Biotemas (Dec 2007)
Diagnosis of the vegetation and the use of frontal dunes during the mullet (Mugil brasiliensis) fishing at Pântano do Sul beach, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Abstract
Mullet fishing takes place on Santa Catarina Island, Florianópolis, Brazil in May and June every year. The local fishermen use the frontal dunes in order to spot the shoals out at sea. This study evaluates characteristics of areas of the frontal dunes and the modifications occurring in sections used and unused by the “observers” at Pântano do Sul beach. The locations for sighting, named “Cabrito” and “Areias”, and two control areas were monitored. In each area, at the frontal dune, six permanent transects were determined for the evaluation of vegetation and the presence of trails and waste, before and after the mullet fishing. The areas showed a vegetation cover of around 80% and 69 species of vascular plants, one of which was exotic. From the 15 observations of fishing, in 14 the fishermen used only the Areias site, which is more elevated than Cabrito and offers a better visualization of the shoals. The Cabrito site was not used for visualization in the year in question (2005), and only the trail near this site was used as an access to the beach by the local residents. At the Cabrito site, the human alterations observed included an increase in the trail area (1.7%) and in the waste deposition (3.7% - mainly of domestic materials). At the Areias site, effectively used in the mullet fishing, the environmental impacts due to increase in the trails (0.7%) and waste deposition (0.2%) were lower when compared to the Cabrito site, at least in the year of observation.
