Tambaqui, Colossoma macropomum, fisheries with focus on an area on middle Amazon River, Amazonas state, Brazil

This study evaluates the importance of tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) in fisheries of the Orinoco and Amazon River basins, through the analysis of published data and new data from the fishing fleet of Tefé, a city in the middle Solimões River. Data were collected between 1991 and 1995 in Tefe\'s market and between 1994 and 1995 on board commercial fishing boats. The relative importance of this species can reach 21% of catches in some landing places of the Orinoco basin, in Venezuela; around 8% in the Peruvian Amazonia; and 35% in Bolivian Amazonia. In Brazil, catches of tambaqui increased in the Madeira River region from 10% in 1977 to 32% between 1984 and 1989. In Manaus, this species composed up to 40% of the landed fish in the past. In the 80\'s and 90\'s, the proportion of tambaqui in landed fish has suffered a drastic reduction, declining to as little as 2,5%. In the middle Solimões, which is the main area of fisheries for this species, catches are made with various fishing gears and in different habitats, accordingly with water level fluctuations. In this region, tambaqui fisheries concentrate inside lakes, where the main gears used are gillnet and purse seine, and the catch is composed of the young fish (<55 cm). The habitats created by river bank collapse enseada-pausada") are important for the catch of larger individuals.Este trabalho avalia a importância da pesca do tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) nas bacias dos rios Amazonas e Orinoco e, mais especificamente, na região do médio Solimões. As análises foram baseadas em dados de literatura e da pesca praticada pela frota de Tefé no médio Solimões, coletados no mercado de Tefé, entre 1991 e 1995, e a bordo de embarcações da frota pesqueira comercial, entre 1994 e 1995. A importância relativa da espécie pode alcançar 21% da produção de pescado em alguns centros urbanos da bacia do Orinoco, na Venezuela; 8% da Amazônia peruana; e 35% da Amazônia boliviana. No Brasil, na região do rio Madeira, a importância relativa do tambaqui subiu de 10% em 1977 para 32% entre 1984 e 1989. Em Manaus, a espécie já respondeu por 44% do pescado desembarcado. Porém, a proporção de tambaqui desembarcado nesta cidade sofreu uma grande diminuição nos anos 80 e 90, chegando a representar apenas 2,5% do total desembarcado. No médio Solimões, região apontada como a principal área de pesca para esta espécie, são utilizados diversos tipos de aparelhos e explorados diferentes habitats, de acordo com a flutuação do nível da água dos rios. A pesca do tambaqui nesta região é realizada principalmente em lagos, através de malhadeira e rede de cerco, incidindo sobre peixes jovens (<55 cm). O ambiente formado pela caída de terras nos meandros do rio enseada-pausada") é importante para a captura de indivíduos de maior porte

Wave Propagation Through Non-Uniform Plasma

Increased energy demand has led to plans for building many new dams in the western Amazon, mostly in the Andean region. Historical data and mechanistic scenarios are used to examine potential impacts above and below six of the largest dams planned for the region, including reductions in downstream sediment and nutrient supplies, changes in downstream flood pulse, changes in upstream and downstream fish yields, reservoir siltation, greenhouse gas emissions and mercury contamination. Together, these six dams are predicted to reduce the supply of sediments, phosphorus and nitrogen from the Andean region by 69, 67 and 57% and to the entire Amazon basin by 64, 51 and 23%, respectively. These large reductions in sediment and nutrient supplies will have major impacts on channel geomorphology, floodplain fertility and aquatic productivity. These effects will be greatest near the dams and extend to the lowland floodplains. Attenuation of the downstream flood pulse is expected to alter the survival, phenology and growth of floodplain vegetation and reduce fish yields below the dams. Reservoir filling times due to siltation are predicted to vary from 106-6240 years, affecting the storage performance of some dams. Total CO2 equivalent carbon emission from 4 Andean dams was expected to average 10 Tg y-1 during the first 30 years of operation, resulting in a MegaWatt weighted Carbon Emission Factor of 0.139 tons C MWhr-1. Mercury contamination in fish and local human populations is expected to increase both above and below the dams creating significant health risks. Reservoir fish yields will compensate some downstream losses, but increased mercury contamination could offset these benefits

Comparação da eficiência relativa de dois apetrechos de coleta de peixes em praias no baixo rio Purus, Amazonas, Brasil

