**3. Transmission of traditional knowledge and urban pressure**

community in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, 54% of fishermen are between 31 and 50 years of age [21]. The striking presence of adults in fishing communities in the economically active

Fishermen generally have a low degree of schooling [43–46]. However, advances in schooling between generations have been found in a community in the city of Recife, where most fishermen have incomplete elementary (26.1%) or high school (25.0%) educations, 61.1% of their parents are illiterate and 25.4% of their descendants have a complete high school education [43]. However, this is not the case in the state of Bahia, where 40.0% of fishermen remain illiterate [44], or the state of Rio Grande do Norte, where 78.8% have an incomplete elementary or middle school education and only 4.7% have a complete high school education [21]. With the reduction in the illiteracy rate in Brazil [47], some urban fishing communities have a higher level of education, which may be related to the proximity to large cities, where schools are more accessible. The low degree of schooling among fishermen exerts a direct effect on the social organization of this class of laborers [42], which may result in the unawareness of workers' rights, thereby weakening this category of professionals and causing both disadvantages and negative repercussions regarding the negotiation of the price of the catch.

Artisanal fishermen generally have ties with the community in which they live and a longer period of time spent in such communities leads to a greater feeling of belonging [48]. This characteristic is fundamental to strengthening the activity, as a united community faces difficulties with greater ease. In the state of Bahia, fishermen reside an average of 40 years in the rural community [44]. In a community in the city of Recife, a large portion of fishermen have resided in the location since birth (42.0%) or since the creation of the neighborhood (10.2%) [43], which demonstrates that, even in an urban community, the influence of urbani‐

The type of residence varies considerably with the socioeconomic status of each community. For fishermen in an urban area of the city of Recife, most homes are made with bricks and mortar [43, 45]. In a rural community in the state of Paraíba, a large portion of residences are made of wood and clay [48], but this form of home is being replaced by the practicality and durability of bricks and mortar in the capital of the state [49]. In a rural community in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, the majority of homes were made with sticks and mud. However, the municipal authorities benefitted the residents by constructing homes made of bricks and

Sanitation is another factor that varies with the characteristics of the location. Rural fishing communities are generally isolated, with inadequate living conditions, such as the coastline or areas near mangroves, where sanitation conditions are often precarious [46, 48]. For the urban fishermen in the city of Recife [43] and the state of Paraíba [49], the conditions might be considered better. However, a similar situation is reported. Even with more frequent trash collection, most urban waste is dumped into rivers and estuaries near fishing communities, which does not differ from many large cities in Brazil with a sewage system, the treatment of which is incomplete and precarious [50], demonstrating that the deficiency in sanitary

zation has not yet changed this important aspect of artisanal fishing.

mortar, thereby changing the face of the community [30].

conditions is not only found within fishing communities.

age range confirms the importance of fishery activities to the local economy.

94 Sustainable Urbanization

Artisanal fishermen reveal complex knowledge acquired through tradition inherited from older fishermen and contribute to the maintenance and sustainable use of natural ecosystems [51]. Such knowledge is generally transmitted orally from father to son and carefully guarded by fishermen [51] as a precious inheritance to ensure family survival and the continuation of the activity. The family is an important source of the transmission and maintenance of traditional knowledge and practices. Indeed, family ties constitute the main transmission route of knowledge regarding fishing in artisanal communities. The empirical knowledge of fishermen involves information of considerable cultural and ecological value that is essential to the continuation of local customs and the investigation of natural resources. This traditional knowledge can be used as a source of data for the establishment of species management and conservation plans, as it generally corresponds to scientific knowledge. In some countries, social ecology has used the knowledge of traditional communities for conservation purposes, as the strong dependence on natural resources, symbolic structure, management systems developed over long periods of time and often isolation make traditional fishing communities partners in conservation efforts [51].

The knowledge of fishermen involves navigation and the identification of fishing grounds through triangulation systems as well as the diversity, seasonality, migration habits and feeding habits of fish, fishing methods, depths and types of ocean bottoms [51]. Knowledge on the feeding habits of fish is evident in the community of Brasília Teimosa in the city of Recife (state of Pernambuco), where fishermen know which type of gear to use to enhance the success of fishery production [52].

