Introduction:

Amazonian fish have great socioeconomic importance due to their potential for sport fishing, commercial and subsistence uses. However, accidents caused by fish (ichthyism) are very common and are considered a public health problem that receives little attention by public health managers, and epidemiological data is considered underestimated due to the low demand for hospital care.

Objective:

this research aimed to quantify and evaluate injuries related to fish during subsistence fishing activities in rivers, lakes and streams in forests in the state of Acre in the Western Brazilian Amazon.

Methods:

233 residents who practiced artisanal fishing in three protected areas were interviewed.

Results:

among the fishermen interviewed, 155 (66.5%) reported having suffered at least one accident during this activity, 60.1% of whom were men. The majority of injuries were related to the ethnospecies known as “mandim” (Pimelodus spp.), with the fingers being the most affected region due to handling the fish while removing it from nets and hooks, resulting in pain, bleeding and hotness in the affected area in most cases.

Conclusion:

the need to produce relevant information on injury prevention and care was observed, which are essential measures to promote the health and treatment of injured fishers.

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