A pesca comercial de raias para consumo alimentar no eixo fluvial Solimões-Amazonas

Abstract

Among the fishing resources present in the Amazon region, are the freshwater rays, where the greatest diversity of species of potamotrigonines is found, and the use of this resource as a food source is not yet a common practice in the Amazon basin. However, species such as Paratrygon aiereba, due to their large size, have been captured in the basins of the Rio Negro and Solimões-Amazonas. This resource is mainly exported to the northeastern and southeastern states of the country. The first records of stingray exploitation for food consumption in the State of Amazonas appeared in mid-1995, with a record of 1.48 tons landed in the Manaus market. The objective of this work was to characterize the commercial fishing of rays for food consumption in the Solimões-Amazonas river axis. The study was carried out on the Solimões-Amazonas axis, comprising the municipalities of Tefé, Manacapuru and Parintins, all municipalities belonging to the State of Amazonas. Structured questionnaires were applied to all commercial fishermen (male and/or female) of rays, who had relevant information about the history of fishing and trade of these fish in different locations in the municipalities. Production data (Tons/month/year) were collected in the meatpacking plants/fish warehouses on a time scale - (2015-2020) from the Reception, Temperature and Traceability Record worksheets of fish and pre-eviscerated fish from the slaughterhouses being listed with the river level (cm). Statistical analysis was performed using Software R, version 3.6.2 with a significance level of 5% (p < 0.05). Men were responsible for more than 80% of the fishing workforce, most fishermen are aged between 40 and 50 years and most fishermen have completed elementary school (46.30%). The municipality of Tefé had the highest concentration of fishermen with less education. The type of bait used in ray fishing is exclusively fish (species of low commercial value). In the cities of Tefé and Parintins, 21 different types of longline were reported and the most common type was Espinhel/50 - (16.67%). Most fishermen showed a preference for fishing in the river channel (94.44%), using ice as a form of storage. Parintins is the city that most landed rays (42,042.51 kg) in the period from 2015 to 2020. Ray fishing is commercially important, supplying an increasingly demanding market and it is necessary to regulate this fishing, given the particularities that the target resource presents.

Keywords: Paratrygon aiereba; Amazon; Fishermen; Industry.