Research trends on elasmobranchs from the Brazilian Amazon Coast: a four-decade review

Abstract

Elasmobranchs exhibit the biggest population declines among vertebrates, being considered one of the groups with the highest risk of extinction. The Brazilian Amazon Coast (BAC) is considered a priority area for elasmobranch conservation, as many species are endemic to the region, and most of them are threatened with extinction. The present study made a scientometric analysis using the IRAMUTEQ method (Interface de R pour les Analyses Multidimensionnelles de Textes et de Questionnaires) to evaluate the trends of research with elasmobranchs in BAC in the last four decades. Ten research trends were identified, highlighting “Biodiversity”, “Reproduction”, “Trophic Ecology” and “Conservation”. However, most of the publications found are aimed at understanding the diversity and abundance of species in the region, with the number of studies focused on reproduction, feeding and other aspects of the biology and ecology of elasmobranchs in the BAC being less expressive. Although the research area “Conservation” stood out in the search, the amount of relevant information so that management and conservation measures can be implemented is still low. Lastly, despite following the global trend of studies with elasmobranchs between 2000 and 2010, investigations into the BAC need to advance, especially considering the poor level of basic information on most species (Biology and population dynamics) and the incomplete knowledge of specific composition of elasmobranch species in the entire area, aspects relevant to conservation and more applied studies that rely on more recent methodologies and technologies.

Quantitative indicators of the reproductive biology of adult specimens of Centropomus undecimalis (Teleost: Centropomidae) obtained from commercial fishermen in the Parnaíba Delta Environmental Protection Area, north coast of Brazil

“…Brazil has one of the largest coastal zones on the planet, approximately 8,500 km long, of which 2,975 km are part of the Brazilian Amazon Coast (BAC), made up of the states of Amapá, Pará, and Maranhão (Pereira et al, 2009;Brasil, 2018). This region is one of the most important fishing centers in the country due to its high productivity (Stride et al, 1992;Lessa et al, 1999;Marceniuk et al, 2019;Coelho et al, 2021). The Maranhão coast accounts for 8.7% of the Brazilian coast and is the second largest in extension in all of Brazil.…”