Brazil’s experience 

During the initial two days of the workshop, Brazil explained the design and implementation of its unemployment benefit for fishers during closed fishing seasons, known as the "Seguro-Defeso" program. This social security program is part of a broader fisheries management strategy known as "Defeso" in Portuguese, or closed season in English. Seasonal fishing closures are a management strategy that restricts the time certain species can be fished, based on effort control to allow fish stocks to replenish. The intent is to reduce overall catch and is often timed to coincide with target species' reproductive periods. 

Under this context, the Seguro Defeso which is a financial security programme seeks to ensure social wellbeing of fishers whose livelihoods are affected by this restrictive management measure. Namely, it provides financial compensation to small-scale fishers affected by fishing closures, equivalent to a monthly minimum wage up to five months during the closed season. Eligibility criteria to access the seguro defeso include having no other source of employment income, registration as a professional fisher for at least a year, and engaging in regular fishing. Brazil’s National Social Security Institute assesses eligibility online. 

Brazil's presentation underscored the significance of maintaining accurate fisher registries, which are interoperable with the wider social information system through a unique identification number. This requires collaboration among various entities, including the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Ministry of Labour and Employment and the National Social Security Institute (INSS due to its initials in Portuguese).