Population dynamics of Callinectes sapidus fishery resource in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela
Keywords:
population structure, growth, mortality rate, blue crab, tropical lake
Abstract
The blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, supports one of the most significant fisheries in Lake Maracaibo and western Venezuela, although several previous studies suggest signs of overexploitation. This study analyzed the population dynamics of the species as a basis for resource management, based on 46 monthly samples of landings at the main ports of Lake Maracaibo from 2010 to 2014. Monthly length-frequency data were analyzed using the FiSAT II software to estimate growth parameters (ELEFAN I), mortality (length-converted catch curve) and recruitment (cohort analysis). Natural mortality was estimated using several methods due to its complexity. The estimated growth parameters were =14.67 cm, and K = 0.87 yr-1, with higher growth rates in males. Recruitment was continuous, with peaks during the rainy season. Total mortality was estimated at 7.74 yr-1, natural mortality ranged from 0.87 and 2.05 yr-1, and fishing mortality from 5.79 and 6.87 yr-1, showing strong fishing pressure, mainly on females. It was determined that C. sapidus has a short life cycle, with first entry into the fishery at 7-8 months of age and 7.0 cm, remaining until 24 months of age and 12 cm. The catch curve suggests full recruitment between 12 and 13 months of age and 8.7 cm. It is concluded that the high fishing intensity has altered the population structure and limits the adequate renewal of the stock, highlighting the need to strengthen management measures.
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References
Andrade de Pasquier, G., García, L., Buonocore, R., & Méndez, Y. (2012). Relaciones biométricas y proporciones de sexos del cangrejo azul, Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896) en el Lago de Maracaibo, Venezuela. Ciencia, 20(3), 151–158. https://produccioncientificaluz.org/index.php/ciencia/article/view/10048
Andrade de Pasquier, G., Ramírez, S., García Pinto, L., Buonocore, R., & Delgado, J. (2010). Impacto del palangre para la captura del cangrejo azul, Callinectes sapidus en la composición por tallas de los desembarques en el Lago de Maracaibo, Venezuela. Proceedings of the 62nd Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute. 415 – 419. https://proceedings.gcfi.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/gcfi_62-63.pdf
Andrade de Pasquier, G., & Stotz, W. (1999). Patrón de reclutamiento del camarón blanco (Penaeus schmitti) en el Lago de Maracaibo, Venezuela. Boletín del Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, 33(1), 1–82. https://produccioncientificaluz.org/index.php/boletin/article/view/189
Andrade, G., Ferrer, O., & Buonocore, R. (2011). Biología Pesquera. In C. Casler, L. P.García, & C. Sangronis (Eds.), El cangrejo azul en el Sistema de Maracaibo: Ecología, Pesquería y Aspectos Socioeconómicos (pp. 124–158). Centro de Estudios del Lago. https://www.calameo.com/books/005575289f0acf8f2cdb7
Azra, M., Aaqillah-Amr, M., Ikhwanuddin, M., Ma, H., Waiho, K., Ostrensky, A., dos Santos Tavares, C., & Abol-Munafi, A. (2020). Effects of climate‐induced water temperature changes on the life history of brachyuran crabs. Reviews in Aquaculture, 12(2), 1211–1216. https://doi.org/10.1111/raq.12380
Battacharya, C. G. (1967). A simple method of resolution of a distribution with gaussian componentes. Biometrics, 23(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.2307/2528285
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) FAO-ICLARM stock Assessment Tools (FiSAT II) (Versión 1.2.2) [Software]. (2005). Rome, Italy: Fisheries and Aquaculture Departament. http://www.fao.org/fishery/topic/16072/en