In the community of Itapissuma near the coast in the state of Pernambuco, fishermen have precise knowledge of the estuary-mangrove complex, which allows social production and reproduction, maintaining a cultural heritage in which fishing practices are transmitted orally between generations and through both observations and practical learning [53]. In the rural community of Itacaré in the state of Bahia, most fishermen learned their craft in childhood, especially from fathers and family members. This demonstrates that knowledge regarding fishing practices and the use of natural resources can still be transmitted from generation to generation, thereby maintaining the characteristics of artisanal fishing [33].

Although rooted in tradition, artisanal fishermen have also been transformed by internal and external dynamics, but at a slower pace than that found in urban societies [51]. Traditional communities customarily maintain local knowledge accumulated and constructed over the years, which allows close contact with nature and the use of natural resources, even in communities located in urban areas, where the environment, albeit changed, allows sustaining modes of living based on the use of natural resources. However, this knowledge undergoes constant pressure from the urban way of life and can become lost over time due to the characteristic of the oral transmission as well as the contrast between traditional management practices and technologies available in the urban environment [54].

The urban community of Poti Velho in the city of Teresina (state of Piauí) continues to preserve its own culture, in which traditional knowledge is passed on from generation to generation, transferred within the family, but undergoes constant pressure from the urban way of life [54]. The community of Vila Velha in the state of Pernambuco entered into a stage of the transfor‐ mation of habits in 1999 due to the increase in tourism and real estate speculation. Knowledge related to fishing was passed on from generation to generation by family members and more experienced fishermen. However, the continuity of these practices is rather doubtful, as the increase in the level of schooling of the descendants offers different professional opportunities to future generations [55].

The community of Brasília Teimosa, which is located in an urban area in the city of Recife (state of Pernambuco), has been the object of study of the authors of the present investigation for several years and changes have been observed in this community. In studies conducted since 2006, the family constituted an important source for the transmission and maintenance of knowledge and traditional practices, as most fishermen report having learned this knowledge from fathers, uncles and brothers, with the constant presence of relatives in the activity. However, a small number of the descendants of fishermen become involved in fishing practices, which suggests that the descendants may not give continuity to the fishing tradition. This situation is aggravated, as the relationship between father and son was the most important form of the transmission of knowledge regarding fishing practices in Brasília Teimosa [52]. Thus, the community may be losing the traditional form of knowledge transmission within the family, which can change the face of its traditional nature. As this community is situated in an urban area in the city of Recife, residence in Brasília Teimosa allows a set of job oppor‐ tunities in other sectors, which may be more attractive to young people due to the advantages offered as well as social benefits. As a result, artisanal fishing is currently being threatened as an economic and social activity in this area.

Porto de Galinhas Beach in the city of Ipojuca is the most visited touristic point in the state of Pernambuco and was a community decades ago in which artisanal fishing was an important activity. This community has been undergoing constant change due to the economic growth stemming from tourism. The authors of a study conducted in the community found that most fishermen had descendants who worked in local stores or in the tourism industry, whereas only 12% practiced fishing with local traditional gear [56]. Besides the disorderly human occupation on the coast due to tourism, the destruction of mangroves and riparian forests due to real estate speculation and agricultural activities has also contributed to a reduction in fish stocks [56], further leading to the avoidance of fishery activities on the part of youths. Thus, there is no renewal of the group with the inclusion the descendants of fishermen, which constitutes a barrier to the transmission of traditional knowledge, leading to the risk of this community not surviving another generation [56].

Although rooted in tradition, artisanal fishermen have also been transformed by internal and external dynamics, but at a slower pace than that found in urban societies [51]. Traditional communities customarily maintain local knowledge accumulated and constructed over the years, which allows close contact with nature and the use of natural resources, even in communities located in urban areas, where the environment, albeit changed, allows sustaining modes of living based on the use of natural resources. However, this knowledge undergoes constant pressure from the urban way of life and can become lost over time due to the characteristic of the oral transmission as well as the contrast between traditional management

The urban community of Poti Velho in the city of Teresina (state of Piauí) continues to preserve its own culture, in which traditional knowledge is passed on from generation to generation, transferred within the family, but undergoes constant pressure from the urban way of life [54]. The community of Vila Velha in the state of Pernambuco entered into a stage of the transfor‐ mation of habits in 1999 due to the increase in tourism and real estate speculation. Knowledge related to fishing was passed on from generation to generation by family members and more experienced fishermen. However, the continuity of these practices is rather doubtful, as the increase in the level of schooling of the descendants offers different professional opportunities

