From Reef to Table: Social and Ecological Factors Affecting Coral Reef Fisheries, Artisanal Seafood Supply Chains, and Seafood Security.

John N Kittinger,Mahana Gomes,Kostantinos A Stamoulis,Daniela S Kittinger,Haruko Koike,Kirsten L L Oleson,Alan M Friedlander,Eric Conklin,Lida T Teneva,Bart Wilcox,Konstantinos I Stergiou

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0123856

John N Kittinger, Mahana Gomes + Show 9 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0123856

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Abstract

Ocean and coastal ecosystems provide critical fisheries, coastal protection, and cultural benefits to communities worldwide, but these services are diminishing due to local and global threats. In response, place-based strategies involve communities and resource users in management have proliferated. Here, we present a transferable community-based approach to assess the social and ecological factors affecting resource sustainability and food security in a small-scale, coral reef fishery. Our results show that this small-scale fishery provides large-scale benefits to communities, including 7,353 ± 1547 kg yr-1 (mean ± SE) of seafood per year, equating to >30,000 meals with an economic value of $78,432. The vast majority of the catch is used for subsistence, contributing to community food security: 58% is kept, 33.5% is given away, and 8.5% is sold. Our spatial analysis assesses the geographic distribution of community beneficiaries from the fishery (the “food shed” for the fishery), and we document that 20% of seafood procured from the fishery is used for sociocultural events that are important for social cohesion. This approach provides a method for assessing social, economic, and cultural values provided by small-scale food systems, as well as important contributions to food security, with significant implications for conservation and management. This interdisciplinary effort aims to demonstrate a transferable participatory research approach useful for resource-dependent communities as they cope with socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental change.

Highlights

Coral reef fisheries provide critical livelihoods and food that support coastal communities and economies for millions worldwide [1,2,3]
In contexts where the research is directed towards a community-based planning effort, such approaches can ensure that research products directly address community needs and inform their planning and management efforts
This research focuses on Kīholo Bay (19° 51’ 36.41” N, 155° 55’ 59.25” W), a 2.6 km2 coastal embayment on the arid leeward side of Hawai‘i Island, with most of the land fronting the bay encompassed in a state park (Fig 1)

Summary

Introduction

Coral reef fisheries provide critical livelihoods and food that support coastal communities and economies for millions worldwide [1,2,3]. Reefs continue to decline due to the combined impacts from pollution, overfishing, climate change, introduction of invasive species, and other stressors [4,5,6]. These threats undermine the economic, social, and cultural benefits provided by coral reef fisheries, including important food security functions, cultural practices, and livelihoods [7,8]. A complex and poorly understood set of social, cultural, and economic factors affect the supply, value, and networks of trade that influence subsistence use, as well as commercial harvest. The processes, markets, and actors involved in seafood value and supply chains are gaining increased attention from scholars and practitioners working in a wide variety of locations [13,14,15,16]

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