Gallego-Zerrato, J., Londoño, B. N., Córdoba-Rojas, D. F., & Giraldo, A. (2025). Evaluation of the swimming crab (Callinectes toxotes Ordway, 1863) as an alternative resource to traditional fishing in the Colombian Pacific. Fisheries Research, 283, 107303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107303
Ju, S. J., Secor, D. H., & Harvey, H. R. (2001). Growth rate variability and lipofuscin accumulation rates in the blue crab Callinectes sapidus. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 224, 197–205. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps224197
Marchessaux, G., Vojsava, G., & Sarà, G. (2023). Impulsores ambientales de la estructura de población basada en el tamaño, la madurez sexual y la fecundidad: un estudio del cangrejo azul invasor Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896) en el mar Mediterráneo. PLOS ONE, 18(8), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0287570
Mehanna, S., Desouky, M., & Farouk, A. (2019). Population dynamics and fisheries characteristics of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896) as an invasive species in Bardawil Lagoon, Egypt. Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, 23(2), 599–611. https://doi.org/10.21608/ejabf.2019.34459
Monteiro, J., Ovelheiro, A., Maia, F., Teodosio, M., & Leitao, F. (2025). Biological traits and population dynamics for sustainable harvesting of Carcinus maenas. Fisheries Research, 281, 107243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2024.107243
Oliveira-Filho, R., Antunes, M., Musiello-Fernandes, J., Guéron, R., Pichler, H. A., Vilar, C. C., Mantelatto, F. L., Joyeux, J-C., Chiquieri, J., Hostim-Silva, M., & Bauman, D. (2025). Decapod community composition is seasonally driven by different environmental factors in an estuarine-coastal gradient (Eastern Brazil). Regional Studies in Marine Science, 85, 104135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2025.104135
Pauly, D. (1980). On the interrelationships between natural mortality, growth parameters and mean environmental temperature in 175 fish stocks. Journal du Conseil International pour l’Exploration de la Mer, 39(3), 175–192. https://doi.org/10.1093/ICESJMS/39.2.175
Perdomo, D., García, D., González-Estopiñán, M., Santos, O., Moratinos, P., Cova, L., & Medina, M. 2010. Evaluación de la pesca artesanal con palangre del cangrejo azul (Callinectes spp.), en el puerto de La Ceiba, estado Trujillo, Venezuela. Zootecnia Tropical, 28(2), 221-237. https://ve.scielo.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0798-72692010000200009
Rikhter, V. A., & Efanov, V. N. (1976). On one of the approaches to estimation of natural mortality of fish populations (ICNAF Res. Doc. 79/VI/8). https://www.nafo.int/icnaf/library/docs/1976/res-08.pdf
Rodríguez, G. (2001). The Maracaibo System, Venezuela. In: Seeliger, U., Kjerfve, B. (eds) Coastal Marine Ecosystems of Latin America (pp. 47 – 60). Ecological Studies, vol 144. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04482-7_4
Rodríguez-Castro, J., Ramírez, J., Velázquez-de-la-Cruz, G., & Correa-Sandoval, A. (2016). Evaluación del crecimiento de Callinectes sapidus (Decapoda: Portunidae) con métodos basados en talla, Tamaulipas, México. Revista de Biología Tropical, 64(2), 821–836. https://dx.doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v64i2.16958
Rosas-Correa, C., & De Jesús-Navarrete, A. (2008). Parámetros poblacionales de la jaiba azul Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896) en la bahía de Chetumal, Quintana Roo México. Revista de Biología Marina y Oceanografía, 43(2), 247–253. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-19572008000200003
Selfati, M., Doukilo, I., Erbib, A., El Kamcha, R., Errhif, A., & Bazairi, H. (2025). Reproductive biology of the invasive blue crab Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896) on the African Atlantic Coast. Estuaries and Coasts, 48(46), 1–15 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-024-01467-z
