Study of the management strategies evaluation for Oratosquilla oratoria in the Bohai Sea

Fishery resources in the Bohai Sea have declined markedly due to overfishing and habitat degradation, leading to an increasing dominance of invertebrate species such as the mantis shrimp Oratosquilla oratoria. Here, we estimated growth parameters of O. oratoria using ELEFAN GA method with bootstrap resampling based on length–frequency data collected in 2014, 2015 and 2024, and conducted a management strategy evaluation (MSE) while propagating uncertainty through alternative natural mortality coefficient (M) estimates. The results indicated that length-weight relationship in 2014 and 2015 was W=0.0148*L^2.94 and estimated growth parameters, including asymptotic body length L_inf and growth parameter K were 20.14 cm and 0.74, respectively. In 2024, the length-weight relationship was W=0.0228*L^2.78, and L_inf and K were 20.19 cm and 0.73, respectively. A total of 16 MPs were identified as feasible MPs for the management of O. oratoria in the Bohai Sea, including 9 input controls and 7 output controls. Across all M-setting scenarios, input controls generally performed better compared with output controls in maintaining stock status and yield and avoiding overfishing performance metrics. Moreover, only curE80 (80% of current effort level) consistently provided the best overall trade-off between conservation and exploitation among all M scenarios. Our results therefore recommend curE80 as a priority MP for O. oratoria in the Bohai Sea, while emphasizing that management outcomes remain sensitive to M estimates.