8.1 M. merluccius
8.2 Merluccius spp.
Indices of the abundance of M. merluccius are shown in Table 1 and Figure 4 for the period 1970-1976. These are based on the catches per unit effort by the Spanish BAKAS, by Moroccan trawlers and by a combination of the two.
All indices show a short-term increase in 1974 suggesting that the stock may have increased temporarily. Otherwise, the agreement between the various indices is not particularly good. For example, catches per unit effort by Moroccan vessels decreased noticeably where as the catches per unit effort of the Spanish BAKAS showed in significant trends.
An index of abundance for the period 1964-1976 is shown in Table 2, based on the catches per unit effort by Portuguese vessels. This index fluctuates irregularly without obvious trends.
