Abstract
The Atlantic goliath grouper, Epinephelus itajara (Lichtenstein, 1822), is considered a critically endangered species. Since 2002, fishing, storage, transport, and marketing of E. itajara has been prohibited in Brazil. However, there are records of fishing of E. itajara in the Brazilian state of Pará. This study recorded the illegal sale of E. itajara fillets in the municipality of Bragança, as well as fraud resulting from the substitution of one species for another. Through two distinct molecular procedures, 22 fillet samples sold as Atlantic goliath grouper were investigated. In total, 21 (95.5%) samples were confirmed as belonging to E. itajara and one was not. This demonstrates the weakness in the inspection process, which must be urgently adjusted, and it also revealed the need for a consistent, permanent, and effective program to raise awareness in the community of the damage caused by the illegal purchase and the need to preserve E. itajara.
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All data generated/analyzed during this study are included in this published article.
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Funding
This study was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq – Number 306233/2009-6) and Fundação Amazônia de Amparo a Estudos e Pesquisas (FAPESPA – PRONEX 2007).
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All authors contributed to the development of research. Study design: MV, GCSO. Investigation and methodology: MJSM, CMG, ABOF, MV, GCSO. Writing—original draft: MJSM, GCOS. Writing—review & editing: CMG, ABOF, MV. Project administration: GCSO. Funding acquisition: MV. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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All samples analyzed in this study were obtained and donated by people who do not want to be identified. After the donations, the authors went to the places indicated and visualized the occurrence of the illegal sale. The authors have legal authorization to develop scientific studies with the species E. itajara (MMA/ICMBio /SISBIO: Number 60197-1).
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Matos, M.J.S., Gomes, C.M., Oliveira-Filho, A.B. et al. Genetic material reveals illegal sale in northern Brazil: the case of the critically endangered species Epinephelus itajara. Conservation Genet Resour 13, 389–393 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-021-01221-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-021-01221-8