'I live in the river'

mapping the resistance of artisanal fishing in the wetlands of the Itabapoana River (ES/RJ)

Abstract

The article analyzes the resistance of artisanal fishing communities facing multiple socio-environmental pressures at the mouth of the Itabapoana River (ES/RJ), employing social cartography as the central methodology, combined with participatory research and participant observation. The study highlights how artisanal fishing, transmitted across generations, represents not only an economic activity but also a structuring element of cultural identity and local ways of life. However, the region has been shaped by successive interventions and projects, such as drainage and river straightening works, the construction of small hydropower plants, and the planning of large port and energy complexes, whose overlapping effects generate cumulative impacts on the territory. These processes have led to reduced fish availability, the loss of spawning and feeding areas for species, and the precarization of livelihoods, thereby intensifying socioeconomic vulnerability and territorial conflicts.