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Abstract Background Hunting is a vital means of obtaining animal in various human populations. Hunters rely on their knowledge of species ecology and behavior to develop and employ hunting techniques and increase their chances of success. The comparison of the hunting practices of different human societies can shed light on the sustainability of hunting and the impact it has on species’ populations. In this study, we examine and compare the techniques, modalities, and baits used by urban and rural hunters in Rondônia, a state in southwestern Amazonia, Brazil. We expected that rural hunters would use these elements and have greater knowledge when compared to urban hunters. We also expect that the use of specific hunting techniques and modalities will have greater selectivity and specificity of capture for rural hunters and that this knowledge will differ between groups. Methods We conducted 106 semi-structured interviews with rural and urban hunters from October 2018 to February 2020. We analyzed the data using PERMANOVA and Network analyses to compare and contrast the hunting practices of each group. Results We recorded four main hunting techniques divided into ten modalities with three techniques and seven modalities being the preferred choices among hunters. Waiting for at a Fruit Tree was cited as the primary technique employed by hunters living in urban and rural areas indicated. While the techniques and modalities were similar among hunters, the composition of species targeted and baits used differed between groups. Our network approach showed that modularity in urban areas was numerically lower than in rural areas. All species had one to more techniques associated with their capture. Conclusions Hunters living in urban and rural environments showed high similarity in their practices, probably due to sharing similar environments to hunt containing similar species, as well as targeting preferably the same species.

Fish growth is a fundamental biological process driven by a multitude of intrinsic (within-individual) and extrinsic (environmental) factors that underpin individual fitness and population dynamics. Interannual variability in river hydrology regarding the intensity and duration of floods and droughts can induce interannual variations in the biotic and abiotic variables that regulate fish growth. However, the understanding of how interannual variability in river hydrology affects fish growth remains limited for most species and ecosystems. We evaluated how inter-annual hydrological variations within the Amazon River basin influence the growth of the catfish Pseudoplaystoma fasciatum. Our research questions were as follows: Do floods lead to the faster growth of P. fasciatum and droughts lead to the slower growth? And do floods and droughts affect all age classes in the same manner? We sampled 364 specimens of P. fasciatum from five sites in the Amazon basin, estimated their growth rates, and related the growth rates to indices of the intensity of floods and droughts. We fitted linear mixed-effects models to test the relationship between growth increments and hydrological indices (with F and D quantifying the intensities of floods and droughts, respectively), age as fixed effects, and basins and Fish ID as random effects. We found an inverse relationship between the increment width in the fish hard parts and hydrological indices. That is, intense floods and droughts negatively affected the growth rates. We also found that the growth of P. fasciatum was no different in years with intense and mild floods across age classes 1–5, although was different for age class 6. However, the growth of P. fasciatum was faster in years of mild droughts for all age classes. Our results showing that the growth of P. fasciatum was slower in years of intense droughts are supported by those of previous studies in the Amazon basin and elsewhere. However, our results showing for the first time that the growth of P. fasciatum is slower in years of intense flooding is the opposite of patterns found in other studies. These results thus suggest that the growth of P. fasciatum is maximized within an optimum range of hydrological conditions, where neither floods nor droughts are intense.

RESUMO O emprego de abordagens baseadas em Gestão Adaptativa representa uma oportunidade para o aperfeiçoamento da Etapa de Acompanhamento da Avaliação de Impacto, considerando as afinidades conceituais que existem entre suas estruturas. Na prática, há casos que demonstram o aumento da capacidade adaptativa baseado em aprendizado experiencial, o que requer arranjos de governança que sejam capazes de garantir o efetivo envolvimento das diversas partes da sociedade no próprio processo de tomada de decisão. De toda forma, a Gestão Adaptativa é uma abordagem promissora, o que não pode significar o desrespeito aos princípios da precaução e da prevenção que fundamentam os processos de Avaliação de Impacto Ambiental, servindo de mero paliativo para situações cujos impactos ambientais poderiam ter sido previstos e evitados.

The consumption of anurans by subsistence hunters in the Brazilian Amazon is unrecorded. Given this scenario, the objective of this study is to present the first record of White-lipped Frog consumption by subsistence hunters in the Amazon region of Rondônia. The data were collected through interviews with two migrant hunters from the state of Espírito Santo, currently residing in the municipality of Itapuã do Oeste in Rondônia. The hunters used to consume white-lipped frog (possibly Leptodactylus latrans) in their state of origin, and after locating a similar species (Leptodactylus macrosternum) and confirming the possibility of consumption with the mother through WhatsApp, they started consuming the frog. This record demonstrates how certain habits related to the consumption of wild animals can be maintained in new locations and how instant messaging tools can collaborate with information exchange about game species.

