Small-scale shark and ray fisheries are conducted throughout Central America's Caribbean coast. Yet, there is limited information regarding catch composition and diversity of these fisheries, especially in Guatemala. Surveys of catch landings were conducted in two of Guatemala's primary Caribbean coastal shark and ray fishing communities, El Quetzalito and Livingston, between January 2015 and July 2017. Biological data from 688 landed chondrichthyans were collected, with 31 species (24 sharks, six rays and one chimaera) identified. The four most frequently captured species included Carcharhinus falciformis (30.2%), Sphyrna lewini (12.7%), Hypanus guttatus (12%) and Rhizoprionodon spp. (6.7%). Landed sharks contained most size classes with a high proportion of juveniles of species with low productivity. The large-bodied species C. falciformis and S. lewini were often recorded at sizes below known maturity; 96.6% and 85.1%, of the captured individuals were immature, respectively. This study can serve as a baseline to determine future trends in the elasmobranch fisheries conducted by Guatemala's Caribbean coastal communities and support assessments on the persistence of the fisheries. OPEN ACCESS Citation: Hacohen-Domené A, Polanco-Vásquez F, Estupiñan-Montaño C, Graham RT (2020) Description and characterization of the artisanal elasmobranch fishery on Guatemala's Caribbean coast. PLoS ONE 15(1): e0227797. https://doi.org/ 10.
Background: This report represents the first record of the sharpnose sevengill shark Heptranchias perlo in Guatemala's Caribbean Sea. Methods: Two H. perlo specimens were captured by artisanal fishermen of the coastal community, El Quetzalito. All specimens were captured with a trammel net, in waters of 200 m depth Results: Both specimens were female with total lengths of 280 and 370 mm. Details regarding the identification and measurement of both specimens are presented. Conclusion: These specimens represent the first record of both species in Guatemalan waters. Also, this report further increases the species' range of distribution in the Caribbean and Central America.
Background: The present study represents the first record of Scyliorhinus hesperius in Guatemala's Caribbean Sea.Methods: Five male whitesaddled catsharks, S. hesperius, were captured in 200 m deep waters of Guatemala's Caribbean coast. Results and Conclusion: All specimens were male with total lengths ranging from 420 mm to 510 mm. These fish represent the first record of mature male S. hesperius, the first record for this species in Guatemalan territorial waters, and a range extension in the Western Central Atlantic.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.