Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research 452 ISSN: 2595-573X
Identification of elasmobranchs in Caraguatatuba City, São Paulo State (2018-19)
Identificação de elasmobranquios em Caraguatatuba, SP (2018-19)
DOI: 10.34188/bjaerv4n1-039
Recebimento dos originais: 20/11/2020 Aceitação para publicação: 20/12/2020
Nathalia Toyonaga Rodrigues Mestre em Aquicultura e Pesca pelo Instituto de Pesca/APTA/SAAESP Av. Bartolomeu de Gusmão, 192 - Ponta da Praia, Santos-SP, Brasil [email protected]
Marcelo Ricardo de Souza Doutor em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia) pela Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho Instituto de Pesca/APTA/SAAESP Av. Bartolomeu de Gusmão, 192 - Ponta da Praia, Santos-SP, Brasil [email protected]
Janice Peixer Doutora em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia) pela Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho Instituto Federal de Educação Ciência e Tecnologia, Av. Bahia, 1739 - Indaiá, Caraguatatuba - SP [email protected]
Alberto Ferreira de Amorim Doutor em Ciências Biológicas pela Universidade Estadual Paulista/Instituto de Biociências/Campus de Rio Claro Instituto de Pesca/APTA/SAAESP Av. Bartolomeu de Gusmão, 192 - Ponta da Praia, Santos-SP, Brasil [email protected]
ABSTRACT The variety of common names in fish causes problems in fishing catch estimates, which can hamper the administration and management of fish stocks. The production of elasmobranchs in Caraguatatuba City, SP has increased in the last 10 years, with reports of various categories of endangered species. The lack of basic information, degradation of the environment and the under- exploitation of fisheries, are the biggest enemies to create a species conservation policy and a sustainable development of fisheries. Therefore, January 2018 to January 2019, was monitored the landings of elasmobranchs captured by artisanal fishing in the city of Caraguatatuba, SP and information was collected regarding identification from the fisherman's point of view and weighing of specimens. All specimens were identified for a study to analyze the estimation of shark and ray’s species that occur in the region. The analyzed species were categorized, according to the Instituto de Pesca (Official Database of Instituto de Pesca, SP) as: “cação-rola-rola”, known as sharpnose shark (Rhizoprionodon lalandii and R. porosus), “cambeva” group of hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini), “cação-galha-preta”, spinner shark (Carcharhinus brevipinna), “machote”, group of small
Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research, Curitiba, v. 4, n. 1, p. 452-466 jan./mar. 2021
Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research 453 ISSN: 2595-573X sharks (Carcharhinus obscurus). In the ray’s group, “Viola”, group of guitarfish (Pseudobatos horkelii, P. percellens e Zapteryx brevirostris) and “raias-agrupadas”, are a group of ray’s species that were not or could not be categorized in any group (Aetobatus narinari, Dasyatis hypostigma, Gymnura altavela, Gymnura micrura, Hypanus americanus, Hypanus guttatus, Rioraja agassizi and Rhinoptera bonasus). The study aims to show an existence of basic flaws in the information contained in the Database of the Instituto de Pesca, in relation to the data collected in the municipality of Caraguatatuba, SP, Brazil and how misinformation can affect fisheries sustainability and conservation of elasmobranchs.
