Stable mean trophic level and decreasing fish size in Central Amazonian fishery landings

Abstract

Evaluating trends in fisheries, especially data‐limited small‐scale fisheries, is challenging. We used fish landings to evaluate changes in composition of fish landings in rivers of the Central Amazon, from a discontinuous historical 28‐year series of landings from different data collection systems in main ports of the city of Manaus, the largest consumer market in the region. Annual mean trophic level (MTL), fishing‐in‐balance index (FiB), and mean landed size (MSL) were estimated. MTL did not decline, FiB was positive in most years, and MSL declined. Relative catches of certain fish species were replaced by others at a similar trophic level, but mean body size declined over time. We conclude that fishing in the Central Amazon is not sustainable and would benefit from better management strategies.