Is it sustainable fishing for Octopus maya Voss and Solis, 1966, during the breeding season using a bait-based fishing technique?

The fishery supported by Octopus maya Voss and Solis, 1966, has been managed with season closure, minimum legal size and gear restrictions. The opening of the fishing season occurs during the breeding season of this species, which could create concerns regarding sustainability. To analyse the implication of this regulation, the dynamics of the fishery was modelled using an age-structured dynamic model, accounting for females' behaviour for parental care. Four scenarios were tested to evaluate the performance of potential changes in the scheduling of the time span of the fishing season. The response variables were total biomass, spawning biomass, recruitment, and catch, assuming no changes in the fishing technique. In scenarios one and two, when fishing season opened earlier than current dates (status quo), there was a significant reduction of catch and the spawning biomass in the third year. When simulations postponed the opening of the season (scenarios three and four), the annual catches and spawning stock experienced an increase in the third year regarding the status quo. The results of the analysis showed that the use of a selective gear (bait-based) and the behaviour of parental care of females during reproduction, offer a buffer to maintain the stock, despite the fishing season operating in part of the reproductive period.