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| THE EXPERIENCE OF COMMUNITY-BASED MANAGEMENT OF MIDDLE AMAZONIAN FISHERIES |
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Reference |
| Isaac, Victoria J., Ruffino, Mauro L., and David McGrath. 1998. "The Experience of Community-Based Management of Middle Amazonian Fisheries." Presented at "Crossing Boundaries", the seventh annual conference of the International Association for the Study of Common Property, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, June 10-14. Link: http://dlc.dlib.indiana.edu/archive/00000065 |
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Introduction to the Institution |
| Amazonian fisheries have the characteristics of a typical tropical artisanal fishery in the initial stages of development. A great variety of species are captured utilizing a diversity of gear types, ranging from the bow and arrow to purse seines. Amazonian fisheries do involve a large number of people and play an important role in the local diet and regional economy. Fish is still the major source of animal protein for the floodplain population. Due to the vacuum in regional fisheries management policies there is a lack of scientific information on amazonian fisheries and the uncontrolled increase in fishing effort. Largely as a result of this management vacuum, floodplain communities have taken the initiative to protect their rights to local fisheries, taking control of local lakes and imposing rules to control local fishing activity. Largely as a consequence of these changes, the growing scientific base, and expanding grassroots movement in support of community based management, government fisheries policies is beginning to change from the technocentric approach which has characterized Brazilian fisheries policy to a more decentralized and participatory approach to fisheries management. |
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Rules for Management
of the Institution |
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(a) Boundary Rules |
| Spacial Boundaries: Middle Amazon, Brazil Social Boundaries: Fishers are organized in so called “fishers colonies”. Access to lakes is denied for communities outside the colonies. |
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(b) Governance
rules |
| Rules regulating fishing activity are usually defined in regional meetings involving representatives of communities which share the same lake system, and usually take place without the participation of the state. Enforcement of community rules is undertaken by local residents, and varies considerably in effectiveness. |
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(c) Resource Allocation |
| The lake system is divided into zones based on the kind of use permitted (no fishing, subsistence, or commercial fishing). Local fishers may also restrict access to the lakes to surrounding communities, prohibiting access to those from other areas. Specific gear types, such as gillnets, are prohibited, either permanently or seasonally. Another measure concentrates on storage capacity and may involve restrictions on use of ice or limitations on the size of ice boxes |
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Conflict Resolution Mechanism |
| Due to the resulting decline in fishing productivity and the absence of government regulatory authority, fishing conflicts have proliferated. These conflicts include gear burning, personal violence and even armed confrontations. Most of the conflicts occur in the lakes. In most cases local fishers, who live around lake margins, confront outside fishers, who typically utilize larger-scale gear. To defend their fishing grounds, which they consider community property, many floodplain communities have begun to develop and implement management systems to reduce or control fishing pressure. Due to the imposition of rules, and frequently due to the lack of community organizational experience in dealing with conflictive situations, fishing accords, which were created to reduce conflicts, may actually lead to higher levels of conflicts between floodplain communities and outside fishers. In these cases, the intervention of local governmental authorities is often thought to both legitimize accords and mediate conflicts. |
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Changes in the Institution over time |
| Institutionally, fishers are organized in so called “fishers colonies” (Colônias de Pescadores). Since colonial times the government has made sporadic attempts to control this professional category. They have traditionally been closely controlled by federal government agencies and Colonia leadership has, until fairly recently, been appointed by municipal politicians or federal government officials. In the early 1980´s a broadly based pro-democracy movement developed in opposition to the military dictatorship. In the case of middle Amazonian fishers, two church-related organisations, the CPP (Pastoral Fishers Commission) and especially FASE (Federação de Órgãos para Assistência Social e Educacional), played critical roles in developing local leadership and organising fishers to take over municipal Colonias. Regional fisheries councils (Conselhos Regionais de Pesca), inter-community councils responsible for managing individual floodplain lake systems have developed. Now the federal environmental agency responsible for fisheries management (IBAMA), also has come to realize that a participatory approach to fisheries management may be the most effective way to manage Amazonian fisheries. Various communities have organized meetings and created Regional Fishing Councils with the objective of formulating rules for local lake fisheries. |
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Purpose |
| to control local fishing activity |
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Country |
| Brazil |
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Region |
| Middle Amazon |
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