Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago

107 Pages·2017·20.19 MB·English

1
| Atlantic
d
mi
Brazil in the
Saint Peter and Saint Paul
Archipelago
Brazil in the mid Atlantic
2 3
| Archipelago | mid Atlantic
d Saint Paul Brazil in the
Peter an
Saint
Saint Peter and Saint Paul
Organizers
Archipelago
Danielle de Lima Viana
Fábio Hissa Vieira Hazin
Jorge Eduardo Lins Oliveira
Brazil in the mid Atlantic
Marco Antonio Carvalho de Souza
Recife, 2017
Copyright @2017 Brazilian Navy
Editors Photos Preface | Renato Batista Melo
Danielle de Lima Viana Acervo Karl Mesquita
Fábio Hissa Vieira Hazin Acervo PROARQUIPELAGO
Jorge Eduardo Lins Oliveira Alexandre Nunes
Marco Antonio Carvalho de Souza Alfredo Borie Mojica Foreword | Danielle Viana
Arquivo da Diretoria de Hidrografia e Navegação
Collaborators Bruno Macena
Cristina Engel de Alvarez Carlos Eduardo Leite Ferreira
Daniele Brunelli Carlo M. Cunha Prologue | Fábio Hazin
Marcia Maia Daniel Viana
Raimundo Arrais Danielle Viana
Reinaldo Antônio Petta Drausio Véras
Susanna Sichel Fabricio Gandini The grand history of small place
Thomas Campos Françoise Lima
Frederico Guaraldo de Andrade
Book Designer
Jorge Lins
Via Design
Lilian Sander Hoffmann Birds’ Island
Lucas Santos
Photo Editor
Luís Carlos Pinto de Macedo Soares
Claudio Coutinho
Luiz Sérgio Amarante Simões
Translation Marcus Leoni/Folhapress The Geology of the SPSPA: An Approaching
Matias do Nascimento Ritter
Jennifer Sarah Cooper
Osmar Luiz
Depto. de Línguas Estrangeiras UFRN
Natalia Alves Bezerra
Proof-Readers Patrícia Luciano Mancini Underwater Universe
Danielle Viana Paulo H. Ott
Jorge Lins Ronaldo Bastos Francini Filho
Pollyana Roque Sibele Mendonça
Tatiana Leite The Research Station of St Peter and St Paul Archipelago
S149 Saint Peter and Saint Paul archipelago : Brazil in the mid atlantic / organizers Danielle de Lima
The Man and The Nature
Viana ... [et al.] ; translation Jeniffer Sarah Cooper ; photos Alexandre Nunes ... [et al.] ;
collaborators Cristina Engel de Alvarez ... [et al.] ; preface Renato Batista Melo ; prologue
Fábio Hissa Vieira Hazin. – 2. ed. – Recife : Vedas Edições, 2017.
203p. : il.
Discoveries and Discoverers
Includes bibliography.
ISBN 978-85-67862-02-6
Acknowledgments | Marco Antonio Carvalho de Souza
1. SAINT PETER AND SAINT PAUL, ARCHIPELAGO – BRAZIL – HISTORY. 2. SAINT
PETER AND SAINT PAUL, ARCHIPELAGO – BRAZIL – DISCOVERIES AND EXPLORA-
TIONS. 3. DISCOVERIES IN GEOGRAPHY – BRAZIL. 4. RESEARCH. 5. NATURAL RESOUR-
CES – BRAZIL – PRESERVATION. 6. SAINT PETER AND SAINT PAUL, ARCHIPELAGO –
Afterword | Jorge Lins
BRAZIL – PHOTOGRAPHS. 7. SAINT PETER AND SAINT PAUL, ARCHIPELAGO – BRAZIL
– PICTORIAL WORKS. I. Viana, Danielle de Lima. II. Cooper, Jeniffer Sarah. III. Nunes, Alexandre.
IV. Alvarez, Cristina Engel de. V. Melo, Renato Batista de. VI. Hazin, Fábio Hissa Vieira.
Bibliography
CDU 918.1
CDD 918.1
PeR – BPE 17-155
Photo Credits
At the moment the Research Station turns nineteen years of continuous operation, I have the great pleasure to
present this new edition of the book that gather the research carried out in Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipe-
lago Program (PROARQUIPELAGO).
