**6. Conclusion**

Artisanal fishing is a longstanding activity responsible for numerous direct and indirect jobs and the largest portion of fishery production in northeastern Brazil. The modality is charac‐ terized by a variety of gear and techniques that reflect the diversity of living resources found in different habitats, resulting in fishery activities with multispecies resources. To exploit such resources, artisanal fishermen rely on rich traditional knowledge regarding the environment and fishery resources, which is fundamental to the maintenance of the way of life of these communities and is directly responsible for the success of fishery practices. Despite the economic importance of fisheries, many fishermen seek other activities to complement their income. This underscores the low yields and economic devaluation of artisanal fishing in northeastern Brazil, which, together with the pressure of the new developmentalism in urban areas, have been causing changes in traditional fishing communities. Pressure from real estate speculation, the reduction in fishing territories, disorderly tourism and pollution have led to a drop in the natural productivity of coastal ecosystems and fishery production, thereby compromising the quality of life and maintenance of urban fishing communities.

Moreover, the process of urbanization affects ways of seeing and thinking as well as the very characteristics of fishery activities, such as the transmission of knowledge, since younger generations are not interested in fishing and look to more attractive professions offered by large urban centers. As the perpetuation of knowledge occurs through oral practices, with no written records to ensure continuity, the maintenance and sustainability of marine artisanal fishing in urban areas as well as the communities themselves are seriously compromised in the face of the pressures imposed by the new developmentalism. Besides urban pressures and declines in fish stocks, which contribute to the discontinuity of urban fishing communities, the Brazilian federal government does not strengthen traditional fishing communities and adopts actions that fail to take traditional knowledge into consideration, thereby contributing to the breakdown of the transmission of the activity as well as the social invisibility of these laborers.

Sustainable fishing remains a goal to be reached that should involve inclusive, participatory governance, encompassing the complexity of coastal ecosystems, the sustainability of fisheries and fishery resources as well as the maintenance and continuity of traditional communities.
