Climate change, oceanographic variability and the artisinal fisheries in the South West Atlantic

This fact sheet describes a project examining the impacts of coastal environmental variability and climate change on pink shrimp (Farfantepenaeus paulensis) artisanal fisheries in the Patos Lagoon estuary of southern Brazil, focusing on social vulnerability and adaptation capacity.

• The harvest of pink shrimp by artisanal fishermen in the Patos Lagoon is determined by wind and ocean currents. Larvae are carried into the lagoon by ocean currents, with successful catch seasons occurring after periods of low river runoff and landward currents driven by southwesterly winds. Conversely, large river outflows reduce shrimp catches by preventing larvae influx, and El Niño (ENSO) may reinforce these trends by shifting the distribution of migratory species.
• Fisherfolk believe that environmental processes have a stronger effect when combined with inadequate policies. Examples of such policies include easy access to credit, which leads to the unsustainable expansion of the fishing fleet, and a fixed season for shrimp fishing. The document suggests that flexible regulations and a better understanding of social and environmental interactions could minimize overcapacity and unsustainable fishing.
• The project includes a joint effort with Rede CLIMA – INCT para Mudanças Climáticas, Zonas Costeiras, a Brazilian interdisciplinary network, to analyze how the media covers climate change issues within coastal environments.

APA

Abdallah, P. R., Castello, J. P., Sumaila, U. R., & Hellebrandt, D. (2010). Climate change, oceanographic variability and the artisinal fisheries in the South West Atlantic. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/2076-hd.pdf

Chicago

Abdallah, Patrízia Raggi, Jorge Pablo Castello, Ussif Rashid Sumaila, and Denis Hellebrandt. Climate change, oceanographic variability and the artisinal fisheries in the South West Atlantic. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, 2010. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/2076-hd.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Abdallah |first1=Patrízia Raggi |last2=Castello |first2=Jorge Pablo |last3=Sumaila |first3=Ussif Rashid |last4=Hellebrandt |first4=Denis |title=Climate change, oceanographic variability and the artisinal fisheries in the South West Atlantic |publisher=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |date=February 2010 |url=https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/2076-hd.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{abdallah2010climate, author = {Abdallah, Patrízia Raggi and Castello, Jorge Pablo and Sumaila, Ussif Rashid and Hellebrandt, Denis}, title = {{Climate change, oceanographic variability and the artisinal fisheries in the South West Atlantic}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2010}, month = feb, url = {https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/2076-hd.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }