Underwater television as a fishery-indipendent method for stock assessment of Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) in the Central Adriatic Sea (Italy)

Norway lobster is of great commercial importance throughout the NE Atlantic and Mediterranean, where it lives in burrows in muddy sediments. The fact that the species is caught in commercial gear only when it emerges from its burrow and the absence of hard structures available for age determination complicate the application of normal fishery-dependent stock-assessment methodologies. This study provides more evidence of the usefulness of underwater television surveys as a fishery-independent technique to assess the Nephrops stocks of the Adriatic Sea. The results are compared with those of previous studies, and the advantages and disadvantages of using such methodology discussed in an Adriatic context.