An experimental study on ghost fishing in rocky coastal reefs in southern Brazil

Abstract

A ghost fishing experiment was conducted using gillnets in a rocky reef off the state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Scuba divers monitored changes in the structure of the nets and catches for 92 days. One hundred and twenty-six entangled animals were observed, including target and non-target fishing species: 13 teleosts (N = 52; 43%) and four crustaceans (N = 74; 57%). The crab Menippe nodifrons was the most frequently entangled species (N = 36; 28%). Entanglement rates decreased over time following a logarithmic model for fishes and crustaceans, and an exponential model for both taxa combined, attributed to the degradation, and tangling of the nets and biofouling. The area of the net decreased linearly over time, collapsing after 92 days. This study provides the first experimental evaluation of the impacts of ghost fishing caused by gillnets in Brazilian rocky reefs.