Historical evolution of the captures in Canary Islands

Abstract

During the last 50 years, we have suffered an important ecologic loss in the aquatic ecosystems. A loss of biodiversity, a decrease in mean length and number of individuals of the fisheries target species. These species have suffered a major pressure from the fishermen, even coming to disappear. To demonstrate this loss in target species is a difficult task because we have not enough information to work whit. The historic photographs provide us so much qualitative and quantitative evidences about the changes at the individual length of every specie as well as the variation trought the years of the target species. We have measured these differences between the species because of the photos of recreational fisheries took in the Canary Islands from the 50s up to the present days, and we have observed a significant decrease in length and quantity of these fish species caught.