Abstract
The pelagic zone of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean is an important area for longline fisheries. Brazilian waters are strategic regions for the performance of this modality in International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas - ICCAT. In order to reach international quotas government strengthened its rent policy of foreign vessels aiming to promote technology transfer to the national fleet. Knowledge of vessel characteristics, technology used in equipment and strategies used by skippers are important for the management of this activity. The present study characterized vessels from national and foreign fleets operating out of the port of Itajaí, in the state of Santa Catarina (SC), between 2003 and 2014. Results indicate that these fleets are different in relation to size of vessels, engine power, cargo hold capacity, length of the main and branchlines, and steel wire length. Despite these differences, strategies adopted are critical to achieve better yields per trip. For the national fleet, the skills acquired to the use of equipments, in understanding the behavior of the target species, and change of fishing strategies often compensate for the lack of technology.
Highlights
The pelagic zone of the Southwestern (SW) Atlantic Ocean is characterized by circulatory processes of great ecological and economic importance (Campos et al, 2000)
The large proportion of wooden hulls in the national fleet is mainly related to the presence of the Itaipava fleet that adapts older vessels built originally for other fisheries to operate with pelagic longlines
In relation to the longline type, 100% of the national vessels operated with the continuous longline
Summary
The pelagic zone of the Southwestern (SW) Atlantic Ocean is characterized by circulatory processes of great ecological and economic importance (Campos et al, 2000). These oceanographic processes are complex, including the confluence of warm, high saline and oligotrophic waters of the south-bound Brazil Current and the cold, low saline, nutrient-rich waters of the north-bound Malvinas/ Falkland Current (Olson et al, 1988; Seeliger et al, 1998; Cirano et al, 2006) This mixing of these two major water bodies results in this biogeographic transition zone (Sharp, 1988) further shown by the extensive areas over the continental shelf of temperate Patagonia meeting the tropical Brazilian waters (Stramma & England, 1999). These fisheries became well established in Brazil after they were initiated by foreign fleets, but currently the national fleets has the technology and strategies to capture the main species such tunas (Thunnus alalunga, T. obesus, and T. albacares); swordfish (Xiphias gladius); and blue shark (Prionace glauca) (Brothers & Løkkeborg, 1999; Watson & Kerstetter, 2006)
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