The community of Brasília Teimosa, which is located in an urban area in the city of Recife (state of Pernambuco), has been the object of study of the authors of the present investigation for several years and changes have been observed in this community. In studies conducted since 2006, the family constituted an important source for the transmission and maintenance of knowledge and traditional practices, as most fishermen report having learned this knowledge from fathers, uncles and brothers, with the constant presence of relatives in the activity. However, a small number of the descendants of fishermen become involved in fishing practices, which suggests that the descendants may not give continuity to the fishing tradition. This situation is aggravated, as the relationship between father and son was the most important form of the transmission of knowledge regarding fishing practices in Brasília Teimosa [52]. Thus, the community may be losing the traditional form of knowledge transmission within the family, which can change the face of its traditional nature. As this community is situated in an urban area in the city of Recife, residence in Brasília Teimosa allows a set of job oppor‐ tunities in other sectors, which may be more attractive to young people due to the advantages offered as well as social benefits. As a result, artisanal fishing is currently being threatened as

Porto de Galinhas Beach in the city of Ipojuca is the most visited touristic point in the state of Pernambuco and was a community decades ago in which artisanal fishing was an important activity. This community has been undergoing constant change due to the economic growth stemming from tourism. The authors of a study conducted in the community found that most fishermen had descendants who worked in local stores or in the tourism industry, whereas only 12% practiced fishing with local traditional gear [56]. Besides the disorderly human occupation on the coast due to tourism, the destruction of mangroves and riparian forests due to real estate speculation and agricultural activities has also contributed to a reduction in fish

practices and technologies available in the urban environment [54].

to future generations [55].

96 Sustainable Urbanization

an economic and social activity in this area.

In urban fishing communities in the state of Paraíba, the disbelief among fishermen regarding improvements in working conditions and quality of life has led these traditional laborers to not want their descendants to enter the fishing profession, explaining that it would be better for them to study and become qualified for professions available in the urban setting in which they live [57]. This demonstrates a degree of disinterest among these fishermen in passing on knowledge of the activity to the next generation. In such urban communities, with the diminished fish stocks in recent decades, fishing is no longer advantageous in comparison to other urban opportunities and has become a secondary activity [57] that does not attract the interest of younger generations.

In São Francisco do Conde, which is an urban area in the city of Salvador (state of Bahia), studies report that the descendants of fishermen prefer to study and learn a different profes‐ sion, with the encouragement of their parents and government assistance in the form of scholarships, thereby becoming unaware of fishing knowledge and leaving this activity as an option for those who have no other opportunities [58]. In Fernão Velho, which is an urban community in the city of Maceió (state of Alagoas), 30% of interviewees learned to fish from family members, but do not want their descendants to be fishermen, which demonstrates that cultural components are no longer being transmitted to younger generations. The intensive changes in the natural landscape due mainly to urbanization and industrialization have led to a reduction in native vegetation and fish stocks, with a direct reflection on socioeconomic aspects. While many traditional fishermen and their descendants no longer consider fishing an attractive profession, unemployed individuals enter into this activity, which indicates a likely marginalization of fishery practices and the risk of the extinction of the artisanal nature of this community [59].

In the municipality of Cabo de Santo Agostinho (state of Pernambuco), the Suape region has also been undergoing changes due to industrialization and tourism. This region has been the object of studies conducted by the authors of the present investigation since 1997. Suape Bay was a native coastal region in past decades and considered one of the most important marine and estuarine areas on the coast of northeastern Brazil. Moreover, one of the main artisanal communities in the state is situated in this area. With the implantation of the Suape Port and Industrial Complex beginning in 1979 and the subsequent creation of a large resort on the bay, changes have occurred in local geomorphology and hydrodynamics. In studies conducted in 1997 and 1998, local fishermen reported that the implantation of these two enterprises was causing a reduction in local fishery production, thereby compromising the income of fishermen and leading to the avoidance of the profession on the part of younger generations. This fishing community is currently much smaller, as most descendants of fishermen are not interested in the activity and have entered other professions, indicating the likely extinction of this tradi‐ tional community in upcoming generations.

The urbanization process may not initially affect the traditional nature of fishing communities, but exerts an influence on ways of thinking as well as the very characteristics of fishery activities, compromising the maintenance and continuity of such activities by impeding the transmission of knowledge. As the perpetuation of fishery knowledge occurs orally, with no records to ensure the practice of operations, catch techniques, knowledge regarding fishing grounds and fish species, the maintenance and sustainability of marine artisanal fisheries in urban areas as well as the communities themselves are seriously affected due to the pressures imposed by the new developmentalism.
