Artisanal fisheries in Mexico frequently operate with limited data, lacking historical catch and effort series. In this context, the population status of the dogfish (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae) was evaluated for the first time in Priority Marine Regions 45–46 and the area of influence of the Wetland of International Importance Playa Tortuguera Rancho Nuevo, Tamaulipas, using methods based on size frequencies. Between November 2018 and February 2020, 541 artisanal fishing organisms were analyzed in La Barra del Tordo using FISAT II. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters for combined sexes were: L∞ = 105 cm, k = 0.59 years⁻¹, t₀ = −0.195 years. Total (Z), natural (M) and fishing (F) mortalities were 4.13, 0.467 and 3.22 years⁻¹, respectively. The average exploitation rate (E = F/Z) was 0.78 (95% CI: 0.745–0.805), exceeding the reference point of 0.5 indicating severe overexploitation. The parameters showed biological consistency (Ø′ = 3.81; M/k = 0.79), and natural mortality was within the range reported for the species. This finding, in a priority region for conservation under the regime of the Conservation Sector of the Marine Ecological Management Program, shows the urgent need to implement fisheries management with an ecosystem approach that guarantees the sustainability of the fishery and the integrity of the coastal ecosystem. The study demonstrates that, even with limited data, it is possible to obtain robust estimates to inform management decisions in natural protected areas

Artisanal fisheries in Mexico frequently operate under data-limited conditions, lacking historical time series of catch and effort. The Atlantic sharpnose shark (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae) is caught by artisanal fisheries in Marine Priority Regions 45-46 and the influence area of the Playa Tortuguera Rancho Nuevo Wetland of International Importance, Tamaulipas, where it acts as a natural predator of Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) hatchlings, a critically endangered species. In this data-limited context, the population status of R. terraenovae was assessed for the first time using length-frequency based methods. Between November 2018 and February 2020, 541 organisms from the artisanal fishery in La Barra del Tordo were analyzed using FISAT II. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters for combined sexes were: L∞ = 105 cm, k = 0.59 yr⁻¹, t₀ = -0.195 yr. Total (Z), natural (M), and fishing (F) mortality rates were 4.13, 0.467, and 3.22 yr⁻¹, respectively. The mean exploitation rate (E = F/Z) was 0.78 (95% CI: 0.745-0.805), exceeding the reference point of 0.5 (Gulland, 1971), indicating severe overexploitation. The parameters showed biological consistency (Ø' = 3.81; M/k = 0.79), and natural mortality (0.467 yr⁻¹) fell within the range reported for the species. This finding, in a priority conservation region under the Conservation Sector regime of the Marine Ecological Zoning Program, evidences the urgent need to implement ecosystem-based fisheries management. The study demonstrates that, even with limited data, it is possible to obtain robust estimates that reconcile fisheries sustainability with L. kempii conservation in protected natural areas.