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Project supported by Transpetro promotes partnership between fishermen and dolphins

A real interaction between man and nature. Such is the relationship between the porpoises of the Tramandaí River, in Rio Grande do Sul, and the artisanal fishermen who work in the region. When they perceive the presence of the animals, the fishermen are distributed on the bank of the channel waiting for the characteristic sign made by the dolphin with his head, indicating to them the exact moment for the net to be thrown. The coexistence facilitates the capture of fish by men and porpoises, in a beneficial partnership for both parties.

From this relationship, in August 2015, the Botos da Barra project was born. Sponsored by Transpetro since it was created, its main objectives are to monitor the porpoise population in the region, through photo-identification; plan the zoning of the place, managed by holding meetings, interviews and training courses; strengthen artisanal fishing based on the interaction of fishermen with dolphins and exercise the role of environmental educator, organizing activities such as courses, lectures and didactic workshops on dolphins. The project was possible thanks to an agreement with the Center for Limnological and Marine Coastal Studies at the Biosciences Institute of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Centro de Estudos Costeiros Limnológicos e Marinhos do Instituto de Biociências da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - Ceclimar / UFRS).

Among the activities developed by Botos da Barra, there are environmental education actions in schools in the region, dissemination of the project to the visitors of the Barra do Rio Tramandaí, including tourists, preparation of booklets and information boards and interviews with fishermen.

In the Tramandaí River, fishermen know each porpoise and name them. Recognition occurs through the marks / scars and spots on the dorsal fin and on the animals' bodies, as if it were a fingerprint. Some are easily recognized by those who will visit the place, such as Geraldona, a 30-year-old female who recently had a baby, and her eldest son, Chiquinho, who is about 12 years old.