The aquanebusiness of fishes in Brazil and the reflections to the traditional fishing communities

Abstract

The aquaculture is one of the fastest growing animal food production sectors in the world. Being that its industrial version also named business, as well as others forms of productions and intensive cultivation, cause negatives impacts to the environment and can cause social conflicts. The development of the brazilian aquaculture has pointed to some issues relating to sustainability of cultivation, in particular through the introduction of exotic species, the use of water, the use of mangrove area to aquaculture activities, among other social and environmental impacts. Especially in the last 30 years, via the neoliberal ideology and its mechanisms of commodification, expropriation, etc. The present text aims to point out the recent panorama of the brazilian fish sector and its reflections to the traditional fishing communities. For this, primary and secondary data are presented, fruit of our doctoral research (especially in the states of Paraná and Ceará), which helps us understand how aquaculture, especially since 1990, has taken the course of the interests of capital, which has taken advantage of different discourses and contributions, such as State support, to become a real competitive activity on the world market. As results, it is exposed how much aquaculture is linked to neoliberal ideals, and consequently to the dictates of capital, to the detriment of life. Thus, we point out examples of impacts and conflicts of corporate aquaculture crops to traditional communities, and also resistance to this one-dimensional, marketing trend.