Sparre, P., & Venema, S. C. (1995). Introducción a la evaluación de recursos pesqueros tropicales. (FAO Doc. Tec. Pesca. Rev, Parte 1, Manual 306/1). FAO. https://www.fao.org/4/w5449s/w5449s00.htm
Sumer, C., Teksam, I., Karatas, H., Beyhan, T., & Aydin, C. (2013). Growth and reproduction biology of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896, in the Beymelek Lagoon (Southwestern Coast of Turkey). Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 13(4), 675–684. http://doi.org/10.4194/1303-2712-v13_4_13
Tankersley, R. A., Wieber, M. G., Sigala, M. A., & Kachurak, K. A. (1998). Migratory Behavior of Ovigerous Blue Crabs Callinectes sapidus: Evidence for Selective Tidal-Stream Transport. The Biological Bulletin 195(2), 168-173 https://doi.org/10.2307/1542824
Taylor, C. (1960). Temperature, growth and mortality; The Pacific cockle. Journal du Conseil International pour l’Exploration de la Mer, 26(1), 117–124. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/26.1.117
Türeli, C., Miller, T., Gündoğdu, S., & Yeşilyurt, İ. (2016). Growth and mortality of blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) in the North-Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Journal of Fisheries Sciences, 10(2), 55–62. https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/pdf/10.5555/20163196523
Vásquez, H., & Pascal, E. (2024). Contribución al conocimiento de la actividad pesquera artesanal del Cangrejo azul Callinectes sapidus (Brachyura: Portunidae) en dos áreas geográficas del Municipio Cabimas, Venezuela, Boletín del Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas. 58(2), 222-237. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14574718
Villasmil, L., & Mendoza, J. (2001) La pesquería del cangrejo Callinectes sapidus (decapoda: brachyura) en el Lago de Maracaibo, Venezuela. Interciencia, 26(7), 301-306 p. http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=33905806
Villasmil, L., Mendoza, J., & Ferrer, O. (1997). Crecimiento y mortalidad del cangrejo azul Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896, del Lago de Maracaibo. Ciencia, 5(1), 7–15. https://produccioncientificaluz.org/index.php/ciencia/article/view/18855
Vogt, G. (2019). A compilation of longevity data in decapod crustaceans. Nauplius, 27, e2019011. https://doi.org/10.1590/2358-2936e2019011
Von Bertalanffy, L. (1934). Untersuchungen über die Gesetzlichkeiten des Waschstums. 1. Allegemeine Grundlangen der Theorie. Archiv für Entwicklungsmechanik der Organismen, 131(4), 613–653. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00650112
Young, A., & Elliott, J. (2020). Life history and population dynamics of green crabs (Carcinus maenas). Fishes, 5(1), Artículo 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes5010004
Andrade de Pasquier, G., Ramírez, S., García Pinto, L., Buonocore, R., & Delgado, J. (2010). Impacto del palangre para la captura del cangrejo azul, Callinectes sapidus en la composición por tallas de los desembarques en el Lago de Maracaibo, Venezuela. Proceedings of the 62nd Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute. 415 – 419. https://proceedings.gcfi.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/gcfi_62-63.pdf
Andrade de Pasquier, G., & Stotz, W. (1999). Patrón de reclutamiento del camarón blanco (Penaeus schmitti) en el Lago de Maracaibo, Venezuela. Boletín del Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, 33(1), 1–82. https://produccioncientificaluz.org/index.php/boletin/article/view/189
Andrade, G., Ferrer, O., & Buonocore, R. (2011). Biología Pesquera. In C. Casler, L. P.García, & C. Sangronis (Eds.), El cangrejo azul en el Sistema de Maracaibo: Ecología, Pesquería y Aspectos Socioeconómicos (pp. 124–158). Centro de Estudios del Lago. https://www.calameo.com/books/005575289f0acf8f2cdb7
Azra, M., Aaqillah-Amr, M., Ikhwanuddin, M., Ma, H., Waiho, K., Ostrensky, A., dos Santos Tavares, C., & Abol-Munafi, A. (2020). Effects of climate‐induced water temperature changes on the life history of brachyuran crabs. Reviews in Aquaculture, 12(2), 1211–1216. https://doi.org/10.1111/raq.12380
