Cooperatives in Traditional Fisheries Communities: Institutions for Collective Action

Abstract

"This work was based on the theoretical-methodological approaches of the collective actions and the shared management of common-pool resources of two cooperatives in traditional fishing communities in Brazil: the Carutapera Artisanal Fishermen Cooperative, located at the coastline of the state of Maranhão, and the Cananeia Oyster Producer Cooperative, located on the South coastline of the state of São Paulo. The following methodological proceedings were carried out: literature review, secondary data collection, direct observation of facts and phenomena, contact with stakeholders for data provision and analysis of the contexts of case studies. The trajectory of the collective action that led to the creation of the cooperatives were organized in a historical perspective, separated by phases, and the main events that contributed to the development of local cooperatives were listed/organized. The data analysis allowed for the inference of what were the facts and key phenomena in promoting joint and coordinated actions among individuals. The local value chain was described, and the social production relations that deal with the market aspects in these cooperatives were also identified, as well as the traditional and ecological knowledge regarding production in the fishery systems. Finally, the common areas used for fishing and artisanal mariculture were described, as well as how the property regimes employees work in the management of these territories. The main contribution of this study is the fact that it is necessary to pay attention to the historical context that drives the development of collective actions. When aiming to obtain living conditions for the communities, there is the need to identify potential leaders, the reasons that make people cooperate with each other and the mechanisms that maintain trust between individuals, which in turn leads to feedback on the solidarity cycle fabric on values such as reciprocity."