Non-native fish (NNF) can threaten megadiverse aquatic ecosystems throughout the planet, but limited information is available for the Amazon Region. In this study we review NNF data in the Amazonian macroregion using spatiotemporal records on the occurrence and the richness of NNF from a collaborative network of 35 regional experts, establishing the Amazon NNF database (ANNF). The NNF species richness was analyzed by river basin and by country, as well as the policies for each geopolitical division for the Amazon. The analysis included six countries (Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Colombia), together comprising more than 80% of the Amazon Region. A total of 1314 NNF occurrence records were gathered. The first record of NNF in this region was in 1939 and there has been a marked increase in the last 20 years (2000–2020), during which 75% of the records were observed. The highest number of localities with NNF occurrence records was observed for Colombia, followed by Brazil and Bolivia. The NNF records include 9 orders, 17 families and 41 species. Most of the NNF species are also used in aquaculture (12 species) and in the aquarium trade (12 species). The most frequent NNF detected were Arapaima gigas, Poecilia reticulata and Oreochromis niloticus. The current data highlight that there are few documented cases on NNF in the Amazon, their negative impacts and management strategies adopted. The occurrence of NNF in the Amazon Region represents a threat to native biodiversity that has been increasing “silently” due to the difficulties of large-scale sampling and low number of NNF species reported when compared to other South American regions. The adoption of effective management measures by decision-makers is urgently needed and their enforcement needed to change this alarming trend and help protect the Amazon’s native fish diversity.

Abstract The Program for Biodiversity Research (PPBio) is an innovative program designed to integrate all biodiversity research stakeholders. Operating since 2004, it has installed long-term ecological research sites throughout Brazil and its logic has been applied in some other southern-hemisphere countries. The program supports all aspects of research necessary to understand biodiversity and the processes that affect it. There are presently 161 sampling sites (see some of them at Supplementary Appendix), most of which use a standardized methodology that allows comparisons across biomes and through time. To date, there are about 1200 publications associated with PPBio that cover topics ranging from natural history to genetics and species distributions. Most of the field data and metadata are available through PPBio web sites or DataONE. Metadata is available for researchers that intend to explore the different faces of Brazilian biodiversity spatio-temporal variation, as well as for managers intending to improve conservation strategies. The Program also fostered, directly and indirectly, local technical capacity building, and supported the training of hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students. The main challenge is maintaining the long-term funding necessary to understand biodiversity patterns and processes under pressure from global environmental changes.

ABSTRACT Chalceus guaporensis is an endemic fish to the upper Madeira River whereas C. epakros is widespread in many rivers of the central and lower portions of the Amazon Basin, middle and upper Orinoco River Basin, the Essequibo River in Guyana and in the Nanay River in northern Peru. According to literature, both species do not occur in syntopy. We carried out ichthyological surveys along the Madeira River Basin and its rapids, and data on abundance, diet and habitat use were obtained for both species. Chalceus guaporensis and C. epakros are morphologically similar, occupying floodplain habitats and exploiting similar food resources. The former predominated upstream from the Jirau Fall, whereas the latter had most of its abundance bellow the last fall of the Madeira River; both species co-occurred along part of the rapids stretch and in the Machado River, but with strongly uneven abundances. This pattern may have developed in the past by speciation regarding the presence of the falls, while co-occurrence of the two species seems to be regulated by competitive interactions or maintained by slight differences in environmental requirements nowadays. The recent disruption of the Madeira River by two run-of-river dams built in cascade submerged a large portion of the rapids stretch and substituted it by semi-lenthic habitats created by the dam reservoirs, together with the construction of a fish passage. These environmental changes may allow the invasion of the upper reaches of the Madeira River by C. epakros, and disturb the population of endemic C. guaporensis.

The jatuarana (Brycon amazonicus), is an important species for the Madeira River commercial fisheries. The paper aims to characterize the jatuarana fishing dynamics in the middle Madeira River and test whether there are differences dowstreams and upstreams the Teotônio waterfall. Commercial fisheries landings were monitored daily at 15 ports or riverine communities along that stretch, using semi-structured interviews with fishermen. With data from the fishing monitoring program of UHEs Santo Antônio and Jirau we analysed: the yield, catch per unit effort (CPUE), length structure, locations and fishing gear used, between 2009 to 2011.The fishing yield of this species was temporaly analyzed with data from the Fishermen Colony of Porto Velho city (Rondônia state, Brazil), between 1990 to 2012. The yield and the CPUE showed significant differences by area and locations and the capture of the species was carried out primarily in the channel river and banks river through gillnets. In addition, the samples collected in the upstream area have higher distribution and modal lengths than from those collected downstream. These results suggest that the areas require distinct management measures.

