Amazonian fisheries specialists from the University of Tennessee and WCS evaluated the potential of the Ictio platform to improve knowledge on migratory species and fisheries management.
Register on Ictio: Dorado (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii). Photo: Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá.
The Amazon, the world’s largest freshwater system, is home to exceptional biodiversity, including fish species that migrate throughout its sub-basins. These migrations are not only fundamental to fish life, but also facilitate the transfer of nutrients and energy across habitats, playing a crucial role in seed dispersal and the sustainability of local fisheries. In fact, 93% of urban fisheries in the Amazon are based on migratory species.
Migratory fish species are essential for maintaining the integrity of social-ecological systems in the Amazon. However, despite advances in the study of the ecology of these species, knowledge about fish migrations has been limited and scattered, highlighting the need for integrated initiatives to monitor and conserve these fishery resources.
Citizen Science in action
Ictio is a platform for observing Amazonian fish, developed with the collaboration of local and indigenous communities, fishermen, management groups, associations and scientists. Its database and associated applications allow users to record and share fish observations, addressing crucial information gaps for conservation in the Amazon. Not only does it drastically reduce data collection costs,it also empowers citizens as stewards of aquatic ecosystems.
Users have the ability to visualize and share their data, as well as keep a continuous record of the species they catch. accumulated on a large scale, this information allows for a deeper understanding of the migratory patterns of priority species in the Amazon. As of March 31, 2024, Ictio has recorded a total of 108,472 sightings of 119 species or groups of fish, thanks to the collaboration of 708 citizen scientists and various organizations (Read the quarterly report march 2024).
The analysis
Guido Herrera of the University of Tennesse, with the support of Sannie Brum, Guido Miranda and Guillermo Estupiñan of WCS Brasil and WCS Bolivia, evaluated the potential of Ictio to improve knowledge about migratory species and fisheries management. This effort is framed within the objectives of the Amazon Waters Alliance and is part of its strategy to understand the potential of the data obtained through Ictio, using data collected until July 2023.
Main results
The analyses reveal that for 25 taxa prioritized by Ictio, the data provided have increased an average of 74% of recorded occurrences compared to AmazonFish, a database on Amazonian fishes that integrates information available in published articles, books, online databases, museums and universities.
The species with the greatest increase in the number of occurrences are:
- Paiche Arapaima sp
- Gamitana Colossoma macropomum
- Dorado Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii
- Zungaro Zungaro zungaro
- Paco Piaractus brachypomus y doncella Pseudoplatystoma sp
Among the species that stand out for their increased distribution area are:
- Brachyplatystoma
- Salminus sp
- Arapaima sp
- Colossoma macropomum
- Piaractus brachypomus
Ictio has provided valuable knowledge on the distribution of the prioritized taxa in the main sub-basins of the Amazon, such as Juruá, Tapajós, Negro (Branco), Madeira, Marañón and minor tributaries of the main channel. The sub-basins with the highest percentage increase of taxa include: Juruá, Tapajós, Negro (Branco), Marañón, Ucayali and minor tributaries of the main channel.
In addition, measures of fishing effort, such as number of fishermen and duration of fishing, correlate with recorded catches, as expected. These results underscore the potential of Ictio to characterize migratory species distribution patterns and fishery dynamics at the Amazonian scale. The integration of spatial and temporal information, together with a larger number of records, will allow a deeper understanding of migratory patterns for each prioritized species.
