THE BRAZILIAN CLOSED SEASON FISHING ("DEFESO") WAS SUSPENDED DUE TO IRREGULARITIES IN PAYMENT TO ARTISANAL FISHERS

From 2004 a new regulation was implemented, in an attempt to recover fishing resource in Brazil with the establishment of closed season fishing ("defeso",  in Portuguese) during the catch season (from October to May) and adjustments in the employed fishing gear.

However, as the Court of Auditors in Brazil detected irregularities in payment of true artisanal fishers, which totalled R$19 millions (R$3.9 = U$1) (between January/2012 and June/2013) the government halted temporarily the "defeso". An example of such irregularity: about seven thousand of artisanal fishers are inscribed as if they were fishing in Brasilia (central region of Brazil).

Calculating the savings in not paying the closure insurance has already been done by the Government: can reach R$ 2.7 billion. The loss of marine biodiversity and of fisheries stocks will only be calculated in the future, and it may be too late.