THE INTERACTION OF THE OIL AND GAS OFFSHORE INDUSTRY WITH FISHERIES IN BRAZIL: THE "STENA TAY" EXPERIENCE

Most of the oil and natural gas produced in Brazil derive from offshore fields, virtually concentrated in the Campos Basin off the coast of Rio de Janeiro State. The area is also of intense fisheries interest, involving participation of hand-liners artisanal boats and tuna boats due to the fish aggregating effect of the oil rigs. In order to avoid accidents with the platform "Stena Tay", in operation at Santos and Campos Basins, in 2001 e 2002, an awareness project was developed aiming at avoiding the presence of fishing boats in its 500 m exclusion zone. This paper summarizes the main observations concerning the extent of the fish aggregating effect and the behavior of the fishing boats in the vicinity of the platform.