Bycatch and discard rates assessment of the gillnet fishery in the southern Brazil

The fisheries discard patterns are an important element to be considered in stock assessment, fisheries management, and conservation measures. Using data collected by scientific observers on board, we analysed the bycatch and discard rates of the pelagic and bottom gillnet fishing in southern Brazil. Bottom gillnet was responsible for discarding from 77 taxa; 35 % of the discarded biomass was composed of teleost fishes, 33 % of elasmobranchs, and 22 % of other taxa. Pelagic gillnet, targeting the Pomatomus saltatrix, resulted in the discard of 13 species and taxa not identified at the species level, such as Cnidaria and Malacostraca. The most discarded fish species was Brevoortia pectinata, constituting 94.8 % of the total discarded biomass. The discard rate of bottom gillnets targeting Micropogonias furnieri was higher (20 %) than that of those targeting the demersal species (6 %), such as Cynoscion guatucupa (formely Cynoscion striatus) and Umbrina canosai. The high biomass proportion and numerous discarded species emphasize the need for effective management through temporal and spatial fishing restrictions. Our findings suggest potential measures, including the closure of fishing areas in coastal waters.