**1. Introduction**

The coast of Brazil is considered a national heritage in the constitution passed in 1988 (Article 225, Section 4) [1] and corresponds to the geographic space of the interaction among the air, ocean and land, including renewable and non-renewable resources as well as the terrestrial area that encompasses municipalities under the direct influence of phenomena that occur in this zone and a marine area that extends for 12 nautical miles (Decree 5300, Article 3, 2004) [2]. The Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) starts at the end of this marine area and extends an addition‐ al 200 nautical miles, in which, according to Article 7 of Law n° 8617 [3], "Brazil has sovereign rights for the exploitation, use, conservation and management of living and non-living natural resources of the waters over the ocean floor and its subsoil as well as other activities directed at the exploration and use of this zone for economic purposes." The zone extends from the tropical region at the mouth of the Oiapoque River in the state of Amapá (north of the equator) to the temperate region at the mouth of the Chuí Stream in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (southern Brazil), spanning 17 states and more than 8500 km.

The EEZ is a marine area of approximately 3.6 million km2 . However, adding the approxi‐ mately 900 thousand km2 that Brazil has formally requested from the United Nations, the total will be approximately 4.5 million km2 , corresponding to 52% of the mainland area. Due to this oceanic territory, the strategic importance and riches of living and non-living resources, the Brazilian Navy denominates this area the "Blue Amazon" [4]. The EEZ of the northeastern region of the country (EEZ/NE) extends from the mouth of the Parnaíba River in the state of Piauí to the city of Salvador in the state of Bahia.

The coast of Brazil is on the Atlantic Plate being characterized by three well-developed provinces: the continental shelf, continental slope and continental rise [5]. The continental shelf of the EEZ/NE is divided into two distinct stretches: (1) from the mouth of the Parnaíba River in the state of Piauí to Ponta do Calcanhar in the state of Rio Grande do Norte; and (2) from Ponta do Calcanhar to the city of Salvador in the state of Bahia [6]. In the first stretch, the continental shelf has a mean width of 63 Km and various platforms on the outer portion, which are well individualized between 23 and 30 m, 40 and 50 m as well as 60 and 70 m [6]. After Ponta do Calcanhar to Belmonte in the state of Bahia, the continental shelf gradually becomes narrower, with a maximum width of 42 km, depths down to 60 m, a quite irregular topography and typical bio-constructional occurrences (beach rocks), which are parallel to the coast and more developed from Cape Calcanhar southwards [5]. The North Brazilian Chain and volcanic Fernando de Noronha Chain, which is a line of underwater mounts, are also found off the northeastern continental shelf; only the Fernando de Noronha archipelago and Rocas atoll reach the surface [5].

ties and compromising the maintenance and sustainability of marine artisanal fishing

**Keywords:** Fishermen, traditional knowledge, artisanal fisheries, urban pressures,

The coast of Brazil is considered a national heritage in the constitution passed in 1988 (Article 225, Section 4) [1] and corresponds to the geographic space of the interaction among the air, ocean and land, including renewable and non-renewable resources as well as the terrestrial area that encompasses municipalities under the direct influence of phenomena that occur in this zone and a marine area that extends for 12 nautical miles (Decree 5300, Article 3, 2004) [2]. The Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) starts at the end of this marine area and extends an addition‐ al 200 nautical miles, in which, according to Article 7 of Law n° 8617 [3], "Brazil has sovereign rights for the exploitation, use, conservation and management of living and non-living natural resources of the waters over the ocean floor and its subsoil as well as other activities directed at the exploration and use of this zone for economic purposes." The zone extends from the tropical region at the mouth of the Oiapoque River in the state of Amapá (north of the equator) to the temperate region at the mouth of the Chuí Stream in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (southern

oceanic territory, the strategic importance and riches of living and non-living resources, the Brazilian Navy denominates this area the "Blue Amazon" [4]. The EEZ of the northeastern region of the country (EEZ/NE) extends from the mouth of the Parnaíba River in the state of

