Abstract

In the beginning, artisanal fisheries in Babahoyo was a rational fishery practiced by fishermen with traditional and ancestral fishing gears such as hooks, cast nets and palisades, likewise the availability of fish stocks was very frequent, but many traditional species such as bocachico were taken to the brink of extinction by the increase of population, poverty and use of new fishing methods. The present study show us how qualitative and quantitative samplings were carried out through field trips, landing records and surveys to determine the amount of fish landed and the current problem. Recorded landings showed that artisanal fishing has a high seasonal, being the rainy season the most productive. The estimated total catch during the study year was 117.39 tons; statistical analysis showed that there is a statistically significant difference between the total catch and the effort, but there was no relationship between the total catch and catch per unit effort, and even between the fishing effort and the catch per unit effort. The species Curimatorbis boulengeri (Dica) was the one that dominated throughout the sampling time with 47% of the total landings for a total catch of 23 701kg, whereas that of Ichthyoelephas humeralis (bocachico) which is the most representative of Babahoyo constituted only 5% with just 2 391kg of the annual catch. An environmental impact matrix was also carried out to determine the extent of impact to the environment, being the fishing at the mouth of estuaries with rags the biggest negative impacts and the use of hand line hook fishing gear less harmful to the environment.

Keywords Artisanal fisheries or local fisheries, stocks, fluvial system or river system, fishing effort, catch fee.