No evidence of bias from fish behavior in the selectivity of size and sex of the protogynous red porgy (Pagrus pagrus, Sparidae) by hook-and-line gear

Most fisheries select the size of fish to be caught (are size selective), and many factors, including gear, marketdemands, species distributions, fishery laws, and the behavior of both fishermen and fish, can contribute to that selectivity. Most fishing gear is size-selective and some, such as gill nets, are more so than others. The targeting behavior of fishermen is another key reason commercialand recreational fisheries tend to be size-selective. The more successful fishermen constantly seek areas andmethods that yield larger or more profitable sizes of fish. Fishery regulations, especially size limits, producesize-selective harvests. Another factor with the potential to cause selectivity in a hook-and-line fishery is the different behavioral responses of fish to the bait or lure, whether the different responses arise among different fishsizes or between the sexes.