Stock assessment and fishery management of the pink shrimp Farfantepenaeus brasiliensis Latreille, 1970 and F. paulensis Pérez-Farfante, 1967 in Southeastern Brazil (23° to 28° S)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Inferring population connectivity across the range of distribution of the stiletto shrimp Artemesia longinaris Spence Bate, 1888 (Decapoda, Penaeidae) from DNA barcoding: implications for fishery management

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Recreational anglers and fishing guides from an estuarine protected area in southeastern Brazil: Socioeconomic characteristics and views on fisheries management

The Iguape and Cananéia Lagoon-Estuarine Complex is a biodiversity hotspot in southeastern Brazil. In recent decades, the region has become an important destination for recreational fishing. The objective of this study was to analyze the socioeconomic characteristics of visiting anglers and fishing guides working in the Cananéia-Iguape-Peruíbe Environmental Protected Area and their views on fisheries management. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted between January 2009 and January 2010. We interviewed 278 anglers, who were predominantly male (93%) with a mean age of 47 years and from the state of São Paulo. The targeted species were snooks (Centropomus undecimales and Centropomus parallelus) and weakfishes (Cynoscion leiarchus and Cynoscion acoupa). Only half the anglers had the mandatory fishing license, and many of them lacked knowledge about catch quotas and minimum size requirements for specific species. The fishing guides (n = 80) were all male, with a mean age of 39 years and extensive experience. Most of the guides believe that the study area is somewhat degraded due to the removal of riparian vegetation, siltation, pollution, and especially the depletion of fish stocks. The opinions of the stakeholders (anglers and guides) converge on the high priority needs of the fishery and possible management actions regarding recreational fishing, such as improved fisheries enforcement (first in order of importance), proper training of fishing guides, zoning of fishing areas, and the definition of a maximum size limit. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Catch and selectivity parameters of the anastomid fish Schizodon nasutus using gillnets in the Jurumirim reservoir (São Paulo, Brazil)

Catch and selectivity parameters using gillnets were calculated for Schizodon nasutus in the Jurumirim reservoir on the Parana-panema River in southern Brazil. The simple gillnets used were made of monofilament nylon of 30 to 140 mm mesh size an of different heights. The relative abundance of the S. nasutus caught was analysed monthly and a positive relationship was found between catches per unit effort in number and biomass. The relative catches were more abundant for the nets of 40 and 50 mm, mesh size. Catches were characterized by clear temporal variations and a predominance of medium size fish throughout the study period. The selectivity curve of gillnets for S. nasutus in this ecosystem was obtained. The catch obtained was compared with the available catch for each mesh size, and the available catch for a certain length of fish was calculated starting from the theoretical selectivity curve. The 50 mm mesh size gillnet showed the best fit between real and available captures and was considered the most suitable, because a smaller mesh size resulted in a catch of predominantly immature specimens. It is expected that these results will contribute to improving management strategies for conservation of resources. Parameters such as the minimum catch length advisable or the mesh size permitted for a given species are indispensable for such decision-making.

Discrimination of Shark species by simple PCR of 5S rDNA repeats

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Phylogeography and genetic population structure of Caribbean sharpnose shark Rhizoprionodon porosus

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Species delimitation in sharpnose sharks (genus Rhizoprionodon) in the western Atlantic Ocean using mitochondrial DNA

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Genetics of neotropical fish: from chromosomes to populations

The Neotropical freshwater fish fauna is very rich-according to the most recent catalogue 71 families and 4,475 species have been described. However, only a small amount of general information is available on the composition of Neotropical marine fishes. In Brazil, 1,298 marine species have been recorded. General analysis of available cytogenetic and population genetic data clearly indicates research has been mainly concentrated on freshwater fishes. Thus, today, cytogenetic information is available for 475 species of Characiformes, 318 species of Siluriformes, 48 species of Gymnotiformes, 199 freshwater species that do not belong to the superorder Ostariophysi, and only 109 species of marine fishes. For the species studied, only about 6% have sex chromosomes and about 5% have supernumerary or B chromosomes. A review of the cytogenetic studies shows that these data have provided valuable information about the relationships between fish groups, the occurrence of cryptic species and species complexes, the mechanism of sex determination and sex chromosome evolution, the distribution of nucleolus organizer regions, the existence supernumerary chromosomes, and the relationship between polyploidy and evolution. In relation to populations in Neotropical marine waters, the studies have shown the presence of cryptic species, which has important implications for fishery management. Different levels of genetic structuring can be found among Neotropical freshwater migratory fish species. This raises important implications for fish population genetic diversity and consequently its sustainable utilization in inland fisheries and aquaculture, specifically for conservation of ichthyo-diversity and survival.

