Cuba’s shark fisheries characterization pilot project

Dr. Consuelo Aguilar BetancourtDr. Gaspar Gonzalez Sanson

Composición de las capturas de tiburones en la base de pesca

del Río Almendares (según Guitart, 1975)

Carcharhinus sygnatus

Species composition of sharks’ landings at Rio Almendaresfishing cooperative (Guitart, 1975)

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1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

Met

ric

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Total landings of sharks in Cuban NW region

Cuba as part of the Gulf of Mexico

Workshop in Cuba (EDF, Mote, UH: 2010)

Fishing areaCabañas

Fishing areaRío Alemendares

& Cojímar

Florida straits

Gulf of Mexico Cabañas

Cojímar

Almendaresriver

Fishing ports included in the project

Sampling design

• Three visits per week to each sport fishing port

• A visit to the commercial port each time a shark fishing boat arrives

• During each visit a set of data is recorded including

– time fishing and number of fishermen,

– fishing gears and bait used,

– fishing area

– target species,

– biological information of sharks landed,

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Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar

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Individuals landed at sport fishing ports (Oct 2010 – Mar 2011)

Sharks

Swordfish

Billfishes

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30

40

50

60

70

80

90

0.00

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1.00

1.50

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Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar

Fish

ing

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Ind

ivid

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pe

r fi

shin

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Catch per fishing day and total fishing days at sport fishing ports

Sharks Swordfish Billfishes Fishing days

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14N

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Boats ranked by number of trips in the period

Total fishing days per boat at sport fishing ports

28% of the boats, made57 % of total effort

Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar TOTAL

Alopias superciliosus 0 1 0 1 1 0 3

Carcharhinus falciformis 0 2 0 2 3 0 7

Carcharhinus leucas 0 11 0 0 2 0 13

Carcharhinus limbatus 0 0 0 0 1 0 1

Carcharhinus longimanus 1 3 0 0 0 0 4

Carcharhinus perezi 0 13 0 0 1 0 14

Carcharhinus signatus 1 1 0 1 1 1 5

Galeocerdo cuvier 0 0 0 1 0 0 1

Hexanchus sp 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

Isurus oxyrinchus 4 5 0 1 6 0 16

Isurus paucus 0 5 0 0 2 1 8

Mustelus sp 0 0 0 0 1 0 1

Negaprion brevirostris 0 0 0 0 5 0 5

Prionace glauca 0 1 0 0 1 1 3

Sphyrna mokarran 0 7 0 0 2 0 9

TOTAL 6 49 0 6 26 4 91

Species composition of landings at all ports (Oct 2010 - Mar2011)

AR West AR East Cojímar Cabañas TOTAL

Alopias superciliosus 0 1 2 0 3

Carcharhinus falciformis 0 1 6 0 7

Carcharhinus leucas 0 0 0 13 13

Carcharhinus limbatus 0 0 0 1 1

Carcharhinus longimanus 0 0 4 0 4

Carcharhinus perezi 0 0 0 14 14

Carcharhinus signatus 2 2 1 0 5

Galeocerdo cuvier 0 0 1 0 1

Hexanchus sp 1 0 0 0 1

Isurus oxyrinchus 1 2 13 0 16

Isurus paucus 0 1 7 0 8

Mustelus sp 0 0 1 0 1

Negaprion brevirostris 0 0 0 5 5

Prionace glauca 0 0 3 0 3

Sphyrna mokarran 0 0 1 8 9

TOTAL 4 7 39 41 91

Species composition of landings for each port (Oct 2010 - Mar2011)

0 5 10 15

Alopias superciliosus

Carcharhinus falciformis

Carcharhinus leucas

Carcharhinus limbatus

Carcharhinus longimanus

Carcharhinus perezi

Carcharhinus signatus

Galeocerdo cuvier

Hexanchus vitulus

Isurus oxyrinchus

Isurus paucus

Mustelus canis

Negaprion brevirostris

Prionace glauca

Sphyrna mokarran

Individuals

Sex composition of individuals landed at all ports

Females

Males

Mustelus sp

Hexanchus sp

Some challenges…

Gracias