Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
3.0
2.4
Journals
Fishes
Special Issues
The Roles of Fishery Biology and Fish Population Dynamics in...
share announcement

The Roles of Fishery Biology and Fish Population Dynamics in Fisheries Management—2nd Edition

A special issue of Fishes (ISSN 2410-3888). This special issue belongs to the section "Biology and Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2026 | Viewed by 4216

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Lourdes Jiménez-Badillo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Pesquerías, Universidad Veracruzana, Hidalgo 617, Boca del Río 94290, Mexico
Interests: fisheries management; fish ecology; fisheries biology; species diversity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fisheries worldwide face challenges around the control, restoration, and prevention of the overexploitation of their resources; the timely assessment of fish stocks to support their sustainable use; the dynamic responses of fish stocks to the effects of climate change, the supply–demand relationships of a fluctuating market, and the fishing regulations to which they are subject; and food security in the face of growing increases in human population.

To address these challenges, it is essential to understand the state of a stock through the population parameters of growth, reproduction, recruitment, natural and fishing mortality, and bioeconomic yield. Understanding the life cycles of the resources subjected to exploitation, the spawning stock biomass, and the trend of long series of catches, preferably linked to environmental factors, are also relevant issues. All this is achieved through the application of classical methods of fishery biology, population dynamics, and time series analysis. Recently, given the limitations around sufficient data and the urgent need to establish strategies for fishery management, poor data modeling has become relevant.

Authors are invited to submit original articles and reviews to this Special Issue regarding the classic fishery biology and population dynamics of exploited resources (fish, mollusk, crustacean), as well as analyses based on poor data modeling, which are useful for assessing and managing small-scale and artisanal fisheries from around the globe. Submissions that offer new insights and approaches that contribute to the improvement of the evaluation and management of fishery resources are particularly encouraged. Topics of interest include novel research concerning fishery biology, fish population dynamics, fishing ecology, stock assessment, data-limited fishery management, fishery resource management, artisanal fishing, coastal fishing, and fishing in protected areas.

Dr. Lourdes Jiménez-Badillo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fishes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • fishery biology
  • fish population dynamics
  • fishing ecology
  • stock assessment
  • data-limited fisheries management
  • fishery resource management
  • artisanal fishing
  • coastal fishing
  • fishing in protected areas

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

17 pages, 3091 KB  
Article
Surveying Shared Marine Resources at a Regional Scale: Connectivity and Differentiation of Round Sardinella in Eastern Mediterranean
by Alice Ferrari, Giusy Catalano, Valentina Crobe, Alessia Cariani, Emre Keskin, Pierluigi Carbonara, Loredana Casciaro, Reda M. Fahim, Sharif Jemaa, Savaş Kılıç, Myriam Lteif, Abdalnasser S. H. Madi, Hatem H. Mahmoud, Süleyman Öztürk, Yaser O. Shtaya and Stefano Lelli
Fishes 2026, 11(3), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes11030175 - 17 Mar 2026
Viewed by 890
Abstract
The round sardinella (Sardinella aurita Valenciennes, 1847) is a widely distributed migratory pelagic fish inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic coasts. The species is heavily exploited and represents a valuable resource for global fisheries. In the Mediterranean area, uptakes of [...] Read more.
The round sardinella (Sardinella aurita Valenciennes, 1847) is a widely distributed migratory pelagic fish inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic coasts. The species is heavily exploited and represents a valuable resource for global fisheries. In the Mediterranean area, uptakes of round sardinella are particularly high in the Ionian and Levant regions, where landings have shown fluctuating yet significant peaks in recent decades. Given its migratory nature, understanding the connectivity among populations is crucial for delineating appropriate fishery management units. Previous studies employing morphometric, meristic, and molecular analyses have yielded mixed results regarding population structuring. Here, the genetic differentiation among Eastern Mediterranean S. aurita populations was investigated using a multi-marker approach: the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), cytochrome b (CytB), control region (CR), and 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA), and seven species-specific nuclear simple sequence repeats (SSRs). Overall, the results indicate high genetic diversity coupled with weak population structuring across the Eastern Mediterranean. These analyses aim at clarifying stock boundaries towards supporting sustainable management strategies at a regional scale for this ecologically and economically important species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Roles of Fishery Biology and Fish Population Dynamics in Fisheries Management—2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 2108 KB  
Article
Stock Status and Unsustainable Exploitation Dynamics of Key Commercial Species in the Nile Delta Lakes, Egypt
by Sahar Fahmy Mehanna and Mohamed Samy-Kamal
Fishes 2025, 10(12), 619; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10120619 - 3 Dec 2025
Viewed by 629
Abstract
Effective fisheries management relies on accurate stock assessments to ensure sustainable exploitation and long-term ecosystem stability. Fisheries from the Nile Delta lakes of Egypt—comprising Manzala, Burullus, Edku, and Mariout—are economically critical, collectively contributing about 40% of the nation’s total capture fisheries and are [...] Read more.
Effective fisheries management relies on accurate stock assessments to ensure sustainable exploitation and long-term ecosystem stability. Fisheries from the Nile Delta lakes of Egypt—comprising Manzala, Burullus, Edku, and Mariout—are economically critical, collectively contributing about 40% of the nation’s total capture fisheries and are facing severe anthropogenic challenges. This study assessed the stock status of 10 key fish species and two crustacean species from these four Nile Delta lakes by determining their life history parameters and exploitation levels. The analysis included estimation of the Length–Weight Relationship (LWR), von Bertalanffy Growth Function (VBGF) parameters, instantaneous mortality coefficients (Z, M, F), and the exploitation ratio (E). Asymptotic total length (L∞) varied widely, ranging from 10.47 cm for Portunus pelagicus to 86.78 cm for Clarias gariepinus (in Lake Manzala). The growth coefficient (K) spanned from 0.31 yr−1 (C. gariepinus) to 1.79 yr−1 (Metapenaeus stebbingi), reflecting diverse life history strategies. The key finding, based on the Gulland criterion, is that all commercial stocks examined in the Nile Delta lakes are currently subjected to severe overexploitation, with the exploitation ratio (E) consistently exceeding the optimal threshold of 0.5. These results underscore the urgent need for adaptive management strategies, including stricter gear regulations and improved fisheries monitoring, to ensure the sustainability of these vital resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Roles of Fishery Biology and Fish Population Dynamics in Fisheries Management—2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

