Institutional factors determining the configuration of the fishing industry’s organizational fields in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Abstract

Institutional factors determining the configuration of the fishing industry's organizational fields in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil This article discusses and analyzes from an institutional perspective the structure of the fishing industry in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul, respectively in southeastern and southern Brazil. The fishing industry, despite its importance to the communities where it is located, has been declining steadily over the years. This article tries to understand such a process by analyzing the fishing industry, from its origin to its present configuration in both states. The structures and the comparative analysis presented here were developed based on data collected from documents produced by several institutions involved in Brazil¿s fishing sector, particularly in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul. A series of semi-structured interviews were also conducted with representatives of fishery organizations, with the purpose of providing the authors with a better picture of the structure of the organizational fields, as well as of the social players and institutional elements that define it. The analysis revealed a process of severe institutional weakening over the years, and that the influence of the State was crucial in this trajectory.