Nursery areas for a critically endangered hammerhead shark in the Guatemalan Pacific.

Abstract

The scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) is the shark most frequently landed in Guatemalan artisanal fisheries. From 2017 to 2023, fishery-dependent monitoring recorded 10,000 individuals across three fishing communities. Neonates represented the largest proportion (n = 5860), followed by young of the year (YOY, n = 3929) and significantly fewer juveniles (n = 183) and adults (n = 28). Seasonal patterns were evident, with neonates (84%) and YOY (67.5%) peaking between May and August. The data suggest that neonates and YOY are prevalent seasonally and annually in the three coastal areas.