Brazilian shellmounds are archaeological sites with a high concentration of marine faunal remains. There are more than 2000 sites along the coast of Brazil that range in age from 8,720 to 985 cal BP. Here, we studied the ichthyoarchaeological remains (i.e., cranial/postcranial bones, otoliths, and teeth, among others) at 13 shellmounds on the southern coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, which are located in coastal landscapes, including a sandy plain with coastal lagoons, rocky islands, islets and rocky bays. We identified patterns of similarity between shellmounds based on fish diversity, the ages of the assemblages, littoral geomorphology and prehistoric fisheries. Our new radiocarbon dating, based on otolith samples, was used for fishery characterization over time. A taxonomical study of the ichthyoarchaeological remains includes a diversity of 97 marine species, representing 37% of all modern species (i.e., 265 spp.) that have been documented along the coast of Rio de Janeiro state. This high fish diversity recovered from the shellmounds is clear evidence of well-developed prehistoric fishery activity that targeted sharks, rays and finfishes in a productive area influenced by coastal marine upwelling. The presence of adult and neonate shark, especially oceanic species, is here interpreted as evidence of prehistoric fisheries capacity for exploitation and possibly overexploitation in nursery areas. Various tools and strategies were used to capture finfish in seasonal fisheries, over rocky reef bottoms and in sandy littoral environments. Massive catches of whitemouth croaker, main target dermersal species of South Atlantic coast, show evidence of a reduction in body size of approximately 28% compared with modern fisheries. Fishery activity involving vulnerable species, especially in nursery areas, could mark the beginning of fish depletion along the southeastern Brazilian coast and the collapse of natural fish populations.

Recreational fisheries in Brazil have increased in importance and attracted many foreign recreational fishers. The objectives of this article were to summarise the available data on Brazilian recreational fisheries, to discuss some of their features and to analyse how they are performing in different regions compared with international trends. A review of published and unpublished sources together with data from recreational fishing licences was used. The participation rate was low (0.9%). Overall, there was a high diversity of fish species, with the following species/group of species repeatedly reported: Menticirrhus spp., Centropomus spp., Cynoscion spp., and Micropogonias furnieri (marine/estuarine water), and Cichla spp., Hoplias malabaricus, and Piaractus mesopotamicus, together with the introduced Oreochromis niloticus and Coptodon rendalli (fresh water). The north‐eastern region differs from the other regions: fishing occurs mostly in marine waters and fishers acquire mainly shore‐based licences, have minimum fishing expenditures and rarely release fishes. There is no estimate of the total harvest or economic value. Conflicts include catch‐and‐release‐oriented freshwater and marine recreational fishers vs consumption‐oriented coastal fishers, tournament participants vs non‐participants, commercial fishers and other leisure activities, pollution, ports, species introductions and translocations, protected areas, and federal and state laws. Cases of smooth shifts from artisanal to recreational fishing were detected, possibly associated with changes in the societal relationship with natural resources.

A B S T R A C TArtisanal fisheries in the coastal zone of Itaipu-RJ play an important role in the local market, but little is known about production and productivity of the fisheries. From April 2001 to March 2003, we monitored a total of 618 landings from the beach-seine (99), the gill nets ("corvineira" -331, "linguadeira" -40 and "rede alta" -25), the hook and line (98), the squid jigging (17), and the spear fishing and trap fisheries (five and three, respectively). The total monitored production was 21866 kg and the catch per unit effort (CPUE) 35.4 kg.trip -1 . Considering the number of effective fishing days and the average daily production per fishing gear, the annual production was estimated at 136687 kg (0.2% of the state's production in 2004). Predominant resources were: Micropogonias furnieri, Trichiurus lepturus, squids (Loligo spp.), clupeiform fishes (Sardinella brasiliensis, Cetengraulis edentulus, Pellona harrowerii and Harengula clupeola), Eucinostomus spp., Cynoscion spp., Menticirrhus spp., Caranx crysos and Selene setapinnis. The combined analysis using hierarchical and non-hierarchical classification methods, separated four fishing gears and five species groups, based on their similarity patterns, identifying gears that most effectively capture the different fish groups. The beach-seine was less selective and most productive fishery in the summer. The "corvineira" was the second most productive fishery with higher yields in the summer and fall. Catches of "linguadeira" included rays and Paralychthys spp., wherereas the "rede alta" caught primarily M. furnieri, Mugil spp. and sharks. R E S U M OAs pescarias artesanais na zona costeira de Itaipu-RJ desempenham um papel importante no mercado local, mas pouco se conhece sobre a produção e a produtividade da pesca. De abril-2001 a março-2003, nós monitoramos um total de 618 desembarques das pescarias de arrastos-de-praia (99), de redes de emalhe (corvineira -331, linguadeira -40 e rede alta -25), de linha-e-anzol (98), de zangareio (17), e de arpão e puçá (cinco e três respectivamente). A produção monitorada total foi de 21866 kg e a captura por unidade de esforço (CPUE) de 35,4 kg.viagem -1 . Considerando o número de dias efetivos de pesca e a produção média diária por arte de pesca, a produção anual foi estimada em 136687 kg (0.2% da produção do estado em 2004). Os recursos predominantes foram: Micropogonias furnieri, Trichiurus lepturus, lulas (Loligo spp.), peixes clupeiformes (Sardinella brasiliensis, Cetengraulis edentulus, Pellona harrowerii e Harengula clupeola), Eucinostomus spp., Cynoscion spp., Menticirrhus spp., Caranx crysos e Selene setapinnis. A análise combinada utilizando métodos de classificação hierárquica e não-hierárquica separou quatro grupos de artes de pesca e cinco de espécies, baseada nos seus padrões de similaridade, identificando as artes de pesca que melhor capturam os diferentes grupos de recursos pesqueiros. O arrasto-de-praia foi a arte de pesca menos seletiva e mais produtiva no verão. A corvineira foi a segunda p...

