On the relationship between oil exploitation and marine fi sheries off Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

Abstract

The exploitation of oil and gas is carried out intensively on the Campos oil-  field, northern Rio de Janeiro State,  Brazil, an area where small-scale and industrial  fisheries of important regional  fishing resources are exerted, namely,  Brazilian sardinela,  Sardinella brasiliensis ; brown shrimp,  Farfantepenaeus spp.; skipjack tuna,  Katsuwonus  pelamis ; black grouper, Mycteroperca bonaci ; tile fish,  Lopholatilus vilarii ; snowy grouper,  Epinephelus niveatus ; red grouper,  Epinephelus marginatus ; sandperch,  Pseudopercis numida ;  and Sciaenidae demersal  fish. This research  work was designed to investigate the impact of oil exploitation activities on the abundance of the above-mentioned species.  Its results are as follows: (a) the oil exploitation was found to hold no direct bearing upon the  fi sheries for Brazilian  sardinella and brown shrimp; (b) the oil exploitation was found to hold a direct bearing upon the  fisheries for hook-and- line caught  fish, skipjack tuna and Sciaenidae demersal  fish; (c) the interaction between oil exploitation and  fishing was  deemed beneficial because of the power of attraction of  fish by  floating metallic oil-rig structures and the increase of water- carried nutrients to the surface; (d) such benefits, though, are minimized by the imposition of a zone of exclusion for hook- and-line, live bait and trawling  fleet operations on the area under the influence of Cabo Frio upwelling.