Abstract
Introduction: Professional inland fisheries in Portugal remain poorly characterized despite their ecological, social, and territorial relevance. Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the evolution of the biomass catched by inland professional fisheries and determine its economic value. Methodology: This study examines the evolution of declared biomass between 2012 and 2024 and estimates the market relevance of this activity using official catch declarations submitted to the national licensing authority (ICNF). Records were harmonized by species and water body and subsequently aggregated at hydrographic basin level to identify long-term temporal and spatial patterns. Economic estimation was based on a gross production approach combining declared biomass with species-specific price information collected from retail channels and reports from professional fishermen. Changes in species composition were also analyzed to assess whether the observed trends reflect a broader restructuring of freshwater exploitation. Results: The results show a marked interannual variability and a strong spatial concentration of catches, with a limited number of basins (international rivers) accounting for most reported biomass. They also reveal the increasing prominence of non-native taxa in total catches; particularly, the red swamp crayfish, while native migratory species, although represented by lower volumes, maintain high unit prices and make a relevant contribution to total revenue. This contrast suggests that recent changes in freshwater catches are not merely quantitative, but also structural, with implications for ecological status, the growing dependence of the fishery on invasive species, and the territorial distribution of economic returns. Conclusions: By combining official catch declarations with market-based valuation, this study provides an updated overview of the recent evolution of professional freshwater exploitation in Portugal and offers a useful basis for fishery governance, monitoring programmes, and future discussions on conservation, licensing, and basin-scale management.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, J.G. and F.R.; methodology, J.G., M.M., V.A., P.R., M.O., J.O., F.R. and A.L.; software, M.M. and V.A.; validation J.G., M.M., V.A., P.R., M.O., J.O., F.R. and A.L.; formal analysis, J.G., M.M., V.A., P.R., M.O., J.O., F.R. and A.L.; investigation, J.G., M.M. and V.A.; resources, J.G., M.M. and F.R.; data curation, M.M. and V.A.; writing—original draft preparation, M.M.; writing—review and editing, J.G.; visualization, J.G., M.M. and V.A.; supervision, J.G., F.R. and A.L.; project administration, J.G.; funding acquisition, J.G. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), grant number 2023.12757.PEX under the project “INFISHERIES.PT From hook to bank account: assessing the unknown economic value of inland fisheries in Portugal” https://doi.org/10.54499/2023.12757.PEX.
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement
Available upon request.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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