Family visits, surveys and interviews in four indigenous territories (TCO) in the Northern Amazon of Bolivia show that fishing, both of paiche for commercialization and of native species for domestic consumption, offer opportunities for indigenous communities and families.
Family visits, surveys and interviews in four indigenous territories (TCO) in the Northern Amazon of Bolivia show that fishing, both of paiche for commercialization and of native species for domestic consumption, offer opportunities for indigenous communities and families.
In the months of October and November 2015, the team of technicians and researchers from FAUNAGUA and UVIC, in alliance with the Indigenous Central of the Amazon Region of Bolivia (CIRABO) and the Single Federation of Fishermen, Marketers and Fish Farmers of the Northern Amazon (FEUPECOPINAB) visited 25 communities in the Chácobo Pacahuara, Cavineño, Tacana-Cavineño and Multiétnico II indigenous territories, to learn about their community organizational system and the productive activities of the families. 10 workshops were held (152 men and 100 women participated) and 127 individual interviews about fishing were applied. 436 fishermen were identified (414 subsistence and 73 commercial).
It was observed that the TIM II TCO is the one that takes the most advantage of fishing resources, followed by the Tacana-Cavineño, Cavineño and Chácobo-Pacahuara TCOs. In general, the communities with the highest annual fishing production (commerce and subsistence) are Flor de Octubre, Lago El Carmen, 27 de Mayo and Santuario (TIM II) while the communities with the lowest annual production are Siete Almendros, Tres Bocas, San José and Alto Ivón (Chácobo-Pacahuara). Of the 127 interviewed, 42 fish paiche for trade. The TIM II TCO has the highest annual production of paiche, followed by the Tacana-Cavineño and Cavineño communities, while the Chácobo-Pacahuara TCO does not market this resource.
The indigenous fishermen identified that their main problems are the weak organization, the lack of knowledge of their internal regulations, the low price per kilo of fish, the lack of indigenous fishing markets and the precarious road infrastructure, which limits them from engaging in the activity. . However, its great potential is paiche for commercialization and native fish for domestic consumption.
Contacts: Fernando Carvajal, FAUNAGUA, fernando.carvajal@faunagua.org; Alison Macnaughton, UVIC, alimacna@gmail.com