Since the inauguration of the first Station in June 25, 1998, researchers and Navy personnel have kept the Bra-
zilian flag hoisted in the North Hemisphere, ensuring the right to add an area of 450.000 km² to our country’s
Exclusive Economic Zone.
Besides that, as it is an uncommon formation of islands surrounded by rich biodiversity, the region provides
unique conditions for research. Since its inauguration, more than 1.300 researchers have taken part in scienti-
4 fic expeditions coordinated by the PROARQUIPELAGO. They have carried out studies of geology, geophisics, 5
| Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago bTtiashnihloae ealn o obSdgnyasysl iyn,rs i aotss lecPe me etfa rtaoonenfmro t Bgal eanrr aabodzpyu iShsltiasycaai,rnn olm tdpo ePepctapeienuatoghln r A,iot cahrl ocraioshgtlu iayopnn ceaddclna su4d gra .ro0sbei 0siodsm0v d1e o0mu lt0eoh, g0tweoy ki e taamhqn g u daaeanw tot ohauloriyns g (dfb0irceoo0armowl° ke5 at v5tmhoe,e0arlu 1 kcateo’irNosea nastat h anooesdffss 1eoR07 cis2.oi0ta9u 0Gt°de02ridae 0m nst, o7d²a6 e.vt ’ahTd ieWhloa e Sb)Ny.al eoiwTn rhtteto eerP e tass htmufaeolt a rtepmlel,u cberbtodeolici cnnbk.ig yyc | Brazil in the mid Atlantic
Saint fracture in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
The low altitude of the islands is dangerous to navigation, especially at night and during bad weather. These
were the conditions of the first shipwreck recorded in 1511, when a fleet left Portugal towards Indies. However,
a ship called “Saint Peter”, was torn from the others and hit the islands. The providential rescue came from
another ship called “Saint Paul”. That is the reason for the name of the Archipelago, which remains to this day.
Since 1529 the islands have been on Portuguese maps and their possession by Brazil has never been contested.
In 1930 the first lighthouse was built by the Brazilian Navy at the highest point, at 18 meters from sea level. It
took one year to build it and was later destroyed by an earthquake. A ship called Belmonte, which was involved
in the construction of the lighthouse, gives name to the main island of the Archipelago.
At the Archipelago’s Research Station, generations of researchers, both undergraduate and graduate from many
Brazilian universities, have carried out their studies in that open-air laboratory, where there are no beaches, the
sea is sometimes choppy and the weather is hot and humid. These scholars have had their perception challenged
by endemic species of migratory fish, which stop at that region to search for food, as well as by seismic activities
in this sanctuary in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
This is the scenario we have the privilege of seeing in this book, which awakens our curiosity and leads us to
dive in “ Saint Peter and Saint Paul” to reveal the secrets of that natural world. I hope that by highlighting the
scientific vocation and strategic importance of these Islands, this publication may also serve to stimulate interest
in our Blue Amazon and the understanding of the importance of the sea and its resources for the development
of Brazil.
Renato Batista Melo
Rear Admiral
Secretary of the Interministerial Commission for Sea Resources
“Is it far?” you ask. No! It isn’t far, it’s very, very far... To arrive takes an average of four days from the Port
of Natal, over 1,100km of treacherous sea conditions, requiring great physical and psychological strength
for those who accept the challenge of conducting research on the St. Peter and St. Paul Archipelago. Con-
6 7
| pelago sAidrcehriepde lbayg om aa nsyp eacsi aaln a inndh ofaspnittaasbtilec psiltaec,e t,h oenre m aaren ym laenvye lcs.h aracteristics that make the St. Peter and St. Paul | Atlantic
Saint Paul Archi Bareef osrpee aakniyntgh ionfg t heels eo,n ilty isse itm opf oBrrtaaznitli atno Ohicgehalnigich ti stlahned gse loogcaratepdh iicn ltohcea tNioonr tohfe rtnh iHs etimnyis ppiheecree oafn Bd rsatzrial.t eWgie- Brazil in the mid
nd cally situated between the continents of South America and Africa, a fact that has contributed to a unique
Peter a condition for conducting research in a wide array of scientific fields, to which it provides a better unders-
nt
Sai tanding of the dynamic of insular ecosystems and their intricate ecological processes in the Atlantic Ocean.
