ETHNO-KNOWLEDGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERCEPTION OF SHRIMP ARTISANAL FISHERMEN ABOUT FISHING AND BYCATCH IN NORTHERN RIO DE JANEIRO STATE, BRAZIL

Abstract

Shrimp trawling has crucial socioeconomic value worldwide, and its relevance is even more direct in artisanal fishing communities that depend on shrimp for survival. This fishing activity is also recognized for different environmental impacts such as marine overfishing, the incidental catch of species, or destruction of the benthic zone by trawling the net on the seafloor. In Brazil, the closed season protects commercial shrimp stocks from extinction. However, this period does not consider the different species that constitute the accompanying fauna of this fishery. Many studies point to the importance of traditional knowledge and environmental perception of local fishers in discussions about sustainability and fisheries management actions. This work aimed to evaluate the dynamics of fishing, ethnobiological knowledge, and environmental perception, especially concerning the accompanying fauna of artisanal shrimp trawler fishers in Macae?, Rio de Janeiro. Between June 2017 and January 2018, 31 semi-structured interviews were conducted. Questions about the fishers’ sociodemographic, professional experience, ethnobiological knowledge, and environmental perception were applied. Most of the interviewees were between 40 and 50 years old, with incomplete elementary education and 20 years of experience in artisanal shrimp fishing. The fishers do not identify the incidental catches they make during trawl fishing as an impact. They see the closed season as an essential measure for the sustainable use of fishery resources. In contrast, they disagree about the period, which they consider misplaced. Fishers’ perceptions indicate Macae? needs more effective actions to reduce the capture of accompanying fauna, environmental education programs, and more involvement of fishers in the choices and implementation of management measures.