September 2001




LOCATION AND MAIN LANDING PLACES

In Brazil, fish landings occur in 17 coastal States and their many fishing terminals, as well as other harbours and sites in every coastal state.

Inland fisheries occur in nine States and the Capital.

For marine fisheries, the two most important coastal States are Santa Catarina and Rio de Janeiro, which together represent around 29% of the total catch. The main area for inland fisheries is the State of Amazon, with around 6% of inland fisheries production.

SECTOR OVERVIEW

The overall objectives for the sector:

Government strategy:

Description of main management systems for major fisheries and aquaculture

Offshore fishing

It is necessary to:

The results of all of these actions will also ensure that Brazil can participate in fishing of highly migratory species.

In this context, it is fundamental to create conditions for adequate negotiation in international agreements and internal organizations – institutional, public and private – where the stakeholders of the two segments can discuss and formulate their proposals for social, economic and environmental development in offshore fishing.

Therefore, there will be support for actions to improve fishing harbour facilities at strategic sites in Brazil.  It is worth noting that, in the international context, other nations with fishing traditions share the EEZ (in case of joint ventures) and are regulated by treaties negotiated in the sphere of ICCAT and FAO.

Offshore fishing is done mainly by longliners that catch tunas and similar large species (albacore, yellowfin, swordfish, bigeye, shark, etc.), and are mostly vessels being operated as joint ventures. The Brazilian fleet is being adapted with monofilament system (longline) for the tuna fisheries.

Brazil’s fishers are also starting offshore fishing of monkfish (bottom gillnets), crabs (traps) and, as an experiment, black hake. In the near future, it is also expected that mid-water trawling will be used for small pelagics (small mackerel, anchovy, blue runner), but mostly through the joint venture fleet. Some monkfish is also caught by the Brazilian fleet, which also occurs as by-catch of the shrimp trawlers, and the Brazilian boats are also responsible for a representative catch of skipjack and mahi-mahi, using pole and line. Some measurements are being studied by IBAMA to control the catches of snapper and other species of bottom fish, such as white grouper.

Offshore fishing is done mainly in the northeast, south and southeast, where, among other catches, white grouper and other rockfish are caught with bottom longlines.

The projections for offshore fishing are that Brazil can increase the catches from 37 000 t (1997) to 100 000 t in (2003), mostly by targeting small pelagic species.

Coastal fishing

Coastal fisheries operate in a complex environment and is subject to a series of internal and external effects, still not clearly understood.

Therefore the aquatic environment, and consequently the fishing resources in its habitat, are affected by many factors. In addition, climate and oceanographic oscillations make it difficult to predict for fisheries. The intensive catch, due to inadequate handling of the fishery stocks, causes environmental, social and economic problems.

Among environmental impacts, pollution, destruction of mangroves and reefs, and predatory fishing are the main problems that affect natural productivity.

There are only a few studies of these impacts. For example, in the case of sardine fisheries, there are significant fluctuations in the catch in different years because of the oscillations in the recruitment of the specie and oceanographic variations in the spawning areas.

The expected increase in capture fisheries in the next four years will be comparatively small, from 460 000 t to 520 000 t, and is premised on the following conditions:

There is no expectation of significant increases in the coastal fishing landings. Therefore targets have been established for recuperating the sustainability and competitivity of the principal species, resulting in stable production in terms of MSY, increasing income, improving quality, repositioning production in the markets (working on better quality, and value adding), making technology improvements and enhancing human resources (professionalization through training).

The three most important products from to coastal fishing are shrimp (white, pink and seabob), sardine and lobster.  These three productive chains – shrimp, sardine and lobster – plus catfish in the Amazon estuary have close seasons varying from 2 to 4 month, and sometimes more, depending the result of stock assessment.

Therefore, better research for these species is needed, with permanent stakeholder groups to discuss stock status, coupled with a search for additional resources.

Continental fishing

Fishery production in fresh and brackish waters is essentially artisanal, with total captures of 178 000 t in 1996, corresponding to 23% of national production.  Most of this production is provided by the Amazon basin, and the principal species are catfish, piramutaba and dourada, while some other species, like curimatã and jaraqui, are also important.

In the rivers systems of the northeast, tilapia and traíra are the principal species. In the rivers of west-central Brazil, in waters with better productivity, the main species are, catfish, surubim, pintado and piau.  In the southeast and south, fishing occurs in reservoirs, but in smaller quantities than in the other regions.

The expansion of production in continental waters is limited due to negative anthropogenic actions in the environment, including dam construction, pollution, deforestation, soil depletion, destruction of some lagoons and predatory fishing.

