Extraction Amazonian Manatee  (Trichechus inunguis), 1533-1898

The West Indian (Trichechus manatus) and the Amazonian (Trichechus inunguis) manatees have been exploited by different societies from ancient times to the present. Deploying the matrix of Indigenous knowledge and uses, the hunting of manatees was at the core of European colonisation strategies of the Americas within a framework of appropriation, use and consumption of aquatic mammals which spanned the post-colonial period. Both species are currently listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as Vulnerable and population trends are expected to decrease in future. The aim of this work was to identify captures, population size, and decline of manatees (mostly, T. inunguis) historically based on a scientific literature review, reports, logbooks, treatises, and other documents. We undertook a four-step approach that included a systematic literature review, identification and review of documentary sources, selection and extraction of quantitative data, and contextual analysis through cross-analysis of documentary and cartographic sources. Our quantitative estimates resulted in a total of 14.030 individuals captured and a biomass removal of 6.248,9 tonnes in a period of 52 separate years between the 16^th and the 19^th centuries. Specifically, 12.818 manatees were hunted between 1843 and 1898, comprising 91% of all captures prior to the 20^th century when another point of accelerated extractions occurred. We determined a trend of increasing captures from the 17^th to the 20^th centuries, but a lacuna of data for the 16^th century. Nevertheless, this informs current and future conservation measures for the species while also including historical, cultural, traditional and indigenous perspectives about the use of aquatic resources.