ROJO

Executive summary
cies were included as threatened because
they have a very restricted distribution or
are even endemic, and are exposed to extinction
by possible effects of ENSO events
(El Niño and La Niña), among others.
In general terms, the urgent need to advance
in the study and monitoring of marine
fish stocks in Colombia is highlighted, so
that concrete measures can be proposed
for the conservation of natural fish populations.
Only in few cases important indicators
of population health, such as the average
size at maturity and the intrinsic rate
of population growth, are known. The lack
of specific fishing statistical information,
where statistics are taken to species level
rather than to large groups such as groupers,
snappers, or sharks, make it difficult
to make inferences about fishing impact on
populations of some species. Additionally,
the discontinuity and poor geographical
coverage in fishing data collection, in
a country with a very large and dispersed
“artisanal fishing fleet” makes the tasks of
fisheries researchers more than challenging
and, as a result, the assessments of
extinction risk of Colombian marine fishes
are based mainly on inferences from experts
based on their knowledge of species
and fisheries, and some indicators which
are not always the best.
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