Catch-and-release fishing as a tool for participatory monitoring of fishery resources: the case of the Santa Elena Bay Marine Management Area, North Pacific of Costa Rica
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| Auteurs: | , , |
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| Format: | artículo original |
| Statut: | Versión publicada |
| Date de publication: | 2026 |
| Description: | Introduction: Marine citizen science expands the spatial and temporal scope of data collection on fishery-relevant species, supporting fisheries management and conservation. Objective: To determine the composition of fish caught by recreational fishers during participatory monitoring catch and release events in Bahía Santa Elena Marine Management Area (AMM-BSE), North Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Methods: From 2021 to 2024, seven participatory scientific fishing events were conducted in the AMM-BSE during the upwelling (December to May) and non-upwelling (June to November) seasons. Catches were obtained using rod, reel and artificial lures from mangrove, transitional, and reef zones to compare species composition among habitats and seasons. Results: A total of 685 individuals from 53 species and 25 families were recorded. Catches were dominated by fish from the families Carangidae (Jacks), Lutjanidae (Snappers), and Balistidae (Triggerfish), which accounted for 82% of the total catch. Although species richness and catch per unit effort did not differ significantly among habitats or seasons, community composition varied by habitat, and some species exhibited distinct size distributions across environments. Conclusion: The heterogeneous habitats of Bahía Santa Elena support a wide variety of economically important fish species at different life stages. Recreational fishing within a citizen-science framework proved to be an effective method for monitoring fishery resources in protected areas among different types of habitats. |
| Pays: | Portal de Revistas UCR |
| Institution: | Universidad de Costa Rica |
| Repositorio: | Portal de Revistas UCR |
| Langue: | Español |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:portal.revistas.ucr.ac.cr:article/11561 |
| Accès en ligne: | https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/rrbt/article/view/11561 |
| Mots-clés: | Costa Rica; fishing; citizen science; catch-and-release; sport fishing; Biological monitoring. Costa Rica; pesca; ciencia ciudadana; captura y liberación; pesca deportiva; monitoreo biológico. |