Etnoictiologia em comunidades rurais no município de Cajazeiras no Alto Sertão Paraibano.

Abstract

Ethnoichthyology is a subdivision of ethnozoology focusing on interactions between men and fishes. Based on ecological perspectives, ethnoichthyology may provide important insight on environmental changes triggered by human activities. The present study evaluated the ethnoichthyological knowledge of fishermen from rural communities of Cajazeiras city, located inland in semiarid Paraíba state. Information was obtained by employing semistructured interviews, focusing on topics related to morphology, ecology, taxonomy and fishery, from field observations and, ultimately, from collection of specimens of species described during the interviews. Among species referred and collected were 15 species from seven families and three orders. For some species, knowledge from fishermen are compatible with that described in the literature concerning reproductive biology, diet, general behavior and morphology. Nonetheless, a lack of information for other species was also noticeable, suggesting that new studies on the diversity and ecology of local species are necessary for efficient fish conservation practices and for a stable men and environment relationship.