With low altitudes, outside of the water – the maximum height on St. Peter’s Island being 18 meters –
the St. Peter and St. Paul Archipelago is, however, the tiny tip of a gigantic rock construction, which has
a base that sits 4,000 meters deep under the sea surface. Formed by six larger islands and four smaller
one, the Archipelago has small dimensions, the largest island being Belmonte, which spans 100 meters of
length and the width of its farthest points extending a mere 420 meters. It is totally devoid of beaches,
the vegetation is scarce and is covered with steep, sharp rocks, besides being subject to seismic activity.
At this site of such extreme conditions, the architect, Cristina Engel, from the Federal University of Espírito
Santo, projected a Scientific Stations that would hold up against the impact of Strong waves and constant
tremors, with the capacity to comfortably house four researchers for fifteen days at a time. The energy is
provided by solar panels, while the drinking water is obtained from reverse osmosis desalinization.
I had the honor, privilege and satisfaction to conduct specialization, Master’s and Doctoral research at this
very distinct site with its unique characteristics. Subsequently, I have a strong tie to this place, not just for
being a research site, but for being one of the last and most important and fascinating Brazilian oceanic
frontiers, which taught me, among other things, the value of what is truly important.
This book represents the result of a unique selection of photographic records that were taken by resear-
chers who had the privilege to visit and investigate this mysterious and seductive site, and which has such
great relevance to the Country. This is Brazil in the middle of the Atlantic! Visit it, and become enchanted
too...
Danielle Viana
Marine Biologist - UFRPE
Nineteen years have already passed by, since the first research started in Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago
(SPSPA). From the seed planted by the Interministerial Secretariat for Marine Resources (SECIRM- Secretaria
Interministerial para os Recursos do Mar), in the late nineties, a magnificent tree with a mighty trunk grew.
With its roots deeply entrenched in the marine sciences, it fructified in many scientific publications and results
of great biological and socioeconomic significance for the Brazilian nation. All these results would not have
been possible if it had not been for the logistic support of the Brazilian Navy and the inestimable contribution
8 9
| Archipelago oCanfo dint ssRe ienlhnsotei twNuataibcolineoa nNla pla atduretr naDel erRsse,e ssnouvucohrlcv eaimss te(hInBetA oNM CaAtieio-n ntInaífils ctCiotou uet onTc eBilc rnfaoosril lóSegicriioceo nd)t,oi fit hcM eae nBidora TAzeimlciahbnni eoInnlotsegti itceua tdle Do fsoe vrR etelhoceup rmEsnoevsn itrN o(anCtmNurPeanqist- | mid Atlantic
d Saint Paul RFeedneorvaálv Ueinsi)v, eFresditeyr aolf RRuiora lG Urannivdeer sditoy Noof rPtee r(nUaFmRbNu-c oU n(UivFeRrsPidEa- dUen Fiveedresridaal ddeo FReidoe Grarla nRduera dl od eN Poerrten)a,m Fbeduecora),l Brazil in the
Peter an University of Espírito Santo (UFES- Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo), among many other research and
Saint educational institutions, as well as private and governmental agencies, which either directly or indirectly have
supported the studies developed in SPSPA.
To keep a research station 1,100 km away from the closest point in the Brazilian coast, in the middle of the
Atlantic Ocean, at one third of the distance between Brazil and Africa, in waters with more than 4,000 m dep-
th, is not an easy task, to say the least. What for many may be seen only as a bunch or rocks lost in the sea,
inhabited only by seabirds and no natural vegetation, for the scientists working there it is no short of a water
paradise, with plenty of fish, sea turtles, dolphins and so many other creatures of an extremely rich marine
fauna, full of secrets to be uncovered. Due to its strategic geographic position, between the northern and the
southern hemispheres, and the American and the African continents, the SPSPA offers unique conditions for
research development on the several species - some endemic - that utilize this insular ecosystem as a home or
as an important segment of their migratory routes.
