Sustainability of aquaculture activity in the western region of Paraná, Brazil

ABSTRACT The objective of this work was to evaluate the sustainability of aquaculture production systems in the western region of the state of Paraná through a set of indicators, making it possible to verify whether the activity is being managed within the concept of sustainable development for aquaculture. The study was conducted in the municipalities of Palotina and Maripá, in 50 aquaculture farms. A methodology of a set of sustainability indicators was used through the application of a questionnaire and interviews on the selected farms, which allowed them to be classified according to the three dimensions of sustainability (economic, social, and environmental), as well as to determine which indicators had more influence in each dimension. A group of farms that have an economic advantage over the others was observed; this gives them a relatively lower risk when it comes to the activity. Furthermore, environmental indicators have less influence on the formation of the gradient, indicating that environmental characteristics are similar between farms, regardless of the patterns observed for economic and social aspects.