Overexploitation of the Atlantic Sharpnose Shark (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae) in Marine Priority Regions of Tamaulipas, Mexico: Implications for Wetland Conservation and Data-Limited Fisheries Management

Abstract

Artisanal fisheries in Mexico frequently operate with limited data, lacking historical catch and effort series. In this context, the population status of the dogfish (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae) was evaluated for the first time in Priority Marine Regions 45–46 and the area of influence of the Wetland of International Importance Playa Tortuguera Rancho Nuevo, Tamaulipas, using methods based on size frequencies. Between November 2018 and February 2020, 541 artisanal fishing organisms were analyzed in La Barra del Tordo using FISAT II. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters for combined sexes were: L∞ = 105 cm, k = 0.59 years−1, t0 = −0.195 years. Total (Z), natural (M) and fishing (F) mortalities were 4.13, 0.467 and 3.22 years−1, respectively. The average exploitation rate (E = F/Z) was 0.78 (95% CI: 0.745–0.805), exceeding the reference point of 0.5 indicating severe overexploitation. The parameters showed biological consistency (Ø′ = 3.81; M/k = 0.79), and natural mortality was within the range reported for the species. This finding, in a priority region for conservation under the regime of the Conservation Sector of the Marine Ecological Management Program, shows the urgent need to implement fisheries management with an ecosystem approach that guarantees the sustainability of the fishery and the integrity of the coastal ecosystem. The study demonstrates that, even with limited data, it is possible to obtain robust estimates to inform management decisions in natural protected areas

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