Dead fish in Marliéria, Minas Gerais, Brazil, about 200 km downstream from the Fundão tailings dam. Credit: Elvira Nascimento

Environmental Disaster Leaves Almost 50% of Fishermen Without Work or Family Support

BRAZIL
Thursday, January 09, 2025, 05:50 (GMT + 9)

Almost half of the fishermen in ES affected by the collapse of the Fundão dam have abandoned their activity

The collapse of the Fundão dam in Mariana (MG) in November 2015 was one of the biggest socio-environmental disasters in the history of Brazil, causing the contamination of the Rio Doce and coastal areas by toxic mud. According to a study published in the journal “Ocean and Coastal Research”  by researchers from the São Paulo Fisheries Institute and the Federal University of Espírito Santo (Ufes), almost all of the 441 artisanal fishermen interviewed by the team in Espírito Santo (96%) were impacted by the dam failure.

Dozens of fish species in the Doce River were practically wiped out by the mud. Photo: Leonardo Merçon/Last Shelters Institute

Of these, 47% had to abandon fishing, especially women, the elderly and people living in areas further from the sea. The survey also identified that 49% of workers had to change their fishing area, the fishing gear used or the target species – given the reduced availability of larger fish, such as pacu, snook, traíra, mullet and grouper. Less than 4% continued fishing without reporting limitations.

Click on the image to enlarge

Based on interviews conducted between 2021 and 2022, the research analyzes the social impact of the disaster in six municipalities in Espírito Santo that are crossed by the Rio Doce or located on the coast – Baixo Guandu, Colatina, Marilândia, Linhares, Aracruz and Fundão. Thus, the study considers fishing carried out in rivers, lagoons, estuaries and the high seas. The sample of interviewees corresponds to 20% of the total number of fishermen in the fishing communities of the region, covering both genders.

Mud dumped into the Doce River caused fish deaths. Photo: Pito

The group of fishermen who abandoned the activity also has a lower average monthly income – R$1,217.24, 23% less than the average income of R$1,583.16 among those who adapted, for example. The average time of activity in the first group is 32 years, compared to just over 26 years of activity recorded on average in the group of those who adapted and 18 years among those who continued fishing without interruption. “Thus, the data highlight not only the impacts of the disaster, but also the inequalities that directly affect the populations that depend on artisanal fishing,” points out biologist Mayra Jankowsky, a postdoctoral fellow at the Fisheries Institute and one of the authors of the article.

All affected groups reported stress factors related to the disaster, such as environmental and fish contamination and greater difficulty in selling their products. “During the survey, we noticed that the interviewees were unaware of the degree of contamination and the risk of consuming fish. Even after so many years, consumers are still afraid of consuming fish, which is harming the sale of fish in the affected regions,” Jankowsky emphasizes.

The affected population is still waiting for compensation for the damages suffered. In November 2024, the courts acquitted the companies Samarco, Vale and BHP Billiton and their managers for the dam collapse. The Renova Foundation, responsible for executing the Transaction and Conduct Adjustment Agreement, will be dissolved, while the trial of the lawsuit against BHP Billiton, one of the controlling companies of Samarco, in the United Kingdom, continues. On October 25 of this year, an agreement was signed between the companies and the federal and state governments, which establishes the total payment of R$132 billion to those affected.

For Jankowsky, it is essential to build joint solutions, with greater participation from those affected. “Ensuring that these communities play an active role in building solutions facilitates the generation of collective learning and collaborative actions, essential elements for rebuilding the affected ways of life,” she points out. She also advocates actions targeted at the most socially vulnerable groups. “It is contradictory that older people, with more experience and knowledge, are among the most affected and distant from the recovery process, as they potentially still have a lot to contribute,” she emphasizes.

The researcher states that it is essential to implement participatory environmental monitoring, which allows food security to be assessed and safe areas for fishing to be defined, as well as urgent environmental decontamination actions to be carried out.

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