Size structure, sex ratio, and condition factor of the pink shrimp Penaeus (Farfantepenaeus) notialis Pérez Farfante, 1967 (Decapoda: Dendrobranchiata: Penaeidae) in the Colombian Caribbean
Abstract We determined size structure, sex ratio, and condition factor for the pink shrimp, Penaeus notialisPérez Farfante, 1967 in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, information essential for the design of management and conservation strategies to ensure a sustainable fishery. Total length (TL; ± 0.01 mm) ranged from 79.47 to 192.80 mm TL (mean 148.21 ± 17.75) for females and 79.00–181.83 mm TL (mean 122.52 mm ± 12.55) for males. Statistically significant differences (P < 0.01) in size and weight (± 0.1 mg) between sexes were found year-round; males were smaller and weighed less than females. The sex ratio showed significant differences (P < 0.01) between the total number of females and males per total length class when compared with a 50% sex ratio. The monthly sex ratio showed significant differences between the number of females and males. The weight-length relationship showed positive allometric growth (b = 3.118) for females, whereas negative allometric growth (b = 2.663) was observed for males. The condition factor (K) ranged 0.0002–0.0023 (mean 0.0009 ± 0.0007) for females and 0.0005–0.2179 (mean 0.0316 ± 0.0642) for males.