Shrimp fishing in Santarém, Lower Amazonas, Pará: Technical and operating procedures

Abstract

Shrimps are widely consumed by traditional communities throughout the Solimões/Amazon system and are of commercial interest in the Pará state. In order to understand this type of fishery in the municipality of Santarém (PA), several visits were made during the period from October 2016 to September 2017, with semi-directed interviews with fishermen and participatory observations in their daily activities. Shrimp fishing is artisanal with commercial focus, being the main source of income generation of families. The capture is made with semi-fixed matapi (trap for shrimps), made by fishers themselves with galvanized iron and nylon mesh. They are used on the banks of the Amazon River, in the canals and varzea lakes near the city regional shrimp are caught most abundantly in the so-called summer period (June to December) and the aviú shrimp in the Amazonian winter (January to June). Both are sold cooked with salt at local fairs and markets, with prices varying according to the size of the product and to the harvest and off-season periods. The fishery is conducted in a uncontrolled manner, with no supervision and control of natural stocks, being captured individuals of all sizes.