The Straits of Florida comprise an important migratory route for apex predators moving among the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, and Caribbean Sea. Off Cuba’s northwestern coast, various gear types are used by Cuban fishers, including small-scale pelagic longlines. We report here the results of a 2011–2019 monitoring program for the longline fleet based in Cojímar, Cuba. This fleet comprises 134 small vessels targeting mostly swordfish (family Xiphiidae), billfishes (family Istiophoridae), tunas (family Scombridae), and sharks (class Chondrichthyes) within 20 km of Cuba’s coast. Most operations are nocturnal with 11–12-h sets comprising an average of 56 hooks on 6,643 m of mainline. Five orders, eight families, and 18 species of sharks were documented in this fishery. Two carcharhinids (Silky Shark Carcharhinus falciformis and Oceanic Whitetip Shark C. longimanus) and two lamnids (Longfin Mako Isurus paucus and Shortfin Mako I. oxyrinchus) were the most abundant shark species caught, with shark CPUE averaging 1.98 sharks/trip (SD = 0.938). Catch abundance showed seasonal differences, with Silky Sharks and Longfin Makos more common in winter and Oceanic Whitetip Sharks more common in summer and autumn. Bimodal size structure in some species suggests multiple life stages utilizing the area, while the predominance of young sharks in species including the Oceanic Whitetip Shark suggests the importance of the area as juvenile habitat, possibly as a pupping and/or nursery ground. This characterization of the Cuban longline fishery is an important step forward for Cuba’s National Plan of Action for Sharks and demonstrates the potential impacts that small-scale fisheries can have on vulnerable sharks.

中文翻译：

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古巴西北部远洋延绳钓渔业捕捞鲨鱼的季节性丰度和大小结构

佛罗里达海峡是顶级掠食者在墨西哥湾、大西洋和加勒比海之间移动的重要迁徙路线。在古巴西北海岸附近，古巴渔民使用各种渔具，包括小型远洋延绳钓。我们在此报告了 2011-2019 年古巴科伊马尔延绳钓船队监测计划的结果。这支船队包括 134 艘小型船只，主要针对古巴海岸 20 公里范围内的剑鱼（剑鱼科）、长嘴鱼（Istiophoridae 科）、金枪鱼（鲭鱼科）和鲨鱼（软骨鱼纲）。大多数作业都是在夜间进行，11-12 小时的作业在 6,643 m 的主线上平均包含 56 个吊钩。该渔业记录了 5 个目、8 个科和 18 种鲨鱼。两种真鲨属（Silky Shark Carcharhinus falciformis和远洋白鳍鲨C. longimanus）和两个lamnids（长鳍真子鲭paucus和Shortfin真子我。oxyrinchus) 是捕获的最丰富的鲨鱼种类，鲨鱼 CPUE 平均每趟 1.98 条鲨鱼 (SD = 0.938)。捕捞丰度表现出季节性差异，冬季更常见的有丝鲨和长鳍鲭鲨，夏季和秋季更常见的是大洋白鳍鲨。一些物种的双峰大小结构表明该地区存在多个生命阶段，而包括大洋白鳍鲨在内的物种中幼鲨的优势表明该地区作为幼年栖息地的重要性，可能作为幼崽和/或育苗场。古巴延绳钓渔业的这一特征是古巴鲨鱼国家行动计划向前迈出的重要一步，并展示了小型渔业对脆弱鲨鱼的潜在影响。