Understanding Impacts of Dams on the Small-Scale Fisheries of the Madeira River Through the Lens of the Fisheries Performance Indicators

The small-scale fisheries in the Amazon region are diverse, target a large number of species and often define rural riverine livelihoods. Data limitations and uncertainties constrain proper management for species conservation, not to mention for sustainable development. Large hydroelectric dams can negatively impact the local fisheries systems in many ways, including the fish biodiversity and income of fishing dependent communities. This paper uses the Fishery Performance Indicators (FPIs) to evaluate the impact of two major hydroelectric dams on the Madeira River. The FPI assessments were conducted in 2010 and 2017. The results show declines in ecological health and some economic and social dimensions. Catch and fisher income have noticeably declined. Ineffective management has also failed to reduce fishing effort and overfishing. The fishery has shown improvement in fish price, but the higher fish prices are more volatile. Impacts to fisher livelihoods was distinctly greater than the impact on the livelihoods of market intermediaries such as fish traders.