Ancestral Fishing Knowledge from Arraial do Cabo

Synopsis

The sea was never just a backdrop. For oceanographer and filmmaker Lucas Silva Pereira, the waters of Arraial do Cabo are the foundation of home. Born into a family of artisanal fishers, he grew up among the nets his grandfather wove and the stories his uncles brought back from the ocean.

In the film, Lucas returns to his roots to investigate the disappearance of canoa borçada fishing. Through the accounts of masters such as Turiba, Moacyr, Jamil and Bitico, the documentary shows a centuries-old craft under pressure from mass tourism, a lack of public support and the absence of new apprentices.

From century-old canoes carved from a single trunk to net-mending needles passed from father to son, it is a record of true coastal technology. As the masters say: the fish may become scarce, but the tradition and the canoe will always be here.