Pesca, perfil socioeconÃmico e percepÃÃo ecolÃgica dos pescadores artesanais de Porto de Galinhas (PE)

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2007

RESUMO

This study has the following objectives: (i) to describe traditional fishing by motorized vessels in Porto de Galinhas, Ipojuca district, Pernambuco State, Brazil, in terms of the vessels and the technical fishing equipment used; (ii) to analyze the socioeconomic profile of the fishing community; (iii) to survey some ecological aspects of the fishermen and of the marine fauna contained in their catches; and (iv) to evaluate the fishermenâs perception of the environment. The data was collected between April and October 2006 using semi-structured interviews and direct observation. During this period, 39 fishermen were interviewed from a total of approximately 45 who carry out their work using motorized vessels. The active local shipping fleet currently comprises 16 vessels, the majority having a crew of three fishermen. Set-nets and hand-lines are the most commonly used methods in the fishing areas. The local fishermen currently receive an average monthly income of R$ 490.00. Most of them live in areas close to the port, own their own home and have a low level of schooling. Few of their sons and daughters work in fishing. With regard to the types of fish caught, the fishermen reported the existence of 50 different species, encompassing 22 fish families and 1 crustacean family. Among the predominant families caught, in order of importance, are: Scombridae (18.1%), Sciaenidae (15.6%), Carangidae (13.1%), Lutjanidae (11.8%) and Haemulidae (8.8%), which together make up 67.4% of the reports, most notably the Brazilian Mackerel (Scomberomorus brasiliensis) and King Mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) species. The composition of the catches reveals that the majority of the target species are carnivorous from top of the food chain and this may have caused imbalances in the regionâs marine ecosystem communities. The fishermenâs preferred fishing area is called Lama (âMudâ) as it is one of the closest fishing zones to the coast. According to the fishermen, the biomass of the main target species has decreased markedly in recent years: in the case of the croaker (Micropogon furnieri) this decline may be as much as 90%, whilst for most of the main species caught it is over 50%. For many fishermen, the fishing yield is deteriorating due to depleted stocks. According to them, the main cause for this reduction is shrimp trawling. Regarding the fishing efforts of the local fishermen, a process of fleet reduction in parallel with an increase in the length of set-nets is occurring. Although tourism has brought an improvement in the local communityâs standard of living by creating new employment opportunities, it has contributed to the reduction of labour in the fishing sector. Not all of the fishermen (40%) considered themselves to be satisfied with the actions of local government regarding the fishing industry. The majority (79%) are aware of the existence of Marine Reservations and are in favour of such reservations being set up in the region. Given the social, economic and cultural importance of traditional fishing and the ecological functions of local ecosystems, both of which offer a variety of benefits to society, it is fundamental to study the region more deeply in order to understand both the activity of traditional fishing and the local ecosystems, so as to ensure adequate resource management

ASSUNTO(S)

pesca artesanal ecologia vessels perfil socioeconÃmico oceanografia embarcacaÃÃes socioeconomic profile traditional fishing porto de galinhas oceanografia porto de galinhas ecological

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