Abstract

Among the stingrays, Dasyatis guttata is one of the species most frequently caught in several costal and insular regions of Venezuela. In spite of its importance as fishing resource, this species has been poorly studied, and the status of their populations in the Caribbean Sea is unknown. In the present study, the catch composition by size and by sex of D. guttata was described on the basis of data obtained from the monitoring of the artisanal fishing conducted in the Cubagua Island, northeastern region of Venezuela. During the years 2007 and 2008, a total of 299 specimens of this species were examined in order to collect biological and fishery information, such as lengths (width disc in mm, WD), sex, and mature condition. The analysis indicated that D. guttata catches comprised 61,73% of males (310 - 880 mm WD) and 38,26% of females (335 - 1080 mm WD). The significantly predominance of males (?2-test = 15,253; p < 0.05) suggest the presence of sex segregation. The length at which 50% of the male population reached maturity (WD50%) was 622,83 mm. For females, the WD50% was not estimated due the lack of maturity data; however, the smallest mature female measured 510 mm AD. Based on these estimates, it was found that D. guttata catches comprised a considerable proportion of immature individuals.

PDF Preview