Profiles of Coastal Fisheries from Latin America and the Caribbean- Argentina

I. ELÍAS; C. CAROZZA; E.E. DI GIÁCOMO; M.S. ISLA; J.M. ORENSANZ; A.M. PARMA; R.C. PEREIRO; M.R. PERIER; R.G. PERROTTA; M.E. RÉ; C. RUARTE

Mérida, México

Conferencia; Coastfish Conference- Coastal Fisheries in Latin America and the Caribbean: Assessing, Managing and Balancing Actions; 2004

CINVESTAV

Over centuries the coasts of Argentina were inhabited by aboriginal peoples that, mostly towards the south, harvested marine resources. The archaeological record shows evidence of consumption of mammals, amphibians, mollusks and fishes along Patagonian shores. The gathering methods and knowledge of these early fishers were not, however, incorporated by the colonial society, contrary to what was the case in Perú and Chile, which became leading countries with regards to artisanal fishing activities. It is perhaps because of this, together with prevalent policies that prioritized agriculture and husbandry, that fishing and fishers are perceived as exotic (Mateo Oviedo 2003).Over recent decades, because of the loss of employment opportunities in traditional sectors of the economy and in industrial fisheries, as well as population growth in coastal areas, groups of artisanal fishers have sprouted in many areas where they did not operate before. Small scale fishing is becoming a permanent way of life for many of those new fishers. The first difficulty encountered while trying to describe and analyze the artisanal sector is its very definition. A comparative look at how ?artisanal fisheries? are defined indicates that recurrent criteria are: size of the boats, gross tonnage, fishing gear and socio-economic considerations. Fishing operations that are considered "artisanal" in some countries do not qualify as such in others. The same happens even within Argentina, a country with an extended coastline and divergent regional realities. An economical anthropology perspective singles out additional factors that help the characterization: property of the means of production, production of merchandises, management of economical activities, division of labor, degree of association, etc. (García Allut 2002). As used in Argentina, the term "artisanal" encompasses a wide spectrum for, from coastal gathering to inshore fleets. This chapter deals with coastal gatherers, beach seiners and boats of variable dimensions ranging, according to García-Allut (2002), from "strictly artisanal" to "semi-industrial".