Keywords: fisheries management, conservation, shark and ray, fisheries sustainability, fishery stocks
RESUMO A variedade de nomes comuns nos peixes causa problemas nas estimativas de capturas, o que pode dificultar a administração e gestão dos estoques pesqueiros. A produção de elasmobrânquios na cidade de Caraguatatuba, SP aumentou nos últimos 10 anos, com relatos de várias categorias de espécies ameaçadas de extinção. A falta de informação básica, a degradação do meio ambiente e a subexploração da pesca, são os maiores inimigos da criação de uma política de conservação das espécies e de um desenvolvimento sustentável da pesca. Para tanto, de janeiro de 2018 a janeiro de 2019, foram monitorados os desembarques de elasmobrânquios capturados pela pesca artesanal na cidade de Caraguatatuba, SP e coletadas informações quanto à identificação do ponto de vista do pescador e pesagem dos espécimes. Todos os exemplares foram identificados para um estudo de análise da estimativa das espécies de tubarões e raias que ocorrem na região. As espécies analisadas foram categorizadas, de acordo com o Instituto de Pesca (Banco Oficial de Dados do Instituto de Pesca, de SP) como: “cação-rola-rola”, conhecido como tubarão-bico-fino (Rhizoprionodon lalandii e R. porosus), grupo “cambeva” de tubarão-martelo (Sphyrna lewini), “cação-galha-preta”, tubarão- galha--preta (Carcharhinus brevipinna), “machote”, grupo de pequenos tubarões (Carcharhinus obscurus). No grupo da raia, “Viola”, grupo de peixe-guitarra (Pseudobatos horkelii, P. percellens e Zapteryx brevirostris) e “raias-agrupadas”, são um grupo de espécies de raias que não foram ou não puderam ser categorizadas em nenhum grupo (Aetobatus narinari, Dasyatis hypostigma, Gymnura altavela, Gymnura micrura, Hypanus americanus, Hypanus guttatus, Rioraja agassizi e Rhinoptera bonasus). O estudo visa mostrar a existência de falhas básicas nas informações contidas no Banco de Dados do Instituto de Pesca, em relação aos dados coletados no município de Caraguatatuba, SP, Brasil e como a desinformação pode afetar a sustentabilidade pesqueira e a conservação de elasmobrânquios.
Palavras-chave: manejo pesqueiro, conservação, tubarão e raia, sustentabilidade pesqueira, estoques pesqueiros
1 INTRODUCTION The great diversity of common names in fish in different parts of the world can cause problems when dealing with the scientific literature or fisheries statistics. This is due to the incompatibility of identification of the fish species, may contribute to a delay in the recovery of fish stocks and contribute to an increased risk of extinction of fish populations (Freire and Pauly, 2003). The annual production of elasmobranchs of the fleet based in Caraguatatuba City, São Paulo, Brazil, increased in the last 10 years from 5,130.88 kg in 2008 to 13,338.60 kg in 2018; referring to
Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research, Curitiba, v. 4, n. 1, p. 452-466 jan./mar. 2021
Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research 454 ISSN: 2595-573X
128 different production units (Instituto de Pesca, 2019), this information is collected by the Monitoring Program for Marine and Estuarine Fishing Activity - PMAP, coordinated by the Fisheries Statistics Laboratory of the Instituto de Pesca in conjunction with several research centers. In the data category of the cartilaginous fish landing statistics from the Database, sharks are included in six categories (sharpnose shark, angel shark, hammerhead shark, spinner shark, small sharks and group sharks), and rays in two categories (guitarfish and grouped rays). The data contained in the data collectors of the Database lack basic information about which species of fish are caught and how much. Classifying it only in categories, not providing more details on useful information such as, the biological taxa of the captured species. Discarding the use of more relevant information for future studies such as more effective species conservation measures and efficient fisheries sustainability. Major international marine resource management agencies such as NOAA Fisheries, see the implementation of sustainable fishing as urgent, since our resources are limited and not all fish stocks in the ocean have been assessed, this number may be underestimated. These studies are essential for determining the biological parameters of the species, which contribute to the estimates of natural mortality, longevity and recruitment, and provide rational management to any stock that is submitted to exploration (Fonteles-Filho, 1989). The lack of a conservation policy, basic information, degradation of coastal environments and exploitation are the greatest threats that contribute to the decline of biodiversity and possible extinction of some species of elasmobranchs (Gadig, 1994; Bonfil, 1994; Kotas et al ., 1995; Camhi et al., 1998). This work intends to contribute to the collection of official information on fish production of elasmobranchs, which has been carried out by the Instituto de Pesca since 1944, helping to identify species and their corresponding commercial categories, with a view to a better management of stocks, aiming at management and conservation.
