Participatory Methodologies and the Production of Data on Artisanal Fishing in Areas with Offshore Wind Farm Projects in Ceará, Brazil

Abstract

Offshore wind farms (OWF) are an essential emerging energy source. In Brazil, environmental licensing of OWFs requires an identification map of multiple preexisting uses, targeting potentially conflicting activities, such as fishing and navigation routes. The objective of the work was to evaluate the application of participatory methodologies in the construction of data on fishing activity, aiming at analyzing potential impacts of OWFs in marine territories of the state of Ceará, with a focus on artisanal fishing. A participatory map and fishing calendar were produced in Colônia Z18, Amontada, Ceará. Data collection took place through four participatory workshops with 45 participants. The data were digitized in a GIS environment and later validated with the community. The results show complete overlap between an OWF and the local fishing activity. Thus, participatory methodologies can help in the acquisition of fishery data and the assessment of the multiple uses of marine territories.