Soares, Ana Lúcia Furtado, and Jabado, Rima W. (2024) Fisher perceptions of catch and trade of sharks and rays in Angolan small‐scale fisheries. Aquatic Conservation: marine and freshwater ecosystems, 34 (5). e4168.

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Abstract

Small-scale fisheries ensure food security and employment in Angolan coastal communities. These dynamic, widespread fisheries remain mostly unregulated, with limited data available despite their likely significant impact on marine megafauna. We used an interview-based survey to investigate local fisher interactions with elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) and gather information on utilization, trade and perceptions. All fishers (n = 83) landed elasmobranchs. Most fishers considered sharks as bycatch (74.7%, n = 62), while 100% targeted rays (Order Myliobatiformes), and 62.8% (n = 52) targeted guitarfishes (Order Rhinopristiformes). Over 80% of fishers reported declining catches and sizes of elasmobranchs over the last 30 years, raising concerns about the sustainability of these fisheries. Utilization and trade routes varied depending on elasmobranch products, with exports to China (fins) and local market sales (meat). Specifically, 8.4% (n = 5) of fishers confirmed meat and fin exports to China (4.8%, n = 3). The protection of sharks was considered by 32.5% (n = 30) of respondents, while 21.7% (n = 18) believed only certain shark species should be protected. Most respondents reported that rays (80.5%, n = 67) and guitarfishes (61%, n = 51) should not be protected. Regarding the ban on fishing, none considered it for ray species, with only 6.1% (n = 5) supporting this idea for guitarfishes. We highlight the lack of elasmobranch-specific conservation measures and the need for a multi-pronged approach to inform policy. Considering the scale of these fisheries, management actions need to be urgently developed and implemented to ensure the sustainability of elasmobranch fisheries while securing the livelihoods of coastal communities.

Item ID:	85882
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1099-0755
Copyright Information:	This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2024 The Authors. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Date Deposited:	18 Jun 2025 01:00
FoR Codes:	30 AGRICULTURAL, VETERINARY AND FOOD SCIENCES > 3005 Fisheries sciences > 300505 Fisheries management @ 33% 41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4104 Environmental management > 410401 Conservation and biodiversity @ 34% 31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3103 Ecology > 310305 Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) @ 33%
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