Recreational fisheries in northeastern Brazil: Inferences from data provided by anglers

Brazilian recreational fisheries became increasingly important after the 1990s. A plan to develop this segment of the fishery sector was launched in 1997, in spite of the lack of basic information, e.g., number of anglers, fishing effort, or total catch. This paper aims to fill this information gap by presenting a historical overview of Brazilian recreational fisheries. it also describes the profile of anglers from northeastern Brazil, a region dominated by onshore angling; estimates annual catch for this region; and analyzes changes in fish size through time. Anglers from northeastern Brazil are mainly non-licensed, consumption-oriented men who fish in both salt and freshwater bodies and participate in fishing tournaments, but normally do not travel great distances to fish. The total catch estimated from recreational fisheries off northeastern Brazil in 2001 was about 1,147 t, representing only 0.8% of commercial catches. This proportion may be between 0.2 to 4%, if uncertainty in the input parameters is considered. The main species or group of species caught were Ariidae, Polydactylus spp., rays (unidentified), Caranx spp., Trachinotus spp., Menticirrhus americanus, puffers (unidentified), Centropomus spp., Scomberomorus cavalla, Scomberomorus brasiliensis, sharks (unidentified), Cynoscion spp., Paralonchurus brasiliensis, Megalops atlanticus, Eucinostomus gula, Coryphaena hippurus, Lutjanus analis, Epinephelus spp., Ocyurus chrysurus, Istiophorus albicans, Thunnus atlanticus, Thunnus obesus, Thunnus alalunga, and Sphyraena barracuda. The mean size of fish caught in tournaments has been decreasing since the 1970s, but it has not been possible to separate the effect of recreational fisheries from that of commercial fisheries. The information presented in this paper will assist in the integration of recreational fisheries into management of fish resources in this region.