SCRS/2007/170 Collect. Vol. Sci. Pap.

ICCAT, 62(5): 1662-1670 (2008)

THE WAHOO ACANTHOCYBIUM SOLANDRI FISHERY

IN THE VICINITY OF THE SAINT PETER AND SAINT PAUL
ARCHIPELAGO, BRAZIL, FROM 1998 TO 2006

D.L. Viana, F.H.V. Hazin, D. Nunes, F. Carvalho, D. Véras, P. Travassos

SUMMARY

The Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago (SPSPA), located in the mid-equatorial Atlantic Ocean
(00°55’10”N and 029°20’35”W), at 510 nautical miles from the Brazilian coast (Rio Grande do Norte
State), is an important fishing ground inside the Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ) of northeast Brazil,
with important catches of yellowfin tuna, flying-fish and wahoo. The objective of the present paper was
to describe the wahoo fishery developed in the vicinity of the SPSPA. To that aim, data from 213
landings of commercial tuna fishing vessels operating around SPSPA between July 1998 and December
2006 were examined. The total catch increased from 1998 on, reaching a peak of 262 t, in 2004, and
decreased after that to 192 t and 181 t, in 2005 and 2006, respectively. The main species caught were
tunas (905 t; 55.7%), wahoo (333 t; 20.6%), flying-fish (208 t; 12.8%), sharks (78 t; 4.8%), and others
(100 t; 6.1%). Higher catches of wahoo were observed mainly during the first and third quarter of the
year.

RÉSUMÉ

L’archipel de Saint Pierre et de Saint Paul (SPSPA), situé dans l’Océan Atlantique mi-équatorial
(00°55’10”N et 029°20’35”W), à 510 milles nautiques de la côte brésilienne (état de Rio Grande do
Norte), est une importante zone de pêche de la Zone Economique Exclusive (ZEE) du Nord-Est
brésilien, comptant de fortes prises d’albacore, d’exocets et de thazard bâtard. Le présent document
visait à décrire la pêcherie de thazard bâtard développée aux alentours de SPSPA. A cet effet, on a
examiné les données issues de 213 débarquements de thoniers commerciaux opérant à proximité de
SPSPA, entre juillet 1998 et décembre 2006. La prise totale a augmenté à partir de 1998, avec un
maximum de 262 t en 2004, diminuant par la suite pour atteindre 192 t et 181 t, en 2005 et 2006,
respectivement. Les principales espèces capturées étaient des thonidés (905 t; 55,7%), des thazards
bâtards (333 t; 20,6%), des exocets (208 t; 12,8%), des requins (78 t; 4,8%) et d’autres espèces (100 t;
6,1%). Les plus fortes prises de thazard bâtard ont surtout été observées au cours du premier et du
troisième trimestre.

RESUMEN

El archipiélago de San Pedro y San Pablo, situado en el océano Atlántico medio-ecuatorial

(00°55’10”N y 029°20’35”W), a 510 millas náuticas de la costa de Brasil (Estado de Rio Grande do
Norte), es un importante caladero dentro de la Zona Económica Exclusiva (ZEE) del noreste de Brasil,
con capturas importantes de rabil, peces voladores y peto. El objetivo del presente documento es
describir la pesquería de peto desarrollada en las proximidades del archipiélago. Con este fin, se
examinaron datos procedentes de 213 desembarques de buques pesqueros atuneros comerciales que
operan alrededor del archipiélago, entre julio de 1998 y diciembre de 2006. La captura total aumentó
desde 1998 en adelante, alcanzando un pico de 262 t en 2004, y descendió después hasta 192 t y 181 t
en 2005 y 2006 respectivamente. Las principales especies capturadas era túnidos (905 t; 55,7%), peto
(333 t; 20,6%), peces voladores (208 t; 12,8%), tiburones (78 t; 4,8%) y otros (100 t; 6,1%). Se
observaron mayores capturas de peto fundamentalmente durante el primer y tercer trimestre del año.

KEYWORDS

Fishing activity, fishing grounds, catch composition, catch statiscs

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1. Introduction

Wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) is an oceanic pelagic species found in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans,
including the Caribean and Mediterranean seas (Collette and Nauem, 1983; Hogarth, 1976; Oxenford et al.,
2003). It inhabits tropical and subtropical waters, where it is normally found near the surface, harvesting flying-
fish, squids and others preys (Collette e Nauen, 1983). A member of the Scombridae family and reaching up to
210cm and 80kg, wahoo is one of the most important species caught in tropical oceans, holding a high
commercial value.

The species, found along the entire Brazilian coast, is important to both artisanal and large scale oceanic
fisheries, being regularly caught off the continental shelf and around seamounts and islands (Vaske et al., 2006),
which are a common feature in the sea bottom relief off northeast Brazil (e.g. Fernando de Noronha Chain, the
North Brazil Chain, and Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago).

The Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago (SPSPA) is a group of rocky islands located near the equator
(00o55'10"N, 029o20'35"W), 510 nm from the Brazilian coast (Rio Grande do Norte State) and 282 nm from
Fernando de Noronha archipelago. Resulting from a transversal fracture of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, it has an
emerged area of about 7,500m2, distributed among 15 little islands located inside a circle of 420m of diameter.
Belmonte is the large one, where the highest point of the archipelago is located, with about 18m above sea level
(Campos et al., 2005).

In consequence of it high biological productivity, the vicinity of SPSPA is an important fishing gound for
Brazilian vessels based in the northeast Brazilian coast, (Hazin, 1993; Travassos, et al 1998), having important
catches of yellowfin tuna, flying-fish and wahoo. The main aim of the present paper, therefore, was to describe
the wahoo fishery developed in the vicinity of SPSPA, with the hope that the information provided may
contribute to the management and the conservation of this important fish resource.

2. Material and methods

The present study was based on landing data from 6 tuna fishing boats, which operated around SPSPA and
unloaded their catch in Natal port, between July 1998 and December 2006 (Table 1). This fleet employs various
fishing gears, including pelagic longline, hand-line, and trolling, the last being the one most used to catch wahoo.

Catch per Unit of Effort (CPUE) was used as an abundance index. Yearly and monthly mean CPUE were
estimated in weight of fish caught by days of fishing by boat. Size data (fork length) of wahoo caught in SPSPA
were obtained immediately after the fish were boarded by the commercial vessels, during scientific expeditions
done to the SPSPA, to allow an in loco observation of the commercial fishing operations. Statistical analyses
(non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test) were made to evaluate the differences between CPUE means.

3. Results

The fishing activity in the vicinity of SPSPA is carried out within a radius of about 10 nm from the archipelago,
by vessels of about 20 m in length overall, operating with longline, hand-line and trolling, depending on the
target species (Vaske et al., 2006). Trolling is the main gear used to fish for wahoo around SPSPA. This fishing
method is used during day-time, mainly at sun rising and sunset, with each fishing boat employing commonly 5
trolled lines, about 30m long each, and cruising at low speed. The gear is composed by two segments: the first
one, about 10m long, is made of a 3-mm multifilament line, whilst the second, composed of nylon
monofilament, varying from 1.4 to 2.0mm in diameter, is about 20 m long. Mustad Hooks, Nº 611, 612 or 616,
are normally used.

The pooled yearly landings for all species caught in SPSPA increased from 1998 on, reaching a peak of 179 t in
2000, decreasing then to 139 t in 2001. A new rise was observed up to 2004, when a maximum value of 262t was
recorded. In the two most recent years, 2005 and 2006, the catches decreased again, reaching 192t and 181 t,
respectively (Figure 2). In relation to wahoo, catches remained relatively steady between 1998 and 2002, at
around 30 t (except for the year of 2002, when 48t were landed). After that year on, an increasing trend was
observed, reaching the maximum value of 50 t in 2006 (Figure 2).

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The catches included 20 species belonging to 8 families of fish, among which the Scombridae family (77.0%)
was the most frequent one. The most important fish caught (in weight) were tunas (55.7%), mainly yellowfin
tuna, and wahoo (20.6%). Flying-fish and sharks contributed to 12.8% and 4.8% of the total catch, respectively.
Other species, including rainbow runner (Elagatis bipinnulata), black jack (Caranx lugubris), dolphin fish
(Coryphaena hippurus), billfishes (Istiophorus albicans, Makaira nigricans, Tetrapturus albidus), swordfish
(Xiphias gladius), contributed with 6.1% of the total catch. The monthly distribution of wahoo landings showed
highest values between July and September, corresponding to austral winter, and in January-February, during
southern summer (Figure 6).

The yearly mean CPUE of wahoo remained relatively stable throughout the studied period, oscillating around
70 kg/ boat/ day, with a minimum of 40 kg/ boat/ day, in 1999, and a maximum of 100 kg/ boat/ day, in 2002
(Fig. 3). The yearly mean CPUE values along the period were, nevertheless, found to be significantly different
(Kruskal-Wallis, F= 3.11; p= 0,022). The quarterly mean CPUE, in turn, was significantly lower during the 2nd
quarter of the year, reaching the highest values during the 1st (2001, 2006) and 3rd quarters (remaining years)
(Fig. 4) (Kruskal-Wallis, F= 2.43; p= 0,001) (Figure 5).

From January to August, a gradual increase in the size of wahoo caught in SPSPA was observed, with an
apparent displacement of the size-class mode from 100-110 cm to 130-140 cm. From August on, though, the
mode remained in the same size class (Figure 7).

