Brazil has almost 9.000 km of coastline supporting various fisheries for local market and export including several high value species.  Lack of management has led to the depletion of stocks such as lobster (Panulirus spp), shrimp (Farfantepenaeus subtitles), red snappers (Lutjanus purpureus) and others destined for export. Artisanal fishers (also known as jangadeiros) provided most of the captures in the state of Ceará until the industrial fleet was established in the seventies.  We look at the history of artisanal fishers, their communities, the dependence on military, political and economic powers as well as the group's exclusion from decision-making processes and the ensuing conflicts.  In 1993 fishers of Ceará organized and demanded action against poaching, requested participation in enforcement and organized in community based fisher forums. They also marketed fish without intermediaries to increase income locally.  Some activities included fundraising for enforcement, self-regulation, discussion of FAO Code of Conduct, and campaigns to obtain lobster-fishing licenses.

The jangadeiros attended public assemblies to change federal fisheries legislation, promoted awareness campaigns in communities and participated in high-level policy discussions about fisheries management. Some of the successful campaigns included the prohibition of shrimp trawling and regulation of the ornamental fishery in the coastal zone.  We look at the efforts of NGOs and fisher's to create marine extractive and sustainable development reserves to reconcile artisanal fishing and conservation. This initiative includes reduced impact fishing gear, alternative fishing (sail)-boats, responsible fisher conduct and management of coastal resources by fishers in cooperation with scientists and managers.