Abstract

The impact of the artisanal fishery on elasmobranchs from the Salamanca Gulf was analyzed from records of landings made between August and December 2008. We explored five principal kinds of fishery methods: Chinchorro, Red de enmalle, Changa, Palangre, and Línea. We found a total capture of 692 individuals (2,366 kg), corresponding to seven batoids and one shark. 67.6 % of the capture was estimated as directed and high frequency in low depth zones. Batoids dominated landings recorded all the time in this study, the most impacted specie by the artisanal fishery was Dasyatis guttata, since it was extracted by all fishing methods. This specie showed the highest values of capture in all methods, except the Chinchorro which showed highest impact over Rhinoptera bonasus. We observed a negative effect over the size structure of R. bonasus and D. guttata, given the high fraction of individuals captured below the first size of maturity (100 and 58.62%, respectively). Therefore, we show the need for fishery management policies that include responsible usage of the resources and in a way that preserves exploited elasmobranch populations in the Salamanca Gulf, having in mind the role of these organisms in the aquatic ecosystems.

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