Selectivity curves of the capture of mangrove crab (Ucides cordatus) on the northern coast of Brazil using bayesian inference

Curvas de seletividade da captura do caranguejo-uçá (Ucides cordatus) na costa norte do Brasil usando a inferência bayesiana

Abstract

Fishing selectivity of the mangrove crab Ucides cordatus in the north coast of Brazil can be defined as the fisherman's ability to capture and select individuals from a certain size or sex (or a combination of these factors) which suggests an empirical selectivity. Considering this hypothesis, we calculated the selectivity curves for males and females crabs using the logit function of the logistic model in the formulation. The Bayesian inference consisted of obtaining the posterior distribution by applying the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method to software R using the OpenBUGS, BRugs, and R2WinBUGS libraries. The estimated results of width average carapace selection for males and females compared with previous studies reporting the average width of the carapace of sexual maturity allow us to confirm the hypothesis that most mature individuals do not suffer from fishing pressure; thus, ensuring their sustainability.

Keywords:
fisheries exploitation; capture probability; sustainability; bayesian inference; coastal ecosystem