Fishers’ Perceptions of Fishing Dynamics and Socio-environmental Threats in Coastal Protected Areas of Northeastern Brazil

Small-scale fisheries are central to the economy, food security, and cultural continuity of many coastal communities across the Global South, yet fishing activities and community well-being are increasingly exposed to pressures from overfishing, pollution, and coastal ecosystem degradation. When fishing occurs within or near coastal protected areas, regulatory frameworks and livelihood dependence become tightly intertwined, making fishers' perceptions of the environment and fishing dynamics a socially structured dimension of these systems rather than merely individual views. We interviewed 105 fishers from three coastal protected areas in Northeastern Brazil (Paraiba and Pernambuco) to (1) analyze their perception of changes in small-scale fisheries and socio-environmental threats, and (2) examine how socioeconomic factors (e.g. sex, education, income, dependence on fishing) influence these perceptions. We did a content analysis of the qualitative interview data and applied multinomial logistic regression to model their perception of socio-environmental threats. Our findings showed that male fishers were significantly more likely to perceive pollution (odds ratio [OR] = 5.45) and overfishing (OR = 2.57) as major threats. Additionally, higher income was associated with a lower likelihood of perceiving overfishing (OR = 0.27) and pollution (OR = 0.009) as significant concerns, regardless of gender. Lower income levels were associated with greater sensitivity to socio-environmental threats, while gendered divisions of labor shaped distinct environmental perceptions. These findings demonstrate that socio-ecological dynamics in coastal protected areas are structured by poverty and social inequalities. Effective governance must therefore integrate biodiversity conservation with strategies that address livelihood security, gender inequities, and structural vulnerability in small-scale fisheries.