Resumen de Length–Weight Relationships of Commercial Fish Species Captured by Small-Scale Fisheries in the Northern Pacific of Colombia
V. Márquez Velásquez, Alexander Tobón López, J. López García, O. F. Naar, K. Torres Palacios, J. G. Pérez Rojas, C. E. Segura, Paola Andrea Mejía Falla, A. Giraldo, Andrés F Navia
Small-scale fisheries represent the largest source of income and livelihood for communities along Colombia’s Pacific coast, and at least 100 fish species of commercial interest have been recorded in this fishery. The aim of this study was to estimate the Length–weight relationships (LWR) for some of the most frequently captured fish species in small-scale fisheries (SSFs) in the northern Pacific of Colombia to gain valuable knowledge for regional fisheries management and conservation of species. Length and weight measurements of 7112 specimens caught between October 2021 and December 2022 were used. Regression coefficient (b) values ranged from 2.65 to 3.34, with allometric growth being more frequent than isometric growth. No differences in LWR due to sex in bony fish species were registered. New registers of LWRs in the Tropical Eastern Pacific are presented for 17 species and new maximum values of size and weight are given for five species. Because of latitude effect on species life history characteristics (e.g., maximum length), our results provide novel information for LWRs of tropical fish species of high interest in small-scale fisheries.
