Danger beyond the catches: a review of conservation threats posed by commercial and non-commercial fisheries in Guaratuba Bay, southern Brazil

Abstract

Comparisons between the implications of commercial and recreational fisheries for estuarine conservation have been a topic of debate. A review on the available data from Guaratuba Bay, Southern Brazil, identifies six threats for conservation, other than those concerning the fishing effort on target resources. Differing from the popular view that fishing for pleasure could be innocuous for the environment, the identified threats concern both commercial and non-commercial fisheries: (1) catching of reproductive individuals; (2) catch of big old fat fecund females; (3) loss and abandonment of fishing gears; (4) use of natural baits; (5) bycatch of rays, turtles and non-target finfish; and (6) bad practices associated with catch-and-release or discarding. Environmental disturbances and fauna depletion are detected as potential impacts. Recommended actions for estuary conservation include fishing closures in mangrove and shallow waters areas, release of fish larger than the critical size, and measures against abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gears.

Ghost nets: A poorly known threat to Brazilian freshwater biodiversity

“…For instance, only one study reported the entanglement and death of animals; two cetaceans in the Amazon basin (Iriarte & Marmontel 2013). In contrast, several scientific works have been published for Brazilian estuarine and marine ecosystems (e.g., Adelir-Alves et al 2016, Santos et al 2012, Chaves 2021. Concerned with this gap, here we report some cases of ghost nets in Brazilian freshwaters based on data retrieved from the internet.…”

Between batumes and swamps: the life of the isqueiros of the North Pantanal

“…The bait catching activity starts at four o'clock in the morning, when workers wake up, drink coffee and prepare to go out in search of live bait. The capture takes place in bays along the Paraguai river, with gear such as jequi (cylindrical gear with funnel opening), net, hook and others (Moraes & Espinoza, 2001;Oliveira & Da Silva, 2013;Chaves, 2021), which are placed in the late afternoon, in different points throughout the chosen bay (Figure 3). After installing the traps, the catchers place the termites on all the jequis, in order to attract and capture as many live baits as possible (Van Huis, 2017).…”