Semas strengthens territorial management and monitoring of the Fishing Agreement of the Caeté River in Bragança
The Secretariat donated a vessel, which will also receive rescue and safety equipment, in addition to delivering signage and dissemination plates for the area of the agreement
The State Secretariat for the Environment, Climate and Sustainability (Semas) carried out another action to strengthen the management of fishing territories on Monday (06) in Bragança, northeastern Pará, with the donation of a vessel, which will also receive rescue and safety equipment, in addition to the delivery of signage and dissemination plates for the area of the Fishing Agreement of the Caeté River, approved in 2023 by Ordinance No. 1,358, based on the criteria of State Decree No. 1686 of June 29, 2021.
Since 2023, fishermen and fisherwomen in the influence area of the Caeté River have been receiving actions to strengthen territorial management with technical support designed to ensure that community fishing occurs sustainably, enhancing the conservation of aquatic ecosystems and mangroves while maintaining artisanal fishing activities.
These actions are formalized through a partnership arrangement established in the Adhesion Agreement No. 01/2024, between Semas and Hidrovias do Brasil, in which extractivists, fishing leaders, and the Bragança City Hall, through the Municipal Secretariats of Environment and Aquaculture and Fishing, support the development of sustainable fishing, with the purpose of ensuring work, income, food security, and cultural reproduction of the locality.
For Léo Bandeira, a representative of the Alto Alegre community, as well as neighboring communities such as Vila do Almoço and Cumaru, since the agreement covers 28 communities divided into 4 hubs reaching a total of 752 families, direct participation in the governance of the fishing agreement strengthens the guarantees of socio-environmental safeguards directed at fishermen and fisherwomen operating in the estuary and mangroves of the Caeté River.
“We are here today to express our gratitude for our fishing agreement, in partnership with the municipal government and the state government, for being together with this team so that we can develop our territory every day. We congratulate everyone on the achievement of a new boat, which will soon arrive to assist in monitoring the communities of the Caeté River,” he commented.
Out of a total of 31 signage plates for the territory, the action has already promoted the installation of two plates with the presence of fishermen, Semas, Bragança City Hall, and the Aquaculture Secretariat. The developed actions encompass the dissemination of the agreement, environmental education actions, and preparation for community self-monitoring. Semas conducts Fishing Dialogues in the municipality, with the presence of institutions that participate indirectly or directly, such as the Military Police, Civil Police, ICMBio, and UFPA (Bragança Campus).
The Deputy Secretary of Environmental Management and Regularity of Pará, Rodolpho Zahluth Bastos, clarifies the importance of the Fishing Agreement combined with a positive impact on local communities, in addition to the relationship with the execution of territorial planning policies, climate resilience, and the state coastal management policy.
“The implementation of these policies is of utmost importance for the State, as it promotes fishing sustainability, the conservation of the region's diversity, and the consequent socioeconomic sustainability of artisanal fishermen. The Fishing Agreement not only aims to ensure the continuity of fish resources but also encourages the conservation of biodiversity and natural resources, ensuring the autonomy and sovereignty of communities. Artisanal fishermen and fisherwomen, as well as riverside dwellers and extractivists, also play a strategic role in the biodiversity conservation agenda in the Amazon, as their direct and intergenerational relationship with natural environments makes them fundamental allies in protecting the biodiversity of mangroves, rivers, and estuaries, as well as resisting predatory practices in the maretório,” he informed, also highlighting nuances of the monitoring phase application.
The maretório is the territory of political incidence, life, and knowledge of coastal and marine communities to designate their territory, which encompasses the sea, land, and adjacent areas where they live, based on the rhythm of the tides and their activities of extractivism, fishing, and other traditional practices and knowledge.
“With this vessel, we initiate greater effectiveness in fulfilling the objectives of the agreement, defined by the communities themselves: to support the monitoring actions of the Municipal Secretariat and community self-monitoring. We will begin the installation of signage plates, an institutional reinforcement for signaling the fishing territories in the municipality of Bragança, a relevant location for the regional fishing economy. An essential initiative for fishermen and their families,” emphasized the secretary.
Therefore, this project is substantiated in the state policy of support for artisanal fishing, highlighting community fishing territories. The norms are established and discussed by the communities, and the State, in turn, incorporates these guidelines into a state regulation.
Text: Bruno Dias / Ascom Semas
