Captura incidental de tortugas marinas por pesquería de palangre en el este de la Isla de la Juventud, Cuba

Abstract

En Cuba ha sido dificil la cuantificacion de la captura incidental de las tortugas marinas, al no establecerse un mecanismo que permita obtener sistematicamente informacion sobre las tortugas capturadas. Este trabajo presenta por primera vez un estudio sobre esta amenaza a partir de datos brindados por pescadores anonimos de seis embarcaciones privadas que utilizan palangre de fondo en areas de pesca al este de la Isla de la Juventud. Los datos fueron colectados entre los anos 2010 y 2015, mostrando que se capturaron 68 tortugas marinas: 47 caguamas (Caretta caretta), 11 tortugas verdes (Chelonia mydas) y 10 careyes (Eretmochelys imbricata), entre los seis barcos en todo el periodo. La caguama fue la especie que generalmente se encontro en mayor proporcion en las capturas durante casi todos los meses del ano. El mayor numero de animales capturados se encontraba aparentemente en fase juvenil y subadulta (83 %). Tambien se colectaron datos sobre los avistamientos de tortugas en esas areas, que permitieron confirmar que la caguama es la especie mas frecuente en esa zona de pesca. In Cuba, it has been difficult to quantify the incidental capture of sea turtles, as a mechanism has not been established to systematically obtain information on captured turtles. This work presents for the first time a study on this threat based on data provided by anonymous fishermen from six private vessels that use bottom longlines in fishing areas east of Isla de la Juventud. The data were collected between 2010 and 2015, showing that 68 sea turtles were captured: 47 loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta), 11 green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and 10 hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), among the six vessels throughout the period. The loggerhead was the species that was generally found in the highest proportion in catches during almost every month of the year. The largest number of animals captured was apparently in the juvenile and sub-adult stages (83 %). Data were also collected on the sightings of turtles in those areas, which confirmed that the loggerhead is the most frequent species in that fishing area (sic).