Productivity and Susceptibility Analysis of the Small-Scale Shark Fishery in La Pesca, Tamaulipas

There is a lack of information about the shark fisheries in Tamaulipas, a coastal state of the Gulf of Mexico, and the species that sustain them. This challenges the development of management and conservation strategies for this group. This study evaluates the ecological vulnerability of elasmobranch species under fishing pressure using a Productivity and Susceptibility Analysis (PSA). PSA was conducted using the literature biological data of the organisms caught in La Pesca, Tamaulipas, Mexico, and semi-structured surveys applied to artisanal fishers. Results indicate that eleven shark species and four ray species sustain this fishery, with biological productivity values ranging from 1.15 to 2.23 and susceptibility values from 1.91 to 2.09. The minimum ecological risk value was observed in Rhizoprionodon terranovae (v = 1.26), and the highest in Gymnura lessae (v = 2.14). Secondary, non-local biological productivity data limit the quality score but not the overall study validity, highlighting the need for primary regional data on Tamaulipas elasmobranchs. Our results rank elasmobranch species by ecological risk in La Pesca, Tamaulipas, helping policymakers prioritize species for research and conservation and determine whether current management matches local artisanal fishery realities or requires regional adjustments. Further regional studies are required to improve biological productivity data for elasmobranchs supporting artisanal fisheries in Tamaulipas.