Ecological Economics xxx (xxxx) xxx Please cite this article as: Érica Antunes Jimenez, Ecological Economics, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106910 0921-8009/© 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Analysis Sustainability indicators for the integrated assessment of coastal small-scale fsheries in the Brazilian Amazon ´ Erica Antunes Jimenez a, * , Júlio Guazzelli Gonzalez a , Marilu Teixeira Amaral b , Fl´ avia Lucena Fr´ edou a a Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Departamento de Pesca e Aquicultura, Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, Dois Irm˜ aos, CEP: 52.171-900 Recife, PE, Brazil b Universidade do Estado do Amap´ a, Departamento de Engenharia de Pesca, Av. Presidente Vargas, 659, Centro, CEP: 68.900-000 Macap´ a, AP, Brazil A R T I C L E INFO Keywords: Rapfsh Multidisciplinary Evaluation Ecosystem Approach Fisheries Management ABSTRACT A multidisciplinary assessment of the sustainability status of 11 coastal small-scale fshery systems in the Bra- zilian Amazon was performed using the Rapfsh method with 31 indicators representing six evaluation felds (ecological, economic, ethical, institutional, social, and technological). The method employs a constrained multidimensional scaling ordination technique; uncertainty is expressed through Monte Carlo simulation and sensitivity by leverage analysis. Results showed that most fshery systems were ecologically, economically, and socially ‘less satisfactory’ and institutionally and ethically ‘not sustainable’. Fishers have low levels of education and are highly reliant on fshing. They face low income, scarcity of alternative livelihoods, isolation from markets, weak political representation, and lack of regulatory measures and decision-making power. Fisheries target fshes with long life cycles and moderate to high vulnerability. Declining catches, increasing fshing effort and catching power, and competition with other feets threatens the sustainability of fsheries. Recommendations include moving towards participatory management and governance, supporting the building of cohesive social organizations, and strengthening of human rights. New research and monitoring data and investments in capacity-building in research institutes and management agencies are required. The Rapfsh method was employed with revised and new attributes, and the results demonstrate its applicability in data-poor scenarios in developing countries. 1. Introduction Fisheries play a crucial role in securing food, nutrition, employment, and income for millions of people, especially in developing countries (B´ en´ e, 2006; World Bank, 2012). However, overfshing is a worldwide phenomenon as a result of a combination of factors, including the lack of or ineffective fsheries management and compliance with regulations, availability of subsidies and overcapacity, the rising global demand for fshery products, and unsustainable fshing practices (Mora et al., 2009; Srinivasan et al., 2010). Global catches have been decreasing sharply at a mean rate of 1.22 mt per year since 1996 (Pauly and Zeller, 2016), and the percentage of assessed marine stocks fshed at biologically unsustainable levels has increased from 10% in 1974 to 33.1% in 2015 (FAO, 2018), while 18% of the unassessed stocks may have collapsed (Costello et al., 2012). Furthermore, discards, a hidden impact of fsheries, account for nearly 10% of the global annual marine catches (Zeller et al., 2018). On the other hand, available evidences suggest that in regions where fsheries are effectively managed, stocks abundance is generally near target levels or are improving (Hilborn et al., 2020). Historically, sustainability in fsheries has been evaluated through single-stock assessment models that require substantial and reliable data (Alder et al., 2000; Berkes et al., 2001). However, the application of these models in developing countries is limited by the unavailability of baseline data and the multispecies and multigear nature of most fsheries (Batista et al., 2014; Salas et al., 2007). In addition, conventional stock assessment approaches focus on biological and ecological aspects, ignoring the multiple dimensions of fsheries and the broader perspec- tive of sustainability (Garcia and Cochrane, 2005; Garmendia et al., 2010; Salas et al., 2007). Fishery systems are characterized by a large diversity of geophysical, bioecological, and socioeconomic aspects, and multiple political * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: ericaajimenez@gmail.com ( ´ E.A. Jimenez), julio.gonzalez@ufrpe.br (J.G. Gonzalez), marilu.amaral@ueap.edu.br (M.T. Amaral), favialucena@ hotmail.com (F. Lucena Fr´ edou). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Ecological Economics journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ecolecon https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106910 Received 20 September 2019; Received in revised form 29 October 2020; Accepted 6 November 2020