Programa Curiyú : uma análise do manejo adaptativo de sucuris-amarelas (Eunectes notaeus)

Abstract

The Yellow Anaconda is a large constricting snake under historical hunting pressure throughout its distribution. Its skin has been commercially harvest in Argentina since 1930, but only in 2002 the species was target in a management program. This program, called "Curiyú Program", listed the adaptive management to guide its actions and established a minimum size for hunt. Since management programs must ensure the viability of populations, we hypothesize that the project is sustainable. We tested the effects of Yellow Anaconda hunt on biological parameters, based on data obtained from the Curiyú Program's annual technical reports for 2002-2016. We analyzed the variables: capture rates, total capture of Yellow Anacondas, snouth-ventral length (SVL) of the individuals captured, proportion of individuals with SVL > 230 cm, individuals with CRC> 230 cm, sex ratio, length mean of the giant individuals (the highest 5% of each year), the duration of the hunting season and the number of hunters over 15 years of Yellow Anaconda management. We also conducted the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) extinction risk assessment. We note that the number of hunters, the duration of the hunting season and the total annual catch have decreased. However, the annual captures rate has increased. The number of captures in the most productive month has declined over the years, but usually accounts for half of the annual captures. We did not observe changes in sex ratio, mean SVL, proportion of individuals above 230 cm, mean size of individuals larger than 230 cm, or size of giant individuals. Furthermore, we classified the species as Little Concern (LC) according to the IUCN, in particular, due to its wide extent of occurrence and presence in several conservation units in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. Overall, our data suggest sustainable levels of species exploitation.