Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
A heterogeneous fleet is vulnerable to the economic changes and challenges of the fish
market. Meeting net and motor expenses can be quite challenging, and large costs may
prevent the vessel's owner from adapting and utilizing more appropriate equipment. Larger
nets implicate a larger crew size and expenses increase.
The low correlation coefficients between capture and fishing effort indicate that other
effort factors act on capture but are not considered. Petrere (1983) highlighted biological
processes, edaphic and morphologic fishing factors and fishing strategies that vary with the
level of fishing experience and that influence capture frequency.
The emergence of fish-towns and the introduction of motors and nylon nets by fishermen
signify the increased intensification of the fish trade in the Amazonian Estuary (Nacif, 1994).
Besides those technological changes cultural mixing has occurred, creating a new hybrid
culture. Estuary fishermen, even in Vigia, are from several areas, and bring with themselves
their own faiths, fears and experiences. Therefore it is commonplace to listen to legends about
witch crafted botos and charming entities that steal women and leave them pregnant; or, to
hear of magic powers attributed to dolphin fat and milk that cure diseases (Slater, 1994).
For many years, these faiths have been incorporated into the fishermen's culture and they
have been serving as a theme for speculations posted in newspapers, leaving the fisherman in
an unfavorable position. The intentional capture of dolphins in the estuary to be used as shark
bait has dramatically dropped (Sicilian, 1994). Now, after the break-up of this fishery, on
occasion, dolphin meat is used with hook and line where one small dolphin provides enough
to bait more than a thousand fishhooks.
In several areas of the geographical distribution and especially in the Amazon it is known
that organs or parts of Sotalia fluviatilis , Sotalia guianensis and Inia geoffrensis are used as
amulets and fetishes (Borobia & Rosas, 1991) and that fishermen consider dolphins as
competitors in the fishery; they do not like them because they destroy or steal fish from their
nets.
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
We want to thank the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA) and the Ministry
of Science and Technology (CNPq), for the logistical and economical support in the
development of this research project. Special thanks go to Vera da Silva (INPA, Brazil). Also
special thanks to the fishermen of Arapiranga port in Vigia (PA), for their collaboration and
the information they provided during this research project.
R EFERENCES
[1]
Baros, N. & Teixeira, R. L. (1994). Incidental catches of marine tucuxi, Sotalia
fluviatilis , in Alagoas, northeastern Brazil. In: Perrin W., G. Donovan and J. Barlow
(Eds.), Gillnets and Cetaceans . Report of the International Whaling. Commission.
(Special Issue 15, pp. 265 -268). Cambridge, United Kingdom: International Whaling
Commission.
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