Target fishes from subsistence fishing in a riverine community from lower Pará River, Northern Amazonia

Abstract

The goal of the present study was to realize an inventory of target fish of the subsistence fishery from Genipaúba Village, Santa Bárbara do Pará, Brazil. The inventory was carried out during local fisheries throughout the main river between March and April 2018. The collections were performed with gillnets of 25 to 40 mm of mesh size, and length variable according to fisherman. The collected specimens were preserved in 10% formaldehyde and posterior wash in running water to preservation in 70% alcohol solution. In the laboratory all fish were identified to the current taxonomic species level, measured in standard length (cm), and in total weight (g), then cataloged in the fish collection of the Aquatic Ecology Group at Federal University of Pará (GEA-UFPA). Overall 19 fish species belonging to 13 families and five taxonomic orders were recorded. Most individuals were represented by species (family), the South American silver croaker Plagioscion squamosissimus (Sciaenidae), Yellowfin river pellona Pellona flavipinnis (Pristigasteridae), Mapará Hypophthalmus marginatus (Pimelodidae), Driftwood catfish Trachelyopterus galeatus (Auchenipteridae). Some important species for commercial trade were recorded as well, such as the Goliath catfish Brachyplatystoma filamentosum (Pimelodidae) and the Common snook Centropomus undecimalis (Centropomidae). In spite of the collections consisting of few species, the study is the first inventory of the most common fish species used by riverines from Pará River for subsistence.