Artisanal Fishing and Sustainability in the Amazon: Tensions Underway on the Oceanic Coast of Amapá

Artisanal fishing along the Amazonian coast is a core activity for traditional fishing communities, including in border areas where different interests and ways of using natural resources overlap. On the oceanic coast of Amapá, located on Brazil’s northern border, artisanal fishing takes place in a setting shaped by conflicts with medium and large-scale vessels, the subordinate integration of small-scale fishers into production chains, and the expansion of capitalist strategies aimed at exploiting marine resources. This article seeks to characterize artisanal fishing in the region and to examine the challenges faced by traditional fishers amid declining autonomy and growing threats to the sustainability of marine fauna. The study adopts a participatory ethnographic approach, based on long-term fieldwork that included participant observation, systematic field notes, and direct engagement with fishers both at sea and in their daily activities in the municipalities of Oiapoque and Calçoene, in northern Amapá. The findings reveal an increasing dependence of artisanal fishers on private financing arrangements, linked to the control of key inputs and fish marketing, which reinforces unequal power relations within the fishing chain. In addition, rising pressure on marine species was identified, particularly on the yellow croaker (Cynoscion acoupa), driven by the high value of its swim bladder on the international market, posing significant risks to environmental sustainability and to the continuity of traditional artisanal fishing in the region.