Artisanal fisheries in the SE Brazilian coast: using fisher information towards local management

Coastal artisanal fisheries in SE Brazil are located close to huge urban centers, such as Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo cities. Many of these fisheries are also adjacent to Atlantic Forest remnants. The growth of tourism, and associated recreational fishing, along with pollution in the coastal waters, increased the chances of impact on species and on artisanal fishing. Some fish species are located close to shore, such as species of Serranidae (groupers, such as Epinephelus and Myeteroperca) and seem vulnerable to the impact from fishing and from pollution. Other species, such as from the family Centropomidae (snooks, Centropomus spp.) are found in estuarine environments, and are also a target of recreational fishers, being subject to pollution coming from coastal rivers. In order to have more information on fishing for species of Seffanidae and Centropomidae, I marked the fishing spots used by artisanal fisheries in different communities found in the SE Brazilian coast. The spots were marked using GPS Garmin III and V and Magellan. Maps of the fishing spots used to catch Serranidae and Centropomidae were drawn (103 fishing spots for groupers and 36 for snooks). Such maps are based on local fisher information, and they show the area used to fish the Seffanidae and Centropomidae. Such data are important to designate areas for artisanal fisheries, and to evaluate the pressure on species of Seffanidae and Centropomidae.