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Email the author (Login required) Shrimp trawling bycatch of ray Hypanus americanus (Elasmobranchii) in the southeastern region of Cuba
Submited: 2016-07-06 14:27:34 | Published: 2017-10-23 20:19:13
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3856/vol45-issue4-fulltext-22
Abstract
Shrimp trawl fisheries have a high incidence of bycatch due to the low selectivity of the fishing gear. In Cuba shrimp trawling is permitted by four state fishing enterprises that operate in the south east region of the country. The objective of this work is to estimate sizes, proportion of sexes and fecundity of Hypanus americanus in the shrimp trawl fishery and its possible relation to designated fishing zones. The study was carried out between January 2015 and February 2016 with 300 specimens examined. The catches were 61% female and 39% male, with disc widths between 21.5-135 cm and 20-137 cm respectively. Forty-one pregnant females were identified with fecundity of 1 to 5 embryos; also a correlation between the disc width and the number of embryos was established. This is the first study that has been carried out on this topic in the country; therefore the results provide new information for the fishing region.