The coast of Brazil is on the Atlantic Plate being characterized by three well-developed provinces: the continental shelf, continental slope and continental rise [5]. The continental shelf of the EEZ/NE is divided into two distinct stretches: (1) from the mouth of the Parnaíba River in the state of Piauí to Ponta do Calcanhar in the state of Rio Grande do Norte; and (2) from Ponta do Calcanhar to the city of Salvador in the state of Bahia [6]. In the first stretch, the continental shelf has a mean width of 63 Km and various platforms on the outer portion, which are well individualized between 23 and 30 m, 40 and 50 m as well as 60 and 70 m [6]. After Ponta do Calcanhar to Belmonte in the state of Bahia, the continental shelf gradually becomes narrower, with a maximum width of 42 km, depths down to 60 m, a quite irregular topography and typical bio-constructional occurrences (beach rocks), which are parallel to the coast and more developed from Cape Calcanhar southwards [5]. The North Brazilian Chain and volcanic Fernando de Noronha Chain, which is a line of underwater mounts, are also found off the

. However, adding the approxi‐

that Brazil has formally requested from the United Nations, the total

, corresponding to 52% of the mainland area. Due to this

activities in urban areas.

Brazil), spanning 17 states and more than 8500 km.

Piauí to the city of Salvador in the state of Bahia.

The EEZ is a marine area of approximately 3.6 million km2

sustainable fisheries

**1. Introduction**

88 Sustainable Urbanization

mately 900 thousand km2

will be approximately 4.5 million km2

The surface currents that traverse the northeastern continental shelf originate from the South Equatorial Current, which runs westward and splits at Cape Calcanhar to form the North Brazil Current, which passes over the Equator, whereas the larger part, the Brazil Current, runs in the southerly direction [7–8]. The South Equatorial Current and its two offshoots (North Brazil Current and Brazil Current) are warm and oligotrophic [9], but small-scale, highly transitory topographic resurgent phenomena occur around the chains of the EEZ/NE [10], which enrich the surface with nutrients from deep waters and enhance both primary and secondary productivity [11].

Small estuaries lined by mangroves are found on the northeastern coast of Brazil [12] and only the Parnaíba and São Francisco Rivers have large enough mouths to provide nutrients for the outer continental shelf [9]. The lack of large rivers and the occurrence of warm waters have led to the formation of coral reefs that extend approximately 3000 km from the state of Maranhão to the south of the state of Bahia. These ecosystems are home to the greatest diversity of fish fauna in marine environments [13], which have considerable ecological, economic and social importance to the region [14], sheltering important fish stocks and contributing to the subsistence of traditional coastal communities [15].

In this extensive stretch of ocean in off northeastern Brazil, with its geological, oceanographic and biological diversity, an enormous contingent of fishermen that mainly practice artisanal fishing operations exploit living resources, facing the ocean on a daily basis to extract their sustenance. Fisheries in the northeastern region are characterized by a wide variety of species with low abundance [12], but high commercial value [16] and multi-species catches. These fisheries are essentially artisanal (96.3%) and target pelagic (anchovies, halfbeaks and sar‐ dines), demersal and benthic (spotted goatfish, parrotfishes, tomtate grunt, drums, mutton snapper and white grunt) fish species as well as crustaceans (lobsters and shrimps) and mollusks [12].

The technology is unsophisticated, landings are decentralized and there is a lack of technical assistance and infrastructure from production through to sales [16]. Besides these problems related directly to fisheries, fishermen are affected by anthropogenic pressure on ecosystems, live resources and fishing territories. Fishermen in urban areas also face the difficulty or even impossibility of passing down their traditional knowledge regarding the environment and the resources they exploit, as the urban setting offers more attractive opportunities to the younger generation, making youths disinterested in fishery activities.

The object of the present study was marine artisanal fishermen on the northeastern coast of Brazil, who traditionally pass on knowledge regarding their occupation orally within the nuclear family. As urban fishing communities have been experiencing the breakdown of this tradition due to opportunities offered to youths to seek other ways of life as well as urban pressures that further hinder the perpetuation of fishing practices in such areas, the aim of the present investigation was to analyze the effects of urbanization on the main traditional fishing communities in northeastern Brazil (**Figure 1**) that can compromise the continuity and sustainability of marine artisanal fishing.

**Figure 1.** Map of the Brazil showing northeast region and sites described in the text.
