The Bay Scallop, Argopecten irradians amplicostatus, in Northeastern Mexico

The bay scallop, Argopecten irradians amplicostatus, has been present in the coastal lagoons of northeastern Mexico from Laguna Madre, Tamaulipas, to Tuxpan, Veracruz. But now, usually scarce in all lagoons, the scallop is harvested sporadically by fishermen who wade and collect them by hand and with tongs. Some are eaten by the fishermen and some are sold. They bring the fishermen about 60 pesos (5.88US$)/kg. Only the adductor muscles are eaten; they are prepared in cocktails and in ceviche. Little evidence exists that this scallop species was used in the early Mexican cultures

The Oyster Industry of Eastern Mexico

Mexico has an oyster industry of substantial size, ranking about sixth in the world. In 1993, among the top ten oyster producers, Korea, Japan, the United States, China, and France ranked ahead of Mexico, while the Philippines, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand trailed it (Fig. 1). On its east coast, the species landed is the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, while on its west coast C. corteziensis, C. iridescens, and the Pacific oyster, C. gigas, are landed. During the last 10-15 years, annual production often was at least 50,000 t of shelled oysters, or nearly 1.5 million bushels (Anonymous, 1995), with the great preponderance (90%) coming from a series of lagoons connecting with the Gulf of Mexico along the east coast (Fig. 2) and the remainder produced on the west coast

Rangia and Marsh Clams, Rangia cuneata, R. flexuosa, and Polymesoda caroliniana, in Eastern México: Distribution, Biology and Ecology, and Historical Fisheries

Rangia and marsh clams, Rangia cuneata, R. flexuosa, and Polymesoda caroliniana, occur in brackish waters along México’s eastern coast from the northern State of Tamaulipas to the southern State of Campeche. The clams were important to the prehispanic people in the southern part of the State of Veracruz, where they were used as food and as construction material. In modern times, they are harvested for food. The fishermen wade in shallow water and harvest the clams in soft sediments by hand. Annual landings of whole clams during a recent 5-yr period, 1998–2002, were 1,139–1,695 t. The only area with a substantial ongoing clam fishery is in the Lower Papaloapan River Basin, including Alvarado Lagoon, where as many as 450 fishermen are licensed harvesters. This fishery for the Rangia and marsh clams is the most important clam fishery along México’s Gulf Coast

Range extension of Sanopus reticulatus (Teleostei: Batrachoididae) in the Yucatán Peninsula

AbstractThe geographic range of Sanopus reticulatus Collette, 1983 in the Yucatán Peninsula is extended about 75km southwest to Celestún and about 200km to Las Coloradas. During the periods of algal blooms in Telchac and Las Coloradas and specific sampling in Celestún, Yucatán, on August 14 and September 26 and 27, 2015, 10 specimens were collected, proving that this species has a distribution all along the Yucatán state coast

El robalo prieto (Centropomus poeyi ), nuevo depredador del pez diablo (Pterygoplichthys pardalis )

This is the first report of predation of devil fish Pterygoplichthys pardalis by Mexican snook Centropomus poeyi. The observations were made after dissecting the stomachs of six specimens of Mexican snook, collected on 13 and 14 April, 2014, during a sport fishing tournament in Palizada, Campeche, Mexico. Additional fieldwork is necessary to document the relative importance of P. pardalis in the diet of Mexican snook as well as the effect of other organisms that also prey on devil fish in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico.Se reporta por primera vez al robalo prieto (Centropomus poeyi) como depredador del pez diablo (Pterygoplichthis pardalis). Las observaciones fueron hechas a partir de la disección de estómagos de seis ejemplares de robalo prieto, colectados los días 13 y 14 de abril del 2014, durante la realización del torneo de pesca deportiva en Palizada, Campeche, México. Es necesario realizar un trabajo de campo sistemático para documentar la importancia relativa de P. pardalis en la dieta del robalo prieto así como el efecto de otros organismos que también lo depredan en el sureste del Golfo de México

Nuevos registros de los plecos Pterygoplichthys pardalis (Castelnau 1855) y P. disjunctivus (Weber 1991) (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) en el Sureste de México

The sailfish catfishes Pterygoplichthys pardalis and P. disjunctivus are reported in new localities in Southeastern Mexico. The specimens were collected in the rivers San Pedro and Palizada in the State of Campeche in December 2007. These are the first record of P. disjunctivus in Mexico and P. pardalis in Campeche.Se reporta la presencia de los plecos Pterygoplichthys pardalis y P. disjunctivus en nuevas localidades en el sureste de México. Los organismos fueron colectados en los ríos San Pedro y Palizada en el estado de Campeche en diciembre de 2007. Estos registros representan el primer reporte en México de P. disjunctivus y el primero de P. pardalis en Campeche