Understanding the processes that drive population genetic divergence in the Amazon is challenging because of the vast scale, the environmental richness and the outstanding biodiversity of the region. We addressed this issue by determining the genetic structure of the widespread Amazonian common sardine fish Triportheus albus (Characidae). We then examined the influence, on this species, of all previously proposed population-structuring factors, including isolation-by-distance, isolation-by-barrier (the Teotônio Falls) and isolation-by-environment using variables that describe floodplain and water characteristics. The population genetics analyses revealed an unusually strong structure with three geographical groups: Negro/Tapajós rivers, Lower Madeira/Central Amazon, and Upper Madeira. Distance-based redundancy analyses showed that the optimal model for explaining the extreme genetic structure contains all proposed structuring factors and accounts for up to 70% of the genetic structure. We further quantified the contribution of each factor via a variance-partitioning analysis. Our results demonstrate that multiple factors, often proposed as individual drivers of population divergence, have acted in conjunction to divide T. albus into three genetic lineages. Because the conjunction of multiple long-standing population-structuring processes may lead to population reproductive isolation, that is, the onset of speciation, we suggest that the multifactorial population-structuring processes highlighted in this study could account for the high speciation rate characterising the Amazon Basin.

As comunidades tradicionais instaladas às margens do rio Madeira são influenciadas pela estreita relação com a natureza e o conhecimento aprofundado de seus ciclos. O pescado é um dos principais recursos explorados para subsistência e comercialização. Este estudo analisou o perfil socioeconômico e a atividade pesqueira de duas comunidades ribeirinhas do médio rio Madeira, São Carlos e Calama. Entrevistas com questionários semiestruturados foram aplicadas a um membro de cada família de pescadores destas comunidades, entre abril e agosto de 2009, totalizando 189 entrevistados. As questões incluíram o número de pescadores por família, escolaridade, idade, tempo que atua na pesca, associativismo, forma de comercialização, atividades econômicas complementares e rendimento médio mensal por atividade produtiva. Por meio de reuniões coletivas com os pescadores, levantaram-se informações sobre o Conhecimento Ecológico Local (CEL) das espécies e o ambiente, conflitos pesqueiros e cenários atuais. Os resultados indicaram que os pescadores destas localidades têm, em média, idade de 39 anos, e exercem a atividade há cerca de 20 anos. Mais de 60% têm apenas o ensino fundamental incompleto. Os principais conflitos estiveram relacionados com a fiscalização considerada inadequada e a falta de área de pesca. A construção dos mapas de cenários mostrou uma expectativa de aumento dos conflitos atribuindo a redução das áreas de pesca e ainda possíveis migrações de pescadores realocados devido à implantação das UHEs Jirau e Santo Antônio. O conhecimento gerado constitui um marco zero sobre aspectos sociais envolvendo a prática pesqueira na região estudada, e poderá subsidiar o gerenciamento dos recursos pesqueiros, garantindo a sustentabilidade.Las comunidades tradicionales localizadas al margen del Rio Madeira son influenciadas por su estrecha relación con la naturaleza y um conocimiento profundo de sus ciclos. El pescado es uno de los principales recursos explotados para la subsistencia y la comercialización. Esta investigación analizó el perfil socio-económico y la actividad pesquera de dos comunidades ribereñas del medio rio Madeira, São Carlos e Calama. Fueron realizadas 189 entrevistas con cuestionarios semi-estructurados en familias de pescadores de estas comunidades, entre abril y agosto de 2009. Las preguntas incluyeron el número de pescadores por familia, la escolaridad, edad, tempo que actúa en la pesca asociativismo, forma de comercialización, actividades complementares e ingreso mensual por actividad productiva. A través de reuniones colectivas con los pescadores se levantaron informaciones sobre el Conocimiento Ecológico Local (CEL) de las especies y del ambiente, conflictos pesqueros y escenarios actuales. Los resultados indicaron que los pescadores de estas localidades tiene una edad promedio de 39 años y ejercen la actividad hace más de 20 años y que más de 60% no han concluido el curso primario. Los principales conflictos están relacionados con la fiscalización considerada inadecuada y la falta de área de pesca. La construcción de mapas de escenarios reflejó la expectativa de aumento de los conflictos atribuyendo la reducción de las áreas de pesca e todavía posibles migraciones de pescadores dislocados relocalizados por la construcción de las presas hidroeléctricas Jirau e Santo Antonio. El conocimiento generado constituye un marco cero sobre aspectos sociales que incluye la práctica pesquera y que podrá subsidiar la gestión de los recursos pesqueros para garantir la sostenibilidad.Traditional communities located along the banks of the river Madeira are influenced by their close relationship to nature and their extensive empirical knowledge of its cycles. Fish is the main resources exploited for both subsistence and trade. This study evaluated the socioeconomic profile and fishing activity in two riverbank communities, located on the middle reaches of the river Madeira, São Carlos e Calama. A semi structured interview had been applied a one member of each family of fishermen from these communities, between April and August/2009, total 189 respondents. The question included the number of fishermen by family, schooling, age, how long they had been fishing, to which if any association they belonged to, commercial strategies, other commercial activities and average monthly income in respect of each activity. Through collective meetings with fishermen information regarding the knowledge Ecologic Local was obtained in respect of species, environments and conflicts together with present scenarios. The results indicated that fishermen from both sites have an average age of 39 years and actively fishing for an average of 20 years, with fishermen of. More than 60% have not completed elementary school. The main conflicts are related to fiscalization considered inappropriate and lack of fishery space. The construction of maps of scenarios showed an expectation of an increase in conflict attributed to a reduction of fishing areas and the possible migration of resettled fishermen after the implantation of UHEs. The knowledge generated constitutes a first study into social aspects involving fishing within these areas and can complement management of fisheries resources by ensuring their sustainability.

