Freshwater, Fish and the Future: Proceedings of the Global Cross-Sectoral Conference

Recreational Fishing and Traditional Management in Indigenous Amazonia

Camila Sobral Barra

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9789251092637.ch27

Abstract .—At least 73% of Brazilian indigenous lands suffer one or more pressures or territorial threats, and 55% of federal conservation units do not have approved management plans. These protected areas encompass more than 40% of the Brazilian Amazonia. Official governmental management programs are not adequately supported and lack consistent monitoring and surveillance. Protected areas are under immense pressure from mining and commercial fishing and, more recently, from recreational fishing tourism. Even though recreational fishing in these areas is legally possible, it has been initiated without due consultation with the affected communities, disregarding the International Labor Organization’s Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention (No. 169). Also, recreational fishing is being undertaken in a competitive model with no assessments of feasibility or assurance of socioenvironmental benefits. The community-based project of recreational fishing tourism implemented in the Marié River resulted from an cross-sectoral partnership supported by government and nongovernmental organizations based on the indigenous communities’ interest to develop an economic activity to ensure quality of life. The partnership also developed a joint monitoring and management program to protect the livelihoods and collective interests of indigenous peoples with emphasis on food security. The recreational fishing tourism in the Marié River became an opportunity for the indigenous communities to lead the governance, management, and conservation of their traditional territory.