Pesca artesanal no litoral pernambucano e cearense : implicações conservacionistas

Abstract

Studies on artisanal fishermen to understand the acquired and accumulated knowledge about fish can contribute to developing conservation measures for ichthyofauna and fishing maintenance. This study aimed at characterizing the marine artisanal fisheries and their conservation implications, by assessing the local ecological knowledge of artisanal fishermen on the northeast coast of Brazil. Data collection was carried out with 75 fishermen of Tamandare beach, in the state of Pernambuco, and Batoque beach, in the state of Ceara during 2013. Fish species richness and their different types of use were analyzed mainly focused on the eating habits of fishermen and their families, as well as in the productive fish chain. An ethnotaxonomical study on the ichthyofauna and the characterization of fishing gear was performed. Finally, we seek to understand the relationship between knowledge of fishermen about the space and time of fishing activities with conservation in marine protected areas. Different techniques were used for data collection: direct and indirect observations, structured and semi-structured interviews, informal conversation and meetings with groups of fishermen. A total of 268 fish species were recorded in both locations and six types of use of these organisms were characterized: food, commercial, medicinal, handicrafts, spiritual-religious purposes and aquarium. We verified that the productive fish chain is influenced by social and environmental factors and fish were the main food source of animal origin consumed by the fishermen and their families. Were registered 441 different local fish names and five types of correspondence between scientific and popular names. The fishing gear corresponded to 12 fishing tackle and six types of vessels, which are mostly handcrafted. The fishermen described the fishing area with 26 fishing spots in Tamandare and eight in Batoque and they characterized nine temporal categories that influenced the fishery. These results can contribute to the planning and implementation of local actions, aimed at conservation of Ichthyofauna, raising awareness about the habits and dietary practices of fishing communities, strengthening the fisherman's role in the productive fish chain and in the production of fishing gear, at involvement of fishermen in managements plans for protected areas, at appreciation of traditional knowledge and, at safeguarding the territory of fishing communities.