This study indicates the use of Phallusia nigra as a potential biomonitor of mercury contamination. In this way, Hg levels were measured in seawater and different parts of ascidians (tunic, hepatopancreas, and branchial basket) from eight different sites in the Todos os Santos Bay, Salvador-Bahia. The ascidians were lyophilized, weighed, and taken to the DMA-80 (direct mercury analyzer); the method accuracy was confirmed by analyzing the certified material DORM 4 muscle tissue and MEES-3 marine sediment with a confidence level of 95%. The results were evaluated through the Tukey’s test and it was possible to observe a higher concentration of Hg (82.00 312.7 ng g-1) in the branchial basket, followed by the hepatopancreas (69.67 130.7 ng g-1) and tunic (21.63-33.27 ng g-1). Thus, the branchial basket was the only tissue capable of identifying spatial differences in pollution between the points.

Abstract Evaluating effectiveness of marine No-take Zones (NTZ) can be cost or labor prohibitive, thus comparisons to nearby unprotected areas are typically lacking. Two NTZs were evaluated, the waters surrounding Ilha Anchieta State Park and Palmas Island in Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil, for species richness, diversity, and abundance of ichthyofauna, comparing them with two nearby unprotected “Take” Zones. From 23 deployments using Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV), 737 individuals from 51 species of fish were recorded. The NTZ community composition was significantly different from Take Zones, with higher average species richness, abundance, and diversity but similar evenness. Seven species, accounting for more than 72% of the composition differences between Take and NTZs, were more abundant in NTZs. Comparisons of individual sites within each zone showed high variability for the Mar Virado Take Zone, with one site grouped with NTZs at 30% similarity. In parallel, BRUV deployed over a short period was assessed as a potential rapid, low-cost method for analyzing the effectiveness of a marine protected area, important for management of sites in low- and middle-income countries with patchy resource availability. BRUV distinguished significant community structure differences between Take and NTZs, with no difference between sites within each classification. Comparing with BRUV conducted for a longer period at two of the four study sites (MV and PA), our rapid study recorded 44.3% of total species using 28% of the survey effort. Compared with a multi-method survey as a proxy for a record of all potential species present at a third site (AI), BRUV recorded 30% of total species using 4.2% of the survey effort. BRUV showed bias towards size classes >15cm and certain feeding strategies, important to note if assessing a single target species. Overall, this rapid implementation of BRUV showed a clear difference between sites that differed in fishing protection level.

Atualmente a integridade dos recifes de corais está ameaçada por conta de impactos naturais e humanos. Os recifes da costa leste brasileira, que se destacam como os maiores e mais ricos do Oceano Atlântico Sul, não fogem a esta regra. A exploração turística, as práticas de pesca predatória, o aumento da poluição e o desenvolvimento costeiro desordenado representam os principais impactos humanos sobre os recifes. Por conta disso a criação de novas áreas de exclusão de uso (AEUs) se tornaram demandas urgentes e representam a melhor medida para que a conservação desses ecossistemas, considerados como ‘hotspots’ de biodiversidade, seja garantida. A partir disso o objetivo deste trabalho foi definir áreas prioritárias para a implantação de AEUs em um complexo de recifes costeiros localizado na costa leste brasileira (mais especificamente no litoral sul do estado da Bahia, no Arquipélago de Tinharé), os quais estão dentro dos limites de uma área de proteção ambiental (APA estadual das ilhas de Tinharé e Boipeba). Para tanto, aqui nós realizamos um levantamento ecológico detalhado da comunidade bentônica de um conjunto de recifes costeiros e calculamos para cada um destes índices quantitativos de prioridade de conservação (IPC), baseados em atributos ecológicos associados à cobertura de organismos bentônicos chaves (corais, macroalgas, algas filamentosas, algas calcárias ramificadas e incrustantes, esponjas e zoantídeos), e também em índices quantitativos relacionados à riqueza de espécies de corais e à idade média dos recifes em questão. De acordo com o IPC, cinco recifes foram classificados como recifes de alta prioridade de conservação. A grande extensão territorial da franja recifal adjacente às ilhas de Tinharé e Boipeba justifica a criação de duas AEUs com formato retangular (formato mais eficiente para esse tipo de unidade de conservação, segundo a literatura especializada). Sugerimos a implantação de duas áreas com 12 km2, abrangendo dois recifes considerados como de alta prioridade de conservação localizados na ilha de Tinharé (Boca da Barra Norte e Sul) e um recife localizado na ilha de Boipeba (Ponta dos Castelhanos). A partir desse arranjo, dois dos recifes classificados como de alta prioridade para conservação, respectivamente Piscina de Moreré e Tassimirim (ambos localizados na ilha de Boipeba), extensivamente usados pelas populações locais (exploração pesqueira e uso turístico), não seriam contemplados pelas AEUs. Ressaltamos que a efetividade da conservação desses ecossistemas depende, também, da aceitação e participação popular e do combate às ações antropogênicas destrutivas, relacionadas na região às práticas de pesca destrutiva e turismo exploratório.

