Introducción: En los ambientes marinos del Pacífico de Costa Rica, la actividad pesquera por la flota cerquera internacional es importante debido a su amplio alcance y fuerte impacto. Objetivo: Evaluar la distribución espacial de la captura de atún aleta amarilla y especies no objetivo por esa flota, y posibles correlaciones con variables ambientales y pesqueras. Métodos: Aplicamos estadísticas geoespaciales y modelos de regresión múltiple en datos de la Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical, del 2002 al 2011. Utilizamos una grilla del tamaño de la Zona Económica Exclusiva (ZEE) con 1 124 celdas de 22 x 22 km (unidad de análisis), para un total de 11 240 celdas-año. Resultados: El atún mediano (presumiblemente inmaduro en su mayoría), delfines, mantas y rayas fueron capturados mayormente dentro del Domo Térmico (noreste de la ZEE). Las más altas capturas de atún pequeño (inmaduro en su totalidad), tiburones, picudos, dorado, peto y diversas especies pequeñas, ocurrieron en el extremo sur. El atún grande (maduro) fue capturado especialmente en el centro de la ZEE, hacia el este del Área Marina de Manejo Montes Submarinos y el Parque Nacional Marino Isla del Coco. Los atunes, dorado, delfines, mantas y rayas mostraron gran fidelidad de sitio por asociación con variables geográficas y ambientales, a la vez que el atún pequeño estuvo asociado a lances sobre objetos flotantes y el atún grande a lances sobre delfines. La heterogeneidad de las especies no objetivo probablemente escondió la mayoría de las correlaciones. Conclusiones: La pesca está afectando los niveles tróficos más altos y es necesario un diseño de zonificación ajustado para proteger mejor el domo térmico y considerar la susceptibilidad al uso de redes de cerco.

Bibliometrics play a significant role in evaluating the scientific production of journals and research units such as universities and research centers. The present study aimed to analyze the scientific production of CIMAR (Center for Research in Marine Science and Limnology) from its foundation in 1979 to 2015. We analyzed exclusively articles published in journals and selected those with at least one author affiliated to CIMAR. For the analysis, each article was classified according to the geographical study area, the topic of the investigation, ecosystem, and taxonomic group. We analyzed the following variables: year of publication, language, journal name, and authors. In this study, we analyzed the Bradford distribution, citations, the impact factor, and the quartiles of the journals where papers were published. During the study period, CIMAR produced a total of 791 publications: 624 articles, 90 book chapters or books, 48 booklets, and 34 special issues of the journal Revista de Biología Tropical (RBT). The number of publications showed an increasing trend during the study period, and most articles were written in English (58.3 %) and Spanish (41.7 %). A total of 128 journals were selected to publish CIMAR’s contributions. According to the Bradford method, the journal RBT is in Zone I (major productivity or concentration), with 49.8 % of the total scientific production. In relation to authorship, 22 authors with 12 articles or more are registered, and 80 % of the articles have been published by authors with a low (42 authors) and medium productivity level (44 authors). CIMAR published 81.6 % regarding marine topics and 18.4 % about limnology. Most of the articles (51.9 %) dealt with the Pacific of Costa Rica, 13.5 % with the Caribbean and 34.7 % referred to other study locations. The publications of CIMAR were mainly about ecology (33.3 %), taxonomy (24.5 %) and oceanography/meteorology (12.7 %). CIMAR has a highly trained and specialized staff that has gained experience and is contributing to the implementation and evaluation of Costa Rica’s science, technology and innovation policies through both interdisciplinary research and the development of institutional as well as professional capacities in a framework of dialogue and public-private agreements.

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Studies of the bycatch associated to the shrimp trawling fishery in the Pacific coast of Costa Rica do not assess small organisms (< 10 cm TL) and non-dominant species (< 0.1% of total catch). There is a void in assessing the maintenance of the ecology and ecosystem on which the fishery depends. Furthermore, the Constitutional Court of Costa Rica prohibited the renewal of existing and the issuing of new shrimp bottom-trawl licenses, indicating the necessity of more scientific information on the impacts of this fishery. We present the results of a 23-month study of the shrimp bottom-trawl fishery performed between 50 and 350 m deep in the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. A total of 109 hermit crabs were collected (six species and two families). Paguristes cf. holmesi was the most common species. Zone II presented the highest species richness and abundance. Most specimens (81.8 %) were caught in shallower waters (50-149 m). More than 45% of the trawls presented hermit crabs. It is imperative to further assess the trawling effects on non-commercial benthic fauna and changes on predator-prey relationships before issuing new shrimp licenses