover the entire diel cycle. Diet of juvenile hake was mostly composed of the euphausiid Nyctiphanes couchii, showing a peak in stomach contents during early morning followed by a daytime decrease. Fullness index (%FI) was generally higher during sunrise when migratory activity ceased and juvenile hake return to the bottom after feeding. Concerning the hake abundance the highest density value was obtained in May during the recruitment period.

Two independent daily ration estimates were produced. First, an empirical attempt to estimate the daily amount of food consumed was obtained by back-calculating the fresh weight of euphausiid prey ingested by juvenile hake. Estimated values ranged from 4.96–5.89% body wet weight (%BW). Second, the daily ration was computed applying the exponential gastric evacuation models proposed by Elliot & Persson (1978) and Eggers (1979). Daily ration values obtained using these consumption models produced a considerable (15–20%) underestimation of consumption rate for juvenile hake.

Mediterranean demersal fisheries have experienced an ongoing decline in catches over the past 20 years as a result of excessive increases in effort caused both by growth in trawler engine power and by rapid technological advances in fish finding and fishing technology. This has led to an overexploitation of these resources. An increasing share of the catches consists of immature individuals. This study was undertaken to test a sorting grid with a bar spacing of 20 mm as a means of excluding juveniles in the commercial hake (Merluccius merluccius) fishery in the Catalan Sea, western Mediterranean. The grid was placed in the extension section of the gear 5 m in front of a cod-end. Divided cod-end design was used to collect the escapees and target species. The mean selection length (L50) of the ten hauls was 14.2 ± 0.7 cm SE, with a selection range of 7.3 cm ± 0.4 SE. The biomass of hake under L50 that escaped through the grid represented 50.1% ± 6.7 SE of the total hake biomass. These results are promising and indicate that a sorting grid can be used in excluding young hake. This was a first step toward implementation of sorting grids in commercial trawl gears as means of avoiding unwanted catches of small individuals in the hake fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea. Further trials are required to improve the sorting efficiency of the grid.

An assessment of the state of the fisheries of hake, red mullet and Norway lobster was carried out by using trawl survey data from the MEDITS research programme. The assessment was performed by means of the application of a composite model utilising the total mortality rate Z as a direct index of fishing effort. The studied area covered the whole western Italian coast (Ligurian and Tyrrhenian seas) and the eastern coasts of Corsica. The area was divided into twelve sub-areas, considered to be of similar ecological characteristics with similar initial productivity but considered to experience different rates of exploitation. Available information on fishing fleets and their geographic distribution was used in creating sub-areas. For each one of these sub-areas, the total mortality rates and a mean catch per unit of effort were estimated. The estimation of Z was performed by analysing the size structure of the cumulated catch in each sub-area and for each year. Catch rates were estimated as the mean catch per one hour of tow. The positioning of the current values of Z for the different sub-areas relative to the Z at maximum biological production suggests that, in most of the sub-areas, hake is in general fully exploited and red mullet overexploited. In the case of Norway lobster, it was not possible to obtain a statistically acceptable result probably due to a lack of contrasting enough levels of fishing pressure among sub-areas. The results obtained for hake and red mullet are in good agreement with the available information on the consistency of the fleets operating in the different sub-areas.

European hake Merluccius merluccius is the main commercial demersal species in the Gulf of Lions (Northwestern mediterranean). This fish is exploited by French and Spanish trawler fleets and by small-scale fisheries using gillnets and longlines. Data on landings and the demography of catches by type of gear are now available for the period 1988–1991. The assessment of the hake stock was carried out using methods of virtual population analysis (VPA), or cohort analysis, based respectively on mean pseudocohorts and cohorts by age. The results of these VPA were then analysed and compared from a methodological point of view. The general results have confirmed previous studies with regard to the level of exploitation of the species. The two methods gave quite similar results for fishing mortality rates and for mean biomass. The maximal fishing mortality rate was observed at age 4, but it was already high at age 1, due to the exploitation of juveniles by trawlers. The mean biomass was about 7 000 tons. The high values for turnover (about 80% or more) and for the maximal biomass/mean biomass ratio (23% or more) indicated a high level of exploitation but did not seem high enough to be dangerous for the stock. Yield-per-recruit analysisshowed also that the present level of exploitation is far above the optimal sustainable level.