My name is Claire, I am English and grew up in London where I worked as a nursery teacher and support assistant for children with special needs.
I came out to Brazil in 2002, met Neu who was to become my husband and moved out to live with him in his native village, Prainha do Canto Verde in 2004
Until I came to Brazil, I wasn’t greatly interested in fish or fishing but it now plays a huge part in my life and I have swapped the exhilaration of riding a motorbike in London for that of a trip to sea on a jangada, that’s not to say I don’t miss my motorbike days but I love going sailing and the thrill is the same.
The fishing knowledge of the men here is staggering. Many I have spoken to (including my husband) started fishing at an incredibly young age (Neu was 9 when he began going deep-sea fishing, which would be against the law now) and consequently the men’s knowledge is so ingrained, you could almost say it’s instinctual. The older fishermen (those over 30 years of age) have regularly undertaken deep sea fishing trips of up to 5 days duration, apparently on a wing and a prayer, no fancy fishing gear, no safety equipment, no contact with the shore, relying purely on their knowledge of the sea and the stars to guide them. However, the modern world is coming to Prainha and while the fishers enjoy the undoubted benefits, many also lament the loss of their traditional skills, my husband’s generation could be the last to possess the knowledge of centuries.
I hope to record this deep fund of knowledge in words and pictures, before modern life, technology (GPS units for example) and the requirement to comply with (necessary) safety rules and regulations wipes it away.
Some of the posts published here have been previously published on my other blog The English Woman’s Weblog which focuses on daily life in the village and events that effect us as a family on a more personal basis. However I felt the need to create this separate blog to focus more specifically on the lives of the fishermen, fishing practises, the lobster industry and the political issues and events which effect these topics. I hope to give the reader an insight on the realities of the Brazilian lobster industry and the crisis it is currently facing, as well as a snapshot of daily life for the fishers here, the “Jangadeiros” as they are known, their amazing bravery, the difficulties and the joys faced by these incredible men and women of the sea.
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Fishing in Brazil 