Survey of elasmobranch species caught by fishing gears that operate on the nursery ground of Caiçara do Norte, Rio Grande do Norte State

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