Population genetic structure revealed by a school of the freshwater migratory fish, Brycon hilarii

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Fishing resources in the rio Cuiabá basin, Pantanal do Mato Grosso, Brazil

O recurso pesqueiro da bacia do rio Cuiabá, um dos mais importantes tributários da bacia do Alto Paraguai, formadora do Pantanal, foi estudado a partir dos dados de desembarque de pescado obtidos no Mercado do Porto de Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brasil. São descritas a composição e procedência das capturas para os anos de 2000 e 2001. O rio Cuiabá é a fonte dominante de pescado para a cidade de Cuiabá, mas uma parte do pescado comercializado localmente é oriunda do rio Paraguai. Além disso, atualmente o pescado vem de regiões mais distantes da zona urbana. Constatou-se que a pesca incide basicamente sobre espécies migradoras. As principais espécies capturadas foram os pimelodídeos pintado -Pseudoplatystoma corruscans, cachara -Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum e jaú -Paulicea luetkeni e os caraciformes pacu -Piaractus mesopotamicus, piraputanga -Brycon microlepis, piavuçu -Leporinus macrocephalus e dourado -Salminus brasiliensis. Os grandes bagres (Pimelodidae) foram os responsáveis por 70% do pescado desembarcado no período de estudo, dentre os quais o pintado foi a espécie mais capturada. Os dados indicam que as capturas atuais estão bem aquém daquelas registradas no início da década de 80. Além disso, apesar do número e composição de espécies capturadas serem similares àqueles da década de 80, a distribuição da abundância mudou. Atualmente a pesca captura mais espécies carnívoras do que espécies de níveis tróficos inferiores. Estes achados não podem ser creditados somente a sobrepesca, mas parecem resultar de uma complexa interação entre degradação ambiental, mudanças na preferência de mercado e medidas legais restritivas à pesca.

Fee - fishing operation evaluation at Nothwest São Paulo State, Brazil

Os lagos de pesca recreativa, pesque-pague, surgiram no Brasil em um cenário agrícola denominado como novo rural brasileiro. Este estudo conduzido no noroeste paulista teve como foco o desempenho produtivo dos lagos de pesca recreativa. Foram feitas visitas mensais a nove empreendimentos de pesca recreativa durante seis meses. A cada visita foi aplicado um questionário contendo 13 indicadores de desempenho. Os dados levantados foram submetidos à análise multivariada (MANOVA), análise de componente principal (ACP) e análise de agrupamento. A MANOVA indicou diferenças significativas entre os lagos de pesca recreativa. A ACP revelou, a partir do coeficiente dos autovalores, três atributos: sistema produtivo, gerenciamento pesqueiro e administração operacional. A análise de agrupamento classificou os lagos de pesca recreativa em quatro grupos. Freqüência de pescadores (FP), densidade de estocagem (DE), biomassa de estocagem (BE), captura total (CT) e captura lago dia (CLD), os quais fazem parte do atributo sistema produtivo, mostrando-se os indicadores mais importantes para a avaliação de desempenho dos lagos de pesca recreativa neste estudo.

A bio-economic appraisal of pair trawl fisheries off southeastern Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Diversity of fish species in the River Paranapanema Jurumirim Reservoir transition region (São Paulo, Brazil)

The diversity of fish species in an transition zone between the River Paranapanema and the head mouth of the Jurumirim Reservoir was evaluated. Fish samples were collected from October 1995 to September 1996, by experimental fishing (gill-nets and sieve), in three marginal shallow lagoons and two channel river zones, Gill-net collections resulted in 21 taxons of native fishes. Detritivorous Characiformes such as Steindachnerina insculpta were predominant Sieve collections resulted in 31 taxa and the Tetragonopterinae subfamily was the most representative group, which included small species as Cheirodon stenodon. The equitability index characterized the high heterogeneity of fish numeric abundance, reflecting the dominance of a few groups. A significant relationship between biotic and abiotic variables was indicated by the first canonical function. In comparison with other regions of the drainage basin, the ecotone zone studied indicated a higher species richness and, in the case of some species, fishes in all stages of development. This study demonstrated the necessity to preserve the ecological zone for the fishing and fishery management in the reservoir.

Fisheries in large tropical reservoirs in South America

The present status of large reservoir fisheries and their management in large reservoirs in South America are reviewed. There is a brief discussion about reservoir typology, and how most of it is inappropriate to fish. Fish in reservoirs and their introduction from other habitats are described, together with comparative yields. The main impacts due to damming are described, including social aspects. Four case studies are presented for the largest reservoirs in South America: Sobradinho, Tucuruí and Itaipu in Brazil, and El Guri in Venezuela.

Population structure of the seabob shrimp Xiphopenaeus kroyeri (Heller, 1862) (Crustacea: Penaeoidea) in the littoral of São Paulo, Brazil

The population structure of the penaeidean shrimp Xyphopenacus kroyeri was studied in Ubatuba Bay, Ubatuba, Sd̃ao Paulo, Brazil. The period and site of juvenile recruitment were monitored using a monthly sampling design with eight fixed areas (transects) from September 1995 to August 1996. The population structure was assessed using size frequency distributions (based on carapace length) for each month and sampling area. Females were significantly larger than males, suggesting a differential growth between sexes. The very low occurrence of large adults in the Bay can be related to offshore migration for reproduction. Recruitment occurred throughout the year, with a peak during the summer, when the highest recruitment rates were obtained along inshore transects. The present investigation revealed valuable information on the biology of the species mainly in the study region, which is considered a nursery ground for juveniles of X. kroyeri. The species showed an important variation from the typical life cycle that it is assumed to hold over its entire range and X. kroyeri should be classified as having a life cycle different from that proposed previously in the literature, i.e. the juveniles prefer inshore areas instead of estuaries. Some suggestions for the seabob fishery management are proposed as an alternative for minimising the impact during the harvest period and adjusting the protection schedule.