Unravelling the stomach contents of fish and crab species from Cananéia, São Paulo: Are they eating plastic?

Plastic pollution represents a threat to marine ecosystems and has therefore been gaining space in the realm of public interest. In this study, we investigated the ingestion of food and non-food items (i.e., plastic particles) by fish and crabs. These animals are commonly collected by trawling with a double-ring net along the coast of Cananéia, state of São Paulo, Brazil; some of them are consumed as food by the local population. Fish and crab stomachs were removed and dissected, and their contents were examined under a stereoscopic microscope with an image-capturing system. The presence or absence of plastic was also registered. We examined 139 specimens of 16 fish species and 143 specimens of four crab species. The most frequent food items found in fish were unidentified food, followed by crustaceans, molluscs, polychaetes, and other fish; in crabs, the items were unidentified food, followed by crustaceans, molluscs and fish. Plastic particles were found in all fish species, representing 47.5% of the individuals analysed. In crabs, the incidence of plastic was lower, occurring in only two species (5% in Callinectes danae and 3% in C. ornatus). Only four fish species analysed had previous records of plastic ingestion in the scientific literature. The high incidence of microplastics in our study is worrying because they negatively affect the animals' lives and can be transferred through the tropic web to top predators, including humans, through the ingestion of contaminated animals.(AU)

Decapod crustaceans captured along with the sea-bob shrimp fisheries on non-consolidated sublitoral from Northern coast of São Paulo, Brazil / Crustáceos decápodes capturados na pesca do camarão-sete-barbas no sublitoral não consolidado do litoral norte do estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Studies on natural communities are essential for a correct interpretation of the disturbing events, either natural or anthropic. Many species which are not the target of fisheries are captured in the shrimp fishery. Such fact is attributed to the non-selective fishery device used (double-rig trawl), that destabilizes the benthic community. This study provides a landscape on the crustacean decapods community, captured more than 20 years ago by means the shrimp fishery of the X. kroyeri (sea-bob shrimp) at the northern littoral of São Paulo. Samples were collected monthly from November/1988 to October/1989 at the Fortaleza bay. A total of 20377 specimens of 44 species were obtained. The most abundant was X. kroyeri with 13206 individuals. The higher values of diversity index (Shannon-Wiener) were obtained in the sites II and V, which are fishery natural exclusion areas. Our results show that the decapod diversity can be affected in those areas in which the fishery activity is more intense.(AU)

Estudos sobre as comunidades são essenciais para uma interpretação adequada dos eventos perturbadores, sejam eles antrópicos ou não. Na pesca camaroneira, muitos crustáceos sem valor econômico são capturados. Tal fato é atribuído ao uso de um apetrecho de pesca não seletivo (rede double-rig), tornando a pesca uma atividade desestabilizadora das comunidades bentônicas. Este estudo apresenta um panorama sobre as espécies de crustáceos decápodes capturados na pesca de Xiphopenaeus kroyeri (camarão-sete-barbas). As coletas foram realizadas no período de novembro/1988 a outubro/1989 na Enseada da Fortaleza, litoral norte paulista. Foram coletados 20.377 indivíduos pertencentes a 44 espécies, das quais a mais abundante foi X. kroyeri com 13.206 indivíduos. Os maiores valores de índice de diversidade (Shannon-Wiener) foram observados nos pontos amostrais II e V, que correspondem a áreas de exclusão natural de pesca. Este estudo aponta que, em locais onde a atividade pesqueira é mais intensa, a biodiversidade pode ser afetada.(AU)

Decapod crustaceans captured along with the sea-bob shrimp fisheries on non-consolidated sublitoral from Northern coast of São Paulo, Brazil / Crustáceos decápodes capturados na pesca do camarão-sete-barbas no sublitoral não consolidado do litoral norte do estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Studies on natural communities are essential for a correct interpretation of the disturbing events, either natural or anthropic. Many species which are not the target of fisheries are captured in the shrimp fishery. Such fact is attributed to the non-selective fishery device used (double-rig trawl), that destabilizes the benthic community. This study provides a landscape on the crustacean decapods community, captured more than 20 years ago by means the shrimp fishery of the X. kroyeri (sea-bob shrimp) at the northern littoral of São Paulo. Samples were collected monthly from November/1988 to October/1989 at the Fortaleza bay. A total of 20377 specimens of 44 species were obtained. The most abundant was X. kroyeri with 13206 individuals. The higher values of diversity index (Shannon-Wiener) were obtained in the sites II and V, which are fishery natural exclusion areas. Our results show that the decapod diversity can be affected in those areas in which the fishery activity is more intense.

Estudos sobre as comunidades são essenciais para uma interpretação adequada dos eventos perturbadores, sejam eles antrópicos ou não. Na pesca camaroneira, muitos crustáceos sem valor econômico são capturados. Tal fato é atribuído ao uso de um apetrecho de pesca não seletivo (rede double-rig), tornando a pesca uma atividade desestabilizadora das comunidades bentônicas. Este estudo apresenta um panorama sobre as espécies de crustáceos decápodes capturados na pesca de Xiphopenaeus kroyeri (camarão-sete-barbas). As coletas foram realizadas no período de novembro/1988 a outubro/1989 na Enseada da Fortaleza, litoral norte paulista. Foram coletados 20.377 indivíduos pertencentes a 44 espécies, das quais a mais abundante foi X. kroyeri com 13.206 indivíduos. Os maiores valores de índice de diversidade (Shannon-Wiener) foram observados nos pontos amostrais II e V, que correspondem a áreas de exclusão natural de pesca. Este estudo aponta que, em locais onde a atividade pesqueira é mais intensa, a biodiversidade pode ser afetada.