The historical ecology of subsistence and early commercial fisheries in mangrove systems in Brazil
Fossile, Thiago (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
McGrath, Krista Michelle (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Comes, Pau (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Prehistòria)
Villanueva, Joan (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Prehistòria)
Sayle, Kerry Louise (University of Glasgow (Escòcia))
Gilson, Simon-Pierre (Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)
Haimovici, Manuel (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande. Instituto de Oceanografia (Brasil))
Alves, Maria Cristina (Universidade da Região de Joinville)
Carrion Bartz, Magda (Universidade da Região de Joinville)
Bandeira, Dione da Rocha (Universidade da Região de Joinville)
Borba, Fernanda Mara (Museu Arqueológico de Sambaqui de Joinville (Brasil))
Ferreira, Jessica (Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro)
Colonese, Andre Carlo (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)

Date:	2024
Abstract:	Human population growth and the technological advancements of the 20th and 21st centuries have significantly altered human-environment interactions and led to unprecedented anthropogenic footprints on coastal and ocean systems. Despite thousands of years of exploitation for subsistence and, later, commercial purposes, the ecology of mangrove fisheries along the Brazilian coast and the consequences of these activities remain poorly understood. This is largely due to a pervasive lack of historical baselines, and highlights the conservation crises affecting some of the world's biodiversity hotspots. In this study, we used otolith metrics and stable isotope analysis to investigate changes in the body length and trophic ecology of several demersal species recovered from pre-colonial (4500 cal BP to 1500 AD) and historical (late 19th and early 20th centuries AD) archaeological sites in Babitonga Bay, the largest mangrove system in southern Brazil. Our results revealed that pre-colonial and historical fisheries exploited a wide range of mangrove habitats, encompassing brackish to marine systems. Pre-colonial subsistence fisheries, however, targeted predominantly small and juvenile individuals in nursery areas, while early commercial fisheries targeted larger adult specimens, likely due to their higher commercial value. Our study shows that some drivers of stock overexploitation, such as the preferential capture of large and adult individuals, were found to be occurring more than 150 years ago along the southern Brazilian coast. Given the deep roots of human footprints in Brazil, our findings underscore the significance of incorporating historical data into the formulation of fisheries management strategies in subtropical and tropical regions.
Grants:	European Commission 817911 Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CEX2019-000940-M Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2021/SGR-00527
Note:	Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Published in:	Journal of archaeological science, Vol. 166 (June 2024) , art. 105986, ISSN 1095-9238

DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2024.105986

14 p, 6.0 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles