Mangrove ecosystems are located in the transition between terrestrial and marine environments. They are one of the most productive ecosystems... » More

 

Mangrove ecosystems are located in the transition between terrestrial and marine environments. They are one of the most productive ecosystems of the planet, These habitats have been exploited for several activities by communities. There is a direct relation between commercial fish exploitation and mangrove environment. We assessed the interaction between mangrove cover with small-scale fishing volumes in the last 10 years in the San Ignacio–Navachiste–Macapule lagoon system. We also related fishing captures with fishing gears, catch was processed and spatially represented in a GIS that identified fishing sites within the lagoon. From 2000-2009 the total fishing average was 56,434t with an annual capture of 11,287 ±1,887.5t/year. Shrimp and crab represent 90% of the total capture with an annual production of 22,733t ±1632.07t /year. Fin fish and shell fish had a low capture of 555.8t ±382.83t/year. 47 fishing points have been processed; we have found 127 fishermen in the area with different fishing gears: hooks, crab traps, set and draft gillnets and two types of castnets (atarraya and suripera) who are the most used fishing gears in the lagoon. The main fish species are captured close to mangrove forest suggesting a strong relation between mangroves and captures within the lagoon complex.

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