Fishing Spots and Sea Tenure in Atlantic Forest Fishing Communities

Abstract

"Recent work has dealt with the local management of aquatic resources as an alternative to Hardins' 'tragedy of the commons'. In communities with no formal management of the resources, informal ownership of fishing spots or conflict situations may be a basis for future local management. In this study, I analyze the use of aquatic resources by five fishing communities in the Atlantic Forest coast, southeast Brazil: Buzios Island, Puruba and Picinguaba, in Sao Paulo State, and Jaguanum and Itacuruca Islands at Sepetiba Bay in Rio de Janeiro State. Field work was carried out at Buzios Island in 1986-7, at Sepetj-ba Bay in 1989- 90 and at Puruba and Picinguaba since 1991. Procedures included interviews, sampling of fishing trips and other direct observations. Informal ownership of fishing spots, used for set gillnet fishing, is regulated by kin ties at Buzios Island. The artisanal fishers of Sepetiba Bay, especially from Jaguanum Island, have a situation of conflict with Bay 'intruders', such as the shrimp and herring fishing trawlers. Finally, two coastal communities, Puruba and Picinguaba, have conflicts with fishing regulations from a State park (Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar), created in 1977."