Growth Characteristics and Stock Assessment of Sebastes schlegelii in the Northern Yellow Sea off Liaoning Province, China

Sebastes schlegelii is a commercially significant species in the northern Yellow Sea. Recently, Sebastes schlegelii has shown a reduced stock density and a shift toward smaller body sizes in the northern Yellow Sea area off Liaoning Province. To comprehend the population dynamics and to formulate management tactics, we established a mathematical formula describing the length–weight relationship, as well as the corresponding growth equations for the body length and body weight. The biomass of Sebastes schlegelii in the northern Yellow Sea area off Liaoning Province was evaluated using biological survey data from 2019 to 2022. The findings reveal that the length–weight formula is expressed as W = 4.98 × 10−5L2.8878 (R2 = 0.9108), with L∞ = 407.6 mm, W∞ = 1717.04 g, K = 0.21 a−1, and t0 = −0.65 a. The critical age was 3.34 years, and the stock biomass was 13,141.35 tonnes. The current exploitation rate of this resource is below the maximum yield, indicating sustainable utilization. A fishing closure period from April to June is considered suitable. A minimum landing size of 240.48 mm is recommended for Sebastes schlegelii.