Shark Depredation and Unwanted Bycatch in Pelagic Longline
Shark Depredation and Unwanted Bycatch in Pelagic Longline
Shark Depredation and Unwanted Bycatch in Pelagic Longline
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Appendix 6<br />
Peru Artisanal Mahimahi <strong>and</strong> <strong>Shark</strong><br />
Longl<strong>in</strong>e Fishery:<br />
Industry Practices <strong>and</strong> Attitudes towards <strong>Shark</strong> <strong>Depredation</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Bycatch</strong><br />
Jeff Mangel <strong>and</strong> Joanna Alfaro-Shigueto, Pro Delph<strong>in</strong>us, prodelph<strong>in</strong>us@prodelph<strong>in</strong>us.org<br />
Forty-two <strong>in</strong>terviews with artisanal longl<strong>in</strong>e fishermen for mahi<br />
mahi were conducted <strong>in</strong> three fish<strong>in</strong>g ports <strong>in</strong> Peru from February<br />
to May 2006. Of these, five <strong>in</strong>terviews were with vessel owners who<br />
had been actively fish<strong>in</strong>g from 2 to 28 years. Sixteen respondents<br />
were vessel capta<strong>in</strong>s <strong>and</strong> the rema<strong>in</strong>der was crew. The average<br />
number of years fish<strong>in</strong>g by owners, capta<strong>in</strong>s <strong>and</strong> crew were 18.6,<br />
9.7, 7.3, respectively. Information on the artisanal longl<strong>in</strong>e fishery<br />
was obta<strong>in</strong>ed from Instituto del Mar del Peru (IMARPE) reports on<br />
artisanal fisheries, from Food <strong>and</strong> Agricultural Organization (FAO)<br />
publications that make reference to Peruvian fisheries, <strong>and</strong> from<br />
the Fishstat computer program produced by FAO. Data on Peru’s<br />
export market were obta<strong>in</strong>ed from PROMPEX Peru (government<br />
commission for export promotion), <strong>and</strong> were downloaded from their<br />
website (www.prompex.gob.pe).<br />
The purpose of this study is to identify possible strategies to reduce<br />
shark bycatch <strong>and</strong> depredation <strong>in</strong> pelagic longl<strong>in</strong>e fisheries.<br />
This study was conducted dur<strong>in</strong>g the mahi mahi season of the Peru<br />
artisanal longl<strong>in</strong>e fishery, when sharks are taken as <strong>in</strong>cidental catch.<br />
Dur<strong>in</strong>g other seasons sharks are a primary target species.<br />
it is the third largest <strong>in</strong> the Americas (Bonfil, 1996). Elasmobranch<br />
l<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> Peru have been dom<strong>in</strong>ated by smoothhounds (‘tollos’)<br />
of the genus Mustelus, guitar rays Rh<strong>in</strong>obatos planiceps <strong>and</strong> angel<br />
sharks Squat<strong>in</strong>a spp. (Fig. A6.1, Table A6.1) (Bonfil, 1996; FAO 2006).<br />
These species are caught ma<strong>in</strong>ly with gillnets (Reyes, 1993).<br />
S<strong>in</strong>ce the mid to late 1980s the production of smoothhounds<br />
<strong>and</strong> rays has decl<strong>in</strong>ed. With the re<strong>in</strong>troduction <strong>and</strong> extension of<br />
longl<strong>in</strong>e fish<strong>in</strong>g for sharks <strong>in</strong> the 1990’s (Reyes, 1993), l<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>gs of<br />
shark species, such as blues <strong>and</strong> makos, have <strong>in</strong>creased (Estrella <strong>and</strong><br />
Guevara-Carrasco, 1998a <strong>and</strong> 1998b; Estrella et al., 1998, 1999a, 1999b<br />
<strong>and</strong> 2000).<br />
<strong>Shark</strong> fisheries <strong>in</strong> Peru are regulated by the M<strong>in</strong>istry of Fishery<br />
through the establishment of m<strong>in</strong>imum capture sizes for some<br />
elasmobranch species (Diario Oficial El Peruano, 2001). Enforcement<br />
of these regulations, however, has not been fully implemented <strong>and</strong><br />
awareness of these regulations among fishermen is still limited<br />
(Alfaro <strong>and</strong> Mangel, 2005).<br />
A6.1. Elamobranch Fishery<br />
Chondrichthyans constitute an important fishery resource for<br />
develop<strong>in</strong>g countries (Cattarci, 2004). With the shortage of traditional<br />
bony fish l<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>gs, the need for a prote<strong>in</strong> source <strong>and</strong> the <strong>in</strong>crease<br />
<strong>in</strong> the dem<strong>and</strong> for shark f<strong>in</strong>s, the take of sharks has exp<strong>and</strong>ed<br />
significantly <strong>in</strong> the last few years (Bonfil, 1996; Cattarci, 2004). In<br />
develop<strong>in</strong>g countries such l<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>gs have <strong>in</strong>creased by 600.5% from<br />
1950 to 2000 (Cattarci, 2004).<br />
Peru is one of the world’s lead<strong>in</strong>g fish<strong>in</strong>g nations <strong>and</strong> has been for<br />
many years (Vanucc<strong>in</strong>i, 1999). However, the elasmobranch fishery<br />
represents a m<strong>in</strong>or component of Peru’s total l<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>gs even though<br />
Fig. A6.1. Total elasmobranch production <strong>in</strong> Peru, by species groups,<br />
1950-2004 (data are taken from FAO 2006).<br />
101