Food chain and the reasons for fish food taboos among Amazonian and Atlantic forest fishers (Brazil)

Food taboos or food prohibitions are still controversial in ecological anthropology and in human ecology. In the literature, the explanations for such taboos find their origin in the book of Leviticus in the Bible, or in the abundance of fat found in the tissue of different fish species, or on the consequences for conservation practices. In this comparative study, we show the various interpretations concerning the food taboos observed in tropical societies, including their association to the availability of resources, i.e., the protein coming from local fish resources. We show that, in the Amazon and on the Atlantic Forest coast, fish food taboos, or dietary prohibitions during illness, are associated with carnivorous fish, especially piscivorous fish, and the fish that are recommended for consumption during illness are usually herbivorous or invertebrate eaters. Explanation for this preference is based into the consideration that, at high trophic levels, animals may accumulate toxins by eating plants, invertebrates, or other fish. We therefore consider that fish food taboos may represent an adaptive strategy of local inhabitants of the Atlantic Forest coast and of Amazonian rivers.1451334134