4. Discussion

The fishing activity developed around SPSPA by Braziian tuna vessels started in 1988, when some boats based
in Natal began to fish tunas and tuna like-fishes using hand-line as a fishing gear and flying-fish (Cypselurus
cyanopterus) as bait (Travassos, 1999). Presently, fishing vessels based in Natal and Recife are operating near
ASPSP, having yellow-fin tuna and wahoo as their main target-species.

The yearly landings of wahoo caught in association with the SPSPA was relatively stable along the years studies,
with a minor increase in 2002. The reason for that, though, is not clear from the data available, since the number
of vessels operating in the area was similar to other years, while the number of landings was indeed less than
those of 2003 and 2006. The relative stability of wahoo CPUE along the studied period seems to indicate a little
variance of the species abundance in the area. Nevertheless, Oliveira et al. (1977), based on the catch results
obtained during a research cruise, estimated a catch rate of about 264 kg/boat/ fishing day around SPSPA, a
much higher value, therefore, than the highest yearly mean observed in the present work (100 kg/boat/ fishing
day). This apparent reduction may have been caused by the development of the fishing activity in that area,
although such a straight comparison is greatly hindered by the various differences in the dynamics of the
commercial fishing fleet and a research vessel.

The monthly landings of wahoo in the SPSPA, from July 1998 to December 2006, show that the highest catches
happen during winter/early spring and summer. In Canary Islands, where the wahoo is also frequently caught,
catches are higher during spring and autumn (Cabrera 1973 apud Mena et al, 1993), with two peaks of relative
abundance along the year, a situation that resembles the one found in the present study. Mena et al. (1993) also
reported that, in spite of a noticeable seasonal variation of catches, the species is present in the Canary Island all
year long, such as in SPSPA.

According to Oliveira et al. (1997), from 1994 through 1996, 411t of fish were caught around SPSPA. Of these,
the flying-fish accounted for 41.7%, tunas for 30.6% and wahoo for only 10.8%. From 1998 on, therefore, there
seemed to be a clear inversion of the predominant species, with the participation of flying-fish in the catches, by
weight, dropping to only 13%, while the percentage of tunas increased to 56%. The causes for such inversion are
not clear, but might be related either to a reduction in abundance/ availability of flying-fish, or to a different
targeting strategy of the fishing fleet, aiming more at tunas, due to their much higher commercial value, in
association with improvements in fishing technology and methods.

A great abundance of shark species in the vicinity of the SPSPA has been reported in the past, by several authors
(Fitzroy, 1839; Ross, 1847; Niccol, 1908; Wild, 1923; Swire, 1938; Tressler et al. 1956 apud Edwards &
Lubbock, 1980). The very small catches of sharks observed in the present work, therefore, might indicate an
important reduction of the shark population in that area, due to the commercial fishing, targeting more valuable
fish species, as already speculated by other studies (Edwards & Lubbock, 1980).

1664
Information on catch composition of the fish caught in the proximity of SPSPA, including its historical changes,
is very scanty. Such information, however, is crucial to assess the impact of the fishing activity on the fish stocks
present in that area. Although most of the species caught are distributed over a much wider area in the Atlantic
Ocean, an excessive fishing effort concentrated around the SPSPA might cause a local depletion of the exploited
stocks, with undesirable ecological and socio-economic losses. Besides, for those species that spawn in the
vicinity of the archipelago, the fishing mortality could have a more significant impact, since it would be affecting
primarily the spawning stock biomass. Such a risk is particularly high for species with a more restricted
distribution, which could then be easily wiped out from the area, as it seems to have been the case of a shark
population, possibly Carcharhinus galapagensis, once very abundant around SPSPA, and no longer present
there (Edwards & Lubbock, 1980). We hope that the results hereby presented can contribute for a more efficient
management of the fishing activity around Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, in order to assure the long
term sustainability of the exploited stocks, as well as of the fishery depending on them.

Acknowledgements

This work was made possible by the Secretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture (SEAP) of the Brazilian
Government and the Brazilian Research Council (CNPq).

Literature cited

CAMPOS, T.F.C., J. Virgens Neto, N.K. Srivastava, R.A. Petta, L.A. Hartmann, J.F.S. Moraes, L. Mendes,
S.R.M. Silveira. 2005. Arquipélago de São Pedro e São Paulo. Soerguimento tectônico de rochas
infracrustais no Oceano Atlântico. In: Sítios Geológicos do Brasil.
<http://www.unb.br/ig/sigep/sitio002/sitio002.pdf>

COLLETTE, B. B. & NAUEN, C. E. 1983. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 2. Scombrids of the World: An
annotated and illustrated catalogue of tunas, mackerels, bonitos and related species know to date. FAO
Fisheries Synopsis, vol. 2: 137.

