Evidence for rebuilding in the panga stock on the Agulhas Bank, South Africa

The panga Pterogymnus laniarius (Pisces: Sparidae) resource on the Agulhas Bank, South Africa is assessed using an age-structured production model. The values for the free parameters of the model are estimated using biomass indices derived from fishery-independent trawl surveys. Although the data are fairly uninformative about the productivity of the resource within the range compatible with the biological parameters, the results indicate robustly that the population has recovered from low levels in the mid-1970's and that it can sustain somewhat higher levels of fishing intensity. Risk analysis calculations are used to assess the relative merits of alternative sequences of future catches with the level of sustainable catch being very sensitive to the selectivity pattern of the gear utilised. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.