25 pages, 4270 KB  
Article
Growth, Reproductive Parameters and Stock Status of Brown-Marbled Grouper Epinephelus fuscoguttatus, a Commonly Targeted Grouper in Saleh Bay, Indonesia
by Yudi Herdiana, Peter G. Coulson, James R. Tweedley, Budy Wiryawan, Sugeng H. Wisudo and Neil R. Loneragan
Fishes 2025, 10(12), 611; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10120611 - 27 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1455
Abstract
The brown-marbled grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus), a high-value species in international trade, has experienced population declines due to intensive fishing. It is one of 12 grouper and snapper species prioritized for management in Saleh Bay, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. This study analyzed [...] Read more.
The brown-marbled grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus), a high-value species in international trade, has experienced population declines due to intensive fishing. It is one of 12 grouper and snapper species prioritized for management in Saleh Bay, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. This study analyzed catch data (2017–2022) and biological samples (2020–2021) to update key life history parameters, including natural mortality, von Bertalanffy growth parameters, asymptotic length, and size at maturity. Growth was estimated using an ELEFAN-optimized model applied to catch length–frequency data, while maturity was determined through macroscopic examination of gonads. The updated estimates (L50 = 488 mm for both sex; L95 = 568 mm for females and 616 mm for males) were incorporated into a length-based spawning potential ratio (SPR) assessment. Annual SPR values ranged from 0.13 to 0.28, substantially higher than previous estimates of 0.05–0.07, mainly due to the lower L50 used in this study. Despite this improvement, SPR values remain below the management target of 0.30 for groupers and snappers in Saleh Bay. Limited biological samples, particularly the scarcity of larger individuals and males, introduce uncertainty in the estimates. These findings emphasize the value of locally derived life history information and highlight the need for continued biological sampling to refine growth and reproductive parameters and support sustainable fisheries management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Roles of Fishery Biology and Fish Population Dynamics in Fisheries Management—2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 1810 KB  
Article
Growth, Mortality, and Stock Resilience of Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) in the Romanian Danube: Insights into Sustainable Exploitation (2019–2024)
by Angelica Dobre, Maria Desimira Stroe, Floricel Maricel Dima, Livia Vidu, Monica Paula Marin and Carmen Georgeta Nicolae
Fishes 2025, 10(12), 609; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10120609 - 27 Nov 2025
Viewed by 901
Abstract
Increasing environmental variability and fishing pressure in the Danube raise concerns about the status of common carp populations. Between 2019 and 2024, we assessed the population structure, growth, and mortality of common carp in the Romanian sector of the Danube River to evaluate [...] Read more.
Increasing environmental variability and fishing pressure in the Danube raise concerns about the status of common carp populations. Between 2019 and 2024, we assessed the population structure, growth, and mortality of common carp in the Romanian sector of the Danube River to evaluate its status and support sustainable management. A total of 2646 specimens (8658.29 kg) were collected using fixed and floating gillnets from representative sites along the river, and morphometric data were recorded annually, including total length, weight, and sex. Length distributions showed stable recruitment in younger classes (35–44 cm) and dominance of medium-size classes (45–64 cm), with large individuals (>70 cm) peaking in 2021. Growth and mortality parameters (L∞ = 78.75–99.75 cm, K = 0.41–1.50 year−1, Z = 1.11–2.43 year−1) represent model-derived annual estimates, obtained through standard length–frequency methods, with ranges reflecting interannual variation. Sex ratios ranged from 0.77 to 0.94 (F/M), with significant male bias in 2019 and 2021, while other years were near-balanced. Comparison with Total Allowable Catch data revealed that reported catches were often below permitted limits, exceeding 50% only in 2021 and 2023. Overall, results may suggest a resilient and moderately exploited carp population in the Romanian Danube. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Roles of Fishery Biology and Fish Population Dynamics in Fisheries Management—2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop