Consequences of a new species and different stocks of Spiny Red Lobster in Brazil / Consequências de uma nova espécie e diferentes estoques de Lagosta Vermelha no Brasil

Abstract: The Spiny Red Lobster has an important commercial role in Brazil. However, a downward trend in the production of lobsters due to overfishing has been observed and there is also a devaluation of the product in the international market due to the instability in the size pattern of lobsters commercialized. Here in Brazil we detected two issues regarding the Spiny Red Lobster: (1) According to recent studies, there are genetic and morphological differences between Caribbean and Brazilian populations, which may be considered different species and; (2) Current legislation, such as seasonal closures, does not consider the multiple probable stocks of the species, which have direct implications in management and conservation. Thus, the recognition of the Spiny Red Lobster from Brazil as Panulirus meripurpuratus and investments on population and biological research are essential to improve its management considering regional stock differences.

Resumo: A lagosta vermelha tem um importante papel comercial no Brasil, porém, uma tendência de queda na produção de lagostas devido a sobrepesca tem sido observada e há também uma desvalorização do produto no mercado internacional devido à instabilidade no comprimento das lagostas comercializadas. Aqui no Brasil, detectamos dois problemas em relação à lagosta vermelha: (1) De acordo com estudos recentes, existem diferenças genéticas e morfológicas entre as populações caribenha e brasileira e; (2) Atualmente a legislação não considera os múltiplos estoques prováveis da espécie. Desta forma, os períodos de defeso sazonais não consideram os diferentes estoques, o que tem implicações diretas no manejo e na conservação. Logo, o reconhecimento da lagosta vermelha do Brasil como Panulirus meripurpuratus e investimentos em pesquisas biológicas e populacionais são fundamentais pra facilitar seu manejo considerando diferenças regionais nos seus estoques.

Effects of marine protected areas on overfished fishing stocks with multiple stable states.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) have attracted much attention as a tool for sustainable fisheries management, restoring depleted fisheries stocks and maintaining ecosystems. However, even with total exclusion of fishing effort, depleted stocks sometimes show little or no recovery over a long time period. Here, using a mathematical model, we show that multiple stable states may hold the key to understanding the tendency for fisheries stocks to recover because of MPAs. We find that MPAs can have either a positive effect or almost no effect on the recovery of depleted fishing stocks, depending on the fish migration patterns and the fishing policies. MPAs also reinforce ecological resilience, particularly for migratory species. In contrast to previous reports, our results show that MPAs have small or sometimes negative effects on the recovery of sedentary species. Unsuitable MPA planning might result in low effectiveness or even deterioration of the existing condition.