In the Lower Amazon, the species Pterygoplichthys pardalis, popularly known as Acari, is one of the ten main species of regional fisheries and, for this reason, this research evaluates the acari fishing, aiming at identifying the main factors that influence the catches in the comanagement system in foodplain communities located in the municipalities of Santarém and Alenquer, Pará. The research on the field was carried out in the Pixuna and Tapará Miri communities, in the municipality of Santarém, and Salvação in the municipality of Alenquer.
The data gathering was carried out through interviews, observation, participatory monitoring of fishing and fish sampling. The results indicate that acari fishing is important both for consumption and for the families' economy. The catches occur most frequently between July and November (ebb and dry seasons). The foodplain lakes are the main capture environments throughout the year. Acaris, unlike most amazonian fish, are traded live and in units. In the Salvação community it is also sold in the form a fish flour (named piracuí) manually produce. The fisheries are influenced by the rules created by communities, market demand, fishermen's knowledge and the local seasonality. The locations that have the most rigid management
rules, such as the restriction of certain equipments, are those with the healthiest stocks. The fishermen have refined knowledge, comparable to the scientific knowledge found in the literature, about biological and ecological aspects of the acari, and this knowledge is plausible for the sustainable management of the species. Such results contribute to the understanding of how the acari fishing is currently developed in the study area and they can also help management and conservation of this resource that is emblematic for the Lower Amazon.
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