BackgroundAlthough fishers’ knowledge has been recently considered into management programmes, there is still the need to establish a better understanding of fishers’ perceptions and cognition. Fishers can provide novel information on the biology and ecology of species, which can potentially be used in the management of fisheries. The knowledge fishers have and how they classify nature is empirically based. It is common, for example, to observe that fishers’ taxonomy is often represented by the generic level, one of the hierarchical categories of folk classification that is somewhat analogous to the Linnean genus, as it groups organisms of a higher rank than the folk species.In this study we compiled the knowledge fishers have on local fish, such as their folk names, diet and habitat.MethodsFive coastal communities widely distributed along the Brazilian coast were studied: two from the northeast (Porto Sauípe and Itacimirim, in Bahia State, n of interviewees = 34), two from the southeast (Itaipu at Niterói and Copacabana at Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro State, n = 35) and one from the south coast (Pântano do Sul, in Santa Catarina State, n = 23). Fish pictures were randomly ordered and the same order was presented to all interviewees (n = 92), when they were then asked about the species name and classification and its habitat and diet preferences.ResultsFishers make clusters of fish species, usually hierarchically; fishers of the coast of Brazil use mostly primary lexemes (generic names) to name fish; and fishers did not differentiate between scientific species, since the same folk generic name included two different scientific species. Fishers provide information on species to which there is scarce or no information on diet and habitat, such as Rhinobatos percellens (chola guitarfish, arraia viola or cação viola), Sphoeroides dorsalis (marbled puffer, baiacu), Mycteroperca acutirostris (comb grouper, badejo) and Dasyatis guttata (longnose stingray, arraia, arraia manteiga).Conclusionsfishers’ knowledge on fish diet and fish habitat can be strategic to management, since their knowledge concentrates on the fishery target species, which are the ones under higher fishing pressure. Besides, fishers showed to have knowledge on species still poorly known to science.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13002-016-0091-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The lack of knowledge about the majority of fish species harvested in Amazonian small-scale fisheries, in association with impacts from hydroelectric power plants, may lead to biodiversity loss and a decrease in the protein food supply for riverine Amazonians. This study uses existing datasets on fisheries and riverine developmental projects to infer effects associated with fish losses where actual data and outcomes are not available. The targeted fish species’ status may be regarded as either threatened or there being no knowledge of their conservation requirements, biology or ecology. Among the 90 Amazonian fish species that are the most important for the diet of the riverine fishers, 78% are not assessed or their biological information is unknown, according to the IUCN Red List. Consequently, the effects created by the thoroughly disregarded trade-off between energy generation and food security in the planning of Amazonian land use have been worsened by the lack of biological and ecological information on fish species.

In this study, we sought to investigate the biology (diet and reproduction) and ethnobiology (fishers knowledge and fishing spots used to catch snappers) of five species of snappers (Lutjanidae), including Lutjanus analis, Lutjanus synagris, Lutjanus vivanus, Ocyurus chrysurus, and Romboplites saliens at five sites along the northeast (Riacho Doce, Maceió in Alagoas State, and Porto do Sauípe, Entre Rios at Bahia State) and the southeast (SE) Brazilian coast (Paraty and Rio de Janeiro cities at Rio de Janeiro State, and Bertioga, at São Paulo State.). We collected 288 snappers and interviewed 86 fishermen. The stomach contents of each fish were examined and macroscopic gonad analysis was performed. Snappers are very important for the fisheries of NE Brazil, and our results indicated that some populations, such as mutton snapper (L. analis) and lane snapper (L. synagris), are being caught when they are too young, at early juvenile stages. Local knowledge has been shown to be a powerful tool for determining appropriate policies regarding management of target species, and artisanal fishermen can be included in management processes. Other suggestions for managing the fisheries are discussed, including proposals that could provide motivation for artisanal fishermen to participate in programs to conserve resources, such as co-management approaches that utilize local knowledge, the establishment of fishing seasons, and compensation of fishermen, through 'payment for environmental services'. These suggestions may enhance the participation of local artisanal fishermen in moving to a more realistic and less top-down management approach of the fish population.

The dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) is a reef fish with high market, cultural and ecological values. Therefore, it is an important species to the food security of small-scale fishers in Brazil and in other coastal regions. Nevertheless, groupers can be susceptible to overfishing because they are large, sedentary and with delayed maturity. The lack of data on fishery catches and on the biology of dusky grouper can be an obstacle for the success of management measures. The main goal of this study was to collect information on dusky grouper catches, morphometry (length and weight) and spawning period (observations of its gonads), through a collaboration with local fishers in the Copacabana Beach ("Posto 6"), southeastern Brazilian coast. Two fishers were trained to measure the total length (TL, in cm), weight (kg), and to observe the gonads (whether mature or not, and with or without visible eggs) of all individuals of dusky grouper caught at Copacabana, from September 2013 to June 2015. During the 21 months of data collection, 800 individuals of dusky grouper were examined by the trained fishers, yielding 793 individuals with both length and weight data. The mean length of dusky grouper caught by fishers (N = 796) was 52.4 cm (standard deviation of 12.4 cm, range from 17-130 cm). Most of the individuals caught ranged between 45 and 65 cm, being thus above both the minimum allowed size in Brazil (47 cm) and above the size at first maturity for this fish according to the literature (range of 35-60 cm for females). Although many individuals were adults, only a few individuals (18 of 800) of dusky grouper had mature gonads. This indicates that large spawning fish may be located at deeper sites or at distant spots, out of the reach of these small-scale fishers. Most dusky groupers were caught by spear fishing, in a single island. The collaboration with local fishers greatly improved the amount of data collected; so, we suggest that this approach should be adopted in future studies. These results show a valuable opportunity to properly manage the dusky grouper population at the southeastern Brazilian coast.

