Coordenação do Comércio Atacadista de Pescado no Mercado do Ver-o-Peso, em Belém-Pará

The Ver-o-Peso Market, freely translated as “check-the-weight” market, is one of the main fish unloading and marketing sites in Brazil. Thirty five thousand tons of fish are unloaded yearly at the market, involving several groups of individuals, such as balanceiros, local conditioned agents who trade the local production. The present research intends to demonstrate, through Economical Sociology assumptions, the importance of balanceiros in the fish commercialization model installed at Ver-o-Peso Market. The adopted methodology included bibliographic and documental research, semi-structured interviews, direct observation, audio and video registration. The analysis of the collected information was carried out through tabulation and ranking according to the assumptions of the Economical Sociology. The results demonstrate the importance of balanceiro as the logistical commerce coordinator of the transactions that are performed in the wholesale market of fresh fish on Pedra, the commercialization at the Ver-o-Peso Market. This study offers to the sector researchers and managers a perspective based on individual and collective motivations of the individuals involved in the establishment and development of local markets, in a context that goes beyond the economical assumptions of supply and demand, in a perspective that the keyword is social embeddedness.