Ethnoecological knowledge of the artisan fishermen of octopi (Octopus spp.) in the community of Coroa Vermelha (Santa Cruz Cabrália, Bahia)

Abstract

Coral reefs are quite diverse ecosystems that carry out several ecological functions and plays a relevant socioeconomic role. The artisan fishing of octopi (Octopus spp.) is practiced for the survival of part of the inhabitants of Coroa Vermelha community, in the south of the state of Bahia. We intended to study the knowledge of the octopi fishermen of Coroa Vermelha using the comprehensive ethnoecological proposal of Marques. The data were collected between July, 2006 and April, 2008 through direct observation and from interviews with fishermen met by chance and through the "native specialists" criterion. Twenty semi-structured interviews were carried out following an itinerary of pre-established questions about the activity of octopi capture, and the biological and ecological aspects of the resource. The data showed that the fishermen have knowledge about biological and ecological aspects of the octopi. Two capture techniques are used: octopus fishing (polvejamento) in the reefs and through diving. Two specific folk are recognized: the "normal octopus" (Octopus insularis) and the "east octopus" (Octopus macropus (?)). The intervieews demonstrated ecological knowledge sometimes compatible with the scientific literature, mainly in which concerns the trophic ecology and behavior of the octopi.

Traditional Knowledge Aids Description When Resolving the Taxonomic Status of Unsettled Species Using Classical and Molecular Taxonomy: The Case of the Shallow-Water Octopus Callistoctopus furvus (Gould, 1852) From the Western Atlantic Ocean

“…Our data points to a wide latitudinal range for the genus Callistoctopus along the Brazilian coast, with records spanning from Fernando de Noronha National Park (4 • S) to the Arvoredo Biological Reserve (27.5 • S). Thus, in accordance with previous studies (i.e., Haimovici and Perez, 1991;Leite and Haimovici, 2006;Haimovici et al, 2009;Martins et al, 2011;Jesus et al, 2015Jesus et al, , 2020 our data indicate that these octopuses occur on both nearshore and oceanic island waters off Brazil. Despite the lack of morphological and genetic confirmation for most of our FIGURE 6 | Bayesian consensus phylogenetic tree of Callistoctopus species based on two molecular markers (16S + COI).…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, this is the first octopus neotype described with the aid of fishers' traditional knowledge. Previous ethnoecological surveys indicated that artisanal octopus fishers exploited an "unusual" shallow-water octopus species (e.g., Martins et al, 2011;Jesus et al, 2015), and served as a baseline for our taxonomic study. Thus, our collaborative approach highlights the importance and usefulness of coupling ethnoknowledge with traditional and molecular taxonomy for producing and refining biodiversity assessments.…”

“…Based on earlier results (i.e., Martins et al, 2011;Jesus et al, 2015) that indicated the existence of an "unusual" shallowwater octopus off Bahia State, an ethnoknowledge-based survey was designed to establish a baseline on the occurrence of Callistoctopus in Brazilian waters. Data-collection took place from March 2018 to August 2019 at 17 locations on the Brazilian coast (Figure 1).…”

“…In the region of Porto Seguro (16 • S, Bahia State), where the ethnoecological aspects of C. furvus were firstly addressed (e.g., Martins et al, 2011;Jesus et al, 2015), octopus fishers associate the occurrence of the species to strong and persistent easterly winds, using the name "eastern octopus" to identify the species. The species is deemed rare amongst local fishers.…”

Conhecimento Etnoecológico Na Pesca Artesanal Do Camarão Marinho (Penaeidae): Sinergia Dos Saberes.

“…Para identificação da morfologia externa dos camarões capturados pelos pescadores proprietários de redes de arrasto (ou arrastão), foi utilizada uma imagem ilustrativa de um camarão típico (ver Figura 9), como estímulo visual, para que apontassem a nomenclatura folk para cada estrutura do camarão (MEDEIROS et al, 2010). Em estudos de etnotaxonomia, a técnica da análise da topografia corporal é a mais utilizada MOURÃO e MONTENEGRO, 2006;SOUTO, 2010;MARTINS et al, 2011).…”