Battacharya, C. G. (1967). A simple method of resolution of a distribution with gaussian componentes. Biometrics, 23(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.2307/2528285
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) FAO-ICLARM stock Assessment Tools (FiSAT II) (Versión 1.2.2) [Software]. (2005). Rome, Italy: Fisheries and Aquaculture Departament. http://www.fao.org/fishery/topic/16072/en
Gallego-Zerrato, J., Londoño, B. N., Córdoba-Rojas, D. F., & Giraldo, A. (2025). Evaluation of the swimming crab (Callinectes toxotes Ordway, 1863) as an alternative resource to traditional fishing in the Colombian Pacific. Fisheries Research, 283, 107303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107303
Ju, S. J., Secor, D. H., & Harvey, H. R. (2001). Growth rate variability and lipofuscin accumulation rates in the blue crab Callinectes sapidus. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 224, 197–205. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps224197
Marchessaux, G., Vojsava, G., & Sarà, G. (2023). Impulsores ambientales de la estructura de población basada en el tamaño, la madurez sexual y la fecundidad: un estudio del cangrejo azul invasor Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896) en el mar Mediterráneo. PLOS ONE, 18(8), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0287570
Mehanna, S., Desouky, M., & Farouk, A. (2019). Population dynamics and fisheries characteristics of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896) as an invasive species in Bardawil Lagoon, Egypt. Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, 23(2), 599–611. https://doi.org/10.21608/ejabf.2019.34459
Monteiro, J., Ovelheiro, A., Maia, F., Teodosio, M., & Leitao, F. (2025). Biological traits and population dynamics for sustainable harvesting of Carcinus maenas. Fisheries Research, 281, 107243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2024.107243
Oliveira-Filho, R., Antunes, M., Musiello-Fernandes, J., Guéron, R., Pichler, H. A., Vilar, C. C., Mantelatto, F. L., Joyeux, J-C., Chiquieri, J., Hostim-Silva, M., & Bauman, D. (2025). Decapod community composition is seasonally driven by different environmental factors in an estuarine-coastal gradient (Eastern Brazil). Regional Studies in Marine Science, 85, 104135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2025.104135
Pauly, D. (1980). On the interrelationships between natural mortality, growth parameters and mean environmental temperature in 175 fish stocks. Journal du Conseil International pour l’Exploration de la Mer, 39(3), 175–192. https://doi.org/10.1093/ICESJMS/39.2.175
Perdomo, D., García, D., González-Estopiñán, M., Santos, O., Moratinos, P., Cova, L., & Medina, M. 2010. Evaluación de la pesca artesanal con palangre del cangrejo azul (Callinectes spp.), en el puerto de La Ceiba, estado Trujillo, Venezuela. Zootecnia Tropical, 28(2), 221-237. https://ve.scielo.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0798-72692010000200009
Rikhter, V. A., & Efanov, V. N. (1976). On one of the approaches to estimation of natural mortality of fish populations (ICNAF Res. Doc. 79/VI/8). https://www.nafo.int/icnaf/library/docs/1976/res-08.pdf
Rodríguez, G. (2001). The Maracaibo System, Venezuela. In: Seeliger, U., Kjerfve, B. (eds) Coastal Marine Ecosystems of Latin America (pp. 47 – 60). Ecological Studies, vol 144. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04482-7_4
Rodríguez-Castro, J., Ramírez, J., Velázquez-de-la-Cruz, G., & Correa-Sandoval, A. (2016). Evaluación del crecimiento de Callinectes sapidus (Decapoda: Portunidae) con métodos basados en talla, Tamaulipas, México. Revista de Biología Tropical, 64(2), 821–836. https://dx.doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v64i2.16958