EDWARDS, A.J., R. Lubbock. 1980. Voyage to St. Paul`s Rocks. George. Mag.52: 561-567.

HAZIN, F.H.V. 1993. Fisheries oceanographical study on tuna, billfishes and sharks in the southwestern
equatorial Atlantic Ocean. Tese de Doutorado, Tokyo Universit of Fisheries, Tokyo, 286.

HOGARTH, W.T. 1976. Life history aspects of the wahoo Acanthocybium solandri (Curvier and Valenciennes)
from the coast of North Carolina. PhD Thesis, North Carolina State University, NC, USA, 119.

MENA, J., A. Brito, J.A. Gonzales, F.M. Rodriguez, J.M. Falcon. 1993. Pesca del Peto Acanthocybium solandri
(Cuvier, 1832), en las islas Canarias. Boletin Instituto Espanol de Oceanografia 9 (2). 305-312.

OLIVEIRA, G.M., J.E.V. Evangelista, B.P. Ferreira. 1997. Considerações sobre a biologia e a pesca no
Arquipélago dos Penedos de São Pedro e São Paulo. Boletim técnico cientifico, v-5, CEPENE,
Tamandaré-PE. 16.

OXENFORD, H.A., P.A. Murray, B.E. Luckhust. 2003. The biology of wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) in the
western central Atlantic. Gulf and Caribbean Research. Vol. 15. 33-39.

TRAVASSOS, P.E.P.F. 1999. L’étude dês relations thons-environnement dans l’océan Atlantique intertropical
ouest: cas’ de l’albacore (Thunnus albacares, Bonnaterre 1788), du germon (Thunnus alalunga,
Bonnaterre 1788) et du thon obèse (Thunnus obesus, Lowe 1839). Universite Paris. 235.

VASKE Jr, T., R.P. Lessa, M.F. Nóbrega, F.M.D. Amaral, S.R.M. Silveira. 2006. Arquipélago de São Pedro e
São Paulo: Histórico e recursos naturais. Editora Livro Rápido - Elógica, Olinda - PE, Brasil. 191.

1665
Table 1. Yearly distribution of landings of fish caught by fishing boats operating in the vicinity of the Saint
Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, from July 1998 to December 2006.

Boats/ Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Total
Transmar I 8 11 8 12 10 12 7 9 10 87
Transmar II 8 10 9 8 7 9 51
Transmar III 3 2 1 2 4 8 7 27
Alfa 1 2 5 5 2 15
Namorado 6 15 9 30
Marlin II 2 2

Total 14 26 21 22 23 28 24 26 28 212

Figure 1. Geographical location of the Archipelago of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

1666
 300 60

250
50

Landings wahoo (t)

200
Landings (t)
40

150

30
100

20
50

0 10
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Year
Total Wahoo
Figure 2. Yearly landings of all species combined and of wahoo, caught in the vicinity of the Saint Peter and
Saint Paul Archipelago, from July 1998 to December 2006.

140

120
CPUE (kg/boat/day) .

100

80

60

40

20

0
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Ano

CPUE

Figure 3. Yearly mean CPUE of wahoo caught in the vicinity of the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago,
from July 1998 to December 2006 (vertical bars indicate standard deviation).

1667
 140 120

120 100

CPUE (kg/boat/day
100
80
Landings (t)

80
60
60
40
40

20 20

0 0
I II III IV
Quarter

Landings CPUE
Figure 4. Quarterly distribution of landings of wahoo caught in the vicinity of the Saint Peter and Saint Paul
Archipelago, from July 1998 to December 2006 (vertical bars indicate standard deviation).

25000

20000
Landings (kg)

15000

10000

5000

0
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Year

I II III IV

Figure 5. Quarterly distribution, per year, of landings of wahoo caught in the vicinity of the Saint Peter and
Saint Paul Archipelago, from July 1998 to December 2006 (vertical bars indicate standard deviation).

1668
 8000

Landings (kg) 6000

4000

2000

0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Months

Figure 6. Monthly distribution of landings of wahoo caught in the vicinity of the Saint Peter and Saint Paul
Archipelago, from July 1998 to December 2006 (vertical bars indicate standard deviation).

1669
 40
30
Jan- feb
20
10
0

40
30 Mar-apr
20
10
0

40
May-jun
AbsoluteFfre quency

30
20
10
0

40
30 Jul-aug
20
10
0

40
30
Sep-oct
20
10
0

40
Nov-dec
30
20
10
0
60-70
70-80
80-90
90-100
100-110
110-120
120-130
130-140
140-150
150-160
160-170
170-180
180-190
190-200

Length Class (cm)

Figure 7. Bimonthly length frequency (ZL) distribution of wahoo specimens caught in the vicinity of the Saint
Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, from July 1998 to December 2006 (n= 1,500 specimens)(arrow indicates the
mode).

1670