A INDÚSTRIA PESQUEIRA NO RIO GRANDE DO SUL – ASCENSÃO E QUEDA

Abstract

This article discusses and analyzes from an institutional perspective the structure of the fishing industry in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil. The fishing industry, despite its importance to the communities where it is located, has been declining steadily over the years. This article tries to understand such a process by analyzing the fishing industry, from its origins to its present configuration in this state. The structure and the analysis presented here were developed based on data collected from documents produced by several institutions involved in Brazil’s fishing sector, particularly in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. A series of semi-structured interviews were also conducted whit representatives of fishery organizations, with the purposes of providing the authors with a better picture of the structure of the organizational field, as well as of the social players and institutional elements that define it. The analysis revealed a process of severe institutional weakening over the years, and that the influence of the State was crucial in this trajectory.