RELACIÓN DEL ESFUERZO PESQUERO SOBRE LA POBLACIÓN DEL CANGREJO ROJO (UCIDES OCCIDENTALIS)

Abstract

In Ecuador, the fishery of Ucides occidentalis (red crab) is one of the most representative and economically important activities for several communities of ancestral users, however, there is a high capture pressure that threatens this resource. Therefore, this research seeks to generate information regarding the population status of the species and the capture effort in eight sites of the Nuevo Porvenir Cooperative concession, in which burrows were counted, sex, maturity stage and activity were identified, and the fishing and capture effort of 87 crabbers was estimated by means of surveys conducted at the port of embarkation during the rainy season. The results showed that there were sites with a larger diameter of burrows and a greater number of adult male burrows than the remaining sites. The variables of effort and catch showed a relationship of 45% with a maximum sustainable catch of 60 crabs/men/hours, while catch per unit effort (CPUE) and density obtained a direct relationship of 27%. It is concluded that the impact of harvesting influences the development and catch of the resource and it is suggested to apply an adaptive fishery management to guarantee a sustainable use of the resource