Este estudo caracteriza quali e quantitativamente a atividade pesqueira comercial na bacia do rio Madeira, afluente do rio Amazonas, no trecho entre Guajará-Mirim e Porto Velho, estado de Rondônia. No período de janeiro a dezembro/2004, foram registrados 460 t, correspondendo 935 viagens. A análise dos dados oriundos do monitoramento dos desembarques demonstrou que a pesca na região tem caráter artesanal de pequena escala, destacando a maior participação das canoas motorizadas (131 unidades) do que barcos pesqueiros (45 unidades; capacidade média: 3.000kg) na frota pesqueira. Os peixes migradores jaraqui (Semaprochilodus spp.), dourada (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii), sardinha (Triportheus spp.), jatuarana/matrinxã (Brycon amazonicus e B. cephalus), curimatã (Prochilodus nigricans) e filhote (Brachyplatystoma filamentosum) se destacaram na composição das espécies desembarcadas. As informações técnicas geradas são importantes para subsidiar ações de ordenamento pesqueiro, bem como para avaliar futuras variações que possam ocorrer na atividade frente aos impactos dos empreendimentos hidrelétricos em construção na região.This study presents qualitative and quantitative information about commercial fishery in the basin of the Madeira River, tributary of the Amazon River, describing the fishing activity in the segment between Guajará-Mirim and Porto Velho, in Rondônia State. From January to December/2004, 219 fishermen and 935 trips were registered, corresponding to the capture of 460 t of fish. Data from fish landings demonstrate that fisheries in the region are small-scaled and point to a higher participation of small motorized canoes (130 units) than of fishing boats (45 units; average capacity: 3000 kg) in the fishing fleet. Migratory species like jaraqui (Semaprochilodus spp.), dourada (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii), sardinha (Triportheus spp.), jatuarana/matrinxã (Brycon amazonicus e B. cephalus), curimatã (Prochilodus nigricans) and filhote (Brachyplatystoma filamentosum) were the most important in terms of landings. The technical information produced are very important in order to subsidize fishery management, as well as to assess future variations that might happen due to the hydro-electric enterprises under construction in the region.

