The paper outlines an anthropological analysis of the artisanal fisheries in the Rio Negro, Brazilian Amazonia, concerning customary versus external rules determined by governmental institutions. Field data were obtained from opened-end interviews with fishermen, local leaderships and documentary research. Fishing spots and toponymies were georreferencied with the help of key informants between 2005 and 2006. It was cited 120 fishing spots used by 67 interviewed fishermen. The increase of recreational and commercial fisheries has intensified the conflicts for fisheries access, which has been perceived as a threat of collapse to the natural fisheries stocks in the Rio Negro.