III Seminário de Gestão Socioambiental para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável da Aqüicultura e da Pesca no Brasil – III SEGAP 2009 –Proceedings em CD ROM FISHERS’ DECISION MAKING, OPTIMAL FORAGING AND MANAGEMENT Alpina Begossi 1,2 , Mariana Clauzet 1 , Natalia Hanazaki, 1,3 Priscila F. Lopes 1, , Milena Ramires 1 & Renato A.M. Silvano 1,4 1. Fisheries and Food Institute (FIFO), alpinab@uol.com.br , 2. CAPESCA, PREAC, UNICAMP & COCEN, CP 6194, 3. Depto. de Ecologia e Zoologia, CCB, UFSC, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil., 4. Depto. de Ecologia, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Abstract. This study analyses the foraging behavior of coastal fishers of the Brazilian southern Atlantic Forest coast (States of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro), and of riverine fishers of Amanã and Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserves, State of Amazonas, Amazon. Optimal foraging theory has been helpful in clarifying the variables involved in decision processes concerning where to fish, what prey should be searched, and how long to stay fishing in a patch (fishing ground or fishing spot). In this study, data were collected at landing points in various trips from 2000 to 2004 at the Coraci River (Amanã), Japurá River (Mamirauá), São Paulo Bagre (Cananéia Island), and Itaipu Beach (Niterói). Data were obtained on fish species caught and fish weight, as well as time involved in fishing activities, among other variables. We used the model of central place foraging, in which travel time influences the catch obtained, in order to analyze how fishers behave, considering a currency to be maximized (in this case, catch). Our results indicate that, most of the time, fishers are not acting as ‘catch maximizers’. We compared the results obtained in this study with results obtained in previous studies in other coastal and riverine areas. The high unpredictability of catches and of time used to fish, along with an understanding of the context where fishing occurs, the prey species searched, and gear used help in understanding the foraging behavior observed among Brazilian riverine and coastal fishers. Part of this paper was presented at the XIV INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE SOCIETY FOR HUMAN ECOLOGY October 18-21, 2006, BAR HARBOR, MAINE, USA. Key Words: Ethnoecology, Human Ecology, Fisheries, Optimal Foraging, Fishers’ Behavior I. Introduction The urgency in managing tropical fisheries has been pushing for new methods and approaches in current studies In this regard, four elements should be considered in the process of linking human and ecological systems towards management (Begossi, 2008): 1) an understanding of the natural environment of the fishery and on the use of natural resources by fishers; 2) the knowledge of the marine area used by fishers, i.e., location of fishing spots for each species; 3) the understanding of fisher behavior, e.g., using tools from optimal foraging theory; and 4) the knowledge fishers have of the biology and ecology of species (local ecological knowledge (LEK)), based on studies of the ethnobiology, ethnoecology, and ethnotaxonomy of fish. This study exemplifies the third aspect, the understanding of fisher’s behavior through optimal foraging theory (Begossi, 2008). Optimal foraging theory includes classical models in ecology that aim to understand the behavior of organisms when searching and handling natural resources to be eaten. Even