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The fishing industry has been facing problems related to catch yields, predatory competition and economic collapse. Management should be based on substantial scientific studies and the state's ability to implement these. In Brazil, the surface longline fishery has been in existence since the 1950s, and remains of great economic importance. This study analyzes 179 legal instruments (1934–2014), divided into restrictive, administrative and promotional, comparing with catches landed (1996–2011). The results show that there was a complete disrespect for the regulations, wherein fleets continued landing prohibited or size limited species, such as Kajikia albida , Makaira nigricans , Alopias superciliosus , A. vulpinus , Carcharhinus longimanus , Galeorhinus galeus and Xiphias gladius . Furthermore, divergent regulatory provisions have hindered understanding/implementation of regulations by all those involved. Being a country of continental proportions and with different longline fisheries along the coast, conducting scientific studies and the development of normative approaches becomes a huge challenge. In a dynamic activity such as fishing, the constant review of these regulations will allow fisheries management to become more accurate and in accordance with the aspirations of the different interests involved. Despite the surface longline fishery having operated for 60 years in Brazil, the existence of incongruous laws makes the management and control of this activity incompatible with the conservation of species. The lack of regulations governing this fishery creates a "gap", increasing the risk of extinction of species (target and bycatch) and the future collapse of this activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which discusses the existence of golden mussel Limnoperna fortunei in fish diets in the river basins of south-eastern Brazil. The study is investigated by stereoscopic microscope, Alimentary Importance Index (IAi), and Peterson ground picker. Results show that Leporinus obtusidens, L. friderici and Piaractus mesopotamicus were the important predators of Limnoperna fortunei.

We performed an experimental manipulation of trahira Hoplias aff. malabaricus in a series of isolated lakes of the upper Paraná River floodplain to evaluate its short-term impact on the structure of fish assemblages. The effects of trahira density (treatment groups: addition, removal, and reference) in two habitat categories (open and macrophyte-covered areas) on attributes of the fish assemblage structure were evaluated (using rm-ANOVA) over 120 days. Reductions in species richness were recorded in all assemblages and were more pronounced at the end of the experiment within macrophyte-covered areas of the lakes where H. aff. malabaricus was removed. In these lakes, the number of fish was also significantly smaller and evenness was significantly higher than in those in which trahira were added or maintained at natural densities. The increase of the relative abundance of all size classes over the first 60 days on the assemblages where trahira was present, and the decrease of the small-sized fish where trahira was absent contributed to the lack of pronounced alterations in total biomass. The absence of the predator from its preferred habitat was found to negatively affect the less abundant species, which seemed to be highly sensitive to the effects of interspecific competition among prey species. In addition to the well-known effects of hydrological seasonality, the role played by native predators might be important in determining the persistence of local species in the fish assemblages of Neotropical floodplains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trachelyopterus lucenai (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae) is an invasive fish in restinga of Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul State, southern Brazil. In April 2007 remains of T. lucenai were found in the stomach of an individual of Lontra longicaudis which was run over near a pluvial channel in the restinga area. The present record contributes to the knowledge on otters predation on exotic/invasive species in aquatic environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Sea anemones contain a variety of biologically active substances. Bunodosoma caissarum is a sea anemone from the Cnidaria phylum, found only in Brazilian coastal waters. The aim of the present work was to study the biological effects of PLA2 isolated from the sea anemone B. caissarum on the isolated perfused kidney, the arteriolar mesenteric bed and on insulin secretion. Specimens of B. caissarum were collected from the São Vicente Channel on the southern coast of the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Reverse phase HPLC analysis of the crude extract of B. caissarum detected three PLA 2 proteins (named BcPLA21, BcPLA22 and BcPLA23) found to be active in B. caissarum extracts. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry of BcPLA21 showed one main peak at 14.7kDa. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of BcPLA21 showed high amino acid sequence identity with PLA2 group III protein isolated from the Mexican lizard (PA23 HELSU, HELSU, PA22 HELSU) and with the honey bee Apis mellifera (PLA2 and 1POC_A). In addition, BcPLA21 also showed significant overall homology to bee PLA2. The enzymatic activity induced by native BcPLA21 (20μg/well) was reduced by chemical treatment with p-bromophenacyl bromide (p-BPB) and with morin. BcPLA21 strongly induced insulin secretion in presence of high glucose concentration. In isolated kidney, the PLA2 from B. caissarum increased the perfusion pressure, renal vascular resistance, urinary flow, glomerular filtration rate, and sodium, potassium and chloride levels of excretion. BcPLA21, however, did not increase the perfusion pressure on the mesenteric vascular bed. In conclusion, PLA2, a group III phospholipase isolated from the sea anemone B. caissarum, exerted effects on renal function and induced insulin secretion in conditions of high glucose concentration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract  Recent studies show that chemical defenses in the exotic soft coral Chromonephthea braziliensis Ofwegen (Nephtheidae, Alcyonacea) can be one of the reasons for the success of this introduced species. We report for the first time the detailed composition of the monohydroxylated sterol fraction and a new hemiketal steroid, 23-keto-cladiellin-A, isolated from the unpalatable hexane extract from C. braziliensis. Bioassay-guided fractionation of this extract revealed that this hemiketal steroid exhibits potent feeding deterrent properties against a natural assemblage of fishes at the natural concentration. The major sterol fraction, containing the monohydroxylated sterols, was inactive in the bioassay. The results suggest that this active molecule may be driving the observed success of the invasion of this soft coral along the Brazilian Atlantic coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study on the first record of the micro-predator Huttonella bicolor in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Researchers at the Maracanã Campus of the University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) found 11 adult shells and four adult living specimens during the course of the study on the urban snails diversity. Researchers concluded that the Huttonella bicolor was widespread in Brazil, with small scattered populations and was classified as stage III non-indigenous species.