Ghost nets: A poorly known threat to Brazilian freshwater biodiversity

Unregulated sales of fishing nets: consequences and possible solutions in Brazil

“…Free sale and illegal use also increase the number of nets left in the ecosystem, whether intentionally or not (Azevedo- Santos et al 2022), resulting in 'ghost nets' (Barbosa-Filho et al 2020, Vitorino et al 2022; see also Fig. 1d), which impact aquatic fauna ranging from invertebrates to fish to large mammals (Table 1), including in Brazil (Barbosa-Filho et al 2020, Azevedo-Santos et al 2021.…”

“…In both physical (Fig. 1a) and virtual commerce, the sellers are not required to ask for an attestation or authorization certificate when fishing nets are purchased (Azevedo- Santos et al 2022). In the specific case of AliExpress, this problem is exacerbated by the fact that the fishing nets are imported into the country and cross the border without any environmental restrictions in place.…”

“…Recent examples (Appendix S3) of the difficulty of inspecting illegal mining in or near Amazonian rivers illustrate this. The free access to fishing nets facilitates the illegal fishing that is already occurring (e.g., Azevedo-Santos et al 2022; see also Appendix S1)especially in Amazonia and in other parts of the country where conducting inspections is difficult.…”

“…In Brazil, the sale nets is unregulated, with any buyer permitted to purchase any type of net, either from physical stores (Fig. 1a) or through online suppliers (Azevedo- Santos et al 2022). Only authorized fishermen and fisherwomen are legally permitted to use fishing nets, but sales of these nets without control and the difficulty of enforcing restrictions on their use contribute to widespread illegal fishing in Brazil (Supplementary Appendix S1, available online).…”

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

“…A growing concern about litter in aquatic systems has also been observed in Brazil, with reports for freshwater (Iriarte and Marmontel 2013;Azevedo-Santos et al 2022), oceanic (Santos et al 2012Grillo and Mello 2021), and coastal regions (Mascarenhas et al 2008;Machado and Fillmann 2010;Vieira et al 2011;Andrades et al 2020;Pinheiro et al 2021), and its subsequent impacts on estuarine fauna (Possatto et al 2011;Dantas et al 2012). There are also a few studies on derelict fishing gears and ghost fishing (Chaves and Robert 2009;Adelir-Alves et al 2016), including a review of ALDFG (Link et al 2019) and the negative impacts of ghost nets on Brazilian marine biodiversity revealed by digital media (Azevedo-Santos et al 2021).…”