Fair trade and artisanal fishing in Paraná coast: between speech and reality

Abstract

Paraná Coast has 90 kilometers of coastline with an approximate population of 4,256 artisanal fishermen who carry out their activities in the bays and in the open sea, most of them classified as small fishermen, who historically have an asymmetrical distribution of commercialization profits imposed by retailers. Thus, in view of the need to establish new patterns of fish commercialization in the region, this research aimed to carry out a case study related to the fair trade of fish in this region. Descriptive exploratory research was carried out with 10 (ten) fishermen and the management of the only regional company that includes the practice of fair trade in its values. The study revealed that positive factors, especially security in commercial relations, fair value paid for fish and valuation of family labor, were the issues most valued by the interviewed fishermen. In relation to the negative factors, the company not absorbing the entire production, the time to pay for the production and the limited hours for delivering the fish, were the most cited issues, however they were not classified as situations that could be factors of rupture of the business process. Finally, the analysis of the fairtrade system adopted in the investigated company, allows to consider that it was installed, empirically tested and has had positive results, and can be classified in fact as a fairtrade practitioner. This model can be classified as an alternative development tool or model to the dominant neoliberal model in Brazil that can be replicated in whole or in part in other fishing regions.