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Animal source foods consumed in two fishing communities on the northeast coast of Brazil

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Abstract

Fish are a valuable source of essential micronutrients and animal protein consumed worldwide, especially in coastal regions. However, changes have been observed in eating habits of many fishing communities in Brazil, although this is seldom investigated in the northeast region of the country. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize food consumption of meat, especially fish meat, in two fishing communities of Brazilian Northeast. During 2013, information was collected through interviews and food frequency questionnaires regarding eating habits of artisanal fishermen and their families. It was found that fish was the main source of animal protein, although there are differences in consumption according to age and gender of respondents due to dietary restrictions. A difference in the frequency of fish consumption among the communities studied was also found, and there was no correlation between fishermen’s fish preference and fish with higher commercial value. The information obtained is important to understand eating habits of fishing communities, contributing to the development and implementation of public health policies with a focus on food and nutrition security.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the key informants Aldênia, Antônio Luiz e Selado; all fishermen from the Tamandaré and Batoque beaches; friends Rodrigo Lima, Manuel Pedrosa, Dona Raimunda and Seu Nego, who contributed to lodging and feeding in the communities; the managers of protected areas, EPA Coral Coast and Batoque’s RESEX; the Chico Mendes Institute for Nature Conservation for permission to carry out the research; the Foundation for the Support of Science and Technology of the State of Pernambuco—FACEPE, for the granted scholarship. The last signing author would like to thank CNPq for providing a research productivity scholarship.

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  1. Graduate Program in Ethnobiology and Nature Conservation, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, Dois Irmãos, Recife, PE, 52171-900, Brazil

    Marcia Freire Pinto, José Silva Mourão & Rômulo Romeu Nóbrega Alves

  2. Biology Department, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Av. das Baraúnas, 351, Bairro Universitário, Campina Grande, PB, 58429-500, Brazil

    José Silva Mourão & Rômulo Romeu Nóbrega Alves

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  1. Marcia Freire Pinto
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  2. José Silva Mourão
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Correspondence to Marcia Freire Pinto.

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Pinto, M.F., Mourão, J.S. & Alves, R.R.N. Animal source foods consumed in two fishing communities on the northeast coast of Brazil. Environ Dev Sustain 19, 679–692 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-016-9758-y

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