Abstract
The presence of the pelagic ray Dasyatis violacea (Bonaparte, 1832) in Uruguayan waters has been monitored since April 1998, the beginning of the National Observer Programme on board the Uruguayan tuna fleet (PNOFA). These are the first records of these species for the South Atlantic off Uruguay. Its distribution within the area is analysed, based on 13 trips made from April 1998 to September 2001 from 26 to 37°S. Five hundred and twenty five specimens were caught during this period. The presence of the species appears to be closely associated with the highest values of surface water temperature, with CPUE being relatively low below 20°C. The southern border of its distribution is around 36°S. Dasyatis violacea is part of a well-defined warm water fauna that reaches Uruguayan and northern Argentinean waters following warm subtropical waters. The incidental capture of D. violacea in the area reaches significant levels; the species is always discarded. We suggest that this bycatch is important and should be monitored from a conservation point of view.
Highlights
Dasyatis violacea is widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical areas of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans
Specimens and data were obtained from 13 trips carried out from April 1998 to September 2001 (Table 1) by the National Observer Programme on board the Uruguayan Tuna Fleet of the Dirección
A total of 525 individuals of D. violacea were captured during the analysed period: 137 in 1998, 372 in 1999, 8 in 2000 and 8 in 2001 (Table 1)
Summary
Dasyatis violacea is widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical areas of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It is the only currently known pelagic species in the family Dasyatidae. Knowledge about its distribution has improved with the increase in longline fisheries in several areas – Dates of capture of Dasyatis violacea. Effort is number of hooks and CPUE is number of individuals per 1000 hooks. Mean temperature (oC) refers to surface water.
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