Local Fisher Communities in Brazil: example of southern Brazil.

To cope with increasing environmental uncertainties and more complex, biodiverse fisheries, small local fishing communities on the Brazilian coast are contributing to research, environmental conservation, and ecosystem management. Brazil's local fisheries are largely ecosystem-based, adaptive, seasonal, and locally precautionary.

In fact, for many years, constantly conducted studies of Brazil's local fisher habitats have led to a massive increase to available scientific ecological research results.

Thus, today there is a rapidly increasing knowledge of ecology, migration, reproduction, feeding habits, and stock changes in a wide range of fisheries resources, from fish to passing whale populations.

Brazilian small-scale fishermen in coastal waters exploit several fish species about whose biology and ecology little was known until a few years ago. In addition, there was little data on fish landings, and local distribution routes. These regions are not really usable for the industrial fishing industry, due to the rocky coastline with large rocky outcrops underwater far into the Atlantic Ocean.