The mental and physical efforts demanded from the scientists participating in each expedition are thus fully
compensated by the discoveries and unprecedented results achieved by the various researches developed in
such a corner of Brazilian territory, so inhospitable and remote, as it is mysterious and fascinating. The occupa-
tion of the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago started in 1998, with the installation and inauguration of the
Research Station in Belmonte Island, the largest in habitable area. Such occupation guaranteed the Brazilian
rights over the 450 thousand square kilometers of Economic Exclusive Zone around it, over which the country
has the exclusive right to explore, exploit, conserve and manage the natural resources present there. Along the-
se 16 years, the Brazilian Navy has certainly all the reasons to be proud of its role in defending and protecting,
together with the Brazilian people, this important area of ecological richness and biodiversity.
Fábio Hissa Vieira Hazin
Scientific Coordinator of PROARQUIPELAGO Program
Professor of the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture – UFRPE
10 11
| Archipelago | mid Atlantic
Peter and Saint Paul Professor in the Department Rofa Himisutonrdyo a Andr rtahies Ipfe wlaeg coo (nSsPidSePrA t)h –e dgoezoelonsg iocfa ml aigllieo onfs tohfe y reoacrks ofoldrm –a ittiso rne ccourrdreendt lhyi sktnooryw sne aesm tsh ev eSrty. Preecteenr ta, nbdu tS tin. Praeulalt Aiornc htio- Brazil in the
Saint Graduate Program in History – UFRN the phase of the European occupation of the Americas, at the turn of the 15th century to the 16th century,
its history is a long one, the same age as the Portuguese occupation of the Americas2. The St. Peter and
St. Paul rocks, measuring a little more than sixteen thousand meters of exposed rocky surface, made their
debut into history at the beginning of the Modern era – rocks in the middle of the route of the great wave of
maritime expansion that crested at the end of the 15th century. This expansion was responsible for reducing
the size of the known world, comprising immense stretches of land for exploitation and colonization, and
inaugurated an era of relocations of masses of humans and goods over the high seas.3
The rock formations were mentioned for the first time in a passage by the chronicler João de Barros, who
1 This text is the result of the research Project From the cliffs
to the Archipelago: the emergence of the St. Peter and St. Paul reported about the night, in 1511, when a ship from a fleet heading to Mozambique had run into some ro-
in scientific research history (Edict MCt/CNPq Nº026/2009 –
cks: “on a rock you can find in the midst of a particular batch of water lilies, which the ship, São Pedro, ran
Archipelago and Oceanic Islands Program), with the help of
CNPq Technical Assistance interns, Flávia Emanuely Lima Ribeiro, against at night”, and “owing to this danger, the rock received the name São Pedro, which to this day has
and PROPESQ-UFRN intern, Giovanni Roberto Protásio Bentes
the spirit of our sailors about it”.4 Much later, this “St. Peter’s Rock” was called, “St. Peter and St. Paul” and
Filho, during 2013/2014.
thus incorporated the name of the ship that came to the rescue of the ship, St. Peter. The rocks then carried
2 “The origin of the SPSPA dates between 100 and 35 million
with them this remote memory at the cost of the audacity of those who crossed, against the still unknown,
years...”, VASKE JUNIOR, Teodoro et al. Arquipélago de São
Pedro e São Paulo, aspectos locais. In; Arquipélago de São Pedro maritime tides, winds and storms. After that night in 1511, almost three centuries passed in silence, inter-
e São Paulo: história e recursos naturais. Org. Teodoro Vaske
rupted here and there by brief reports left by some crew that approached the rocks or sailed wide of them,
Junior et al. Fortaleza: NAVE/LABOMAR UFC, 2010, p.34.
on viewing their shapes from afar. Whichever way, even with these sparse, vague recounts, and data about
3 BROWN, Cynthia Stokes. A grande história: do Big Bang aos
their location, and cartographic register, all this brought the rocks into the consciousness of seafarers. The
dias de hoje. Trad. Vitor Paolozzi. Rio de Janeiro: Civilização
Brasileira, 2010, p. 304. islands appeared on maps of the time as Portuguese rock formations, sticking out from the surface of the
4 Second Decade –Asia of João de Barros: From the Actions of water, avoided by navigators (on a Spanish map they were called escolho, obstacles), located on the routes
Inhaumá-class corvette, the Portuguese during the age of Discovery and conquest of that linked Europe, Africa and America, and even when passing to Brazilian ownership they received little
near the St. Peter and the seas and lands of the East – 1628. Book Seven – Chapt. II.
St. Paul Archipelago National Library of Portugal, p. 164. reference in official documents of the new nation.
