Tagliafico et al.: Exploitation and reproduction of Aetobatus narmari in the Los Frailes Archipelago, Venezuela 
315 
ever, with the recent taxonomic changes within the 
species complex, the conservation status needs to be 
reviewed (White et al,, 2010). For example, White et al. 
(2010) consider that A. ocellatus is more threatened than 
other members of this species complex, given that most 
threats listed for this complex have been from the Indo- 
Pacific region. Nevertheless, despite the paucity of data, 
there are indications in the western Atlantic that fishing 
has significantly affected the abundance of A. narinari 
(see Gines et al., 1972; Claro et al., 2002; Correa and 
Manjarres, 2004; Shepherd and Myers, 2005; Cuevas- 
Zimbron et al., 2011). In particular, the small-scale, 
directed fisheries in the southern Gulf of Mexico and 
northeastern Venezuela that capture juvenile, mature, 
and pregnant individuals are a concern for the viability 
of these populations in areas where they are apparently 
still relatively abundant. An additional threat to A. nari- 
nari , which is associated with coral reefs, is habitat loss. 
Coral reef habitats in the western Atlantic have been 
declining over the most recent decades, with more than 
75% of Caribbean reefs considered threatened (Burke 
et ah, 2011). 
In waters around Florida, the catch of A. narinari has 
been completely banned, but, to our knowledge, most 
countries of the western Atlantic have no specific regu- 
lations regarding the capture of A. narinari. In Ven- 
ezuela, the fishery for A. narinari is unregulated and 
precautionary management measures may be necessary 
to assure population viability. In this study, we present 
results regarding length structure by sex, length-weight 
relationship, length at maturity, fecundity, size and sex 
ratio at birth, and reproductive periodicity — all of which 
represent important data for demographic modeling 
and stock assessment techniques that are required to 
develop management recommendations for the A. nari- 
nari fishery in northeastern Venezuela. However, more 
research is needed in this area, particularly regarding 
growth and mortality estimates, spatial and temporal 
changes in abundance, and migration patterns of A. 
narinari. 
Acknowledgments 
The authors would like to thank the fishing crews that 
fished for spotted eagle ray in the community of Puerto 
Fermin for their collaboration. 
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