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ISRA FACTSHEETS

SOUTH AMERICAN ATLANTIC REGION

ISRA FACTSHEETS

SOUTH AMERICAN ATLANTIC REGION

Guajira Central ISRA

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Guajira Central ISRA

Guajira Central

Summary

Guajira Central is located on the northeast side of Colombia, in the Atlantic Ocean. The area is characterised by an extended shelf and the presence of seagrass beds and sandy substrates. Upwelling in the area produces an increase in productivity especially between January and April. The area overlaps with the La Guajira Coastal Wetlands Complex Key Biodiversity Area. Within this area there are: threatened species and undefined aggregations (American Cownose Ray Rhinoptera bonasus).

Guajira Central

Guajira Central

DESCRIPTION OF HABITAT

Guajira Central is located on the northeast side of Colombia, in the Atlantic Ocean. It extends from Mataure in the east to Mayapo in the west. The area is characterised by an extended shelf and the presence of seagrass beds and sandy substrates (Puentes-Cañon et al. 2012). Upwelling is present year-round with a higher intensity between January and April that produces a decrease in temperatures and an increase in productivity (Puentes-Cañon et al. 2012). During the dry season (December–April) sea surface temperatures range from 9–25°C, whereas during the rainy season (July–November) sea surface temperatures range from 27–29.5°C (Andrade 2001). While the area receives freshwater input, particularly between June–December, it is not as large a quantity as in other regions of the Colombian Atlantic (Mojica et al. 2006).

The area overlaps with the La Guajira Coastal Wetlands Complex Key Biodiversity Area (KBA 2025).

This Important Shark and Ray Area is benthic and pelagic and is delineated from inshore and surface waters (0 m) to 100 m based on the bathymetry of the area.

CRITERION A

VULNERABILITY

One Qualifying Species considered threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species regularly occurs in the area. This is the Vulnerable American Cownose Ray (Carlson et al. 2020).

CRITERION C

SUB-CRITERION C5 – UNDEFINED AGGREGATIONS

Guajira Central is an important area for undefined aggregations of one ray species.

Monitoring of landings in fishing camps operating within the area have revealed the catch of American Cownose Ray aggregations in gillnets (‘chucheras’) designed to target them (Palacios-Barreto & Ramirez-Hernández 2010; AF Navia-López et al. unpubl. data 2025). These gillnets are ~75 m long and are deployed for up to 24 hours (Puentes-Cañon et al. 2012). In 2009 and 2010, catches of up to 200 American Cownose Rays were recorded from a single fishing trip in two occasions in February and May (Palacios-Barreto & Ramirez-Hernández 2010). The catches of such aggregations were also confirmed in 2015 during an opportunistic sampling in the area (AF Navia-López et al. unpubl. data. 2025). The Colombian fisheries statistical system reported regular catches of American Cownose Rays inside the area between 2018–2021 with a peak in March, June, and September suggesting that aggregations occur regularly in the area (Duarte et al. 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021).

Guajira Central

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