Size selectivity and optimal soaking time of hoops and traps targeting the blue swimming crab &lt;i&gt;Callinectes arcuatus&lt;/i&gt; in Cuyutlan Lagoon, Mexico

Mauricio Salas-Maldonado,Elaine Espino-Barr,Emigdio Marín-Enríquez,Alberto Bartoleño-Sánchez,Leonardo Daniel Valdez-Carrazco

doi:10.22370/rbmo.2021.56.1.2797

Size selectivity and optimal soaking time of hoops and traps targeting the blue swimming crab <i>Callinectes arcuatus</i> in Cuyutlan Lagoon, Mexico

Mauricio Salas-Maldonado, Elaine Espino-Barr + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.22370/rbmo.2021.56.1.2797

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Abstract

The selectivity of two types of commercial fishing gear (crab hoop/traditional gear and rigid rectangular cage traps) targeting blue crabs (Callinectes arcuatus) in Cuyutlan Lagoon, Mexico, was assessed. The effect of soak time on crab catches versus the retention and escape rate of organisms was also evaluated. Results suggested that traps captured larger individuals than hoops. The carapace width of crabs was significantly different between the fishing gears used: 63.9% of crabs caught with hoops were < 95 mm (sizes ranged from 40 to 113 mm) and 40.7% of crabs caught with traps were < 95 mm (range: 49 to 120 mm). Results also showed that catch rates were high during the first two hours and decreased after the third hour. The crabs tended to escape after several hours of soak time. The study found that the traps captured larger crabs than the hoops, suggesting that traps are a suitable fishing gear for catching blue swimming crabs in Cuyutlan Lagoon.

Highlights

The blue crab Callinectes arcuatus Ordway, 1853 is one of the swimming crabs of the family Portunidae found in the Mexican Pacific (MP); it is an important resource due to its economic value for coastal communities.Official catch records indicate that the national crab production was 48.6 thousand tons in 2017, 64% of which were captured in the MP
This study estimated crab catches using two fishing gears, with significant differences between carapace width (CW). These results can help improve the management of the C. arcuatus fishery
If the minimum legal capture size (MCS) of the blue crab (C. arcuatus) is ≥ 95 mm CW [according to the regulation NOM-039-2003 (DOF 2016)2], results suggest that hoops catch a high percentage of crabs measuring less than the MCS, whereas this percentage was lower in traps (40.7% of total catch), with significant differences between the two fishing gear types

Summary

Introduction

The blue crab Callinectes arcuatus Ordway, 1853 is one of the swimming crabs of the family Portunidae found in the Mexican Pacific (MP); it is an important resource due to its economic value for coastal communities.Official catch records indicate that the national crab production was 48.6 thousand tons in 2017, 64% of which were captured in the MP. The blue crab Callinectes arcuatus Ordway, 1853 is one of the swimming crabs of the family Portunidae found in the Mexican Pacific (MP); it is an important resource due to its economic value for coastal communities. The highest production in the MP was obtained in Mexico’s northern states (Sinaloa and Sonora), where an important small-scale fishery targeting green crabs (C. bellicosus) has been developed (Cisneros-Mata et al 2014, Rodríguez-Félix et al 2016, CONAPESCA 2017). The central states of Colima and Jalisco contributed with ~1% of total national crab catches, which are composed mainly of the blue (C. arcuatus) and brown (C. toxotes) crabs (CONAPESCA 2017). Fishermen construct traps and hoops made of galvanized wire (Gil-López & Sarmiento-Náfate). Fishermen construct traps and hoops made of galvanized wire (Gil-López & Sarmiento-Náfate1) The operation of these fishing gears is manual and bait is needed to attract the prey (Cisneros-Mata et al 2014)

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