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Traditional knowledge of Fishers versus an environmental disaster from mining waste in Central Brazil

2020; Elsevier BV; Volume: 120; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104129

1872-9460

Pablo da Costa Oliveira, Ana Paula Madeira Di Beneditto, Valéria da Silva Quaresma, Alex Cardoso Bastos, Camilah Antunes Zappes,

Hydropower, Displacement, Environmental Impact

The present study aimed to comprehend the perceptions of artisanal fishers from the Southeast Region of Brazil about fishing viability after the mining waste release by the mining company Samarco Mineração S.A. (BHP Billiton Brasil LTDA) in the Doce River basin on November 5, 2015. Between 2017 and 2018, we conducted 120 ethnographic interviews in the communities of Conceição da Barra (CB = 40), Regência (RG = 40) and Barra do Riacho (BR = 40). According to the interviewees (n = 119), the entire coastal ecosystem in northern ES was affected by 1) fisheries suspension, 2) catch contamination and decrease, and 3) Doce River basin degradation. For most fishers (n = 104), the party responsible for the disaster was 'Samarco'. The 'toxic mud' dispersion described by the interviewees matched that shown in the literature. Regardless of the fisheries suspension after the disaster, illegal fishing still occurs in RG and BR. The interviewees justified these actions, stating that the lost profit (financial compensation) offered by Samarco did not align with the income they had before. The creation of opportunities for profit generation in other economic fields, the capacity of the fishers to work in other professions and/or the implementation of new technologies for fishery maintenance must be promoted by the company responsible for the disaster.