Socio-economic profile and environmental perception of fishers of Lagoa do Apodi, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

Abstract: Fishing is one of the main activities developed to ensure food, contributing to its development. However, currently has faced difficulties − especially the small-scale fishing, which uses low-technology −, in addition to the greed of large fishing corporations. The present work aims to describe the small-scale fishing in the Lagoa do Apodi, RN, through the description of the socio-economic profile and environmental perception of fishers. As a methodological procedure, we performed a literature review; preparation of semi-structured questionnaire, covering aspects of socio-economic profile and environmental perception, applied to 52 fishers, following the random sampling process; and processing of data with Microsoft Excel Software 2013. We observed that the fishers present low income and education; however, these factors did not influence on environmental perception of individuals. The positive impacts of fishing activity in the lagoon are related to income generation, job creation, and food production. We evidenced that the fishers are aware of the negative impacts arising from the activity, such as over-fishing, which leads to scarcity of fish and even to changing water quality. The main conflicts to fishers are relating to predatory fishing, land dispute between fishers and farmers, and with urbanization process with sewage dumping. With the results obtained, we detected an absence of public policies that may contribute to the promotion of small-scale fishing geared to local development.

摘要：渔业是保障粮食供给的核心生产活动之一，对粮食产业发展具有重要推动作用。然而当前渔业发展面临诸多困境，尤其是依赖低技术装备的小型捕捞业，同时还受到大型渔业企业逐利行为的冲击。本研究旨在通过对阿波迪潟湖（Lagoa do Apodi, RN）渔民的社会经济概况与环境认知进行调研，刻画该区域小型捕捞业的发展现状。本研究采用的研究方法包括：一是开展文献综述；二是设计涵盖社会经济概况与环境认知维度的半结构化问卷，通过随机抽样法对52名渔民进行问卷调查；三是使用Microsoft Excel 2013软件对采集的数据进行整理分析。调研结果显示，该区域渔民普遍收入水平偏低、受教育程度不高，但上述因素并未对渔民的环境认知产生显著影响。潟湖捕捞活动的积极影响主要体现为创造收入、提供就业岗位以及保障粮食产出。研究证实，渔民清晰认知到捕捞活动带来的负面影响，例如过度捕捞会导致渔业资源枯竭，甚至引发水体水质恶化。渔民面临的主要冲突包括：掠夺性捕捞、渔民与农户间的土地权属纠纷，以及城市化进程带来的生活污水直排问题。基于本次调研结果，我们发现当前缺乏能够助力小型捕捞业适配地方发展的公共政策支持。