The Local Ecological Knowledge of shellfish harvesters in a Northern Brazil estuary was recorded to provide socio-ecological information for the development of a co-management system. The research was carried out in the community of Acaú, Paraiba state, from January to October 2015, and involved 120 shellfish harvesters (average age 44 years). Participant observations, interviews, questionnaires, free lists, and participatory mapping were used. Shellfishes were mostly collected by women as their main source of income. Most shellfish extraction sites were closest to the community and provided easy access to the resource. Twelve species of mollusks are collected, with Anomalocardia flexuosa being the most targeted species, with the highest Cognitive Salience Index—it stood out due to its relevance in terms of economic and cultural importance. The fishers stated that their main difficulties were transporting shellfish, health problems, low price and lack of buyers during winter. They would like to see the implementation of a fishery closure subsidized by unemployment insurance. We suggest that implementing management measures in conjunction with fishers’ input would be more effective than decisions based on scientific evidence alone.

中文翻译：

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巴西东北部采掘保护区贝类采集者的当地生态知识：对共同管理的影响

记录了巴西北部河口贝类捕捞者的当地生态知识，为共同管理系统的发展提供社会生态信息。该研究于 2015 年 1 月至 10 月在帕拉伊巴州的 Acaú 社区进行，涉及 120 名贝类捕捞者（平均年龄 44 岁）。使用了参与者观察、访谈、问卷、免费列表和参与式绘图。贝类主要由妇女收集，作为她们的主要收入来源。大多数贝类提取地点都离社区最近，并提供了轻松获取资源的途径。收集了 12 种软体动物，其​​中 Anomalocardia flexuosa 是最有针对性的物种，具有最高的认知显着性指数 - 由于其在经济和文化重要性方面的相关性而脱颖而出。渔民表示，他们的主要困难是运输贝类、健康问题、价格低和冬季缺乏买家。他们希望看到实施由失业保险补贴的渔业关闭。我们建议结合渔民的投入实施管理措施比仅基于科学证据的决策更有效。