Zapteryx brevirostris, Shortnose Guitarfish

Abstract

The Shortnose Guitarfish (Zapteryx brevirostris) is a small (to 66 cm total length) benthic shark-like ray that occurs in the Southwest Atlantic from Espírito Santo state, Brazil to Buenos Aires, Argentina. It inhabits inshore waters over soft substrates at depths of 2–140 m. It is captured in intense and largely unmanaged artisanal and commercial demersal trawl and gillnet fisheries throughout its geographic range. There are two estimates of population reduction. First, in Santa Catarina state, Brazil, catch-perunit-effort (CPUE) decreased 90% from 100 kg/hr in the 1980s to 10 kg/hr in 2005, the equivalent of a population reduction of >85% over three generation lengths (21 years). Second, in Uruguay, the research trawl survey CPUE declined by nearly 40%; in the 1980s and early 1990s, 2,200 kg/hr were caught, and between 2013 and 2017 there were just over 1,400 kg/hr caught, the equivalent of a population reduction of >25% over three generation lengths (21 years). Furthermore, demographic analyses have shown that this species is being overfished given the level of mortality it is exposed to. This guitarfish is subjected to intense and mostly unmanaged fishing pressure across its limited range, it has no refuge at depth, and where recorded in landings it has declined. Overall, it is suspected that the Shortnose Guitarfish has undergone a population reduction of 50–79% over the past three generation lengths (21 years), and it is assessed as Endangered A2bd.