Shellfish Gatherers Research Articles

Atuação de uma secretaria municipal de saúde diante do desastre-crime do petróleo em Pernambuco

ABSTRACT The 2019 oil disaster-crime is considered the largest disaster on the Brazilian coast. Given the frontline in disaster response, the municipal health secretariat is crucial in the disaster risk management process. This study aimed to analyze the performance of a municipal health secretariat in the metropolitan region of Recife, Pernambuco, regarding the 2019 oil spill, adopting a descriptive, qualitative case study. We performed content Analysis with the IRaMuTeQ software on interviews with health managers, and the results revealed four categories: municipal management in marine care; disaster risk governance and its absence; the COVID-19 syndemic and its impacts on the rehabilitation and recovery of oil disaster-affected communities; what to do if a disaster strikes again. In the municipality under study, we noted early organization of response actions, the lack of governance in the disaster-crime, and health management focus on COVID-19 syndemic, which were identified as difficulties and vulnerabilities in their actions, while continuing education and coordination with fishermen and shellfish gatherers were among the lessons learned.

“Se a gente tivesse direito, não teria necessidade de estar fazendo manifestação pra nada”: a luta das marisqueiras de Farol de São Thomé, RJ - Brasil contra estereótipos de gênero em políticas públicas

Abstract The work carried out by women in the artisanal fishing production chain is historically invisible, whether in the internal prestige of communities, in fishing management, or in the legal identification of workers. Women's invisibility even incurs the restriction of social security rights, such as the so-called Defeso. Over the years 2018 to 2022, the research investigated the struggle of shellfish gatherers from Farol de São Thomé, a community located in Norte Fluminense, RJ - Brazil, against gender stereotypes present in the public policy entitled Projeto Bolsa Cidadão (PBC), instituted in the municipality of Campos dos Goytacazes/RJ from 2000 to 2021. Based on qualitative methodological techniques, such as direct observation in fieldwork, semi-structured interviews, and organization of a focus group, as well as a critical legal-anthropological epistemology, the text seeks to reflect on the dimensions of redistribution, recognition, and female participation in artisanal fishing and concludes that discriminatory blocks restrict or even exclude female workers from accessing social programs. This article results from research funded by the Pescarte Environmental Education Project (PEA), a mitigation measure required by the Federal Environmental Licensing conducted by IBAMA.

“If we had the right, we wouldn’t need to be protesting for nothing”: the struggle of shellfish gatherers from Farol de São Thomé, RJ - Brazil against gender stereotypes in public policies

Resumo O trabalho desenvolvido pelas mulheres presentes na cadeia produtiva da pesca artesanal é historicamente invisível, seja no prestígio interno das comunidades, na gestão pesqueira ou na identificação legal das trabalhadoras. A invisibilidade feminina incorre, inclusive, na restrição a direitos de seguridade social, como o denominado Defeso. Ao longo dos anos de 2018 a 2022, a pesquisa investigou a luta das marisqueiras de Farol de São Thomé, comunidade situada no Norte Fluminense, RJ - Brasil, contra estereótipos de gênero presentes na política pública intitulada Projeto Bolsa Cidadão (PBC), instituída no município de Campos dos Goytacazes/RJ de 2000 a 2021. A partir de técnicas metodológicas qualitativas, como a observação direta em trabalho de campo, entrevistas semiestruturadas e organização de grupo focal, bem como de uma epistemologia jurídico-antropológica crítica, o texto busca refletir sobre as dimensões da redistribuição, do reconhecimento e da participação feminina no âmbito da pesca artesanal e conclui que bloqueios discriminatórios restringem ou mesmo excluem as trabalhadoras do acesso a programas sociais. Este artigo é resultado de pesquisa financiada pelo Projeto de Educação Ambiental (PEA) Pescarte, que é uma medida de mitigação exigida pelo Licenciamento Ambiental Federal, conduzido pelo IBAMA.

Traditional knowledge and socioeconomic aspects of small-scale bivalve fishing on the Amazon coast: A case study of Iphigenia brasiliensis on the Island of Maranhão

The bivalve mollusk Iphigenia brasiliensis, locally known as tarioba, is an important fishing resource exploited along the coast of Maranhão. Despite its socioeconomic relevance to numerous shellfish communities on the Amazon coast, little information is available on this species. This study aimed to evaluate the socioeconomic profiles and traditional local knowledge of I. brasiliensis fishermen working on Maranhão Island. For this purpose, 106 guided interviews were conducted with workers selected using the snowball method in the four municipalities of the region: São Luís, Raposa, Paço do Lumiar, and São José de Ribamar. The results showed that shellfish gatherers are predominantly young men with reasonable education and low income who start practicing the activity early, are influenced by family and friends, and have traditional knowledge verticalized between generations. In the region, three methods of capturing mollusks were identified: diving, using hands and feet, and with the support of a stick, with subsistence being the main demand for the activity. Dozens of mollusks are marketed in natura, with prices varying between municipalities, and processing is conducted only by the final consumer.

Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in the lower limbs of artisanal fisherwomen / shellfish gatherers of Brazil

Introdução: a pesca em pequena escala é responsável por pelo menos 40% do pescado consumido no mundo e, no Brasil, o trabalhador desse setor é o pescador artesanal, que contabiliza um a cada 200 brasileiros. Por se tratar de uma atividade da economia informal, as patologias que afetam esses pescadores são praticamente invisíveis nas estatísticas oficiais do país. Nesse contexto, os distúrbios musculoesqueléticos representam um grande problema socioeconômico e de saúde pública, mas sua prevalência é pouco conhecida entre trabalhadores não formais. Objetivo: estimar a prevalência de distúrbios musculoesqueléticos nos membros inferiores e fatores associados, em pescadores artesanais/marisqueiras de Saubara, Bahia, Brasil. Metodologia: trata-se de um estudo transversal, utilizando o Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, a versão brasileira do Job Content Questionnaire e um questionário sobre demandas físicas, para a coleta de informações em uma amostra aleatória de pescadores artesanais/marisqueiras, ocorridaem 2013. Resultados: a prevalência de distúrbios musculoesqueléticos em membros inferiores na amostra foi de 65,5% (n=137); a prevalência no segmento coxa/joelho, perna e tornozelo/pé foi de 48,7% (n=92), 47,7% (n=95) e 38,1% (n=72), respectivamente. Observaram-se também alta frequência de obesidade, baixa escolaridade, baixos salários, idade precoce para o início do trabalho e carga horária excessiva. Fatores como idade, tabagismo, demandas físicas, tempo de trabalho, ausência de pausas e trabalho anterior, estavam associados aos referidos distúrbios. Conclusão: A alta prevalência de distúrbios musculoesqueléticos dos membros inferiores em pescadoras artesanais indica a necessidade de desenvolver estratégias de prevenção, diagnóstico e notificação dessas doenças.

ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND SANITARY KNOWLEDGE OF SHELLFISH GATHERERS IN VERGEL DO LAGO, MACEIÓ/AL-BRAZIL, BEFORE AND AFTER EDUCATIVE ACTION

Fishing and processing of sururu in Mundaú lagoon (Maceió-AL) are carried out in a precarious sanitary situation. In addition, their shells are improperly discarded, aggravating environmental problems. This study was carried out with the aim of analyzing the knowledge of shellfish gatherers about environmental issues before and after an educational action. Therefore, a social characterization of them was carried out, as well as an analysis of their previous knowledge about environmental issues and good practices in food processing, by interviews based on semi-structured questionnaires, made before and after the educational action. Almost all shellfish gatherers (96.43%) were women, with 60.71% having only incomplete primary education and a maximum monthly income of RS400.00 for 82.15%. All respondents understand that pollution affects their community, 71.43% of them considering the Mundaú lagoon polluted, 67.86% pointing out that pollution affects sururu fishing, and 71.43% recognizing that it affect negatively the quality of the sururu meat. Regarding good food handling practices, it was found that although there is an understanding of them, not everyone adopts them. Data from the post-educational action show that the promotion of educational practices contributes to improving the sururu production model and environmental knowledge, mitigating the impacts of shell disposal.

Temporality of fishery taskscapes on the north-central Gulf of Mexico coast (USA) during the Middle/Late Woodland period (AD 325–1040)

This study examines the timing, tempo, and logic of fishery taskscapes at two Woodland villages (ca. AD 325–1040) on the north-central coast of the Gulf of Mexico (USA). A multi-proxy combination of zooarchaeological attributions, light stable isotope analyses, and related approaches reveals cyclical aspects of the temporality of taskscapes at these two non-farming communities, identifying which resources were collected when and where. Awareness of local diurnal tidal cycles and their influence on accessibility and distribution of near-shore resources, and the rationales for strategies employed by modern, nonindustrial fishers and shellfish gatherers add depth and complexity to our understanding of the daily rhythms of life for these villagers. During winter months, shellfishing efforts likely took advantage of the lowest tides of the year to harvest massive quantities of oysters in the late morning each day. Fishing efforts likely tracked with tidal cycles as well, targeting deeper water during the early morning ebb tide, and the shoreline zone during the evening flood tide. In the summer, shoreline fishing opportunities peaked during midday high tide, with shellfishing opportunities being less frequent and less productive overall. The temporality of these interrelated tasks documents a strategic knowledge of tides, currents, and local resources.

Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Self-Reported Pain in Artisanal Fishermen from a Traditional Community in Todos-os-Santos Bay, Bahia, Brazil.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) can be characterized from their occupational etiology and their occurrence; their chronicity generates negative repercussions for the health of workers, especially of artisanal fishing. To investigate the prevalence of generalized musculoskeletal disorders by body region and self-reported pain in a fishing population of northeastern Brazil, an epidemiological cross-sectional study was carried out in Santiago do Iguape, Bahia-Brazil, in 2017. The Brazilian version of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), in addition to a questionnaire containing the socio-demographic and labor conditions were applied to a random stratified sample of 248 artisanal fisheries. There were 170 female shellfish gatherers and 78 fishermen, with a mean age of 36.7 years (SD = 10.5 years) and 43.3 years (SD = 11.8 years), respectively. The beginning of the labor activity was initiated at approximately 11 years of age. The average weekly income varied from 17.64 USD to 29.10 USD. The prevalence of MSD independent of occupation occurred in at least one body region in 93.5% and the presence of musculoskeletal pain/discomfort over the last seven days in 95.2% of the fishing workers. The highest prevalence of MSD was found in shellfish gatherers in: lower back (86.4%), wrist and hand (73.5%), and upper back (66.8%). In relation to the presence of pain in the last year, the frequency of pain was greater in the fishermen compared to the shellfish gatherers. The generalized severity of the MSD in 93.5% of this community of fishermen is evident, with emphasis in the following regions: lower back, wrist and hand and upper back in both groups, with occurrence of pain in more than one body region at the same time.

Oil spill on the Brazilian coast: (in)visibility of knowledges and disregard for the life of shellfisherwomen.

In 2019, an oil spill of yet unknown origin affected several locations on the Brazilian coast. The purpose of this research was to capture the perceptions of women shellfish gatherers in the Jaguaribe River estuary, Ceará, about exposure to oil and its consequences. The focal group technique was used for data collection and the Iramuteq software for the processing and analysis of the material. The results indicated the creation of two analytical categories: Social, economic, food production and consumption implications of shellfish gatherer families; and the knowledges, the participation and the surveillance in the context of (in)visibility of exposure to oil. It was observed that shellfisherwomen and their families constitute a population that is very exposed to the negative impacts caused by the oil spill, as they are significant from the socioeconomic, environmental, food production, consumption and health perspectives. Attention is drawn to health and social assistance policies for these fisherwomen/shellfish gatherers, with consequences on the food, water and nutrition security of families and the recognition of their knowledges and practices, constructed within a traditional way of life that produces and reproduces the existence in a close society/nature relationship.

Shellfishing on foot and the road to defeminization in Galicia (Spain)

Fishing resources, as well as fishing activities and policies, are in a state of permanent change, therefore transforming the living and working conditions of coastal and fishing populations. The gender perspective is relevant to understand the challenges faced by men and women in the fishing sector. Galicia (Spain) is one of the main fishing regions in the EU and with the largest number of women working in the fishing sector, especially in shellfishing on foot. Shellfishing on foot, an artisanal and traditional activity for the cultivation and extraction of mainly bivalve molluscs, represents 7% of gross value added (GVA) and 17% of the employment of the Galician fishing sector as a whole. Since the 1960s, a process of regulation and modernization of shellfishing on foot—more than 95% of which is carried out by women—has led to a sharp decrease in the number of shellfish gatherers. The regulatory processes and the professionalization of the sector have resulted in a strong decline in female employment, but, at the same time, women feel empowered and regard their jobs as dignified work. Our objective—through the analysis of the local permits granted to carry out this activity—focuses on the study of the consolidation of this process and has tried to highlight the ways in which patriarchy perpetuates the hegemonic position of men evidenced, for example, by a progressive masculinization of this activity with increasing economic profitability and social prestige.