Rosas-Correa, C., & De Jesús-Navarrete, A. (2008). Parámetros poblacionales de la jaiba azul Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896) en la bahía de Chetumal, Quintana Roo México. Revista de Biología Marina y Oceanografía, 43(2), 247–253. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-19572008000200003
Selfati, M., Doukilo, I., Erbib, A., El Kamcha, R., Errhif, A., & Bazairi, H. (2025). Reproductive biology of the invasive blue crab Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896) on the African Atlantic Coast. Estuaries and Coasts, 48(46), 1–15 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-024-01467-z
Sparre, P., & Venema, S. C. (1995). Introducción a la evaluación de recursos pesqueros tropicales. (FAO Doc. Tec. Pesca. Rev, Parte 1, Manual 306/1). FAO. https://www.fao.org/4/w5449s/w5449s00.htm
Sumer, C., Teksam, I., Karatas, H., Beyhan, T., & Aydin, C. (2013). Growth and reproduction biology of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896, in the Beymelek Lagoon (Southwestern Coast of Turkey). Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 13(4), 675–684. http://doi.org/10.4194/1303-2712-v13_4_13
Tankersley, R. A., Wieber, M. G., Sigala, M. A., & Kachurak, K. A. (1998). Migratory Behavior of Ovigerous Blue Crabs Callinectes sapidus: Evidence for Selective Tidal-Stream Transport. The Biological Bulletin 195(2), 168-173 https://doi.org/10.2307/1542824
Taylor, C. (1960). Temperature, growth and mortality; The Pacific cockle. Journal du Conseil International pour l’Exploration de la Mer, 26(1), 117–124. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/26.1.117
Türeli, C., Miller, T., Gündoğdu, S., & Yeşilyurt, İ. (2016). Growth and mortality of blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) in the North-Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Journal of Fisheries Sciences, 10(2), 55–62. https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/pdf/10.5555/20163196523
Vásquez, H., & Pascal, E. (2024). Contribución al conocimiento de la actividad pesquera artesanal del Cangrejo azul Callinectes sapidus (Brachyura: Portunidae) en dos áreas geográficas del Municipio Cabimas, Venezuela, Boletín del Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas. 58(2), 222-237. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14574718
Villasmil, L., & Mendoza, J. (2001) La pesquería del cangrejo Callinectes sapidus (decapoda: brachyura) en el Lago de Maracaibo, Venezuela. Interciencia, 26(7), 301-306 p. http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=33905806
Villasmil, L., Mendoza, J., & Ferrer, O. (1997). Crecimiento y mortalidad del cangrejo azul Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896, del Lago de Maracaibo. Ciencia, 5(1), 7–15. https://produccioncientificaluz.org/index.php/ciencia/article/view/18855
Vogt, G. (2019). A compilation of longevity data in decapod crustaceans. Nauplius, 27, e2019011. https://doi.org/10.1590/2358-2936e2019011
Von Bertalanffy, L. (1934). Untersuchungen über die Gesetzlichkeiten des Waschstums. 1. Allegemeine Grundlangen der Theorie. Archiv für Entwicklungsmechanik der Organismen, 131(4), 613–653. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00650112
Young, A., & Elliott, J. (2020). Life history and population dynamics of green crabs (Carcinus maenas). Fishes, 5(1), Artículo 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes5010004
Published
2026-02-25
How to Cite
Guerrero-Ríos, R., Andrade, G., Hernández, N., Ferrer, O., & Barrios-Garrido, H. (2026). Population dynamics of Callinectes sapidus fishery resource in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela. Revista De La Facultad De Agronomía De La Universidad Del Zulia, 43(1), e264316. Retrieved from https://www.produccioncientificaluz.org/index.php/agronomia/article/view/45222
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Section
Animal Production
Copyright (c) 2026 Randi Guerrero-Ríos, Glenys Andrade de Pasquier, Nancy Hernández de Guerrero, Orlando Ferrer, Héctor Barrios-Garrido
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
