Abstract

ALTAMAR, JAIRO; PARRAGA, DIANA  and  DUARTE, LUIS ORLANDO. Moon Phase Influence on Catch Rates of Selar crumenophthalmus (Carangidae) in the Caribbean Sea off Colombia. A Generalized Linear Models Approach. Acta biol.Colomb. [online]. 2010, vol.15, n.3, pp.121-130. ISSN 0120-548X.

Catch rates of Selar crumenophthalmus in the landings belonging from the north of the Caribbean Sea off Colombia were analyzed and standardized with Generalized Lineal Models (GLM). Information collected between 1994 and 2001 was used. The factors used as lineal predictors were: year, month, Moon phases, geographic sector, and depth. The highest catch rates were detected during the two days 100% New Moon in the Tayrona National Natural Park, which indicates that the availability of the resource, because its nocturne habit and positive phototaxis, is located in the time. This condition should be incorporates in management schemes, since facilitates the implementation of fishing control strategies. A diminution of the catch rate was registered in the last two years; tendency that suggests the deterioration of the population abundance of this species, until now considered without over-exploitation risk. In multispecies fishing grounds, explanation of the population abundance with catch rates estimated with only data of hauls that recorded the analyzed species can derive in a conceptual and quantitatively incorrect conclusion.

Keywords : Catch rates; Moon phases; Generalized Lineal Models; Selar crumenophthalmus; Caribbean Sea.

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