The fishing community at São Gonçalo do Amarante county (Ceará State) and their relationship with the Pecém Harbor Complex

Abstract

The construction of the Pecém Harbor Complex, in Ceará State, was due to the increase in cargo handling at the Mucuripe  Habor, at Fortaleza, and to the incentives for the creation of new terminals and new methods of logistics and cargo flow. This study  aimed to identify the profile of fishermen and major socio-economic and environmental conflicts arising from the port terminal facility  as well as its effects on the fishing community Pecém. For its development, one must consider the effects of a sharp economic growth on  the community, especially the impacts arising from that enterprise on such traditional activities as fishing and tourism. Amongst the  outocome of these anthropic impacts, are outstanding the decreases in the production of fish on account of their interference on the  system marking the fishing ground through terrestrial signs, and in the catch of shrimp due to dredging the harbor basin in order to  increase its depth for large vessels’ operations. There has also been evident the migration of manpower that had been working almost  exclusively in the artisanal fishery because of higher salary levels provided by the companies.