Catch data are the most basic information to be collected for managing fisheries everywhere. Howe... more Catch data are the most basic information to be collected for managing fisheries everywhere. However, in many regions around the globe, including Brazil, this information is not available with satisfactory quality. The objective of the initiative described in this paper was to compile a countrywide database of marine commercial catch data in its original form (only landings) and a reconstructed version (which includes artisanal, industrial, recreational, and subsistence landings, as well as major discards) and to analyze historical trends. The basis for the country-wide database of marine catch statistics compiled here were the national official bulletins published in Brazil for the period 1950 to 2010. They represent an update of previous databases compiled for 1980-2000 and later for 1950-2004. These databases were revised and extended to include the whole period from 1950 to 2010 and all 17 coastal states in Brazil, from Amapá to Rio Grande do Sul. Estimates for recreational and subsistence catches, and discards were added. Our analysis indicates that total catches for Brazil may be almost 2 times the reported baseline determined for Brazil. Besides the previously known low taxonomic resolution of catch statistics in Brazil, taxonomic losses were observed when local data were incorporated into the national bulletins and later in the FAO database (FishStat J). Regional analyses indicate that the highest catches are associated with the southern region, except when there is a peak in the production of sardine. However, this result may be biased as those values may include catches off southeastern region that end up being landed in the south. The same is true for other regions in Brazil. Brazilian sardine and demersal fishes comprise most part of the catches. The present reconstruction may be viewed as preliminary and could be revised by local experts to improve the local database and hence the national and global databases.
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Papers by Katia Freire