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Small-scale fisheries of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Coast (BAFC) depend on fish resources for food and income. Thus, if the catch diminishes or if fish species that are a target for fishers are overexploited or impacted, this could affect fishers' livelihoods. The exclusion of threatened fish species from the catch is believed to be a threat to small-scale fisheries, which is likely to be the case along the BAFC. Many fish species are currently listed as threatened or vulnerable, whereas there is not enough biological information available to determine the status of the majority of the other species. Failure to protect the BAFC biodiversity might negatively impact fishers' income and the regional economy of local small-scale fisheries. We collected data from 1986 to 2009 through 347 interviews and 24-h food recall surveys at seven southeastern coastal sites of the Atlantic Forest. We show that important species of consumed fish are currently threatened: of the 65 species mentioned by fishers as the most consumed fishes, 33% are decreasing and 54% have an unknown status. Thus, biological and ecological data for BAFC marine species are urgently needed, along with co-management, to promote fish conservation.

21We followed landings of dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus, from 2013 to 2019. 22 We observed 1,896 individuals of dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus, in Copacabana, Rio 23 de Janeiro, from September 2013 to February 2019. The total weight of the catches was 6,065.57 24 kg, with an average of 1,442.50 kg/year and a std of 147.30 kg. 25 We integrated fishers in our study through citizen science (CS): individuals were trained 26 to monitor grouper gonads and supplied information on fishing spots and prices. After comparing 27 catch curves (based on weight) and curve prices (in the Brazilian monetary currency of reals), 28 our results showed that catches in the Copacabana fishery have been stable (the results of the 29 Kruskal-Wallis test showed no significant difference for either the weight of the catches or the 30 average prices of dusky groupers in the years compared). Copacabana has been a sustainable 31 fishery when considering its catches of dusky grouper. This is a very important result for 32 conservation and management, considering the importance of small-scale fisheries in terms of 33 their low fishing efforts and their possible effects on vulnerable species, as well as their 34 ecological and economic importance in developing countries. Citizen science, alomng with local 35 ecological knowledge, helps integrate research and fisheries as well as researchers and fishers 36 and allows for larger sampling efforts and management training for fishers. 57 (e) SFFs lack infrastructure, often occur in remote areas and have low political 58 power. 59 60 Citizen science, local knowledge and the Copacabana fishery 61Disciplines occupy different niches, and ecology came to be a separate niche (as did 62 human ecology) in the postwar period, altering its identity from a soft to a hard science; 63 however, the field of ecology has never lost its links to the physical and social sciences [7]. The 64understanding of the complexities of fisheries management can help to re-establish the balance 65 between the physical and social sciences and conservation ecology by demonstrating that 66 scientific research could be aided in obtaining positive outcomes for fisheries management by 67 other forms of knowledge. 68Currently, local knowledge (LEK) is still under scrutiny with respect to its usefulness and 69 its acceptance in biological or fisheries science [8]. Here, we argue that LEK is very important 70 for data-poor countries; through knowledge from fishers (i.e., LEK) or the public (i.e., CS), we 71 can reduce the costs of time and money by increasing the efficiency of ecological data collection. 72Tropical countries, in particular, lack the infrastructure for data collection, and many have high 73 biodiversity with several species for which there is no knowledge at all. In Brazil, for example, 74 among the 65 marine species most often consumed by marine small-scale fisheries, 33% are 75 decreasing, and 54% have an unknown status [9]. In the freshwater fisheries of the Amazonian 5 76 rivers, among the 90...

Este estudo inclui aspectos complementares da segurança alimentar através da ênfase na importância da trajetória do recurso, dentre outros. Os locais de estudo são Copacabana (Rio de Janeiro) e Paraty (RJ), bem como Bertioga (SP). Três exemplos (casos) ilustram esse estudo: 1) a escolha alimentar de populações da costa; 2) a extração de recursos marinhos considerados vulneráveis; e 3) a compreensão da biologia/ecologia dos recursos, ilustrada aqui através de dados primários sobre o robalo (Centropomus undecimalis). A escolha alimentar inclui a importância do tempo de manipulação no alimento (espécies de peixe, nesse caso). Peixes com menos espinhas são preferidos para consumo e venda; esses possuem também alta demanda no mercado. A extração de recursos vulneráveis é ilustrada através da pesca da garoupa (Epinephelus marginatus). Indivíduos imaturos de garoupa compõem a maioria da pesca de pequenas comunidades pesqueiras e demandas do mercado influenciam as decisões dos pescadores. O último caso, a extração de peixes que utilizam ambientes diversos, para reproduzir e para completar os seus ciclos de vida, é exemplificado através do peixe estuarino robalo (C. undecimalis), com base em dados primários. A importância do conhecimento sobre a reprodução de peixes no sentido de manter as comunidades pesqueiras e trabalhar na direção da segurança alimentar é uma conclusão desse estudo.