Size structure and length-length relationships for two shark species (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhiniformes) from an artisanal fishery in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Southern Mexico

This paper presents size structure by sex and length-length relationships for Carcharhinus falciformis Sphyrna lewini caught an artisanal fishery in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Mexico. According to a local processing practice this fishery, when sharks are landed, their jaws removed but not heads. The orbit-fork length was evaluated as basis estimating total length. A good fit (r2 > 0.9) linear regression models calculated both species. Overall data showed that area is important habitat juvenile sharks, standardizing measurements proposed better characterize catch structure.