2 MATERIAL AND METHODS Information was collected on the specimens of elasmobranchs landed at fish markets, known as Camaroeiro and Porto Novo in the Caraguatatuba City, São Paulo, Brazil, from January 2018 to January 2019. Data were recorded for one week each month, identifying the species and weight. Specimens were identified using systematic shark and ray keys (Figueiredo, 1977; Garrick, 1982; Compagno, 1984, 2001; Mceachran and Carvalho, 2002) and weights were obtained using a mobile scale with a precision of 1g. The interview with the fishermen took place at the time of landing.
Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research, Curitiba, v. 4, n. 1, p. 452-466 jan./mar. 2021
Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research 455 ISSN: 2595-573X
The species identified in the study were included in their respective fish categories according to the reference name adopted by the official program for the control of fishery production in the State of São Paulo (Instituto de Pesca, 2019). At each of these unloading sites, the fishing was monitored daily, and the data were recorded in a spreadsheet that presents the following categories for elasmobranchs in Caraguatatuba City: angel shark, sharpnose shark, spinner shark, grouped sharks, hammerhead shark, small sharks, guitarfish and grouped rays. During this study, local fishermen were approached upon landing and information was collected such as: the popular name that the species is known for and production of sharks and rays caught for a comparative analysis that was carried out with the official production of elasmobranchs. All research was previously authorized by the responsible agencies (SISBIO No. 61696-4, valid from February 1, 2018 to March 3, 2019).
3 RESULTS Data on monthly production of elasmobranchs were compared with those obtained in the survey. Table 1 includes the sharpnose shark fishing production in the Caraguatatuba City, SP and the species identified in this study [Rhizoprionodon lalandii (Müller & Henle, 1839) and Rhizoprionodon porosus (Poey, 1861)] from January 2018 to January 2019. The main months of R. lalandii capture were November and December, while R. porosus were mostly captured in February, March, and October.
Table 1. Monthly production (kg) of sharpnose sharks in the Caraguatatuba City, SP, Brazil (Instituto de Pesca/2019) and collected samples identified as Rhizoprionodon lalandii and R. porosus (Jan. 2018/Jan. 2019). Jan/1 Jan/1 Sources Species 8 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 9 Sharpnose PropesqWeb* 15 - 8 - - 50 318.5 18.5 233.9 171.5 554.7 183 98.7 shark
Sampling R. lalandii 5.4 - - - 1.2 - - 1.1 4.4 5.3 16.9 25.5 - participation R. porosus - 1.5 1.7 - - - 0.3 - - 1.1 - 0.5 - * Monitoring Program for Marine and Estuarine Fishing Activities of the Instituto de Pesca-PropesqWeb
Concerning the monthly production of hammerhead sharks, based on the survey, specimens of Sphyrna lewini were captured only in December 2018 (Table 2).
Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research, Curitiba, v. 4, n. 1, p. 452-466 jan./mar. 2021
Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research 456 ISSN: 2595-573X
Table 2. Monthly production (kg) of hammerhead sharks in the Caraguatatuba City, SP-Brazil (Instituto de Pesca/2019) and the collected samples identified as Sphyrna lewini (January 2018/January 2019). Sources Species Jan/18 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan/19 PropesWeb* Hammerhead 42.9 10.8 8.4 - 9.1 3 132 - - 55.3 29.6 13 - Sampling S. lewini ------1.8 - participation *Monitoring Program for Marine and Estuarine Fishing Activities of the Instituto de Pesca-PropesqWeb
In the spinner shark category, one specimen of Carcharhinus brevipinna was identified in January 2019. Therefore, in Table 3, the monthly production of spinner and blacktip sharks was included, as well as the sampling mentioned.