Another area still requiring regulatory attention is that in certain regions there is need for better working rules and regulations defining adequate handling and development between commercial fishing and sport fishing to assure sustainable growth.

Aquaculture

Aquaculture is seen as a strategic segment with great potential for increasing Brazilian fisheries production, defined by DPA as the basic for development. Selected as a priority for action are three systems: shrimp, tilapia and bivalve molluscs.  There is also potential for other species, including trout , surubim and pirarucu.  For example, farmed sea shrimp production is expected to grow from 30 000 t in 2000 to 105 000 t in 2003.  Similarly for tilapia, it is estimated that production will increase from 48 000 t in 2000 to 100 000 t in 2003. For bivalve molluscs, production is expected to increase from 8 300 t in 2000 to 20 000 t in 2003, including mussel, oyster and scallop.

South America, and principally Brazil, has suitable resources for aquaculture in terms of space, and expansion will occur where climatic conditions, input availability, and quantity and quality of water are suitable.  Aquaculture should enable Brazil to attain a position as one of the biggest producers in the near future.

To accomplish this, is necessary to support development of Brazilian aquaculture through:

INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS

Formulate and implement sectoral policy for fisheries and aquaculture, serving the national fishing sector and society in general, with expansion of exports from fisheries products as well as provision of agribusiness opportunities, that will result in social and economic benefits to Brazil.

This plan explores and makes use of institutional mechanisms in partnership with many Ministries, such as Science and Technology, Environment, Labour, Justice, Navy, Foreign Affairs and others, through an innovating management that will translate into new dynamics for public sector action. Thus will be created conditions to quickly realize wider use of Brazil’s potential for fishing and aquaculture.

The DPA is also in a close partnership with other institutions, such as APEX (export agency), CNPq (national research council), INCRA (rural development), CONEPE (national entity council for fisheries and aquaculture), and other important stakeholders, both public and private. In this way DPA has an important role as articulator, integrator, stimulator and facilitator, through integrating actions and institutions, but always remembering competitivity.

The integrative actions could be included and promoted by a future Brazilian Agribusiness Agency, as well as civil and social organizations (NGOs) in accordance with State Reform of the Director Plan.

FISHERY REGULATIONS

Through the following procedures, and recognizing paradigm changes in political proposals, both strategic and operational, it is relevant to assume revision an adjustment in Brazilian legislation affecting fishing and aquaculture agribusiness.

Specific projects will be demanded and formulated, addressing aspects of relevance to the fisheries sector, and this will call for amendment of current legislation at Federal, State and District levels.  In particular:

• Law No.9433, of 08/01/97, regulating National Policy for Water Resources will need to be re-visited.

INVESTMENT IN FISHERIES

In the late 1970s, the government, with financial support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), set up a programme for the fishing sector of US$ 130.2 million, to financing renewal of the fishing fleet, support artisanal fisheries, industrial modernization, aquaculture development, production support, aquaculture stations and research vessels.

Recently, through PRONAF, the government financed artisanal fishing and family aquaculture, opening new prospects for the development of these socio-economic segments.

Currently, for the first time in decades, the National Developing Bank (BNDES), under the new government policy, is financing a line of credit to aquaculture equivalent to US$ 132 million over the next five years.

The projections for the sector are that in the next three years around US$ 350 million in lines of credit will be needed to satisfy the needs of the fishing and aquaculture sector.

This amount will be directed to the following objectives:

Ø         re-structuring the lobster and shrimp fleet;

Ø         enhancing the ocean fleet;

Ø         introducing new shrimp farms;

Ø         constructing processing plants for aquaculture;

Ø         constructing laboratories for farmed shrimps;

Ø         creating support structures for aquaculture;

Ø         modernizing fishing harbour facilities;

Ø         establishing tilapia farms; and

Ø         establishing shellfish farms.

SUPPLY AND DEMAND PROJECTIONS

Even if the increasing production will meet the demand projections and targets set for the next few years, Brazil will still import substantial amounts of fish, such as hake from Argentina and Uruguay, cod from Norway and salmon from Chile. Lately, also sardine is being imported to supply the canning industry, because of the decrease in national sardine stocks.

Comparing 1997 production and 2003 projections, total production will increase 70% (to around 520 000 t), revenues of the sector in general will increase 150%, direct employment will increase by 22.5% (166 500 new jobs), and exports will generate US$ 800 million (642% increase), turning the current negative balance of US$ 332 million (1998) to a surplus of more or less US$ 420 million.  This will also create 560 000 new jobs in the secondary sector. Consumption of fisheries products should also increase by 10%, implying 1.2 million t needed just to supply the domestic market.

ORGANIGRAM