The bony fishes (Teleostei) caught by industrial trawlers off the Brazilian North coast, with insights into its conservation

ABSTRACT The Brazilian North coast is one of the world’s most important shrimp fishery grounds, with a total area of approximately 223,000 km2. However, the available data on the diversity of fish caught by the region’s industrial trawler fleet are limited to the commercially-valuable species. This lacuna in the data on the region’s marine fish fauna is worrying, both for the management of stocks and the conservation of the local biodiversity. The present study was based on a comprehensive inventory of the teleost fishes captured by the industrial outrigger trawling operations off the North coast of Brazil. This inventory recorded 201 species belonging to 64 families and 20 orders, and revealed a unique fauna, characterized by 17 endemic species, and a mixture of estuarine-dependent and marine species, mainly associated with coral reefs. The Kernel density analysis indicated that the industrial trawling fleet operates within an important ecotone, which encompasses the transition zones of different fish communities found off the Brazilian North coast.

摘要 巴西北部沿海海域是全球最重要的对虾捕捞作业区之一，总面积约22.3万平方千米。然而，目前该区域工业拖网渔船船队所捕获鱼类的多样性数据，仅局限于具有商业价值的物种。该区域海洋鱼类区系的数据缺口令人担忧，这既不利于种群资源管理，也会影响当地生物多样性保护。本研究基于对巴西北部沿海海域工业舷外支架拖网作业所捕获的硬骨鱼类（teleost fishes）的全面名录调查，共记录了201个物种，隶属于20目64科；研究揭示了一套独特的鱼类区系：其以17个特有物种为典型特征，同时包含依赖河口生境与海洋生境的类群，且多数类群与珊瑚礁生境密切相关。核密度分析（Kernel density analysis）结果显示，该工业拖网渔船船队的作业范围位于一处重要的生态交错带（ecotone）内，该交错带涵盖了巴西北部沿海海域不同鱼类群落的过渡区域。