Marine Aquaculture and Emerging Social-Environmental Risks in Santa Catarina, Brazil

• In Event: Institutions and global governance of natural resources

Abstract

Marine aquaculture, or maricultura, is the newest addition to Brazil’s coastal economy. Promoters champion maricultura as a sustainable alternative that will generate social, economic, and environmental benefits for coastal communities. Nowhere in Brazil has maricultura advanced more rapidly than in the state of Santa Catarina, where oyster and mussel farms have been successful. Unique partnerships between aquaculture scientists, government agencies, and growers facilitated this expansion. However, now that maricultura is established, questions are emerging about the social changes inherent to the shift from fishing to aquaculture, as well as the presence of pollutants in shellfish that pose serious human health and environmental risks. We investigated how social forces influenced perceptions of the cultural, economic and environmental implications of maricultura in Santa Catarina. Our data consist of 62 interviews with public officials (marine resource, seafood safety, and public health), scientists, and shellfish growers in Santa Catarina, which were conducted between September 2014 and April 2015. Findings show that institutional forces shaped how the scientific community and government actors approached the development of mariculture as well its subsequent management. At the outset, a science-based rationale emphasizing the simplicity, sustainability, and economic benefits of maricultura facilitated cultural acceptance among coastal communities. However, similar forces now constrain growers’ ability to access needed information about myriad risks they face (economic and environmental), increasing their vulnerability. Given the rapid expansion of mariculture across Latin America, our results suggest a need for additional social research investigating the potential benefits and risks associated with the development of aquaculture.

Author

• Thomas Safford