5 LATOUCHE, Serge. L’occidentalisation Du monde. Paris: St. Peter and St. Paul became part of the national territory through a tacit agreement between nations, or
La Découverte, 2005, p. 31.
simply due to a general indifference toward it, since its isolation, small size, inhospitable rocky surface, and
6 ROUC, Jules, Lesexplorations dês océans ET dês therefore uselessness in agricultural exploitation, made permanent human presence an impossibility, and
continents de 1815 à nos jours. In Les expllorateurs, p.
the imperialist nations were very busy with big business, extraction and transporting gold and silver, exploi-
863-869.In Les explorateurs. (Dir. L. H. Parias). 3. Ed. Paris:
Robert Laffont, 2005, p. 863-869. ting tropical agricultural products, trading slaves and goods that symbolized the success of the nations of
7 KOLSOW,Tony. The silent deep: the Discovery, ecology, that period. However, the rock formations were far from ‘belonging’, as they say, to the national life. Under
and conservation of the deep sea. Chicago: The University Brazilian ownership, they were a forgotten good, similar to some worthless inheritance that the new nation
of Chicago Press, 209, p. 25.
had received from the Portuguese.
8 DELANO’S voyages of commerce and Discovery: Amasa
Delano in china, the Pacific Islands, Australia, and South Up until the end of the 19th century, the most significant registers about the rocks originated from a specific
America, 1789-1807. Massachusetts: Berkshire House
Publishers, 1994 (1817). source: oceanic research activities, stimulated by investments from the modern States and the academy of
science, financing expeditions that, from the 18th century, on a large scale, navigated the same routes used
by the conquerors and merchants. This convergence was not surprising, since the colonial conquest is more
than a military or political action, it “participated also in the total domination of nature. The maritime ex-
ploration of the 16th century preceded the scientific exploration of the 18th century. Control over Nature’s
riches, and the souls of folks comprised the encyclopedic inventory of the cosmos”.5
2 3
1 1
| Archipelago Ttihoensse s entu mouetr oinu ss eraersceha rocfh k enxopweldeidtigoen sa boorguat ntihzee do cbeya sncsi e–n tai fikcn osowclieedtigees tahnadt bwya sg ocovenrsntrmucetnetds obfy vmareioasuusr ninag- | mid Atlantic
d Saint Paul Sdoepcitehtsy a snedt ttehme pgeoraaltsu froers tohfe t hHeM seSa E, arenbdu tsh aen rde pHeMrtoSi rTee orrfo mr aerxipneed liifteio.6n Isn, 1w8h7i1c,h f owre erxea hmepaldee, dth teo B trhitei sAh nRtoayrca-l Brazil in the
Saint Peter an ttihce: twoa itnevre asntidg aatnea tlhyzee p thhyes ipchayl sciocnadl cithioanrasc otef rtihsteic ms aanridn ec hdeemptihcas,l tcoo mdeptoesrimtioinne otfh teh ceh mematiecraila lc oinm tphoes oitcioena no’sf
depths.7
It is no exaggeration to say that, in the 19th century, the St. Peter and St. Paul formation entered the spo-
tlight through the efforts to gain knowledge about the oceans, and that these rocks, from the beginning,
inspired a type of vocation that would be decisively consolidated at the end of the 20th century: to serve for
scientific research. The list of expeditions to which the rocks names are attached is considerable: the 1802
Tellichery frigate expedition, the 1825 French frigate Herminone expedition, and the 1839 HMS Erebus
Adapted by Nick Springer,
and HMS Terror expedition. However, previously, on the 23rd of December in 1799, the North American
copyright – 2010, Springer
Cartographics, LLC.Cited captain Amasa Delano landed on the rocks. The captain dedicated three paragraphs to the description of
by Winchester, Simon.
an afternoon and one night spent on the rocks, in which he comments about the danger that they present
Atlantic: great naval battles,
heroic discoveries, colossal to navigators traveling at night. Amasa Delano also revealed the scientific and gastronomical curiosity of his
storms and a vast ocean
crew, to his readers, who tried, but did not like much, the flavor of the bird eggs that were abundant on the
with a million stories. Trad.
Donaldson M. Garschagen, rocks during this time.8
São Paulo: Companhia das
Letras, 2012, p.104.