ABSTRACT. Associations of fishes in the coastal region of Itaipu, Niterói. The coastal region of Itaipu, Rio de Janeiro forms a partially sheltered sound, protected by three islands, but still maintaining full communication with the open sea. The sound also receives fresh water input from the Itaipu-Piratininga lagoon system, constituting an area of intense artisanal fisheries. Using data from monthly monitoring of the artisanal fisheries (beach seining, gill netting and hand lining), experimental surf zone beach seine surveys, underwater visual census (Menina, Mãe, and Pai islands), and a multisampling experiment at Itaipu Lagoon, we elaborated a list of fish species occurring in the region, observing their connectivity with different local habitats, including the sound, rocky reefs, the surf zone and Itaipu Lagoon. We identified 183 species including 26 Elasmobranchii, grouped in 13 families, and 157 Actinopterygii grouped in 63 families. The artisanal beach seining caught the greatest number of species (112), followed by the gill netting (94) and hand lining (35). The surf zone beach seining ("picaré") yielded 49 species (8 exclusive) represented mostly by juvenile fish and species of little economic importance. Visual censuses resulted in 41 species identified, with 21 exclusive and most of them cryptic. Within the Itaipu lagoon, 46 species were recorded, 18 exclusive and of occasional occurrence. Cluster analysis including 106 non exclusive species resulted in the formation of eight different groups. Groups A and B were composed by species captured exclusively by the artisanal fisheries within the sound, and included species of commercial interest. Group C included species occurring in the fisheries whose juveniles are found in the surf zone. Group D classified species of common occurrence in the fisheries and the islands. Group E was represented by species shared by the fisheries and Itaipu lagoon (mullets, mojarras, herrings). Species from group F were absent in the islands, those from group G in the lagoon, and those from group H were common to all areas considered. Compared with other coastal areas in southeastern Brazil, Itaipu represents an important concentration area for fish biological diversity and biomass, yielding species associations and connectivity between the different local habitats. KEYWORDS.Itaipu, species list, fishes, artisanal fisheries, habitat connectivity. RESUMO.A região costeira de Itaipu, Rio de Janeiro é guarnecida por três ilhas, formando uma enseada semi-abrigada porém com ampla comunicação com o mar. Esta enseada recebe o aporte de águas do complexo lagunar Itaipu-Piratininga, além da influência de massas d'água oceânicas, constituindo uma área de intensa atividade pesqueira artesanal. Utilizando-se dados provenientes do monitoramento mensal da pesca artesanal (arrastos-de-praia, redes de emalhe e linha de mão), de arrastos experimentais em zona de arrebentação, censos visuais sub-aquáticos (ilhas da Menina, Mãe e Pai) e um experimento multiamostral na lagoa de Itaipu, elabor...

