Dinâmica territorial da pesca na região transfronteiriça do Norte do Brasil: a pesca artesanal e conflitos de uso dos recursos pesqueiros, desafios para a gestão sustentável

Abstract

Sea fishing is often characterized by the unsustainable exploitation of fishing resources in most parts of the world. The strong demand for seafood causes the fishing industry to grow, which is steadily constraining its own geographical limits and its technical capacities, generating conflicts caused by the massive exploitation of fishing areas that, until recently, were only occupied by artisanal fishermen. The Amazonian border region in northern Brazil illustrates this context, while artisanal fishermen in Oiapoque are subject to the invasion of fishermen from different regions. This research aims at further understanding fishing on the Amazonian Atlantic coast and its economic, social and environmental issues. The thesis addresses the artisanal fishing dynamics in Oiapoque, northern Amapá state. It is based on the concept of territory, through the relations engaged in by the fishermen, the productive chain, the forms of conflict for the fishing area, the restrictions imposed by the general regulations in a protected area. This work has undergone qualitative and quantitative methodology, consisting of direct observation, questionnaires, interviews and maps. The processing of geographic data obtained from systems on board fishing vessels and field surveys allowed the identification of fishing areas in the marine environment and the sharing of more or less conflict among the different users. The actors of such conflict come from different (local, national and international) levels and manifest themselves in different intensities in the fishing area. This research highlights many shortcomings in the current system (public policies, regulatory compliance, resource and ecosystem assessment, etc.) in order to understand, monitor and sustainably manage the resource. These shortcomings encourage the disorderly exploitation of fishing resources, which threatens the future of artisanal fishermen and marine biodiversity. Local artisanal fishermen are now under a fairer and more stringent enforcement of the regulations in the protected area aimed at preserving its use, while avoiding overfishing.