Abstract
Shrimp trawling and industrial fishing has been limited to the outer Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica, since 1966 to protect spawning and breeding areas in the inner Gulf. Fish length frequency data gathered in several cruises and data on size at first sexual maturity were used to evaluate this sector as a nursery area and to assess the effects of shrimp trawling on commercial fishes in the outer Gulf. Results show that the inner Gulf serves as a nursery area at least for nine species. Ten or more of the fish species caught by shrimp boats in the outer Gulf are of a size at capture smaller than that at first sexual maturity. A management option is offered to minimize the stress exerted upon these fish populations.
References
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Comments
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Copyright (c) 1984 Revista de Biología Tropical