The fish diversity of Baía das Tartarugas Marine Protected Area and remarks on its threats
Channel: Encontro Recifal Brasileiro
Date: 2020-07-01

Guilherme Loyola da Cruz; João Luiz Gasparini; Hudson Pinheiro

The Baía das Tartarugas Marine Protected Area (MPA) was established in 2018 in Vitória (ES – Brazil), encompassing sandy beaches, rocky reefs, islands, rocky shores and remarkable proximity to mangroves and estuaries. Due to the great diversity of habitats, a high diversity of species is expected to occur in the MPA, but few studies are available. In this research, we compiled information about the local ichthyofauna from scientific manuscripts, monographs, reports, videos and pictures available, personal collections, and observations. This is important to help understand the biological aspects of the MPA and generate subsidies to protect the organisms that live and transit there, seeking the sustainable use of local resources. There are 294 species recorded for the MPA and adjacent localities, comprising 79 families, where Scianidae, Carangidae, and Haemulidae are the most speciose, with 24, 20, and 14 species respectively. According to the ICMBio and the IUCN, 12 of these species are endangered, whereas 41,2% have commercial importance, 23,8% are targeted by recreational fisheries activities, and 16 are endemic to Brazil. Also, 49% of the species are present on rocky reefs, especially around islands, and 36 species also occur in nearby estuarine areas, showing the connectivity between these environments. Moreover, 48,3% of the species were recorded in soft bottoms, and are particularly vulnerable to trawling and dredging, which commonly occur in the region. This result suggests the need for adequate control of illegal fishing activities and anthropic influences, besides generating information for environment education actions and for the management plan that is being developed by the government. Therefore, the continuity of the research is essential, mainly due to the complex ecosystem and socio-environmental characteristics, which need to be better evaluated.