Captura de lulas (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) pela pesca industrial desembarcada em Santos: Comparação após 4 décadas.

Abstract

Analysis of the temporal variation of fishery resources’ landed catch is essential to monitor changes and alterations in the fisheries and related aquatic ecosystems. Thus, analyzing catches after 4 decades represents a comparison between an initial industrial fishing off Southeastern Brazil and a present exploitation phase, considered as decline, and is particularly uncommon due to the atypical data availability. Through the analysis of 1959 and 1999 Santos landing data, this study aims to identify: (a) fleets and gears where squids occurred, with related proportions, (b) differences in the squid’s fishery between the two periods, and (c) squids fishing grounds used by the industrial fleets in both periods. Squids were caught by pink-shrimp bottom-trawlers, but also occurred in the sea-bob shrimp fleet, pair-bottom trawlers and purse-seiners, especially in 1959. Differences between both periods can be clearly seen. In 1959, squid fishing areas were more restricted and in lower depths, and in 1999, the areas were broader and deeper. The decrease of fishing boats, and the significant increase of squids catch volume can be verified, where its relative abundance (kg/tow) was 400 times greater in 1999, showing a great availability increase of those resources in the later period or differences on exploitation technology between periods. The existence of both “bottom-up” control mechanism (oceanographic variation-recruitment-fishery production) within the fishery ecosystem, and “top-down” control (fishermen-fisheries- structure of marine communities) should be taken into account in the interpretation on the squids abundance variation.