BIBLIOS

Document type
Book chapters


Title
There is always a bigger fish! Shaping Vouga’s watershed (Portugal) and its ichthyofauna in 1758.

Participants in the publication
Bastos, M.R. (Author)
UNIVERSIDADE ABERTA
Pereira, O.N.A. (Author)
UNIVERSIDADE DO ESTADO DO RIO DE JANEIRO
Fonseca, L.C. (Author)
MARE

Summary
Fishing is an historical activity considered intangible cultural heritage. Among the several inherited traditions by fishermen communities, a profound knowledge, as far as the environment is concerned, exists. The natural legacy determines the quality of life of those com- munities (which can be threatened due to anthropogenic actions). Through an interdisciplinary analysis, this study identifies the natural and anthropogenic actions that influenced the changes in Vouga’s watershed, including the Aveiro lagoon, and respective ichthyofauna. Our focus is to elaborate an environmental interpretation from a synchronic approach. For the aforementioned purpose, fish species specified in the 1758 historical source “Parish Descriptions” were high- lighted. Among the vernacular fish names listed, it was possible to find at least twenty species of fish from both freshwater and marine affinities. It is prudent to remark that in the year before the date just mentioned, the lagoon’s contact with the ocean was halted (thus causing a reduction of the water salinity). Could that have impacted the species that were declared in the “Parish De- scriptions”? Certainly yes, because marine or brackish species were cataloged only in the lagoonal area near the sea. In fact, differences in the reported fish were found between the upstream wa- tershed locations and the downstream lagoonal sites. Analysis of data supports the idea that sa- linity and fresh water may be the main influence for species distribution, either positively condi- tioning the presence of marine species or negatively, pushing freshwater species upstream. What is of notice is that there are documents that allude to an application for the king to request author- ization to open a new inlet. The construction of dams, watermills and other kinds of interventions in rivers (Vouga and its affluents) impacted the watershed ichthyofauna. As a consequence, the species’ migration processes were thus influenced, namely those of anadromous and catadromous fishes, highly susceptible to anthropic activities (said interferences determine their absence or presence in these different water bodies). The heritage we gain from environmental history is fundamental to successfully understand and manage our current interventions when it comes to deal with nature in a harmonious way. It is essential to learn from what we have done to avoid mistakes. Let us not waste the steps of those who came before us!

Editor(s)
R. Amoeda; S. Lira & C. Pinheiro


Where published
HERITAGE 2020 - Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Heritage and Sustainable Development

Publication Identifiers
ISSN - 2184-8017
ISBN - 789898734440

Organizers
Green Lines Institute for Sustainable Development

Publisher
Green Lines Institute for Sustainable Development

Collection
Green Lines Bookseries on Heritage Studies



Keywords
Northwest Portuguese coast Environmental History Vouga’s fish species Parish descriptions Natural heritage

Notes
Other affiliations:
Bastos, M.R. - University of Porto - Faculty of Arts and Humanities: Transdisciplinary Research Centre “Culture, Space and Memory” (CITCEM), Porto; Portugal;
Pereira, O.N.A. - MARE - Marine And Environmental Sciences Centre, NOVA University of Lisbon, Caparica, Portugal;
Fonseca, L.C. -University of Algarve - Centre for Water Science and Technology, Faro.

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