Fishers' knowledge in Southeast Brazil: The case study of the Brazilian sardine

Fishers' local ecological knowledge (LEK) presents the enormous potential to assist in the conservation of depleted natural resources available to small-scale fisheries worldwide. Due to the significant socioeconomic value of sardines in the Southwestern Atlantic, the objective of this work was to register the LEK about Brazilian sardine of the traditional fishing village of Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Social science tools were used to extract data from biology, ecology, food taboos and human uses of Brazilian sardine. A qualitative analysis was performed through accurate coding and cross-checking using an emic-etic approach and all data made available was taken into consideration. Fishers highlighted information on areas of habitat, migration patterns, trophic ecology, and reproduction season. The LEK showed compliance with scientific literature in relevant points of the ecology and biology of this species which have a life the history that leads to increased vulnerability due to overfishing and management difficulties. We emphasize the importance of continuously sharing the LEK of the sardines between the community, researchers, and managers in favor of a more effective socio-ecological conservation of this fishing resource in Arraial do Cabo.