A Pesca de lagostas na Plataforma Continental Amazônica

Abstract

The exploitation of lobsters in Brazil, since the 1960’s, stands out as one of the main items of the trade balance. The study describes the lobster fishing carried out in the Amazon Continental Shelf. The data were collected from August 2014 to November 2015. On the northern coast of Brazil, only artisanal vessels operate in fishing and use the “caçoeira” net as fishing tackle. The vessels are called “universal” because they also work in other fisheries. Three species of lobsters with commercial importance were observed: Panulirus meripurpuratus (Giraldes & Smyth, 2016), Parribacus antarcticus (Lund, 1793) and Scyllarides delfosi (Holthuis, 1960). In the on-board routine, it was clear the lack of hygiene of the structures and inadequate handling during fishing. Regarding the legal aspects, there is a worrying scenario, highlighting, among several factors, the number of vessels, the fishing license and the use of illegal fishing gear. The fleet area of action is moving to the north, which is possibly motivated by the search for new fishing spots and the rivalry between lobster fleet and red snapper fleet that share the same fishing area.