Coral reef integrity is currently threatened by natural and human activities. The reefs of the eastern Brazilian coast, which stand out as the largest and richest of the South Atlantic Ocean, are not an exception. Tourism exploitation, destructive fishing practices, increased pollution and uncontrolled coastal development are the major human impacts on reefs. The creation of new no-taken zones (NTZs) has thus become an urgent issue because NTZs represent the best measure to guarantee the conservation of reef ecosystems, which are considered biodiversity hotspots. The objective of this work was to define priority areas for implementing NTZs in a coastal reef complex located on the eastern Brazilian coast (southern coast of Bahia State, in the Tinharé Archipelago), which is within an environmental protection area (Tinharé and Boipeba Islands State Environmental Protection Area [‘Área de Proteção Ambiental Estadual das Ilhas de Tinharé e Boipeba’]). Here we performed a detailed ecological survey of the benthic community in a set of coastal reefs and calculated quantitative conservation priority indices (CPIs) based on ecological attributes associated with the cover of key benthic organisms (corals, macroalgae, filamentous algae, branching and encrusting calcareous algae, sponges and zoanthids) and quantitative indices related to coral species richness and the mean age of the reefs in question. Five coral reefs were classified as high priority for conservation. The large spatial extent of the adjacent fringing reefs of the islands of Tinharé and Boipeba justifies the creation of two rectangular NTZs. We recommend therefore the implementation of two 12 km2 areas spanning two reefs considered of high conservation priority located on the island of Tinharé (“Boca da Barra Norte and Sul”) and one reef located on the island of Boipeba (“Ponta dos Castelhanos”). With this design, two of the reefs that were classified as high priority for conservation, “Piscinas de Moreré” and “Tassimirim” (Boipeba), which are extensively used by local populations (for fishing and tourism), would not be covered by the NTZs. The effectiveness of the conservation of these ecosystems also depends on popular acceptance and participation and on combating destructive anthropogenic activities in the region, which include destructive fishing practices and exploratory tourism.

O método do vídeo-transecto consiste em uma filmagem do fundo marinho ao longo de uma seção linear, e as imagens são posteriormente analisadas, em laboratório, na tela de um computador. Este método foi aplicado pela primeira vez no Brasil nos recifes do interior da Baía de Todos os Santos, com resultados satisfatórios. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar qual seria o menor esforço amostral na aplicação do vídeo transecto para avaliar a comunidade de coral do recife Pedra do Silva, no complexo de recifes dos Itacolomis, na Reserva Extrativista Marinha de Corumbau, no sul do estado da Bahia. Cada transécto foi analisado em toda a sua extensão em quadros sucessivos gerados com o congelamento da imagem na tela de um computador. Os resultados obtidos apontam o número de seis transéctos de 20 m de comprimento para uma análise de vinte pontos por quadro como adequada para a identificação taxonômica das principais categorias dos corais construtores e dos componentes da biota bentônica dos recifes, podendo toda a operação ser executada durante apenas um mergulho por local de amostragem.

The video-transect method consists of a field survey performed with a video-camera along a line of fixed length, with the registered images further analyzed using a computer. This method was successfully applied in Brazil for the first time in the coral reefs of Todos os Santos Bay. The main goal of this work was to define the minimum sampling effort needed to describe the coral community when the video-transect method was applied to a selected reef site, namely the Pedra do Silva Reef in the Itacolomis reef complex, inside the Corumbau Marine Extractive Reserve, in Southern Bahia. Each transect was analyzed throughout its length, in successive captured video frames. The findings revealed that six 20 m long transects with an analysis of twenty points per image (frame) was sufficient for sampling the broad taxonomic categories of hard corals and major reef benthos, and that the whole field operation could be performed during one dive per station.