Avaliação preliminar do efeito da carcinicultura sobre o sedimento de um trecho do Rio da Ribeira, Santa Rita-PB

Abstract

Shrimp farming has been considered a promising economic activity in the Northeast of Brazil. However, its practice in the medium and long term, can harm the environment, as in several farms shrimp ponds were built in mangrove areas and the waste generated by the activity, may compromise the water quality and/or sediment of the receiver of their effluent. In order to provide technical and scientific information on the effects of carciniculture, this paper's main aim was to evaluate the influence of shrimp farming in the levels of Ca and Zn on the sediment of a stretch of the Ribeira River, Santa Rita/PB. Were analyzed 90 samples collected between November 2007 and February 2009 and were analysed for pH, organic matter, conductivity and also for metal contents Ca and Zn. The data treatment was done by applying chemometric analysis univariate and multivariate (HCA and PCA). From the results taking into account the variables measured and the stretch of river studied, it was found that there is no evidence that the effluent from shrimp farming, to date, is affecting the characteristics of the sediment of Ribeira River.