Analysis of the exploitation and management of the artisanal shrimp fishery (<i>Farfantepenaeus notialis</i>) in the Saloum Delta

Abstract

The management of the coastal small-scale shrimp fishery in the Saloum delta is based on the opening and closing of the fishery. This approach is highly  contested by many fishermen who still pursue fishing activities. To reach this goal, samples of 500 grams of shrimp are purchased once a month from the  catches of fishing gear targeting shrimp in the following areas: Foundiougne, Sibassor, Djirnda, Missira and Betenti. On site, the cephalothoracic  length and individual weight of shrimp are measured to the nearest tenth of a millimeter, using an electronic caliper and weighed to the nearest tenth of  a gram using a precision field scale. The relative importance of the two sexes in the catches of the different fishing gears is analysed every month using a  300 g sample of the biggest shrimp. Sex is determined by naked-eye observation of the shrimp, based on the sex recognition key developed by Schneider  (1992) and Vries and Lefèvre (1967). The analysis of the evolution of the sizes of the shrimp caught in the different fishing areas allows us to  locate the optimal period of closure of the fishery between the months of June and October, which corresponds to the main reproduction period of the  white shrimp in the Saloum delta.