Abstract

CARMAN, María  and  CARMAN, Victoria González. Fragility of species: tensions between biologists and artisanal fishermen about marine conservation. Etnográfica [online]. 2016, vol.20, n.2, pp.411-438. ISSN 0873-6561.

This article analyzes, from an interdisciplinary perspective, the complexity of human-animal relations of fishers from Argentina. In their daily activities, they incidentally capture threatened marine reptiles and mammals. Our purpose is also to address the interaction between this fishing community and a group of biologists that seek to protect these species. Our hypothesis is that the human-animal relations in the practice of artisanal fishing may be explained from an alternation or juxtaposition of the three paradigms defined by Pálsson (2001): orientalism, paternalism and communalism. While fishers classify the species around their possibility of being exploited or not as resources, they negotiate with the biologists the protection of any of them. In this sense, they reinvent themselves as strategic conservationists. Finally, the coexistence of the first two paradigms does not preclude the tacit communalism that permeates the world of work and life of this fishing community.

Keywords : fishing; conservation; human-animal relations; interdisciplinary; sea turtles; dolphins.

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