Analysis on the use of the Remote Settlement of mussel larvae Methodology on the Coast of Santa Catarina

mussel; remote settlement; sustainability; mitiliculture

The growth of mussels called mitiliculture was strongly consolidated as a zootechnical sector on the coast of Santa Catarina and has become notorious. The demand for seeds applied to environmental sustainability converged to the methodology of Remote Settlement of mussel larvae. This study aimed to analyze the use of this technique, from the perspective of the producers, with a technical, cultural and social emphasis. There were 110 structured questionnaires, divided between the cities Palhoça, Governador Celso Ramos, Penha, Florianópolis and Bombinhas. Through Percent Statistical Procedures and Chi-Square Tests (p>0,05), it was found that, despite the fact that the Remote Settlement Technique of mussel larvae was continually researched and contradictorily referenced in the academic field, the low incidence of its use by the producers was verified, in which 105 interviewees did not use the technique. Through the data generated, it was possible to define the profile of the mussel producers interviewed, in which 95.5% of the producers are men, 41% have incomplete elementary education and 52.7% are over fifty years old. Regarding the social and economic impacts of mitiliculture, 62% of the respondents stated that they did not have the activity as their main source of income, marketing their products in a mixed way and 80.9% of the producers reported reaching a higher annual production (>) of 10 tons of mussels. Technically, involving their knowledge and experiences, 84.5% of the producers use artificial / natural collectors to buy mussel seeds and 84.5% have their crops by long line system. 87.3% say they know the Remote Settlement technique and 77.3% of the respondents would like to participate in courses on the development of this methodology. In terms of local or sectoral development, 52.7% of respondents do not belong to the third sector. It is hoped that the information generated by this research may serve as elements to improve the systematic view of the production chain of the mussel culture, making possible the understanding of the network of relations among several productive agents, and thus to make possible alternatives to transform the state of Santa Catarina into an aquaculture potency when compared to the world scenario.