Fauna de acompañamiento del camarón en el Pacífico de Costa Rica

Abstract

Discarded shrimp by-catch in Costa Rican Pacific waters was studied from samples collected on board commercial boats by trained observers. Four hundred and seventeen samples yielded a total weight of 7.32 metric tons. Two hundred and twenty one fish species were identified, none very abundant. The 50 more abundant species represented only 44% of the total discarded by-catch. Using ratios of the weight of the species discarded to the weight of the shrimp caught by sample, tow or fishing trip, the discarded shrimp by-catch was estimated to be as high as 6000 metric ton s per year. A probable averague value is 4500 metric tons. Chemical analyses indicated that there is little variation in the protein and fat contents of these species.