Conflitos pesqueiros têm sido observados na região do Guaporé entre pescadores e órgãos gestores quanto ao período oficial de defeso reprodutivo. Os pescadores afirmam que o defeso não corresponde à época de reprodução das principais espécies comercializadas, o que pode estar prejudicando os estoques locais de peixes. Este trabalho comparou o conhecimento ecológico tradicional (CET) com informações obtidas em pescarias experimentais e informação obtida da literatura científica sobre os períodos de reprodução das principais categorias de pescado desembarcadas naquela região. Das 28 categorias de pescado analisadas, 14 (50%) foram capturadas na pesca experimental e puderam ser avaliadas. O conhecimento ecológico tradicional confirmou a informação experimental para 10 categorias de pescado (72%). Os resultados sugerem a necessidade de ajustes no período oficial de defeso para as categorias: caparari (Pseudoplatystoma tigrinun), surubim (P. fasciatum), tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum), pescada (Plagioscion spp) e tucunaré (Cichla spp). A discussão aborda a possível inadequação do período de defeso estabelecido com bases em informações geradas em diferentes bacias e aplicados para grandes áreas da Amazônia brasileira. Este estudo confi rma o refinado conhecimento do pescador sobre a biologia das espécies que ele explora e sugere que este CET pode ser utilizado para ajustar políticas de gestão pesqueira regionalmente.

The profile of sardine fishing, the Triportheus species, landed at the fishing market of Porto Velho (RO) between 1990 and 2004, was established by analyzing variations in the intra- and inter-annual yield as well as the length and general characteristics of the fishing. The annual production varied from 15,372 to 78,340kg (average = 33,482kg), totaling 5.46% of the overall production during the studied period. These variations can be related to the changes in the fishermen’s effort, as a reflex to searching for alternatives for fishing, or related to the level of the river, since the greatest annual yields were preceded by years of having more intense flooding. The monthly production varied from 0 to 21,456kg (average=2,876kg). Greater values of production were obtained in periods of lower hydrological levels (dry season) [r(Pearson)= -0.53. p

This study evaluated various aspects of the profile of pacu (Mylossoma spp., Myleus spp., Metynnis spp.) fish marketed on the Cai N’água floating platform of Porto Velho (RO) from 1985 to 2004. Inter- and intra-annual variations in yield, variation in fish length and general characteristics of the fishing are reported. The annual pacu yield ranged from 33,000kg to 146,000kg (average = 86,585kg), representing from 6.6% to 20.45% of the total landings in the studied period. These variations followed the hydrologic cycle, and the greatest yields were recorded in the years following the highest water levels. The monthly production ranged from 0 to 42,366kg (average = 5,772kg) and it was related to reproductive migration. The pacu presented variations in standard length from 14 to 20cm (18.72cm ± 3.69, mean ± sd). The fishing was based on the use of seines and gill nets and the main environments of capture were tributaries of the low Madeira River (Jamari, Oropiara, Machado and Novo Aripuanã). The CPUE calculated for 2003 to 2005 was 15kg*fisherman 1day-1 (sd = ±21). The results show that the category constituted during this period an important resource for local commercial exploitations, as verified in other regions of the Amazon.

There are conflicts among fishermen and local environmental protection agencies that regulate fishing in the area, concerning the official closure periods of the fisheries. The fishermen affirm that the dates established for protection of spawning do not correspond to the spawning season of the primary commercialized species, and that this could be hindering the local fish markets. This report compares the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) with information obtained from experimental fishery and scientific data covering the reproduction periods of the primary categories of fish market in the region. Of the 28 fish categories analyzed, 14 (50%) were captured in experimental fishing and were evaluated. The TEK confirmed the experimental information for 10 categories of fish (72%). The results suggest the necessity of adjusting the official protection dates stipulated for the following fish categories: caparari (Pseudoplatystoma tigrinun), Sorubim (P. fasciatum), tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum), pescada (Plagioscion squamosissimus) and tucunaré (Cichla ocellaris). The discussion deals with a possibly inadequate period of protection based on the information obtained from different basins applied to larger and more diverse areas of the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest. This study confirms the refined biological knowledge that the fishermen have of the species they exploit and suggests that the traditional ecological knowledge can be useful to adjust political issues dealing with the regional protection agency of fishing.

