Pesca artesanal na bacia do rio Buba, Guiné-Bissau/África: uma abordagem multidimensional.

Abstract

The multidimensional characteristic of fishing activity brings up the existence of a complex dynamic, marked by the interrelationship of sociocultural, politic, economic, technologic, ecologic, and institutional factors, which suggests an increase in more detailed interdisciplinary studies. This study was carried out among seven fishing communities (Buba, Batambali, Brandão, Darsalam, Fulacunda, Lamane, and Míssira) spread around the basin of the Rio Grande de Buba, in the south part of Guinea Bissau, small country located in west Africa. The proposal was to analyze, through a multidimensional approach, the sustainability of artisanal fisheries in the Buba river basin, as a guiding base capable of conducting strategies of fishery management as well as the rational and lasting use of resources. The topic is justified for representing a milestone for the seeking fishery sustainable development, recommended by FAO for being adaptable to any reality, besides being a strategic sector for the socioeconomic development of the country. The theoretical-Methodological focus of this investigation is strictly related with at least two conceptual marks established by FAO: Code of Conduct for responsible fisheries and the concept of sustainable development of artisanal fishery. For being a study of interdisciplinary characteristics, it is necessary the use of the Rapfish technique, a sustainability evaluation method of fisheries by means of multidimensional analysis of indicators pre-selected as variables arranged in five dimensions or thematic area. During the implementation of the field research (February, 2013 and November, 2015), primary data were collected by means of a semistructured interview with the fishermen, as well as by official information collection among the mains agencies linked to the fishing sector, besides the direct observation of the dynamic activity. The data were tabulated on spreadsheet used to the analysis and treatment of them. A more detailed multivariate analysis was developed using the multidimensional scaling (MDS), using the parameters of the Euclidean distance and canonical- correlation for comparison purpose among the investigated fishing communities. All of the communities presented a huge asymmetry among the fisheries, implying an intermediate sustainability with ISPA equal to 0.6. The study brought important contributions for the comprehension of the status of sustainability and the main challenges for the future of the artisanal fisheries of the basin of the Buba river. The recommendations made can work as a reference to evaluate and guide futures government strategies, on behalf of the guarantee of fishing ways of life and the sustainable use of resources. It is concluded that the factors that influence the sustainability of artisanal fishing in the Buba river have a multidimensional characteristic and are of socio-cultural, economic, ecological, technological and institutional orders.