The social, economic and environmental scenery of artisanal fishing in a community in seashore of Paraiba

Abstract

Though the ongoing anthropic pressure in the ecosystems of the North-east coast of Brazil, many communities living in that region still rely on the artisanal fishing as their livelihoods and income. This current study occurred at a fishing community from Livramento, situated in the city of Santa Rita. The Fishing was described in its social, economic and environmental relations. A work of approach was conducted together with the fishermen who substantiate the development for scripts of 23 semi structured interviews. It was possible to note that there is a strong dependence on the estuary-mangrove complex of Paraiba River and the fishing represents one of the main economic activities. The activities of the sugarcane industry and shrimp farming, as well as the degradation of water quality, have negatively affected the fishing activity. Furthermore, the lack of infrastructure and support for the practice of fishing shows itself as one of the main problems faced.