687
across the whole continent. More than half of the most productive fish stocks in
Brazil, which are managed by conventional approaches, are actually overexploited
(Paiva 1997).
The use of effective marine and coastal protected areas mechanisms to reduce
fishing effort and trophic chain models to improve the knowledge of aquatic systems are among the most sought advances in fishery science (Pauly et al. 2002).
However, these models have limited utility without good quality and long-term data
to feed them. Management agencies with more resources in the world were unable
to ensure compliance with simple management rules such as quotas (Pauly and
Maclean 2003). In Brazil, many management rules exist that need to be enforced,
even in the case of important fisheries such as the lobster fleet in the northeast or the
sardine in the southeast regions (Paiva 1997; Isaac et al. 2006). A simple, but common, example is the Marine Extractive Reserve Acaú-Goiana (6700 ha), created by
federal decree in 2007, after a legitimate community demand, to guarantee the protection of livelihoods and resources sustainability as A. brasiliana, in the Goiana
Estuary. It still does not have a management plan issued in 2016, stakeholder decisions made at its deliberative council are ineffective, and overexploitation of fish
stocks and other environmental concerns are real problems (Barletta and Costa
2009; Guebert-Bartholo et al. 2011; Guebert et al. 2013). Although a closed period
for uçá-crab captures exists since 2003, traditional communities take advantages of
the lack of surveillance and crab picking is uncontrolled (Silveira et al. 2013).
According to the official records, in 2005 ~380 tons of commercial fishes were
landed at the three municipalities surrounding the Goiana Estuary, including five
estuarine-dependant species (Centropomus sp., Cynoscion acoupa, Lutjanus sp.,
Eugerres brasilianus and Hiporhamphus sp.). Current data generated by reaserch
projects on fishery landings at the Goiana Estuary during 36 months (2013–2015),
recorded ~50 tons of fish, which includes 58 target species of the local fleets
(Table 20.2). These two different sources have a variation of 330 tons along ten
years of non-reported landings. However, it is not possible to safely conclude that
fish stocks have collapsed due to limitation and inconsistency of past data.
Such considerable discrepancy between the official data and those obtained from
scientific surveys was also observed in the Bragantine peninsula, at the State of
Pará, North Brazil (Isaac et al. 2010). The official statistics reported a total fishery
production ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 tons per year between 1995 and 2004.
However, the total production at the Bragança port for all types of catch was
~6000 tons, taking into consideration all boats arriving in a 13 months period from
2000 to 2001 (Isaac et al. 2010). The authors also attributed this differences to insufficient efforts from government agents to collect data to feed models and correctly
fulfil the needs of the statistical methods chosen (sampling system with strict monitoring), which apparently use extrapolations for calculating the total production
(Isaac et al. 2010). However, the large diversity and considerable dispersion of the
fishery modalities in the region do not allow extrapolations, which makes the official statistics inaccurate (Isaac et al. 2010), posing a serious risk of poor decision
being made for lack of data, despite the will to protect both the activity/fishers and
the environment.
20 How Can Accurate Landing Stats Help in Designing Better Fisheries…
across the whole continent. More than half of the most productive fish stocks in
Brazil, which are managed by conventional approaches, are actually overexploited
(Paiva 1997).
The use of effective marine and coastal protected areas mechanisms to reduce
fishing effort and trophic chain models to improve the knowledge of aquatic systems are among the most sought advances in fishery science (Pauly et al. 2002).
However, these models have limited utility without good quality and long-term data
to feed them. Management agencies with more resources in the world were unable
to ensure compliance with simple management rules such as quotas (Pauly and
Maclean 2003). In Brazil, many management rules exist that need to be enforced,
even in the case of important fisheries such as the lobster fleet in the northeast or the
sardine in the southeast regions (Paiva 1997; Isaac et al. 2006). A simple, but common, example is the Marine Extractive Reserve Acaú-Goiana (6700 ha), created by
federal decree in 2007, after a legitimate community demand, to guarantee the protection of livelihoods and resources sustainability as A. brasiliana, in the Goiana
Estuary. It still does not have a management plan issued in 2016, stakeholder decisions made at its deliberative council are ineffective, and overexploitation of fish
stocks and other environmental concerns are real problems (Barletta and Costa
2009; Guebert-Bartholo et al. 2011; Guebert et al. 2013). Although a closed period
for uçá-crab captures exists since 2003, traditional communities take advantages of
the lack of surveillance and crab picking is uncontrolled (Silveira et al. 2013).
According to the official records, in 2005 ~380 tons of commercial fishes were
landed at the three municipalities surrounding the Goiana Estuary, including five
estuarine-dependant species (Centropomus sp., Cynoscion acoupa, Lutjanus sp.,
Eugerres brasilianus and Hiporhamphus sp.). Current data generated by reaserch
projects on fishery landings at the Goiana Estuary during 36 months (2013–2015),
recorded ~50 tons of fish, which includes 58 target species of the local fleets
(Table 20.2). These two different sources have a variation of 330 tons along ten
years of non-reported landings. However, it is not possible to safely conclude that
fish stocks have collapsed due to limitation and inconsistency of past data.
Such considerable discrepancy between the official data and those obtained from
scientific surveys was also observed in the Bragantine peninsula, at the State of
Pará, North Brazil (Isaac et al. 2010). The official statistics reported a total fishery
production ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 tons per year between 1995 and 2004.
However, the total production at the Bragança port for all types of catch was
~6000 tons, taking into consideration all boats arriving in a 13 months period from
2000 to 2001 (Isaac et al. 2010). The authors also attributed this differences to insufficient efforts from government agents to collect data to feed models and correctly
fulfil the needs of the statistical methods chosen (sampling system with strict monitoring), which apparently use extrapolations for calculating the total production
(Isaac et al. 2010). However, the large diversity and considerable dispersion of the
fishery modalities in the region do not allow extrapolations, which makes the official statistics inaccurate (Isaac et al. 2010), posing a serious risk of poor decision
being made for lack of data, despite the will to protect both the activity/fishers and
the environment.
20 How Can Accurate Landing Stats Help in Designing Better Fisheries…