Table 3. Monthly production (kg) of spinner shark in the Caraguatatuba City, SP-Brazil (Instituto de Pesca/2019) and the collected samples identified as Carcharhinus brevipinna (Jan. 2018/Jan. 2019).
Sources Species Jan/18 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan/19 Spinner PropesWeb* 388.8 61.5 ------147.3 2.8 Blacktip shark Sampling participation C. brevipinna ------1.8 *Monitoring Program for Marine and Estuarine Fishing Activities of the Instituto de Pesca-PropesqWeb
In the category of small sharks, one Carcharhinus obscurus was identified in the sample, therefore, in Table 4, the monthly production of small sharks from Caraguatatuba City, SP and the specimen collected (January 2018 to January 2019) were included.
Table 4. Monthly production (kg) of small sharks in the Caraguatatuba City, SP-Brazil (Instituto de Pesca/2019) and the collected samples identified as Carcharhinus obscurus (Jan. 2018/Jan. 2019). Sources Species Jan/18 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan/19
PropesWeb Small sharks 36 10 113 - - 10 15 38 55 155 - 45 - Sampling C. obscurus ------8.7 ------participation *Monitoring Program for Marine and Estuarine Fishing Activities of the Instituto de Pesca-PropesqWeb
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Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research 457 ISSN: 2595-573X
Table 5 includes the production of rays in the guitarfish category of the Caraguatatuba City, SP, referring to the landing data accompanied by the Instituto de Pesca and the species identified in this study (January/2018 to January/2019). Within the mentioned period, the occurrence of Pseudobatos horkelii was observed most frequently. Meanwhile, Pseudobatos percellens was more prevalent in September and November, and only in March was the presence of Zapteryx brevirostris verified.
Table 5. Monthly production (kg) of guitarfish in the Caraguatatuba City, SP-Brazil (Instituto de Pesca/2019) and the collected samples identified as Pseudobatos horkelii, P. percellens and Zapteryx brevirostris (Jan. 2018/Jan. 2019). Sources Species Jan/18 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan/19 PropesqWeb* Guitarfish 7616.2 152.6 146.8 49.3 46.1 16.6 44.4 3.9 153.8 1,246.5 355 10.4 1,617.1 Sampling P. horkelii 100.7 - - - 2 - 3.2 - - - - - 32.1 participation P. percellens - - - 3.3 - - - - 8.3 - 7 - - Z. brevirostris - - 0.2 ------*Monitoring Program for Marine and Estuarine Fishing Activities of the Instituto de Pesca-PropesqWeb
In Table 6, the grouped rays category includes the monthly production of the Caraguatatuba City, SP and the sampling of species of rays captured in the present study, which were: Aetobatus narinari, Dasyatis hypostigma, Gymnura altavela, Gymnura micrura, Hypanus americanus, Hypanus guttatus, Rhinoptera bonasus and Rioraja agassizi. In the months of January, May and December, there were no grouped rays in the survey. In February, March, July and September the species R. bonasus had the highest occurrence, while D. hypostigma mostly occurred in April, and June, G. altavela mostly occurred in October and November.
Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research, Curitiba, v. 4, n. 1, p. 452-466 jan./mar. 2021
Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research 458 ISSN: 2595-573X
Table 6. Monthly production (kg) of grouped rays in the Caraguatatuba City, SP-Brazil (Instituto de Pesca/2019) and sample collection identified as Aetobatus narinari, Dasyatis hypostigma, Hyanus americanus, H. guttatus, Gymnura altavela, G. micrura, Rioraja agassizi and Rhinoptera bonasus (Jan. 2018/Jan. 2019). Sources Species Jan/18 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan/19 PropesqWeb* Grouped rays 119 9.5 117.1 38.3 11 174 83 - 110 189 103 25 - A. narinari - - 7.1 ------D. hypostigma - - - 16.4 - 1.2 - - - 3.2 - - - G. altavela - - - - - 76.6 - - - 32 36.4 - - Sampling G. micrura - 19.4 ------participation H. americanus - 2 ------4 - - - - H. guttatus - - - 4.3 - - 8.7 ------R. agassizi ------0.5 R. bonasus - 42.3 23.1 9.3 - 2.5 10.5 - 17 - - - - *Monitoring Program for Marine and Estuarine Fishing Activities of the Instituto de Pesca-PropesqWeb
The following categories “angel shark” and “group sharks”, despite being registered in the statistical collectors of the fisheries production control program of the Caraguatatuba City, during the monitoring of the landing in the present study, no associated specimens were found in the mentioned categories.
