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The participatory actions of artisanal fishers reveal spatial–temporal trends of seahorse catches as basis for future management

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Abstract

Although artisanal fisheries is a source of livelihood for millions of people worldwide, the lack of monitoring makes it difficult to assess under which contexts this practice is sustainable. This is critical when it comes to endangered species, such as seahorses, which are commonly caught by small-scale fisheries. Over a period of four years the illegal seahorse fisheries were monitored via participatory actions. Hippocampus reidi is an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) protected species and legally protected in Brazil. This species is nonetheless widely captured in the study region (Todos os Santos bay - Brazil), the targets mainly being mature and brooding individuals. This study tallied a total of 5763 seahorses that were caught in artisanal fisheries. Through participatory monitoring, seahorse habitat preference was shown as followed: seagrass—49.3% of the catches, and mangroves—29.7%. Likewise, the main gear selected for capturing these fish was seine nets, with 68.7% of all capture. Size and sex of captured individuals varied over spatial and temporal scales, despite consistent catch per unit effort (CPUE) over the years at the different fishing sites. Using maximum likelihood of occurrence, these results revealed that the skills required by fishers to catch seahorses involved spatial acuity. This illegal practice appears to persist because of several factors, including the absence of surveillance by governmental agencies, low fisher awareness, and high trade value of seahorses in parallel markets. The findings of this study may facilitate the inclusion of local stakeholders in monitoring, managing, and protecting these endangered species that remain the focus of an active fishery sector.

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Acknowledgements

The data herein was sourced from Citizen Fishery Monitoring Program (CFMP-TSB) performed in Todos os Santos bay since 2009. This project was supported through financial support from ICHTUS Ambiente & Sociedade. The author sincerely thanks the fishers involved in this study for their selflessness and dedicating time, without which the study could not have been performed. Thanks to the APA Baía de Todos os Santos and Resex Baía do Iguape for assistance with permit information. Miguel Loiola, Gabriel Soeiro, Heigon Henrique, José de Anchieta C.C. Nunes, Yuri Costa, Bruno Menezes, Doroth Cordeiro, Lina Specht, Tiago Albuquerque, Rodrigo “Digo” Luiz, and Igor Buda provided field assistance to the project along with others at support information. I wish to express my gratitude to Antoine O.H.C Leduc who has revised and contributed to this publication. Special thanks to the editor and reviewers for the constructive comments and recommendations, which improved the quality of the paper.

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  1. ICHTUS Ambiente & Sociedade, ICHTUS Environment & Society, Salvador, BA, 41940-250, Brazil

    José Amorim Reis-Filho

  2. Graduate Studies Program in Ecology: Theory, Application and Values, UFBA, Salvador, BA, 40170-115, Brazil

    José Amorim Reis-Filho

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Reis-Filho, J.A. The participatory actions of artisanal fishers reveal spatial–temporal trends of seahorse catches as basis for future management. Fish Sci 89, 317–329 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-023-01677-7

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