The case of the fishermen in the Southern Bay of Florianópolis (SC - Brazil): how to approach changes methodologically

Abstract (English)

The present abstract is based on my master’s research, in which I am trying to understand how landscape changes, such as maritime landfills, sewage treatment plants, etc., have affected and continue to affect the practices of fishermen in the Southern Bay of Florianópolis (SC, Brazil). This research is supported by the Public Notice 18/2024 of the Research and Innovation Support Foundation of Santa Catarina State (FAPESC). Considering that the fishermen are artisanal fishers and part of an endangered category of people, coastal communities, I am using a mixed-methods approach with a survey (Babbie, 1999), ethnographic interviews (Goldenberg, 2004), and participant observation (Malinowski, 1978) to combine quantitative and qualitative approaches. This methodology respects the fishermen's knowledge of the environment, acknowledges the various beings involved in the landscape, and generates statistics that can be used to create public policies aimed at protecting both the environment and their practices. The aim of this specific paper is to demonstrate how using a mixed-methods approach can enhance ethnographies focused on landscape and maritime anthropology, providing a deeper understanding of the information shared by the group being researched and consequently how changes are affecting those people.