A Percepção dos pescadores artesanais e marisqueiras (do Recôncavo) acerca dos impactos socioambientais em suas vidas cotidianas

Abstract

This study was conducted in the municipalities of Santo Amaro and Aratuípe, in the Maragogipinho district, located in Recôncavo, on the shores of Baía de Todos os Santos. The study aimed to answer the following questions: 1 - under what conditions do fishermen and shellfish farmers perform their work activities? What is the perception of these workers about how social and environmental conditions impact their own lives? 2 - Do fishermen and shellfish farmers need to carry out extra laboral activities to complement their income? 3 - How the state has contributed to the current socioeconomic reproduction conditions of the fishery workers? 4 - do mangrove polluting sources affect the lives of fishery workers? Considering the subjective nature of fisheries workers' perceptions and experiences, which cannot be measured or fully recorded as purely objective facts, a qualitative research was conducted to answer these questions. Nevertheless, IBGE quantitative data were also used. The frequency that accidents as well as the development of diseases occur due to the unhealthy working conditions and the precariousness of makeshift safety equipment. The State's contribution to providing: basic sanitation in residences around the mangroves; minimum infrastructure for fishermen and shellfish farmers to carry out their activities; and in the use of stricter laws and fines for industries set up near mangroves to have less impact on rivers, it has been minimal. State participation has been restricted to the creation of public policies aimed at the poorest and most vulnerable condition that shellfish and fishermen fall into. Fishermen and shellfish farmers have little perception of the importance and effects of pollution on their work activity and on their health. The promotion of awareness work of this community about environmental education focused on the preservation of mangroves and health of fishermen and shellfish farmers would contribute significantly in reducing the precariousness of artisanal fishing activity in the studied area.