Pescadores comercial ornamental, comercial de peixes comestíveis e empresários de pesca esportiva do médio rio Negro: territorialidade e uso de espaços em comum

Abstract

The Amazon region has one of the greatest diversities of freshwater fish fauna in the world and has handmade fishing as one of its main economic activities. In the region of the middle Rio Negro, there are different categories of fishermen, and it is possible to find them in the context of multiple use of natural resources, and work in more than one type of fishing. The objective of the present study is to characterize fisheries activities and identify possible forms of social conflicts and territoriality of fisheries resources by commercial fishermen of edible fish, ornamental commercial fish and sports fishing entrepreneurs. As well the assess whether there is an overlap between fisheries modalities and territoriality and fishing conflicts in the middle 9 Rio Negro region. The study was based in the municipality of Barcelos, located on the middle Rio Negro, between the months of October and November 2022 and completed in April 2023. Semi-structured questionnaire were applied using the “Snowball” method to fishermen and businesspeople. 100 questionnaires were managed to commercial edible fish fishermen and 29 questionnaires to ornamental commercial fishermen and 11 to sport fishing entrepreneurs. Gathering only began upon submission and, consequently, approval by the Human Research Ethics Committee (CEP – CAAE Process N°: 64643822.0.0000.5020). The majority of interviewees are male, married; with an average age of 44; low education among fishermen with incomplete primary education and sport fishing entrepreneurs with only a secondary education; monthly income of fishermen below one minimum wage and businesspeople with six minimum wages; fishermen have other activities such as: agriculture and fishing guides; the Negro river channel, Demeni river and Aracá are the places most explored by activities; the pacu (Family Serrasalmidae) and aracu (Family Anastomidae) were the ethnospecies exploited by commercial fishermen for edible fish, the cardinal Paracheirodon axelroldi for ornamental commercial fishing and the tucunaré (Cichla spp.) for sport fishing; most interviewees did not segregate information about fishing locations; the conflicts were mainly related to the differential use of the fishing resource and disputes over the same areas of use; a large part of fishermen and sport fishing entrepreneurs assume informal fishing agreements in these communities; social conflicts and forms of territoriality were more significant in the Demeni River; conflicting relationships also occur between individuals in the same activity for the three categories studied. This study will contribute to understanding the dynamics of multiple use of natural resources. Providing information that will serve as subsidies for the implementation of public policies aimed at these resources, management measures and promoting the sustainable development of the activity in the middle Rio Negro region.