Tropical small-scale fisheries (SSFs) are characterised by their multidimensionality (fleets, gears, habitats, and species). As many targeted species move between habitats throughout their life cycle, managing coexisting fleets exploiting the same resource is challenging. However, the SSFs operating over multiple habitats target a variety of species and sizes and could benefit from a management strategy such as balanced harvest (BH)—harvesting all species and sizes in proportion to their production rate. To test this hypothesis, we characterised the fishing pattern (distribution of overall fishing pressure on species and sizes) of northeast Brazil SSFs targeting migratory species along an estuarine-shelf break gradient. Specifically, we described the relative captures by gear type and developed a conceptual model to understand fishers’ strategies. All ontogenetic classes of the twelve selected species were caught along the estuary-shelf break gradient, achieving a fishing pattern in line with BH. Young individuals and low trophic level species predominated in most gears. In that context, size limitations would not be sufficient to prevent overfishing and could prejudice the fleets that target small sizes. An ecosystem-based approach like BH, aiming to regulate the overall fishing pressure and consistent with the existing fishing pattern, should instead be promoted.

中文翻译：

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平衡收获作为热带小规模渔业的潜在管理战略

热带小规模渔业 (SSF) 的特点是其多维性（船队、渔具、栖息地和物种）。由于许多目标物种在其整个生命周期中在栖息地之间移动，管理利用相同资源的共存船队具有挑战性。然而，在多个栖息地运营的 SSF 以各种物种和大小为目标，并且可以从平衡收获 (BH) 等管理策略中受益——按照其生产率的比例收获所有物种和大小。为了验证这一假设，我们描述了巴西东北部 SSF 沿河口-陆架断裂梯度针对洄游物种的捕捞模式（总体捕捞压力对物种和大小的分布）。具体来说，我们描述了按渔具类型的相对捕获量，并开发了一个概念模型来理解渔民的策略。沿河口-陆架断裂梯度捕获了 12 个选定物种的所有个体发育类别，实现了符合 BH 的捕鱼模式。在大多数齿轮中，年轻个体和低营养级物种占主导地位。在这种情况下，规模限制不足以防止过度捕捞，并可能损害以小规模为目标的船队。应该提倡像 BH 这样的基于生态系统的方法，旨在调节整体捕捞压力并与现有捕捞模式保持一致。规模限制不足以防止过度捕捞，并可能损害以小规模为目标的船队。应该提倡像 BH 这样的基于生态系统的方法，旨在调节整体捕捞压力并与现有捕捞模式保持一致。规模限制不足以防止过度捕捞，并可能损害以小规模为目标的船队。应该提倡像 BH 这样的基于生态系统的方法，旨在调节整体捕捞压力并与现有捕捞模式保持一致。