Fishery and morphometric relationships of the banded guitarfish, Zapteryx exasperata (Elasmobranchii, Rhinobatidae), from the Gulf of California, Mexico

The banded guitarfish (Zapteryx exasperata) is a commercially-important species in the Northwest artisanal ray fishery of Mexico. However, very little information about its fisheries characteristics and catch abundance is available. Seasonal sampling was conducted between 1998─2000 and 2004─2005 in...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Blanco Parra, María Pilar, Márquez Farías, Fernando, Galván Magaña, Felipe
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2010
País:México
Recursos:Instituto Politécnico Nacional
Repositorio:Repositorio Digital del IPN
OAI Identifier:oai:www.repositoriodigital.ipn.mx:123456789/12743
Acesso em linha:http://www.repositoriodigital.ipn.mx/handle/123456789/12743
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Artisanal fisheries
Elasmobranch
CPUE
catch composition
Descrição
Resumo:The banded guitarfish (Zapteryx exasperata) is a commercially-important species in the Northwest artisanal ray fishery of Mexico. However, very little information about its fisheries characteristics and catch abundance is available. Seasonal sampling was conducted between 1998─2000 and 2004─2005 in five fishery camps in the Gulf of California. Z. exasperata is a secondary resource in ground fisheries, and is caught using gill nets with mesh sizes between 15─20 cm from small fiberglass boats called “pangas,” fishing between 4─54 m depth. Catches were composed of individuals between 41.3─90 cm TL with an average weight of 2.18  1.13 kg. The sex ratio of the catches was 1:1. Females reached larger sizes and weights than males; therefore, the morphometric relationships were different between sexes. CPUE reached its highest values during spring (3.4 ind/trip), and was lowest during summer. CPUE was also higher in fishing sites with depths between 100─200 m (5.5 ind/trip). Z. exasperata fishery characteristics are similar to those reported for elasmobranchs in other regions of Mexico. In particular, the seasonality of the catches was similar to that reported for other ray species in the Gulf of California, with a peak during spring and summer.