Composição da fauna nas pescarias realizadas com espinhel pelágico na costa norte do brasil durante a execução do Projeto Protuna.

Abstract

The fi shery of tuna and tuna-like species with longline has shown an outstanding growth over recent years in Brazil. This research work was carried out in an area corresponding with Amapá, Pará and Maranhão States by means of experimental fi shing with a drifting longline gear having the same features and dimensions as the one used in fi sheries off Northeast Brazil. From the analysis of specifi c catches totalling 4,830 fi sh, the main representative was swordfi sh, Xiphias gladius, which accounted for 39.32% of the catch, followed by tunas, with 24.35%. The relative abundance of tunas and swordfi sh was found to be near the same when measured as CPUE in weight, but it was favorable to swordfi sh as CPUE in numbers. The species group named “others” represents 2% of the captured biomass, but when analyzed as catch in numbers it contributes with 14.62% of the total, outmatching the groups of sharks (14,43%) and billfi shes (7.29%). Off Northern Brazil, the target species account for 80% of the total catch in weight by drifting longline, following a similar fi shing pattern to that in the adjoining northeastern region.