The inland fisheries sector is central for subsistence in many regions worldwide. The exploitation of fish resources is expected to increase along with the growing human population, with underlying conservation issues in regions with high biodiversity value. The small fishery of the Maroni River, French Guiana, is a hotspot of biodiversity and endemism where resource depletion is suspected. We surveyed 754 boat landings in seven villages located in the upper half of the watershed, representing > 6300 fish during the study period (November 2013 - September 2014). Fishers used canoes with outboard engines almost exclusively (75 %) and fished within 32 km of their villages. Most fish were caught in trammel nets (81 %); the 20 most-landed species represented more than 87 % of catches. Depending on the village, daily catches and biomass averaged 6–14 fish and 1.7−13 kg per boat landing, respectively. Seven control sites located outside of the fishing grounds were fished to identify potential differences in catch per unit effort and fish size. Per 100 m² of trammel net, mean catches ranged from 4 to 13 and 8–29 fish in the villages and control sites, respectively, while fish biomass ranged from 0.9 to 4 and 3.2−7 kg in villages and control sites, respectively. For all species combined, fish caught at control sites were bigger than those landed in villages. This difference was significant for nine of the most-landed species. Differences in fishing techniques and fish catches between villages illustrated the gradual disappearance of the ancestral subsistence fishing. Our results support indications that the fish community in the upper Maroni River is harvested intensively, address the issue of sustainability of the fishery there, and call attention to the need to conserve the river’s remarkable biodiversity.

内陆渔业是世界许多地区维持生计的中心。鱼类资源的开发预计将随着人口的增长而增加，在具有高生物多样性价值的地区存在潜在的保护问题。法属圭亚那马罗尼河的小渔场是生物多样性和地方特有的热点地区，人们怀疑那里资源枯竭。在调查期间（2013年11月至2014年9月），我们对位于分水岭上半部的七个村庄的754艘船进行了调查，共计6300多条鱼类。渔民几乎完全（75％）使用独木舟和舷外发动机，并在其村庄的32公里范围内捕鱼。大多数鱼被捕获在漏网中（81％）；20个最着陆的物种占渔获量的87％以上。取决于村庄，每天每条船着陆的平均每日捕捞量和生物量分别为6-14条鱼和1.7-13 kg。对位于渔场外部的七个控制点进行了捕鱼，以查明每单位努力量和鱼的大小的潜在差异。每100 m²的践踏网，在村庄和控制点的平均捕获量分别为4到13和8–29鱼类，而在村庄和控制点的鱼类生物量分别为0.9到4和3.2-7千克。就所有物种而言，在控制地点捕捞的鱼类比在村落捕捞的鱼类要大。对于最着陆的物种中的9个而言，这种差异是显着的。村庄之间捕鱼技术和渔获量的差异说明了祖先维持生计捕鱼的逐渐消失。我们的研究结果表明，马罗尼河上游的鱼类群落被密集捕捞，解决了该地区渔业可持续性的问题，并提请人们注意保护该河流卓越的生物多样性的必要性。