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ISRA FACTSHEETS

CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICAN PACIFIC REGION

ISRA FACTSHEETS

CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICAN PACIFIC REGION

Tiquisate-Sipacate ISRA

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Tiquisate-Sipacate ISRA

Tiquisate-Sipacate

Summary

Tiquisate-Sipacate is located in the Escuintla department of the Guatemalan Pacific. This area is within an Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Area, the Sipacate-Cañón San José Marine Ecosystem, and includes a protected area. It encompasses coastal wetlands, mangroves, dunes, estuaries, volcanic sand beaches, and two river mouths. Within this area there are: threatened species (e.g., Longtail Stingray Hypanus longus); range-restricted species (Pacific Chupare Styracura pacifica); and reproductive areas (e.g., Scalloped Hammerhead Sphyrna lewini).

Tiquidate–Sipacate

Tiquisate-Sipacate

DESCRIPTION OF HABITAT

Tiquisate-Sipacate is a coastal area located in the Escuintla department on the Guatemalan Pacific. Situated within the Pacific Central-American Coastal Large Marine Ecosystem (LME), this area includes coastal wetlands, mangroves, dunes, estuaries, volcanic sand beaches, and river mouths, with Acomé River being the largest. Wetlands and mangroves have silt and clay substrates, while the rest of the area has sandy substrates. The area is characterised by a dry season (November–April) and a rainy season (May–October). Temperatures commonly range between 21–33°C (ASIES 1992). One of the main habitats within the area is the Sipacate estuary, characterised by a high mangrove coverage, and heavily influenced by freshwater input, which increases during the rainy season (CONAP 2002). The area is within an Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Area, the Sipacate-Cañón San José Marine Ecosystem (CBD 2022) and includes one protected area, National Park Sipacate-Naranjo (CONAP 2002).

This Important Shark and Ray Area is delineated from inshore and surface waters (0 m) to a depth of 100 m based on the depth where fishers commonly catch Qualifying Species.

CRITERION A

VULNERABILITY

Seven Qualifying Species considered threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM regularly occur in the area. Threatened sharks comprise one Critically Endangered species, and three Vulnerable species; threatened rays comprise three Vulnerable species (IUCN 2022).

CRITERION B

RANGE RESTRICTED

Tiquidate–Sipacate holds the regular presence of Pacific Chupare, Vermiculate Numbfish, and Spinytail Round Ray as resident range-restricted species. These species occur year-round in the area and are regularly encountered and caught in local fisheries (Ávalos-Castillo & Santana-Morales 2021). Pacific Chupare is restricted to the Pacific Central-American Coastal LME, while Vermiculate Numbfish is essentially restricted to the Gulf of California LME and Pacific Central-American Coastal LME, its range only marginally extending into the California Current LME. Spinytail Round Ray is restricted to the Pacific Central-American Coastal LME and California Current LME.

CRITERION C

SUB-CRITERION C1 – REPRODUCTIVE AREAS

Tiquidate–Sipacate is an important reproductive area for five shark and two ray species.

Between 2006–2007, neonate Silky Shark (based on visibly open umbilical scars) of sizes < 75 cm total length (TL) were reported in the area. In addition, pregnant females were observed with near-term embryos from February to May (Ixquiac et al. 2009b). The neonate sizes overlap with the reported size-at-birth (56–87 cm TL; Ebert et al. 2021). A small number of neonates has also recently been reported from landing surveys of artisanal fisheries operating in the area (Ávalos-Castillo & Santana-Morales 2021; Tewfik et al. 2022).

Neonate Blacktip Sharks (n = 22) were recorded in landings from artisanal fisheries between 2017–2020 (Ávalos-Castillo & Santana-Morales 2021). Sizes were between 40–70 cm TL, which are similar to the reported size-at-birth of 38–72 cm TL (Ebert et al. 2021). In addition, between 2019–2020, 85 Blacktip Sharks were reported in landings from artisanal gillnets and longlines, with a mean size of 74 cm TL (Polanco-Vásquez et al. 2022).

Neonate Longtail Stingrays (n = 20) have been reported in landings from artisanal fisheries (Ávalos-Castillo & Santana-Morales 2021). Neonates landed from 2017–2020 were between 40–50 cm disc width (DW), which is close to the reported size-at-birth for the species (~40 cm DW; Last et al. 2016). Between 2019–2020, neonates (n = 6, 22–28 cm DW) below the reported size-at-birth were recorded in landings from artisanal fisheries (Morales-Aguilar & Ortíz-Aldana 2022). Pregnant females have also been observed in the area (Polanco-Vásquez 2022; Polanco-Vásquez et al. 2022; E. Segovia pers. comm. 2022).

Neonate Sicklefin Smoothhounds (n = 40; 23.5% of all individuals recorded) were reported in landings from artisanal fisheries between 2017–2020 (Ávalos-Castillo & Santana-Morales 2021). Sizes were between 30–40 cm TL, which is similar to the reported size-at-birth for the species (28—35 cm TL; Ebert et al. 2021). Pregnant females have also been observed in the same surveys.

All Whitesnout Guitarfish (n = 17) recorded between 2017–2020 were below the reported size-at-birth (~19 cm TL; Ávalos-Castillo & Santana Morales 2021; Ebert et al. 2021).

Neonate Pacific Sharpnose Sharks (n = 15) between 30–40 cm TL were reported in landings from artisanal fisheries during November (2017–2020) (Ávalos-Castillo & Santana-Morales 2021). Size-at-birth for this species has been reported at 33–34 cm TL (Ebert et al. 2021).

There is historical and contemporary information reporting the presence of Scalloped Hammerhead nursery areas, in particular during the rainy season (May–September). Between 2006–2007, 633 neonates and young-of-the-year were recorded from artisanal fisheries landings (Ixquiac-Cabrera et al. 2009b). Sizes ranged between 35–60 cm TL, which are similar to the reported size-at-birth (31–57 cm TL; Ebert et al. 2021). Recent data confirm that the majority of sharks landed are between 30–70 cm, confirming that the area still serves as a nursery (Ávalos-Castillo & Santana-Morales 2021; Polanco-Vásquez 2022).

Tiquidate–Sipacate

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