PLOS ONE · 9 authors, 4 centres
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This study analyzed historical newspaper archives in southern Brazil to reconstruct changes in marine animal diversity and fisheries since the late 19th century. The analysis revealed persistent fishing pressure on economically and culturally important species predating official national landing records.
The investigation of historical newspaper archives yielded information on catch composition and the perceived social and economic importance of key species over decades, predating official national-level landing records. The results showed that several economically and culturally important species have experienced persistent fishing pressure since the first national-scale subsidies for commercial fisheries were introduced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The study advocates for integrating historical data into ocean sustainability initiatives and highlights the utility of newspaper records in resurrecting previously lost marine social-ecological baselines.
