A PESCA, OS PESCADORES E O ETNOCONHECIMENTO DA RESERVA DE DESENVOLVIMENTO SUSTENTÁVEL ESTADUAL PONTA DO TUBARÃO (RN) - BRASIL.

This study aimed to characterize the fishing, the fishermen and ethno-knowledge related to them of Ponta do Tubarão Sustainable Development State Reserve, Rio Grande do Norte State - Brazil. The local fishing is an artisanal labor that provided to the fishermen over the time a broad knowledge about fishing species and their habitats as well. In the RDSEPT, the fishing environments correspond to the river/estuary, coastal beaches and the open sea. In terms of fishery production, between 2006 and 2016, RDSEPT summed around 9.4 tons of fish. Interviews with local fishermen revealed a little of the socioeconomic profile of the people employed in this activity. Of the total interviews, about 80% claimed to have been fishing for more than 20 years, 48% are married, while 36% are illiterate or semi-illiterate, and only 10% have completed high school. In addition, 72% of the interviewees had a monthly income of up to 1 minimum wage (about 270 dollars). Regarding ethno-knowledge, it is possible to affirm that their maintenance in the RDSEPT is mainly due to the family ties, since 48% of the interviewees declared that they learned the art of fishing with their parents. It is worth mentioning that many fishermen had to learn to fish when they were still children, which implied in the low schooling they have nowadays. Despite this reality, it is perceptible that the ethno-knowledge those men have acquired along their lives, is a valuable instrument to recognize the relation between man and nature, as well as it can be used for the management of natural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]