First record of the red lionfish, Pterois volitans, on the coast of Tabasco, Mexico

Two specimens of lionfish Pterois volitans were found for the first time on the south coast of Tabasco in southeastern Mexico. This was the fifth time that this fish has been located on the Mexican coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The presence of lionfish on the Tabasco coast of Mexico is discussed

Quahogs in Eastern North America: Part II, History by Province and State

The northern quahog, Mercenaria mercenaria, ranges along the Atlantic Coast of North America from the Canadian Maritimes to Florida, while the southern quahog, M. campechiensis, ranges mostly from Florida to southern Mexico. The northern quahog was fished by native North Americans during prehistoric periods. They used the meats as food and the shells as scrapers and as utensils. The European colonists copied the Indians treading method, and they also used short rakes for harvesting quahogs. The Indians of southern New England and Long Island, N.Y., made wampum from quahog shells, used it for ornaments and sold it to the colonists, who, in turn, traded it to other Indians for furs. During the late 1600’s, 1700’s, and 1800’s, wampum was made in small factories for eventual trading with Indians farther west for furs. The quahoging industry has provided people in many coastal communities with a means of earning a livelihood and has given consumers a tasty, wholesome food whether eaten raw, steamed, cooked in chowders, or as stuffed quahogs. More than a dozen methods and types of gear have been used in the last two centuries for harvesting quahogs. They include treading and using various types of rakes and dredges, both of which have undergone continuous improvements in design. Modern dredges are equipped with hydraulic jets and one type has an escalator to bring the quahogs continuously to the boats. In the early 1900’s, most provinces and states established regulations to conserve and maximize yields of their quahog stocks. They include a minimum size, now almost universally a 38-mm shell width, and can include gear limitations and daily quotas. The United States produces far more quahogs than either Canada or Mexico. The leading producer in Canada is Prince Edward Island. In the United States, New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island lead in quahog production in the north, while Virginia and North Carolina lead in the south. Connecticut and Florida were large producers in the 1990’s. The State of Tabasco leads in Mexican production. In the northeastern United States, the bays with large openings, and thus large exchanges of bay waters with ocean waters, have much larger stocks of quahogs and fisheries than bays with small openings and water exchanges. Quahog stocks in certified beds have been enhanced by transplanting stocks to them from stocks in uncertified waters and by planting seed grown in hatcheries, which grew in number from Massachusetts to Florida in the 1980’s and 1990’s

Record of partial albino in the scalloped hammerhead Sphyrna lewini (Carcharhiniformes, Sphyrnidae) in the Mexican Pacific Ocean: Registro de albinismo parcial en el martillo común Sphyrna lewini (Carcharhiniformes, Sphyrnidae) en el océano Pacífico mexicano

This study reports the capture of a partial albino scalloped hammerhead Sphyrna lewini in Puerto Madero, Chiapas, Mexico. The specimen was a neonate female that measured 491 mm total length and had a total weight of 800 g. This is the first report of an albino scalloped hammerhead Sphyrna lewini in the Pacific Ocean and the second in the world. The presence of albinism could be the result of multifactorial events, although anthropogenic stressors such as excessive fishing pressure and marine pollution might be involved

Abundancia de juveniles de camarones peneidos comerciales en la zona norte de Laguna Madre, México

Monthly samplings were carried out during August, 2005 to November, 2006 to analizing the changes of the abundance of commercial juvenile penaeid shrimps in the North part of Laguna Madre, Tamaulipas. In every nine points a night trawl were carried out using a seine net of mesh size of 1.25 cm and 6 m length of bottom rope. Three commercial penaeid shrimp species were found and each one presented high abundance values for different periods of the year. Brown shrimp, Farfantepenaeus aztecus, in April-May period; pink shrimp, Farfantepenaeus dourarum, in DecemberJanuary, and the white shrimp, Litopenaeus setiferus in July and September. These results showed that different species presented a differential temporal use in Laguna Madre.Se tomaron muestras mensuales de agosto del 2005 a noviembre del 2006, para analizar los cambios de abundancia de juveniles de camarones peneidos comerciales en la parte norte de Laguna Madre, Tamaulipas. En cada una de las nueve estaciones de muestreo se realizó un arrastre nocturno, utilizando una red tipo chinchorro, de tamaño de malla de 1.25 cm y seis metros de longitud de relinga inferior. Se observaron tres especies de peneidos comerciales y cada una de ellas tuvo sus valores más altos de abundancia en diferentes periodos del año. El camarón café, Farfantepenaeus aztecus fue más abundante de abril-mayo; el camarón rosado, Farfantepenaeus dourarum en diciembreenero y el camarón blanco, Litopenaeus setiferus en julio y septiembre. Estos resultados muestran que estas especies tienen un uso temporal diferencial en Laguna Madre, Tamaulipas