Levantamento das espécies de elasmobrânquios capturados por aparelhos-de-pesca que atuam no Berçário de Caiçara do Norte (RN)

Abstract

The protection of nursery areas is an effective tool for future recruitment of stocks under fishing pressure. These areas usually occur in coastal protected highly-productive waters. Thus, these environments usually provide a wide range of food items, alleviating the risk of predation; conditions that allow the young to grow relatively fast, and become part of the adult population. The coastal area of Caiçara do Norte, Rio Grande do Norte State, has recently been regarded as primary and/or secondary nursery for 12 species of elasmobranchs: Gymnura micrura, Dasyatis guttata, Rhinobatos cf lentiginosus, Narcine brasiliensis, Aetobatus narinari, Dasyatis americana, Rhinoptera sp. and Manta birostris, among the batoids and Rhizoprionodon porosus, Carcharhinus acronotus, C. falciformis and C. limbatus among sharks. Further, Prionace glauca and Ginglymostoma cirratum and C. signatus, also occur in that area. This study aims to describe the fishing gears that fish for sharks and batoids in that region, and to supply information on the life history of elasmobranchs species. Samplings were carried out fortnightly during the period January to July 2008, through monitoring of fishing fleet craft, collecting a total of 1,043 individuals that corresponded to six species of ray and four of shark.