Valorisation of marine products from Macaronesia: MACAROFOOD Grey triggerfish and wahoo

Abstract

The main objectives of the MACAROFOOD project (Valorisation of marine products from Macaronesia: tourism, gastronomy and professional training) are to promote reliable fishery resources management, promoting good practices and sustainable exploitation, to develop synergies between social/marine science and gastronomy, and to establish a dynamic flow of information/knowledge to propel excellence in tourism and thus enrich local marine products. One of the activities of the project is the determination of oceanographic, biological and genetic parameters of target and by-catch species with commercial importance; and to ensure the consolidation of Macaronesian reference collections and biobanks. To determine the biological parameters of traditional or alternative fish resources (grey triggerfish and wahoo) which are common in Macaronesia, i.e. NE Atlantic archipelagos of Madeira, Canaries and Cabo Verde, between 2017 and 2019 grey triggerfish Balistes capriscus (n=700 individuals) (Balistidae) and wahoo Acanthocybium solandri (n=350) (Scombridae) were obtained from local fish markets, and then sampled at laboratory. Standard biometric measurements were taken. Gonads were fixed for further histological analyses and muscle samples stored for genetic analyses. Despite the high quality and taste of their flesh, these species does not represent an important fisheries resource in Madeira Island, being captured mostly by recreational fishery (both species) and spear game fishing (A. solandri). In the Canary Islands, both species are chiefly caught by the local artisanal fleet. In the Cabo Verde Islands, the wahoo is one of the most traditional target species and very appreciate in the national cuisine, while grey triggerfish is an emergent fish product mainly at the northern-occidental islands.