Index potential socioeconomic, production and environmental of fishing communities located in the northern State of Espirito Santo (IPSPA - North)

Abstract

Fishing activities have grown in recent decades, and in the state of Espírito Santo artisanal fishing stands. Even with the generation of jobs, incomes and food, some weaknesses are identified, such as environmental degradation, over-exploitation, reduction of marine and estuarine stocks, and even fishermen's illiteracy rate. This study identifies the strengths and vulnerabilities of the activity in the northern region of the state, comparing the coastal municipalities that compose it, that are Conceição da Barra, São Mateus and Linhares. To do so, the AHP method was used, prioritizing these municipalities for the potential development, and thus, an environmental analysis with the use of a scenario-analysis Matrix was conducted. The results showed that due to the importance that respondents gave the production sub-index, the municipality of Conceição da Barra stood out of the priority order on the objective of defining the city on the northern coast of the state of Espirito Santo with a higher Potential Index Socio-Economic, Productive and environmental in fishing activity, to present quantitative data related to this sub-index higher than other municipalities. However, when the analysis performed separately for each sub-index, Conceição da Barra appears in last position, presenting vulnerability to Environmental, Social and Economic issues.