Relación entre las capturas de Megapitaria squalida (Bivalvia: Veneridae) y la temperatura superficial del mar en la Bahía de la Paz, Baja California Sur, México

Abstract

The clam Megapitaria squalida is a fishing resource with increasing importance in Northwestern Mexico. Nevertheless, this fishery has shown important variations that could be related to environ-mental factors. To assess this, monthly landings of M. squalida were analyzed during 2002-2005 for Bahía de La Paz, B.C.S., and were related with monthly time series of sea surface temperature, derived from MODIS-Aqua Sensor. The results showed a positive and significant relationship between sea surface temperature and clam landings. The likely impact of anomalous conditions of sea temperature on this resource is discussed.