Etnoecologia da pesca: um caminho para a conservação socioambiental em unidades de conservação

Abstract

Conservation and sustainable use of fishery resources require knowledge of species and how local populations use available fish. However, there are clear gaps in information on fishing and on the biology and ecology of the fish. This scenario is particularly worrying when it comes to Sustainable Use Conservation Units, since important information to guide management is still scarce. This thesis investigated the fishery and the knowledge of the fishermen using ethnoecological approach in protected areas (Conservation Units of Sustainable Use) and unprotected. The study was carried out in two Sustainable Use Conservation Units, Amapá National Forest (FLONA do Amapá) and Amapá State Forest (FLOTA do Amapá, section III), both located in the Amapá state, and in areas Out of UCs. Interviews, participant observation and documentary research (fishing data of Colonia Z-16) were carried out. Fishermen who fish inside and outside PAs use morphological and ecological criteria to identify and name fish. In addition, they use morphological parameters to differentiate males and females. Fish are consumed and traded, but few are used for medicinal purposes. The fishermen have restrictions (taboos) related to smooth fish / leather and reimosos fish. The preferred fishes are among the most caught, especially the trairão (Hoplias aimara), which presented higher use value. However, the recognition by the fishermen themselves of the reduction of the quantities of the trairão (H. Aymara) caught at the fishing sites reinforces the need for measures aimed at the conservation of this species in the area studied. The "winter" and "summer" periods and observation of the hydrological cycle allow the proper choice of fishing sites, fishing gear and the fish to capture, and allows the understanding of behavioral aspects of fish reproduction, feeding and migration. On reproduction, the fishermen presented knowledge about the period of reproduction of several fish and described the spawning sites. The information on the reproduction of the CEL partially agreed with the scientific literature. The CEL of the fishermen and the scientific data for the reproduction of the trairão (H. aimara) suggest the adaptation of the closed season for this species. The CEL on fish reproduction may contribute to broadening the protection of species that have large local demand. Fishers know the types of food that are part of the fish diet, identifying seasonal variations. Fishermen also describe lateral and longitudinal migratory movements, in winter and summer, between the main environments of the rivers Araguari and Amapari. The "baixão" (flooded forest) was one of the most cited habitats and considered as an important protection area, feeding area and reproduction of several fish, indicating that the baixão inside and outside the CUs should be conserved. Understanding fishing activity in and out of protected areas is critical to improving management actions in conservation areas. The results suggest the adoption of measures to maintain the effects of protected areas on the conservation of the fishing resource, such as the definition of catch quotas and the reduction of the use of guillnet. In addition, should be priority given to projects for the diversification of income sources, in order to reduce fishing pressure within the CUs. Finally, the monitoring of fishing activity is essential to evaluate these measures, since there is an intense fishing activity occurring in the interior of CUs.