Caiman hunting in Central Amazonia, Brazil

Hunting caimans (Caiman spp.) with baited hooks in the Brazilian Amazon represents one of the largest illegal wildlife industries in the world. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of water level, distance from settlements, and hunting effort on caiman meat production. In 2008, we accompanied 31 caiman hunting expeditions in and around a wetland protected area located in the Amazon-Purus interfluve in Brazil. We measured and weighed all captured caimans. We used simple and multiple linear regressions to analyze our data. The hunting technique is not selective for the capture of spectacled caimans (Caiman crocodilus) or black caimans (Melanosuchus niger) and occurs throughout the year. Fresh-meat production was similarly correlated with individualś weights for both species. Hunting success was strongly related to river level, distance from human settlements, and hunting effort. We estimated an annual production of 37,050 kg of meat from the study area, representing 3,562 caimans harvested and gross earnings of $18,500 (U.S.). Caiman hunting was the principal source of income for hunters and their families but resulted in low returns, and large black caiman were not taken, indicating possible overhunting. © 2016 The Wildlife Society.