Analysis of the production of Elasmobranch fish in Ceará State, Brazil, from 1991 to 2003

Abstract

This paper had as objective to analyze the production of Elasmobranchs base on data from the Statistical Bulletin of Maritime and Estuarine Fisheries of Ceará State, Brazil (ESTATPESCA), in respect to time of the year, county and type of boats used for their catching, from 1991 to 2003. During this period, the total production reached 7.642.5 t., with na annual average of 587.9 t. The production of rays was higher than that of sharks, probably because of their larger biomass in Ceará State. The catch of Elasmobranchs was more intensive in the first fourmonthly period owing to a higher fishing effort exerted on finfish resources during the lobster’s closed season which takes place from January through April. In the second fourmonthly period, production decreased due to the start of lobsters‘s open season, when most of the fleet is engaged in their. In the third fourmonthly period, from September to December, Elsamobranch production was shown to be again on the increase after a partial depletion of lobster stocks. Camocim proved to be the most productive county, probably because its large fleet is composed of a great number of boats engaged in a variety of fisheries. The artisanal boats stood out as the most active in catching Elasmobranchs, for there are few industrial boats that target those resources, which in turn are included as by-catch of tuna, scombrid and snapper fisheries in Ceará State.