Ethno-malacological knowledge of bivalve mollusks gathering in Acupe mangrove, Santo Amaro, Bahia

Abstract

The mangrove is a highly productive ecosystem that carries out important ecological functions and that historically it has been used for the subsistence and income of countless craft fishing communities. In the mangroves of Todos os Santos Bay, including those of the District of Acupe (Santo Amaro – Bahia State), the bivalve mollusks (shellfish) are among the most important resources, and their gathering is known as “mariscagem”. This work aims to characterize the knowledge of the local female shellfish gatherers regarding the biology and ecology of bivalve shellfish. Semi-structured interviews were used with local shellfish women (N=54) involving ethnotaxonomy, trophic ecology, hydrodynamics, fenology and ethnocronology. Etic-emic analisys of the data was chosen in order to compare the information obtained in the field to that from the academic literature. The results demonstrated that the shellfish women of Acupe have a significant knowledge of bivalve shellfish, in addition to aspects related to the dynamics of local mangroves, that is sometimes compatible with academic knowledge.

Keywords

• bivalve mollusk
• ethnoecology
• mangrove
• shellfi shwomen