Transformación de los medios de vida de los pescadores artesanales, por la puesta en marcha de la central hidroeléctrica Sogamoso : el caso de los pescadores ubicados aguas abajo del río Sogamoso en el departamento de Santander

La pesca artesanal es una actividad económica que contribuye con las economías locales, a la seguridad alimentaria e ingresos de familias ribereñas en diferentes lugares del mundo. La población de pescadores, devenga su sustento del aprovisionamiento de peces, que es uno de los servicios ecosistémicos prestados por el río Sogamoso para el ejercicio de su actividad extractiva. La construcción de hidroeléctricas genera cambios importantes en los ecosistemas que proveen los peces que son aprovechados por los pescadores y por lo tanto influencia sus posibilidades de hacerse a sus medios de vida. Para estudiar los efectos de las hidroeléctricas sobre los medios de vida de pescadores artesanales se escogieron las comunidades de aguas abajo del rio Sogamoso, donde varias familias viven exclusiva o parcialmente de la pesca artesanal. Estos pescadores artesanales fueron afectados por la construcción del embalse de Topocoro, que hace parte del complejo energético de HIDROSOGAMOSO (ISAGEN). Por eso, el objetivo de la investigación, fue el de identificar el impacto sobre los medios de vida de la población de pescadores artesanales, ubicada aguas abajo del sitio de presa en el río Sogamoso. Para ello, se utilizó una metodología cualitativa de estudio de caso único en la cual se realizaron entrevistas a pescadores, funcionarios de ISAGEN y de la AIJNAP- Autoridad Nacional de pesca y acuicultura y habitantes de la zona.Artisanal fishing is an economic activity that contributes to local economies, food security, and the income of riverside families at different places in the worid. The fishermen population eams its sustenance from the fish supply, which is one of the ecosystem Services provided by the Sogamoso River for stocking practices. The ccnstruction of dams generates impcrtant changes in the ecosystems that provide fish for the fishermen to make use of, thus it influences their chances of making ends meet. In order to study the effects of hydro-electric power plants on the iivelihood of artisanal fishermen, communities from downstream Sogamoso River were chosen, which comprise several families that live exclusively or partially from artisanal fishing. These artisanal fishermen were affected by the constmctíon of the Topocoro dam, which belongs to the HIDROSOGAMOSO (ISAGEN) Energy Complex. Therefore, the objective of this research project was to identify the impact of the dam in the Sogamoso River orí the Iivelihood of the artisanal fishermen population living downstream. For its development, a qualitative methodology of unique case study was used, in which interviews with fishermen, ISAGEN and the National Authority of Fishing and Aquaculture (AUNAP) staffs, and inhabitants were carried out. Furthermore, secondary sources were reviewed, and asset assessment ¡nstruments within Iivelihood were applied. The analysis showed that both fishing levels and fishermen numbers have decreased during 2011 and 2014. Additionally, since traditional fishing has become more difficulí due to changes in riveF dearness, eourse and depth generated by the hydro-electric ' project the use of ¡Ilegal fishing tricks seems to have increased. These tricks, for instance drift netting, have just worsened the risk status of species like the Catfish and the Colombian Bocachico, which are income sources in critical danger. Moreover it was found that the decrease of quality and number of fish has led to changes in the Iivelihood of pemnanent and temporary artisanal fishermen, making them switch to other economic activities and/or strengthen the workforce in existing ones, reducing the labor forcé in their actual activity and the fishing outcome itself. These changes in Iivelihood have caused intemal organizational strategies among the fishermen, as well as joint efforts to control ¡Ilegal fishing and the conservaron of the water resource