directly into the ecoregion from the East, bringing warm water from the South Atlantic Ocean. As the SEC approaches the eastern point of Brazil at Cape São Roque, it splits, with the North Brazil Current (NBC) flowing along the coast to the north and west, and the Brazil Current flowing south along the eastern coast. The Brazil Current is a western boundary current, flowing at a rate averaging 4 Sverdrups (Sv), at a mean speed of . Surface temperatures range from . Animals / Fish Biodiversity of the near-shore areas varies with the influence of the coasts - mangroves, sandbanks, and beaches - and also by the nature of the bottoms, which are reefs, gravel and mud. There are a variety of fish, cetaceans, turtles, shrimps and lobsters. A recent study found 25 species of shark and 9 species of rays. Over 90% of commercial fishing is on the nearshore coast, typically by artisinal (subsistence and traditional) methods. Traditional methods of hook and line fishing, and with gillnets, are employed on small boats seeking drum fish (family Sciaenidae). Small shrimp trawlers and lobster boats also operate in the coastal waters, with some evidence that use of nets by lobster fishers is causing harm to the bottom for other species. In the south, along Rio de Janeiro state, the artisinal beach fishery uses large canoes and seine nets to catch migrating schools of bluefish, mullets and bonitos. Offshore, the industrial fisheries of the region are mostly employ hook-and-line methods rather than trawlers due to the narrow coastal shelf, rocky bottom, and deep canyons. The commercial fishery is centered on rockfish, sharks and tuna. Conservation status Many of the terrestrial protected areas on the coast have marine components, such that about 8% of the ecoregion is protected, including: Comboios Biological Reserve. A coastal preserve for sea turtle nesting sites. As of 2013, only 2% of the Albrohos Shelf, with its Mesophotic coral reefs, was in a "no-take" protected area. References Marine ecoregions Ecoregions of Brazil Tropical Atlantic