253
The situation of large pelagic elasmobranchs currently is very worrying.
According to Barreto (2015), which analyzed CPUE and demography of pelagic
shark species from Brazil, most populations are currently depleted. Around 13 species have been caught by local and international longline fishing fleets since the
1950s, specifically: shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrhinchus), longfin mako shark
(I. paucus), porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus), blue shark (Prionace glauca), oceanic
whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus), dusky shark (C. obscurus), night shark
(C. signatus), crocodile shark (Pseudocarcharias kamoharai), common thresher
shark (Alopias vulpinus) and bigeye thresher shark (A. superciliosus), scalloped
hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini), smooth hammerhead shark (S. zygaena) and
great hammerhead shark (S. mokarran) and the pelagic stingray (Pteroplatytrygon
violacea).
These species have historically sustained the international fin market (Amorim
et al. 1998; Hazin et al. 2008; Domingo et al. 2014) and since the 1990s, more precisely after the Brazilian finning ban, became one of the most cheap sea food to be
consumed in Brazil. The blue shark, for instance, probably for being the only species that apparently has not yet collapsed, is currently supporting an industry that
has grown absurdly in recent decades. Although this species has no capture restrictions in the region, it is currently the main target of longline pelagic fisheries in the
South Atlantic, especially in periods where catches of other pelagic fish of high
commercial demand (i.e. tunas and billfishes) are lower. Worryingly, both in tuna
fishing and swordfish, as in fishing for blue shark, a number of other extremely
sensitive sharks, with considerably lower population abundances than the target
species are often caught. Finally, Brazil has been recently identified as a global flow
channel for shark carcasses (world's largest importer) (Dent and Clarke 2015). Over
the last 15 years the country has imported large quantities of shark carcasses from
international fleets (>20) which also export fins for international luxury markets
channels.
While for oceanic species, despite the limitations, there is some catch information available (mainly due to the industry and their obligations with the government,
i.e. fishing statistics, commercial and financial transactions) coastal shark species
are far to have their catches known. Large species such as hammerhead sharks,
sand-tiger, and also the medium sized daggernose, blacknose and the southern squatinids are at great risk due to coastal fisheries (Barreto et al. 2011; Lessa et al. 2016)
and for small and medium-sized species, there is no information about fishing or life
history. These species are commonly caught by small-scale fisheries, which in a
country with one million registered fishermen in this category, which contributes
with 45% of the total fish produced in the country is too big to be ignored
(B. Padovani, personal communication). The combined effect of oceanic industrial
fishing and the coastal small-scale fisheries can be additive or even synergistic on
population depletion due to its spatial complementarity. This relation still needs
small-scale fisheries catch data to be assessed.
Rays production in Brazil has always been neglected. In the state of Santa
Catarina, main Brazilian elasmobranch producer and one of the last to stop their
fishing statistics collection, the ray production increased more than threefold in ten
10 Elasmobranchs Consumption in Brazil: Impacts and Consequences
The situation of large pelagic elasmobranchs currently is very worrying.
According to Barreto (2015), which analyzed CPUE and demography of pelagic
shark species from Brazil, most populations are currently depleted. Around 13 species have been caught by local and international longline fishing fleets since the
1950s, specifically: shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrhinchus), longfin mako shark
(I. paucus), porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus), blue shark (Prionace glauca), oceanic
whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus), dusky shark (C. obscurus), night shark
(C. signatus), crocodile shark (Pseudocarcharias kamoharai), common thresher
shark (Alopias vulpinus) and bigeye thresher shark (A. superciliosus), scalloped
hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini), smooth hammerhead shark (S. zygaena) and
great hammerhead shark (S. mokarran) and the pelagic stingray (Pteroplatytrygon
violacea).
These species have historically sustained the international fin market (Amorim
et al. 1998; Hazin et al. 2008; Domingo et al. 2014) and since the 1990s, more precisely after the Brazilian finning ban, became one of the most cheap sea food to be
consumed in Brazil. The blue shark, for instance, probably for being the only species that apparently has not yet collapsed, is currently supporting an industry that
has grown absurdly in recent decades. Although this species has no capture restrictions in the region, it is currently the main target of longline pelagic fisheries in the
South Atlantic, especially in periods where catches of other pelagic fish of high
commercial demand (i.e. tunas and billfishes) are lower. Worryingly, both in tuna
fishing and swordfish, as in fishing for blue shark, a number of other extremely
sensitive sharks, with considerably lower population abundances than the target
species are often caught. Finally, Brazil has been recently identified as a global flow
channel for shark carcasses (world's largest importer) (Dent and Clarke 2015). Over
the last 15 years the country has imported large quantities of shark carcasses from
international fleets (>20) which also export fins for international luxury markets
channels.
While for oceanic species, despite the limitations, there is some catch information available (mainly due to the industry and their obligations with the government,
i.e. fishing statistics, commercial and financial transactions) coastal shark species
are far to have their catches known. Large species such as hammerhead sharks,
sand-tiger, and also the medium sized daggernose, blacknose and the southern squatinids are at great risk due to coastal fisheries (Barreto et al. 2011; Lessa et al. 2016)
and for small and medium-sized species, there is no information about fishing or life
history. These species are commonly caught by small-scale fisheries, which in a
country with one million registered fishermen in this category, which contributes
with 45% of the total fish produced in the country is too big to be ignored
(B. Padovani, personal communication). The combined effect of oceanic industrial
fishing and the coastal small-scale fisheries can be additive or even synergistic on
population depletion due to its spatial complementarity. This relation still needs
small-scale fisheries catch data to be assessed.
Rays production in Brazil has always been neglected. In the state of Santa
Catarina, main Brazilian elasmobranch producer and one of the last to stop their
fishing statistics collection, the ray production increased more than threefold in ten
10 Elasmobranchs Consumption in Brazil: Impacts and Consequences