Immediate social and economic impacts of a major oil spill on Brazilian coastal fishing communities

In August 2019, a major oil spill hit nine Brazilian coastal states, affecting marine ecosystems and fishing communities. In this study, we assess the immediate social and economic impacts of this oil spill on fishing communities of the northeast coast. We conducted semi-structured interviews and focal meetings with 381 fishers and shellfish gatherers to understand the perceived socioeconomic impacts on different types of fishing. We also obtained information on fish consumption after the oil spill, which we compared with data prior to the oil spill from the same communities. Sales decreased by more than 50% for all types of fishing, strongly impacting local income generation. These communities, which are already social-ecologically vulnerable, have had their subsistence, food security and cultural maintenance strongly compromised. We argue that there is a clear need for coordinated state interventions to mitigation the impacts, considering it's environmental, social, economic, human health and political dimensions.

The Brazilian State as an agent of the reproductive process in a village in the Baixo-Sul of Bahia

Abstract This article explores reproduction as a broad phenomenon that is integrated to social life and marked by power relations, in an analysis of the processes and structures that integrate subjects’ lives and bind them with the State. Reproductive processes, which are more than physiological, connect subjects, health services and other sectors that represent the State. This ethnographic study, carried out between 2011 and 2015, focused on reproduction as a biosocial process among mostly black, low-income shellfish gatherers and fishermen living in Riachão - a village located on an island in the ‘baixo sul’ region of Bahia. Through ethnographic analysis, we explore the experiences of the reproductive process of the 18 women we followed during the research to conclude that the State plays a central role in the network of relationalities that constitute reproduction, establishing an oscillating and ambiguous relationship of care and violence with women at each stage: a fragile and discontinued care relationship during pregnancy; an intense, exclusive relationship marked by violence during childbirth; and a lack of care for the health of women in the puerperium, combined with high surveillance in the care of babies.

Field processing and transport costs in shellfish gathering along the Cape west coast

The discard of shells in visible heaps, shell middens in our terminology, need not reflect the consumption locations, but may rather be field processing sites prior to the transport of edible flesh elsewhere, likely inland. The comparison of shell midden locations, sizes and contents from a well-studied section of the Cape west coast of South Africa, against the framework of Metcalf and Barlow's (1992) model of the ‘optimal trade-off between field processing and transport’ leads us to suggest that through time different decisions were made by local shellfish gatherers. In particular, the millennium between 2000 and 3000 years ago stands out as one of deliberate and intense field processing, compared with earlier and later millennia.

Factors associated with musculoskeletal disorders in artisanal fisherwomen/shellfish gatherers in Saubara, Bahia, Brazil.

This article aims to identify the factors associated with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the neck/shoulder and distal upper limb in artisanal fisher/shellfish gatherers in Saubara, Bahia, Brazil. This cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted with shellfish gatherers. The Brazilian version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ), the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), and a questionnaire containing physical demands adapted to the labour of shellfish gatherers were used in this study. Factor analysis was performed to aggregate the physical demands. Multivariate analyses were performed according to the risk factors for MSDs in the neck or shoulder and MSDs in the distal upper limb. For MSDs in the neck or shoulders, a prevalence ratio (PR) of 1.28 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.09-1.49) was found, according to the aggregate physical demands. For MSDs in the distal upper limb, the PRs were as follows: 1.26 (95% CI: 1.07-1.47) according to the daily hours devoted to work as shellfish gatherers, 0.74 (95% CI: 0.57-0.96) according to the development of other current work and 1.38 (95% CI: 1.05-1.83) according to the aggregate physical demands. The activities performed by shellfish gatherers contribute to the occurrence of MSDs.

Cuando las mujeres acceden al poder. Discriminaciones y resistencias en las comunidades marineras

Las trabajadoras del mar y, en concreto, las mariscadoras a pie, se han convertido en un agente fundamental en el impulso de cambios en las comunidades pesqueras. Desde su profesionalización en Galicia en los años 90, se han sucedido transformaciones en su posición económica, política y social. Desde la marginación y la falta de reconocimiento se han consolidado como referentes de nuevas formas de organización y dinamización de sus comunidades. De manera que el objetivo de este trabajo es analizar las experiencias de participación de las mariscadoras a pie en las organizaciones pesqueras. A través de una metodología cualitativa, sustentada en el análisis documental y en la realización de entrevistas en profundidad, se atiende a las discriminaciones que han vivido y a las estrategias que han desarrollado para sobrevivir, muchas veces, en un entorno hostil.

