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The puffer fish Sphoeroides annulatus is an important target species for the artisanal fishing fleets of NW Mexico. To obtain information on population structure of the local stock, we determined the total length and total weight (TL and TW) ranges, sex ratio and reproductive stages of 745 specimens of this species, landed from May 2010 to April 2011 in Teacapán, Sinaloa, NW Mexico. TL ranged from 15 to 40 cm and TW from 100 to 1600 g. There were no differences between mean TL (27.41 ± 4.14 cm) and TW (534.5 ± 226.0 g) of males and females respectively. Sex ratio was not significantly different (χ2 = 0.03, P > 0.05) from 1F:1M. The length-weight relationship for both sexes was TW = 0.044TL2.815, R² = 0.895. The value of the slope b was significantly lower than 3 (P < 0.05), and indicated negative allometric growth. The distribution of maturity stages indicated one main reproductive period from June to September and one less intense, from November to December for females, and in December for males. Size at first maturity (L50%) of females was 26.52 cm and that of males was 27.41 cm.

Fishing is an important economic activity in Baja California Sur that creates thousands of jobs and provides high-quality food. Magdalena-Almejas Bay is a highly productive region that contributes an annual average close to 50% of state catches. It is the center of various small-scale fisheries that include the marine species commonly known as “finfish”, for which information is scarce. To understand the operation of this multi-species fishery and its recent changes, operations of the coastal fleet were analyzed using a historical series of official capture landing reports for the period 1998–2008. Surveys were administered to fishers in order to record their local knowledge on aspects such as target species, associated species and bycatch, fishing gear currently used, and fishing seasons and areas. Primary (on-beach) buyers were surveyed to document the market. The information obtained revealed the existence of emerging fisheries, highlighting Sphoeroides annulatus (locally known as “botete diana”) that ranks fifth in relative importance based on volume captured, production value, and number of capture landing reports. Fishing operations were documented on fishing trips with producers who use specific fishing gear locally called “ chinchorro botetero ” (puffer seine net). Due to the lack of published information about this particular fishery, this work attempts to set a foundation for the systematic documentation of this fishery, recording biological aspects of the species, fishing gear used, catch techniques, initial preservation, the prices of fish sold on the beach, the marketing channel, the target market, seasonality, and spatial distribution of the fishery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The puffer fish Sphoeroides annulatus is an important target species for the artisanal fishing fleets of NW Mexico. To obtain information on population structure of the local stock, we determined the total length and total weight (TL and TW) ranges, sex ratio and reproductive stages of 745 specimens of this species, landed from May 2010 to April 2011 in Teacapán, Sinaloa, NW Mexico. TL ranged from 15 to 40 cm and TW from 100 to 1600 g. There were no differences between mean TL (27.41 ± 4.14 cm) and TW (534.5 ± 226.0 g) of males and females respectively. Sex ratio was not significantly different (χ² = 0.03, P > 0.05) from 1F:1M. The length-weight relationship for both sexes was TW = 0.044TL2.815, R² = 0.895. The value of the slope b was significantly lower than 3 (P < 0.05), and indicated negative allometric growth. The distribution of maturity stages indicated one main reproductive period from June to September and one less intense, from November to December for females, and in December for males. Size at first maturity (L50%) of females was 26.52 cm and that of males was 27.41 cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]