Apesar das praias serem consideradas um dos sete mais importantes habitats aquáticos da Amazônia, poucos trabalhos foram realizados quanto ao levantamento de sua ictiofauna, principalmente quando utilizados diferentes apetrechos de coleta. Este trabalho teve como objetivo comparar a eficiência relativa de dois apetrechos, rede de cerco e malhadeira, ambos utilizados de forma ativa (arrasto), em três praias localizadas no baixo rio Purus. A rede de cerco apresentou maior número de espécies e indivíduos capturados, no entanto, a malhadeira apresentou maiores valores de biomassa total, representada principalmente por Siluriformes. A baixa similaridade da fauna de peixes capturada (38%) foi devido à exclusividade de espécies coletadas com cada apetrecho, 41 com rede de cerco e 32 com malhadeira. O presente trabalho mostra a importância de se utilizar diferentes apetrechos de coleta como forma de diminuir a seletividade inerente de cada um desses aparelhos, melhorando a efetividade de amostragens em ambientes pouco estudados

Restricted-Range Fishes and the Conservation of Brazilian Freshwaters

Background: Freshwaters are the most threatened ecosystems on earth. Although recent assessments provide data on global priority regions for freshwater conservation, local scale priorities remain unknown. Refining the scale of global biodiversity assessments (both at terrestrial and freshwater realms) and translating these into conservation priorities on the ground remains a major challenge to biodiversity science, and depends directly on species occurrence data of high taxonomic and geographic resolution. Brazil harbors the richest freshwater ichthyofauna in the world, but knowledge on endemic areas and conservation in Brazilian rivers is still scarce. Methodology/Principal Findings: Using data on environmental threats and revised species distribution data we detect and delineate 540 small watershed areas harboring 819 restricted-range fishes in Brazil. Many of these areas are already highly threatened, as 159 (29%) watersheds have lost more than 70% of their original vegetation cover, and only 141 (26%) show significant overlap with formally protected areas or indigenous lands. We detected 220 (40%) critical watersheds overlapping hydroelectric dams or showing both poor formal protection and widespread habitat loss; these sites harbor 344 endemic fish species that may face extinction if no conservation action is in place in the near future. Conclusions/Significance: We provide the first analysis of site-scale conservation priorities in the richest freshwater ecosystems of the globe. Our results corroborate the hypothesis that freshwater biodiversity has been neglected in former conservation assessments. The study provides a simple and straightforward method for detecting freshwater priority areas based on endemism and threat, and represents a starting point for integrating freshwater and terrestrial conservation in representative and biogeographically consistent site-scale conservation strategies, that may be scaled-up following naturally linked drainage systems. Proper management (e. g. forestry code enforcement, landscape planning) and conservation (e. g. formal protection) of the 540 watersheds detected herein will be decisive in avoiding species extinction in the richest aquatic ecosystems on the planet.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq)Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)Gordon and Betty Moore Foundatio

Proliferation of Hydroelectric Dams in the Andean Amazon and Implications for Andes-Amazon Connectivity

Due to rising energy demands and abundant untapped potential, hydropower projects are rapidly increasing in the Neotropics. This is especially true in the wet and rugged Andean Amazon, where regional governments are prioritizing new hydroelectric dams as the centerpiece of long-term energy plans. However, the current planning for hydropower lacks adequate regional and basin-scale assessment of potential ecological impacts. This lack of strategic planning is particularly problematic given the intimate link between the Andes and Amazonian flood plain, together one of the most species rich zones on Earth. We examined the potential ecological impacts, in terms of river connectivity and forest loss, of the planned proliferation of hydroelectric dams across all Andean tributaries of the Amazon River. Considering data on the full portfolios of existing and planned dams, along with data on roads and transmission line systems, we developed a new conceptual framework to estimate the relative impacts of all planned dams. There are plans for 151 new dams greater than 2 MW over the next 20 years, more than a 300% increase. These dams would include five of the six major Andean tributaries of the Amazon. Our ecological impact analysis classified 47% of the potential new dams as high impact and just 19% as low impact. Sixty percent of the dams would cause the first major break in connectivity between protected Andean headwaters and the lowland Amazon. More than 80% would drive deforestation due to new roads, transmission lines, or inundation. We conclude with a discussion of three major policy implications of these findings. 1) There is a critical need for further strategic regional and basin scale evaluation of dams. 2) There is an urgent need for a strategic plan to maintain Andes-Amazon connectivity. 3) Reconsideration of hydropower as a low-impact energy source in the Neotropics