Artificial Selection and Size at First Sexual Maturity of Perna perna Mussels (Linnaeus, 1758) in Southeastern Brazil

Brown mussels Perna perna (Linnaeus, 1758) are of great economic and social importance in the aquaculture and fishing sectors in many Brazilian states. The present study aimed to compare the sizes at first sexual maturity of brown mussels (L50) from natural banks exposed to different levels of anthropogenic pressure. Mussel spat were extracted along the coast of the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil, and were secured on longlines at ilha dos franceses. The human collection pressure at each location was assessed through identification of shellfish gatherers at these sites. Over a 3-mo period, 70 individual mussels from each location were removed each month for macroscopic and microscopic analysis of gonadal development. The sex ratios of the populations at Vila Velha, Anchieta and Piuma showed alternating values between the sexes. Histological analysis confirmed all of the macroscopic observations regarding sex determination and the classification of sexual stages. The average sizes at first sexual maturity of male brown mussels from different spat collection sites ranged from 22.6 to 25.2 mm. The collection pressure exerted on natural banks of Perna mussels differed significantly between the sites studied. On the natural banks where the differences in human collection pressure were recorded (at Vila Velha and Piuma), the size at first sexual maturity significantly differed for both males and females. Therefore, the results suggest that the differences in size at first maturity were due to anthropogenic pressure.

Prevalence and Work-Related Factors Associated with Lower Back Musculoskeletal Disorders in Female Shellfish Gatherers in Saubara, Bahia-Brazil.

Lower back musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are an important public health problem and the leading cause of disability worldwide, but with yet unknown prevalence among shellfish gatherers. To investigate the prevalence and work-related factors associated with lower back MSD in a population of female shellfish gatherers, an epidemiological cross-sectional study was carried out in Saubara, Bahia-Brazil, in 2013. The Brazilian version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), in addition to a questionnaire containing the physical demands adapted to the artisanal work, were applied to a random sample of 209 female shellfish gatherers. The prevalence of lower back MSD was 72.7%. Using multivariate logistic regression, the shellfish gatherers who had worked for more than 26 years in the activity showed a prevalence of 1.22 (95% CI: 1.04–1.44) times higher compared to those unexposed. Lower back MSD was 1.24 (95% CI: 1.08–1.42) times higher among those more exposed to work sitting with trunk flexion. Those performed manual handling and muscle force with the arms had a prevalence ratio of 1.18 (95% CI: 1.01–1.39). These results show the need for greater awareness of health and social welfare factors impacting workers in small-scale fisheries and will promote the elaboration of health care policies for this occupational class.

Gurupi-Piriá Marine Extractive Reserve and Public Educational Policies

Neste artigo, discutem-se as políticas públicas educacionais desenvolvidas nos povoados da Reserva Extrativista (RESEX) Marinha Gurupi-Piriá, unidade de conservação (UC) de uso sustentável localizada no município de Viseu, no nordeste paraense. Criou-se essa RESEX pelo Decreto Presidencial de 20 de maio de 2005. Com base na metodologia qualitativa e por meio do estudo dos órgãos governamentais de ensino e instituições representativas, analisam-se as práticas de ensino/aprendizagem em seus diversos níveis e modalidades. Ainda nessa perspectiva, discute-se a condição de envolvimento dos seus usuários nos processos de formulação, implementação e avaliação de políticas públicas educacionais dirigidas a esta UC e, notadamente, de pescadores artesanais, marisqueiras e caranguejeiros. No que concerne aos resultados do estudo, detectou-se a ausência de uma política educacional de qualidade e que reconheça as especificidades do modo de vida das populações tradicionais locais.

The impact of illegal harvesting on time preferences and willingness to participate in shellfish resource management

The shellfish sector suffers from overexploitation of many species. The aim of this paper is to analyze through a discrete choice experiment (DCE) the preferences of shellfish gatherers with respect to a proposed recovery program; assessing the role of time preferences and the impact of illegal harvesting. In terms of time preferences, results show that shellfish gatherers are quite impatient with regards to their extraction levels (with a discount rate between 7 and 11% for a period of 12 months, depending on the conservation scenario considered). These results can be a consequence of the risky environment in which fishers operate. Furthermore, it was found that the concerns about illegal harvesters increase the shellfish gatherers’ discount rates. These results imply that sustainability of the resources is in danger.

The role of social norms on conservation programmes in shellfish fisheries

Ostrom (1990) has argued that in collective action problems, social factors are crucial in order to promote conservation. A survey instrument among shellfish gatherers has been used to analyse their preferences with respect to a proposed conservation management programme, assessing the effect of co-management initiatives and the impact of social norms on extraction. Results show that shellfish gatherers working in a Marine Protected Area (MPA) behave more conservatively with respect to their counterparts in terms of their current extraction patterns, promoting species conservation. With regards to social norms, expected believes about the fulfilment of the current extraction regulation in their network, allow for the acceptance of restrictions imposed by the conservation management plan without decreasing the shellfish gatherers’ utility in any significant way.