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Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research 459 ISSN: 2595-573X
4 DISCUSSION The number of species identified in the commercial categories was quite diverse, which raises serious concerns for conservation and for the objectives of reducing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUCN) catches. The specimens collected during the research and which were included in a single category of fishery production containing more than one species, were: “cação-rola-rola”, sharpnose shark (Rhizoprionodon lalandii and R. porosus), “raia-viola”, guitarfish (Pseudobatos horkelii, P. percellens and Zapteryx brevirostris) and “raias-agrupadas”, grouped rays (Aetobatus narinari, Dasyatis hypostigma, Hypanus americanus, H. guttatus, Gymnura altavela, G. micrura, Rioraja agassizii and Rhinoptera bonasus). The sharpnose shark group, “cação-rola-rola”, includes sharks of the genus Rhizoprionodon, which is represented by two species in Brazil: R. lalandii and R. porosus that occur along the entire Brazilian coastline (Figueiredo, 1977; Compagno et al. 2005). The authors Ferreira (1988), Gadig et al. (2002), Mazzoleni (2006), Motta et al. (2007) and Andrade et al. (2008) concluded that R. lalandii is the main species, among groups of sharks, caught by artisanal fisheries in southeastern and southern Brazil, representing around 60% of the catches. According to Mendonça et. al. (2009), sharks of the Rhizoprionodon genus have great importance in the fishing economy of the Brazilian coast. Due to the great similarity between R. lalandii and R. porosus, their differentiation while unloading is a little difficult, causing them to be reported as a single species, causing great difficulty to know what the real amount of overfishing impact on the species is. However, with the number of samples obtained, it was not possible to identify which was the most relevant species of this fishing stock. During the unloading, some fishermen also named these species (R. lalandii and R. porosus) as “cação-olho-de-vidro”, “foguete” and “cação-frango”, demonstrating a variety of names that they can show, besides the difficulties in differentiate them, giving common names equal to different species. Information regarding the conservation status of the species R. lalandii, according to the IUCN red list (2019), is lacking in data to assess population health of this species. In the “viola” category, guitarfish group, which includes the species P. horkelii, P. percellens and Z. brevirostris, the main months of production in the Caraguatatuba region were January and October 2018 and January 2019, with the main occurrence of the species P. horkelii. However, it must be considered that the sampling took place during a short period of time (12 months).
Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research, Curitiba, v. 4, n. 1, p. 452-466 jan./mar. 2021
Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research 460 ISSN: 2595-573X
Fishing for P. horkelii is prohibited by Ordinance 445/14, but it has proved to be one of the most caught rays in the fishery production of elasmobranchs in Caraguatatuba City, SP. Probably, due to its high morphological similarity with P. percellens, it is easily confused by fishermen. However, with a more careful observation it is possible to distinguish some differences in their external morphology that allows for their identification, even if they are eviscerated (Mastrocollo, et al. 2020). According to Vooren and Klippel (2005), the fishing production of guitarfish P. horkelii gradually increased from 26 tons in 1955, to 232 tons in 1970 and in 1980 reached a maximum of 1,020 tons, on the Platform of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The same occurs in the fishery stocks of guitarfish in Caraguatatuba City, where it was recorded in the last 10 years from 2009 to 2020, very high production values, being the year 2017, the apex with more than 10 tons registered, while in previous years the values were below 400 kg (except in 2016, with approximately 3 tons), leaving gaps about which species sustained the fishery production of this category. In a study carried out by Rosolem (2019) on the characterization of discharges from commercial marine fishing along the northern coast of the State of São Paulo, the ray family Rhinobatidae was one of the families that had the highest discarding frequency (4%) by fishing fleets. In the Guide to Responsible Fish Consumption in Brazil (2019), created by WWF-Brazil, it is estimated that 80% of Brazil's fishing resources are exploited far beyond its natural capacity for regeneration, which can lead to the collapse of fishing in the parents. In addition, they point out that the estimates in the Fisheries Statistics Bulletins suffer from the lack of more detailed and updated data, compromising the efficiency of fisheries management and sustainable measures. Fishing for P. horkelii represents the main threat to the species, with a population drop of more than 90% estimated over the last 39 years (ICMBio, 2018). The lack of information at the species level in the group of guitarfish rays, may contribute even more to the misinformation about this resource, which already has its conservation status in decline. IUCN (2019) classifies the conservation status of P. horkelii as "critically endangered", P. percellens as "almost threatened" and Z. brevirohorkeliistris as "vulnerable". The hammerhead shark category includes Sphyrna sharks. There are six species in Brazil: S. lewini, S. media, S. mokarran, S. tiburo, S. tudes and S. zygaena. During the study, only specimens of S. lewini were identified, which may be an indication of which species of hammerhead shark inhabits the region. According to Ordinance MMA 445/14, fishing for all these species has been prohibited for the northern coast since 2016.
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Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research 461 ISSN: 2595-573X
Several authors have expressed concern about the fishing pressures that occur throughout the entire life cycles of these animals, due to the high value of their fins (Kotas, 2004; Vooren and Klippel, 2005; Amorim et al. 2011; Almerón-Souza et al. 2018). In the category “cação-galha-preta”, spinner shark, sharks of the Carcharhinidae family are included, being common as species Carcharhinus brevipinna and C. limbatus, during a research it was observed and collected only the species C. brevipinna. While the category “machote”, composed of small sharks (Amorim et al., 1998), a species C. obscurus, whose fishing is prohibited by Ordinance MMA 445/14. The categorization of the small-shark group is even more problematic, as there is no basis for the correct identification of which specimen it is. Due to their great similarity, it may include all species of sharks, except spinner, blacktip and sharpnose sharks. According to Bonfil (1994), fishing pressure on sharks has grown considerably in recent decades, resulting in annual production of more than 1 million tons, but these results can be underestimated, as they do not include all data from small-scale fisheries, due to the catches not reported or poorly reported. The category that corresponds to “raias-agrupadas” or grouped rays, theoretically encompasses all other species of rays except guitarfish. In February, during the collections, a greater production of grouped rays was observed than was registered by the official data of commercial fishing (Instituto de Pesca, 2019), with the main species collected being R. bonasus and G. micrura, suggesting that there was possibly no report of the rays caught or they may have been discarded, even though G. micrura is a ray of economic interest for the region, according to fishermen. The High Level Panel for A Sustainable Ocean Economy (2020), reports that "... illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing threatens the sustainability of global fisheries in national jurisdictions and the high seas ...". These unreported fisheries seriously undermine the sustainable management of marine ecosystems, extending to broader issues such as economic security, food security, reduced health (nutrition) and climate regulation (fish biomass) becoming a big problem. In the Guide to Responsible Fish Consumption in Brazil (WWF BRASIL, 2019), created by WWF- Brazil, it is estimated that 80% of Brazil's fishing resources are exploited far beyond its natural capacity for regeneration, which can lead to the collapse of fishing in the parents. In addition, they point out that the estimates in the Fisheries Statistics Bulletins suffer from the lack of more detailed and updated data, compromising the efficiency of fisheries management and sustainable measures. Scientists predict that large marine stocks could collapse in the coming decades, if no action is taken to reverse the scenario.
Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research, Curitiba, v. 4, n. 1, p. 452-466 jan./mar. 2021
Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research 462 ISSN: 2595-573X
In June, the main ray identified was G. altavela, 76.6 kg was recorded, representing 44% of production in this category (grouped rays). This same species was also captured in the months of September and October and was the most represented ray during this period when compared to the other rays. According to The Red Book of Endangered Brazilian Fauna (ICMBio, 2018), this species was considered the second most vulnerable streak among all 16 elasmobranchs sampled from catches of species of fauna accompanying shrimp trawling in the mid-2000s in Santa Catarina, Brazil, and an estimated decline of more than 80% in its population in a margin of approximately 20 years. The Red Book of Endangered Brazilian Fauna (ICMBio, 2018) classifies the conservation status of this species as Critically Endangered (CR) by the A2bcd and Vulnerable (VU) criteria by IUCN (2019). The specie R. bonasus, was one of the rays that presented great frequency in the landings. According to fishermen, this specie does not have great commercial value, because its meat has a bitter and “dark” flavor, which is not attractive to consumers. Fishing for this specimen and other rays is generally accidental and there are cases of disposed, dead animals at sea; either because they occupy a lot of space on the boats or because they do not have a commercial size. According to Smith and Merriner (1987) and Trent et al. (1997), there is no fishing directed at catching R. bonasus, although they are very frequent in accidental catches of several fisheries. Regarding accidental capture, which occurs between different species, a study by Willems et al. (2016) on this type of stingray catch in the shrimp fishery off the coast of Suriname and the accidental catch reduction devices (BRD and TEDs), showed that the combined use of BRD devices (for teleost fish) and TEDs (turtles) displayed a 21% reduction in the capture of medium-sized rays, such as the species H. guttatus and G. micrura and especially the large ones, like D. geijskesi. Therefore, based on this study, experiments and adaptations in fisheries are recommended, with the intention of reducing accidental elasmobranch fishing in the region. To assess the health of fish stocks and the sustainability of fisheries, the WWF Brazil (2020) collects basic information such as: common name, scientific name, fish origin, fishing scale, fishing method, species biology and stock status. According to the Institute of Applied Economic Research (IPEA, 2019), Brazil faces serious problems related to the marine species and overexploitation of natural resources, thus finding itself increasingly distant for the fulfillment of the goals established by the UN for the Conservation and use sustainability of the oceans and their marine resources, not generating necessary information for the measurement of original indicators for the implementation of sustainable fishing actions and measures for the conservation of efficient marine biodiversity in the country.
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Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research 463 ISSN: 2595-573X
In addition, the preparation of teaching materials could assist fishermen and fishery data collectors in the correct identification of species, as well as training and lectures that can collaborate in teaching to distinguish species and awareness about the consumption of elasmobranchs. Regarding catch estimates, considering that the grouping of species continues to occur, it is essential that continuous efforts are made to assess the proportion of species in the grouped categories.
5 CONCLUSION The grouping of several species in a single category can hide important information mainly concerning the native Brazilian species Pseudobatos horkelii; a species that is in a critically threatened state as its population continues to fall. Studies like this that provide data that can demonstrate that the evolution of the catches are essential, even for defining the conservation status of the species, for identifying the need for a campaign to prevent their capture and more efficient fisheries management.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank the fishermen from Camaroeiro and Porto Novo for the information and for obtaining samples. To Ms. Julia Ferreira dos Santos Domingos and Dr. Carlos Eduardo Malavasi, for their great help in collecting and identifying the specimens. This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) through To CAPES for granting a scholarship to the first author. Fapesp for submitting this article (Process 2016 / 05259-0).
Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research, Curitiba, v. 4, n. 1, p. 452-466 jan./mar. 2021
Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research 464 ISSN: 2595-573X
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Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research, Curitiba, v. 4, n. 1, p. 452-466 jan./mar. 2021