Aspectos ecológicos da mariscagem no estuário do Rio Mamanguape

Abstract

The coastal area is of fundamental importance for communities living in and dependent on it economically. The artisanal fishing is one of the activities most practiced by the riverside, which represents one of the main sources of income, besides the fishermen possess knowledge about the environment and the species used. The communities around the Mamanguape River estuary (ERM) also survive through the shellfish, which is of great social and economic importance, since it is a livelihood activity. ERM shellfishes use two main techniques for catching shellfish, both manual and jereré, a technique that promotes trawling on the substrate of the estuary, resulting in an accompanying biota. In this context, the objective was to analyze quantitatively and biometrically the shellfish resulting from the jereré trawls and their accompanying biota (bycatch). The shellfish were collected in the ERM through four collection expeditions, carried out between May 2017 and April 2018, in sand-mud banks known as Croa do Aberto, Croa do Meio and Croa dos Três Cambitos, where in each collection site was carried out five trawls with the petrecho, to obtain the seafood and its companion biota. The sizes of the shellfish were measured through a manual pachymeter and the biomass was performed using the calcined weight technique; the companion biota was identified through specialized bibliographic materials. The results showed that the shellfish presented larger sizes in the rainy season and greater abundances and biomasses in the dry period, and that by average size are apt to be captured. The organisms registered and identified in the accompanying biota belong to several taxa, such as Mollusca, Ostheichtys, Anellida, Echinodermata, Crustacea and Macroalgae. The importance of this study is to contribute to the improvement of the management and management of shellfish fishing, with the fishermen, in order to prevent future damages to the environment, species and riverine families that depend on this resource.