Structural and socioeconomic aspects of the peacock bass Cichla vazzoleri (Kullander & Ferreira, 2006) fishery performed in a large hydroelectric reservoir of the Amazon Basin

The execution of a reservoir for the production of electric energy substantially affects the daily lives of the populations living in the area, mainly those of the fishers who exploit the fishing resources in the barred river. Nevertheless, these populations and the impact on them have been little considered in the decision making on the construction of the dam. Currently, commercial fishing is of great importance for the population living around the Balbina reservoir, built 30 years ago. However, the information regarding the activity is still incipient. The objective of this study is to identify the structural and socioeconomic aspects of commercial fishing of the peacock bass Cichla vazzoleri, in order to contribute to the reservoir fishery management. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with sixty fishers. They answered questions about their socioeconomic aspects and about the fishing of the peacock bass C. vazzoleri, the main exploited species. The results showed that most of the fishers were male, and few reported being under 30 years old. Their level of education was low, and everyone was affiliated with some Fishers' Association. The most used fishing gear was the hand-line. Throughout the year, fishers made only one trip per week. The fishing effort varied relatively little between flood and dry seasons or between localities. The average revenue per fishery in the Rumo Certo in the flood season was R$ 281.85 (+/- 134.05), and R$ 190.30 (+/- 160.56) in the dry season. In Balbina, the average revenue per fishery was R$ 404.45 (+/- 237.94) in the flood and R$ 299.66 (+/- 151.11) in the dry season. The fishers owned the small boats and fishing gear that were employed in the activity, and they financed their fisheries themselves. However, it was observed that income supplementation was very important, because the income from fishing was low and variable, being subject to the seasonal behavior of the reservoir level and the market price established by the commercial intermediaries.