A look at the unknown: Potential impact of marine recreational fishing on threatened species in the Southern Atlantic Ocean

Brazil is currently facing one of the worst environmental crises in history. The over-exploitation of natural resources, unrestrained expansion of fisheries, and mostly ineffective conservation policies impose great difficulty in regulating and supervising fishing activities, whether commercial or recreational. Unreported and unregulated recreational fisheries are largely carried out along the Brazilian coast; however, their potential for exploitation of fish stocks remain unknown. To obtain data regarding this popular and poorly known leisure activity, we compiled information on catches posted by recreational anglers on a social media platform between 2008 and 2013. Photographic records of fish caught on the continental shelf off the southern Atlantic Ocean in Brazil were downloaded and assessed, and species were identified and quantified (trophies and total captures) for each fishing trip (day), including the number of anglers, totaling 788 fishing days, with an average of 4.2 anglers/day. A total of 50 species were recorded: eight elasmobranchs and 42 teleosteans. Regarding conservation status, 25 species were categorized as threatened (25.5%) and one as data deficient (25.5%) at the global level according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Notably, elasmobranchs, dolphinfishes, bluefishes, croakers, triggerfishes, Atlantic bigeyes, and sharks showed high capture frequencies. Our results indicate the need for an efficient system to monitor recreational fishing, as well as co-management plans discussed with all stakeholders to control and reduce the worrying rate of capture of threatened species.