ARTISANAL FISHING ON THE COAST OF ESPÍRITO SANTO STATE, SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL: AN APPROACH TO SOCIOENVIRONMENTAL OCEANOGRAPHY

Joelson Musiello-Fernandes,Ana Paula Madeira Di Beneditto,Juliana Silva De Abreu,Adriane Araújo Braga,Mauricio Hostim-Silva,Camilah Antunes Zappes,Samanta Chisté De Araújo,Pablo Da Costa Oliveira

doi:10.20950/1678-2305.2020.46.4.610

Joelson Musiello-Fernandes, Ana Paula Madeira Di Beneditto + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.20950/1678-2305.2020.46.4.610

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Abstract

Artisanal fishing is an important traditional activity on the coast of Espírito Santo (ES) State, southeastern Brazil. Despite this, there is a lack of updated data on artisanal fishing and its interfaces with socioenvironmental oceanography. The present study describes the social profile of fishers (gender, age, education, and period of professional activity) and the fishing activity (fishing gear and target species) along the coast of Espírito Santo State. Interviews with semi-structured questionnaires were carried out with 366 artisanal fishers living in 10 fishing communities. The interviewed fishers are mostly male, with low education, who had been fishing for more than 41 years (32%). The fishers described 59 target ethnospecies, with eight being common in 90% (n = 9) of the communities under study. These workers use the following fishing gear: line, longline, gillnet, trawl net, and harpoon. Socioenvironmental oceanography enables obtaining basic information on artisanal fishing, which can support the development of public policies for the sector with a view to maintaining this activity in Espírito Santo State.

Highlights

Artisanal fishing consists of small-scale fishing using low endurance vessels and fishing gear
Most artisanal coastal fishers in Espírito Santo State are men. This profile is typical of marine fishing in Brazil, whereas in some freshwater environments, women may account for half the fishing effort (Woortmann, 1992; Gomes et al, 2009; Alencar and Maia, 2011)
Along the coast of Espírito Santo State, fishing is typically artisanal, takes place from a variety of fishing gear that capture dozens of species, which is expected in tropical waters

Summary

Introduction

Artisanal fishing consists of small-scale fishing using low endurance vessels and fishing gear. The practice takes place through family labor in coastal and inland areas (FAO, 2012). This activity has a fundamental role in developing countries, supporting the livelihoods and food security of millions of people. It provides approximately 90% of the protein source and approximately 80% of the income for coastal communities (Barnes-Mauthe et al, 2013; McClanahan et al, 2013).

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