Ethnoecology of Lutjanidae (snappers) in a small-scale fishery (Bertioga – SP)

Ethnobiology is a branch of research that has originated from Human Ecology and Cognitive Anthropology.  It aims to understand how the world is perceived, known and classified by various human cultures. This study comprehends the area of Ethnoichthyology, which aims to understand the interaction between human populations and fish. The fish studied are the Snappers, which are  important target of artisanal and recreational fishing, especially in the Americas, particularly the coast of Florida, the Caribbean and the Brazilian northeast in Brazil. These fish are called "Vermelhos" or "Pargos". The objective of this study is to obtain information on biological and ecological aspects of Lutjanidae (Snappers) in a fishing community (Bertioga, SP). Interviews were conducted using pre-structured questionnaires with local fishermen, at the landing site and market of Bertioga. Interviews were taken with 24 fishermen from Bertioga. Through the interviews, we obtained data about fish diet habitat, migration, fishing spots and on reproduction of snappers. Three species of snappers were identified from the interviews: Lutjanus synagris (Cioba), Lutjanus analis (Caranha) and Lutjanus jocu (Dentao).This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the biological and ecological aspects of the Ethnoecology of Lutjanidae. Keywords : Ethnoecology; Lutjanidae; fishermen; Bertioga.