Artisanal fisheries institutionalization and equitable dialogue: the Anomalocardia brasiliana cockle case in the Pirajubaé Marine Extractive Reserve

Abstract

This study analyzes the institutionalization of the cockle fishery (Anomalocardia brasiliana) in the Pirajubaé Marine Extractive Reserve (RESEX) in Florianópolis - SC. For this, the automony of the artisanal fishers’ and the presence of equitable dialogue between the actors were evaluated. The theoretical-methodological approach adopted is that of the sociology of translation, one of the strands derived from of the Actor-network theory – ANT. Bibliographic, documentary and field research was carry out. The institutionalization of the cockle fishery involves the formation of a sociotechnical network, whose trajectory includes four phases. These phases link specific fisheries management issues negotiated and translated by the different actors involved, such as: the ecological sustainability of fishery management, the construction of fair markets for the cockles and the recognition of the women’s role in the extractive chain. The ecological sustainability of fishery management, through environmental regulation, was prioritized most of the time. The institutionalization was impacted by the creation of the protected area over the fishing territory, by conflicts originated from environmental inspection and urban infrastructure works, by consensus and tensions between scientific and traditional knowledge and, more recently, by the sudden collapse of fishery. The institutions created, such as the fishing rules, act as the mediators in the network defining roles and the rights and duties for the use of resources. The legitimacy of the institutions was greater when the equitable dialogue and the autonomy of fishers’ was promoted in the decision-making process. Public policies for socioeconomic development and inclusion of women in Marine RESEX must be strengthened to ensure quality of life and equal conditions for social participation. The sociology of translation – ANT presents an innovative contribution to the study of common natural resources management, because it allows us to understand how institutions are produced and their role in the stabilization of sociotechnical networks, privileging co-production dynamics between the technical, social, economic and natural worlds.