The shrimp farming resumes in Brazil (2012–2020): dismantling of environmental regulations and new socio-environmental impacts

Abstract

Shrimp farming is the major mariculture activity in Brazil. The productive boom occurred in the early 2000s, after the supply chain development. The shrimp farming expansion was not only by the dynamics and the private sector resources. Large enterprises, especially in the Northeast, were supported by public investments, with licensing facilitated by environmental agencies. During this period, shrimp farming caused socio-environmental impacts and conflicts. However, since 2004, the sector has been experiencing commercial and productivity problems. To recover the activity, the sector's economic agents and the government sought to develop plans to promote shrimp farming, in addition to making environmental legislation more flexible. This study aimed to demonstrate how the dismantling of environmental regulations in Brazil constitutes a new government incentive for shrimp farming, which has generated new socio-environmental impacts, especially on small-scale fishing communities. Methods included content analysis of documents and environmental regulations, field observations, and semi-structured interviews with key informants from the government, Brazilian Shrimp Farmers Association, and artisanal fishers’ organizations. Results show that the passing of the new Brazilian Forest Code in 2012 stimulated shrimp farming by allowing this activity in areas formerly protected for conservation. Additionally, since 2016, Brazil has been dismantling public environmental institutions to resume shrimp farming production. This resumption has caused new socio-environmental impacts, mainly on fishing communities, which are subject to the expropriation of their territories and the extinguishment of their traditional livelihoods.