Pesca Artesanal no Distrito de Peixelândia – Tocantins, Brasil

Abstract

In recent years, population growth and the diffusion of the current economic development model have been considered two of the main causes of ecological imbalance, which significantly influences the destruction of artisanal fishing communities. For this reason, the relationship between socioeconomic development and the use of natural resources has been the subject of intense discussion. Thus, this research describes the conditions under which fishermen live in a riverine fishing community located on the banks of the Araguaia River, in the state of Tocantins, Brazil. Through this study, we seek to understand the predominance of artisanal fishing for socioeconomic development and local economic dynamics, as well as the relationships that the subjects have with the environment, the values, the capitalist relationships, the existing conflicts, and the practices of social organization and work. The interest in the theme is justified by the large number of fishermen who depend essentially on fishing for their subsistence in the area studied. Therefore, we believe that studying artisanal fishing as an intimate relationship with nature can make it possible to understand to what extent artisanal fishing is a sustainable activity, and what role it plays in the local and/or regional development of a given locality. From the methodological point of view, the structured interviews and the direct experience with the fishermen, reproduced through photographic records, show a considerable number of problems that need to be addressed in the management of the community. The data obtained, treated in the light of the content analysis proposed by Laurence Bardin, under the viewpoint of Amartya Sen's Development as Freedom and Enrique Leff's Environmental Rationality theory, point to the relevance of a more comprehensive and participatory approach to managing fishing resources. Through the results, it is inferred that although fishing is the main economic activity in the community studied, contributing to reasonable income generation and the movement of social capital, the way the production chain of fish is structured, without government support and incentive, has not contributed to improving the quality of life of workers. Furthermore, through this study, it is evident the need for an approach that encompasses the problems that affect the economic development and sustainability of fishing in a more integrated way, highlighting the importance of projects, actions, and a greater commitment from institutions related to the fishing sector in subsidizing more effective development policies.