Proposal of a biological database to research for the fish Epinephelus itajara

Abstract

The information management applied in biology or ecology will help, in a very near future, the preservation of fish Epinephelus itajara, also called: goliath grouper, mero, or grouper itajara. This species is actually classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), being protected in many countries including USA and Brazil. This fish is the largest grouper of Western Atlantic, living in tropical and subtropical waters from the Western Atlantic Ocean, from South Florida to the state of Santa Catarina in Southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and, Caribbean Sea. Factors that provide the declination of their populations are: the fact that they form the choruses in the spawning season; the slow maturation rate; and, especially in the first years of life, the dependence in mangrove habitats. This behavior makes the species be highly vulnerable. The goliath grouper's protection began in 1990 in the USA and in 1993 in the Caribbean. In Brazil, in 2001, the first initiative for the preservation of this species was launched with the creation of a project (Projeto Meros do Brasil). Increased collection of biological data and the lack of standardization in scientific research require better management of information especially in endangered species, as is the case of E. itajara. To solve this problem, this paper presents a database model for goliath grouper's research, which aims to assist in biological data management, oriented research, and the fish conservation, seeking a better standard storage and presentation of data with maximum readability, consistency, and integrity. During the construction of this database, a selection of attributes was made gathering knowledge of biology and computer science in a multidisciplinary approach. Database was designed using 31 scientific articles (over the last 35 years), a participative inquiry, and interviews with experts (Brazilian biologists). The creation of the database forms a single basic research, to establish a better integration between all researchers involved in the study with the Epinephelus itajara.