Abstract
Comparisons between the implications of commercial and recreational fisheries for estuarine conservation have been a topic of debate. A review on the available data from Guaratuba Bay, Southern Brazil, identifies six threats for conservation, other than those concerning the fishing effort on target resources. Differing from the popular view that fishing for pleasure could be innocuous for the environment, the identified threats concern both commercial and non-commercial fisheries: (1) catching of reproductive individuals; (2) catch of big old fat fecund females; (3) loss and abandonment of fishing gears; (4) use of natural baits; (5) bycatch of rays, turtles and non-target finfish; and (6) bad practices associated with catch-and-release or discarding. Environmental disturbances and fauna depletion are detected as potential impacts. Recommended actions for estuary conservation include fishing closures in mangrove and shallow waters areas, release of fish larger than the critical size, and measures against abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gears.
Highlights
How different are commercial and recreational fisheries with respect to risks for conservation? The multiple uses of estuaries and consequent risks for conservation include fishing activities, either for commercial or recreational purposes (França et al, 2012)
Differing from the popular view that fishing for pleasure could be innocuous for the environment, the identified threats concern both commercial and non‐commercial fisheries: (1) catching of reproductive individuals; (2) catch of big old fat fecund females; (3) loss and abandonment of fishing gears; (4) use of natural baits; (5) bycatch of rays, turtles and non-target finfish; and (6) bad practices associated with catch-and-release or discarding
Along the Brazilian coast, commercial landings are expressive in some bays and lagoons; in others, recreational catches surpass commercial ones (Freire, 2010)
Summary
How different are commercial and recreational fisheries with respect to risks for conservation? The multiple uses of estuaries and consequent risks for conservation include fishing activities, either for commercial (professional) or recreational purposes (França et al, 2012). Implications for conservation are not restrained to the volume of catches: other impacts on estuarine and inland fisheries include habitat change, reduced water. Abundance of snapper Chrysophrys auratus (Forster, 1801) within the Seal Rocks no-take area, Australia, significantly declined by 55% due to recreational vessels performing illegally fishing within this area (Harasti et al, 2019). It is recognized, that recreational fisheries affects natural environments. This study discusses the implications of fishing activities, other than the volume of catches, for conservation in an estuarine system, the Guaratuba Bay, Southern Brazil
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