This study evaluated the trophic ecology (diet composition, trophic strategy, similarities and overlap between species, feeding period and food consumption) of six benthivorous fish species in Araruama Lagoon, the largest hypersaline tropical lagoon on the east coast of South America, with an area of 210 km(2) and an average salinity of 52. The burrfish Chilomycterus spinosus fed on Anomalocardia flexuosa shell deposits, ingesting associated fauna. The caitipa mojarra Diapterus rhombeus differed from all other species, having not only the highest proportions of algae and Nematoda, but also feeding on polychaete tentacles. The two mojarras Eucinostomus spp. showed similar trophic strategies, feeding mostly on Polychaeta. The corocoro grunt Orthopristis ruber also fed mainly on Polychaeta, but differed from Eucinostomus spp. in secondary items. The whitemouth croacker Micropogonias furnieri fed mainly on small Crustacea at night, showing a high number of secondary prey items with low frequencies and high prey-specific abundance. The daily food consumption (g food g(-1) fish mass) for Eucinostomus argenteus was 0·012 and was 0·031 and 0·027 for M. furnieri in two different sampling events. The diet similarities between Araruama Lagoon and other brackish and marine environments indicate that hypersalinity is not a predominant factor shaping the trophic ecology of fishes in this lagoon. The stability of hypersaline conditions, without a pronounced gradient, may explain the presence of several euryhaline fishes and invertebrates well adapted to this condition, resulting in a complex food web.

Small-scale fisheries in Brazil contribute to a significant share of total fish production, accessing a large variety of species. Life history parameters from these resources are important for their management and conservation, based on primary data. The objective of this article is to generate growth parameters and mortality rates of ten fish populations from a coastal zone in Southeastern Brazil. Monthly samples were taken between January 2011 and November 2014 from landings of the beach-seine fishery in an area adjacent to the entrance of the Guanabara Bay. All fishes were measured (total length) and weighed. The length-weight relationships (LWR) were estimated by linear regression analysis on log-transformed data of the equation: W = aLb. The Von Bertalanffy Growth Function (VBGF) was fitted to size-at-age data to obtain growth parameters (K, L∞). The length-converted catch curve was used for estimating the instantaneous total mortality (Z). Taylor’s equations provided an independent estimate of the natural mortality (M) and longevity. The difference between Z and M derived Fishing mortality (F). A total of 2,938 individuals from ten fish species were used to determine the length-weight relationships. Harengulaclupeola (Cuvier, 1829) has a new maximum length record for the FishBase LWR database. Sardinellabrasiliensis (Steindachner, 1879) presented the smallest and largest size recorded for LWR observed in the literature and FishBase database. Upeneusparvus showed the greatest total length, while Trichiuruslepturus Linnaeus, 1758, Orthopristisruber (Cuvier, 1830) and Dactylopterusvolitans (Linnaeus, 1758) presented the smallest sizes for LWR in FishBase. The other species showed parameters within the expected values for each group. The performance index combining information from K and L∞ presented values between 2.32 and 3.76 and were considered appropriate for the populations evaluated. Fishing was the primary source of mortality for Caranxcrysos (Mitchill, 1815), Eucinostomusargenteus Baird & Girard, 1855, S.brasiliensis and U.parvus, and less important for Cynoscionjamaicensis (Vaillant & Bocourt, 1883), D.volitans, O.ruber, Selenesetapinnis (Mitchill, 1815), T.lepturus and H.clupeola. The parameters generated may be used for the management and conservation of the species’ stocks.

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The bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766), was used as a species-specific model to study morphometric relationships between otolith size and relative growth variables. Length-weight relationships between Otolith (Length-OL, Height-OH, and Weight-OW) and fish measurements (Total Length-TL and Total Weight-TW) were determined for fishes captured monthly during the year 2015 off the southeastern coast of Brazil. The ANCOVA and Kruskal-Wallis analysis did not indicate significant differences in the relative growth constants between sexes and length frequency distributions (p > 0.05). The condition factor also did not present significant differences between sexes, and right and left otolith measurements (p > 0.05). A total of 398 specimens were sampled: TL = 43.6-67.0 cm, TW = 365-2400 g, OL = 9.65-15.25 mm, OH = 3.65 - 5.45 mm and OW = 0.03-0.11 g. The LWR for grouped sexes was TW = 0.050TL2.55 and otoliths OW = 6.17E-05OL2.59. The best adjustments were TL vs OL (r2 = 0.90); OL vs OW (r2 = 0.90); TW vs OW (r2 = 0.81); and TW vs OL (r2 = 0.80). These results showed that such relationships are helpful tools for predicting the fish size and weight from otoliths, which may be used in food habits and paleontology studies, and other fisheries management applications.