Vulnerability of small-scale fisherfolk in Southern Brazil: context and perception

• Main Author: Hellebrandt, Denis
• Publication Date: 2009
• Other Authors: Hellebrandt, Luceni Medeiros, Abdallah, Patrízia Raggi
• Format: Conference object
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositório Institucional da FURG (RI FURG)
• Download full: http://repositorio.furg.br/handle/1/934
• topic: Fishery; Vulnerability; Perception; Patos Lagoon; Pesca; Vulnerabilidade; Persepção; Lagoa dos Patos

This paper aims at providing empirical material that could shed light on a wider discussion about how the vulnerability of small-scale fisherfolk is affected by diverse contexts and environmental, social and economic change. The research was carried out between 2006 and 2008, in Southern Brazil (Patos Lagoon estuary) and combined qualitative and quantitative approaches in a case study design. The findings highlight the complexity of livelihoods by contrasting rural and urban contexts, and shows how the fisherfolk themselves perceive the different factors determining their success or failure in either coping or adapting to change. Informal practices were found to result in elaborate links between local and global markets and to make for consistent income generation among poor fisherfolk. However, informality was also often based on the exploitation of workers and on unsustainable fishing. This research draws attention to the paradoxical nature of processes in small-scale fisheries and the complex relationship between poverty, vulnerability and natural resource use.