Life of Fishermen in Rio de Janeiro

Earth Report goes back to Rio de Janeiro to talk to a fishermen family five years after the Earth Summit.

Life of Fishermen in Rio de Janeiro Narrator: Five years ago, Earth Report came to film in the slums of Rosenia overlooking looking the glamour of Rio. It was 1992, the year of the Rio Earth Summit when the world’s leaders pledged to help the developing nations tackle the environmental crisis. This family relies on the income of Father Jose who fishes the bays of Rio. We soon found out that life for the family was difficult. Male: The pollution comes from the fancy hotels in Rio. The authorities don’t care what they throw into the sea. It seems to me that the richer people are, the less they care about others. Narrator: Today, the family relies on the same boat but it's Jose’s son, -- who’s at the home. We are back in the same spot as we were five years ago with the -- father. We’re about to find if things have got any better. Male: During the days of my father, things were easier. You just have to sail near the beach to catch enough fish for us to live off. Now, we have to go out further. The problem is the larger fishing trollers has been everything out of the ocean. When I have kids, they would have to go out even further. And every year, they’ll have to sail further and further. Narrator: Fishing rights have been sold to foreign fishing fleets. And the pollution of Rio has worsened in the last five years. For -- the rest of Jose’s family, this means a lot more work for smaller catches. At the Earth Summit, world leaders pledged the commitment to protect the environment future generations. But here in Copacabana, the fishermen still feel that their promises are long way off from becoming reality. Male: A promise from a politician is always a lie. They never fulfill what they say. There are more fishing trollers than ever and they sail our resources without caring. For us, everyday gets harder.