Artisanal fishing is regarded as an important source of food and income for an expressive part
of the population of developing countries under the condition of social vulnerability. However,
the sustainability of this activity is threatened by the current development model that causes the
water pollution of rivers and the significant alteration of the aquatic ecosystem. The installation
of large infrastructure works, such as hydroelectric dams constitutes one of the main threats to
biodiverdity in tropical rivers, such as Amazonas. The negative effects of such works surpass
ecological issues, directly affecting the human population that depends on the fishing resources
for its survival. The change or interruption of fishing generates countless other social effects,
such as the decrease in income and the compromise of the food security of the involved
population. In Brazil, in the case of the Paraná River basin, even with considerable evidence of
the negative impacts caused to fishing due to the installation of numerous dams in the last 40
years, little has progressed in the subject of compensatory measures for fishermen impacted by
Dams and fishermen follow at the margins of public policy. If the impacts generated by
hydroelectric dams were harmful to fishermen in the southeastern region of the country, what
dimension would they reach in the region with the highest consumption of fish per capita in the
country, such as the Amazon region? Are there alternatives to promoting the sustainability of
artisanal fisheries even in environments with such a disturbance? These questions lead to the
central question of the thesis: What governance arrangements would enable the greater
sustainability of fisheries in these environments, considering management as a key process for
the conservation of fisheries resources and the governmental strategy to use the Amazon Basin
as a producer of megawatts? To address the theme of fisheries management as a promoter of
sustainability, the present thesis introduces the theories of Common Pool Resources and
Participatory Management, proposed by Elinor Ostrom and Berkes. To this end, the thesis is
organized in three chapters besides the general introduction and conclusion. The first chapter
presents a systematic review and analysis of the level of scientific knowledge available on
fishing in environments impacted by hydroelectric power plants. Chapter 2, in turn, develops
and tests a tool to assess the quality of environmental studies, identifying and proposing issues
to be investigated or improved. Chapter 3 seeks, in the literature on participatory management
in Brazil, the theoretical and methodological bases of existing experiences in Brazil, identifying
and reflecting on the opportunities and obstacles to its implementation in the context of
hydroelectric dams. Subsequently, in the general conclusion, the theoretical-analytical link of
the chapters is presented, pointing out proposals for mitigating actions for socio-environmental
impacts.
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