Peixes, redes e cidades: aspectos socioambientais da pesca comercial de bagres no Médio e Alto Solimões - AM

Abstract

The emergence of interdisciplinary themes has opened new possibilities for scientific approach to reality. In the Amazon, where the relations between society and nature are evident, interdisciplinarity is essential in order to grasp complex issues. The Environmental Science, which brings in its essence the interdisciplinary approach, is in process of construction in terms of theoretical and methodological procedures favoring innovative research. The issue of networks, Catfishes and its relationship with the cities is a matter interdisciplinary environmental science can give an alternative approach. In this sense the present study proposes an investigation summarized in the following question: How can environmental science contribute to the analysis of the problems of fisheries and conservation of stocks of catfish in the Amazon? A hypothesis is formulated: the integration of the studies of networks, market structure, cities and catfishes will develop elements that integrate conservation with responsible use (socially just and ecologically friendly) of fishery resources. To collect the data, we conducted field work between May 17 and July 15, 2011 in eleven cities in the Upper and Middle Solimões River in Amazonas state, Brazil, visiting a total of 47 floating strutures that commercialize and stock catfishes which corresponds to 92.16% of the total. Semi-structured interviews about infrastructure, labor relations, among other flows was realized. The main results were 1) the market network of Catfish has intrinsic relationship to urban network; 2) necessary to describe in detail the important level of network flows and consider its particularities, and 3 ) along these there are political, social and cultural links that establish an intricate network essencial for the understanding and conservation of Catfishes. The network comprises a reality whose complexity is reflected in the difficulty of translating it scientifically. The proposition of theoretical and methodological instruments (open interdisciplinary approach, juxtaposing objects and conceptual fragmentation of the object) consisted in an attempt to elucidate the object and decifring the results. This research is an interdisciplinary dialogue and represents an alternative integrated vision by which it has drawn the research on Catfishes and cities.