Este estudo testa procedimentos de congelamento do sêmen de tambaqui, Colossoma macropomum , e eficiência na fertilização de ovócitos. Sêmen de um reprodutor induzido hormonalmente foi amostrado e armazenado em tubos de ensaio. O material foi diluído em soluções crioprotetoras (dimetilacetamida [DMA], dimetilsulfóxido [DMSO], metanol, propilenoglicol e etilenoglicol) (proporção de 1:3; sêmen:diluente), e submetido a procedimentos de rotina de congelamento. A motilidade foi avaliada antes e depois deste procedimento. Testes de fertilização foram feitos com o sêmen criopreservado. A motilidade pré-congelamento foi de 80% e após o congelamento foi de 20-25% para propilenoglicol e etilenoglicol, 5-10% para DMSO e 5% para DMA e metanol. A fertilização foi de 76% e 88% para propilenoglicol e etilenoglicol, respectivamente.This work tests freezing procedures of tambaqui, Colossoma macropomum , and efficiency in egg fertilizing. Sperm of a hormonally induced reproducer was collected and stored in assay pipes. The material was diluted in cryoprotectant solutions (dimetilacetamida [DMA], dimetilsulfóxido [DMSO], metanol, propilenoglicol e etilenoglicol) (1:3 ratio: sperm:diluting), and subjected to routine freezing procedures. The motility was evaluated before and after this procedure. Fertilization tests were made with cryopreserved sperm. The motility was evaluated before and after these tests. Fertilization tests were made with the cryopreserved semen. The pre-freezing motility was 80%, and after freezing, it was 20-25% for propilenoglicol and etilenoglicol, 5-10% for DMSO and 5% for DMA and methanol. The fertilization was 76% and 88% for propilenoglicol and etilenoglicol, respectively.

The commercial fi shing of sardines (Triportheus spp.) landed in the fi shery market of Porto Velho, Rondônia (1990-2004): Yield and general profi le. The profi le of sardine fi shing, the Triportheus species, landed at the fi shing market of Porto Velho (RO) between 1990 and 2004, was established by analyzing variations in the intra- and inter-annual yield as well as the length and general characteristics of the fi shing. The annual production varied from 15,372 to 78,340kg (average = 33,482kg), totaling 5.46% of the overall production during the studied period. These variations can be related to the changes in the fi shermen’s effort, as a refl ex to searching for alternatives for fi shing, or related to the level of the river, since the greatest annual yields were preceded by years of having more intense fl ooding. The monthly production varied from 0 to 21,456kg (average=2,876kg). Greater values of production were obtained in periods of lower hydrological levels (dry season) [r(Pearson)= -0.53. p

Pacu fi sh (Cuvier, 1818) (Characiformes: Characidae) landed in Porto Velho (Rondônia) fi sh market from 1985 to 2004. This study evaluated various aspects of the profi le of pacu (Mylossoma spp., Myleus spp., Metynnis spp.) fi sh marketed on the Cai N’água fl oating platform of Porto Velho (RO) from 1985 to 2004. Inter- and intra-annual variations in yield, variation in fi sh length and general characteristics of the fi shing are reported. The annual pacu yield ranged from 33,000kg to 146,000kg (average = 86,585kg), representing from 6.6% to 20.45% of the total landings in the studied period. These variations followed the hydrologic cycle, and the greatest yields were recorded in the years following the highest water levels. The monthly production ranged from 0 to 42,366kg (average = 5,772kg) and it was related to reproductive migration. The pacu presented variations in standard length from 14 to 20cm (18.72cm ± 3.69, mean ± sd). The fi shing was based on the use of seines and gill nets and the main environments of capture were tributaries of the low Madeira River (Jamari, Oropiara, Machado and Novo Aripuanã). The CPUE calculated for 2003 to 2005 was 15kg*fi sherman-1day-1 (sd = ±21). The results show that the category constituted during this period an important resource for local commercial exploitations, as verifi ed in other regions of the Amazon.

A determinação e o monitoramento de impactos de grandes empreendimentos na Amazônia são limitados pela ausência de dados ambientais pretéritos. O presente estudo avalia o uso do Conhecimento Ecológico Tradicional (CET) dos pescadores do médio rio Madeira sobre as espécies comerciais, na geração do conhecimento para monitoramento de grandes empreendimentos hidrelétricos na Amazônia. Foram realizadas reuniões com grupos de pescadores (5 a 10), em sete pontos do Programa de monitoramento pesqueiro da Santo Antônio Energia (SAE), entre abril e dezembro/2009. As reuniões seguiram roteiro semiestruturado a fim de registrar o CET sobre sete variáveis biológicas e a metodologia de mapas mentais para construção de cenários sobre a pesca atual e futura frente à implantação de dois grandes empreendimentos na bacia do Rio Madeira. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que as comunidades apresentaram um conhecimento amplo sobre as principais espécies exploradas na região pela pesca comercial, sendo estes resultados confirmados, em grande parte dos casos (cerca de 70%),pela informação científica. Este estudo confirma o refinado conhecimento do pescador sobre a biologia das espécies que ele explora e sugere que o CET pode ser utilizado para obtenção de dados biológicos e para a construção de cenários para a atividade pesqueira, bases para o manejo adaptativo na fase de monitoramento dos empreendimentos, bem como para o planejamento de políticas de gestão pesqueira na região.