Younger Fishers Research Articles

Factors affecting condom use among fishers in Elmina fishing community in Ghana.

Although it is well known that low condom usage among fishers contributes to high HIV prevalence in fishing communities, little is known about the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of fishers when it comes to the use of condoms. This article is a follow-up to a cross-sectional study that used a mix-method design for data collection and analysis to examine the connection between mobility and the risk of contracting HIV among 385 fishers in the Elmina fishing community of Ghana. The Health Belief Model is utilized in the discussions to analyze attitudes and actions toward condom use among the fishers in Elmina. Over 40% of respondents who said they had intercourse in the previous year did not use condoms. The results show that male fishers are more likely than female fishers to use condoms during sexual activity, and younger fishers are more likely to use condoms than older fishers. More condoms were used by educated fishers than by less educated or uneducated fishers. According to the study, female fishers use less condoms than male fishers since they are unable to convince their partners to use them when they refuse to. Additionally, the findings show that slightly more than one in 10 respondents did not use condoms because they believed their sexual partner to be attractive and unlikely to carry any sexual infection. There is a general low perception of HIV susceptibility and severity resulting in the low condom usage among the fisherfolks according to the results. The article urges civil society organizations in the study area to investigate ways to incorporate the provision of free condoms to fishers and at the numerous fishing destination sites along the coast of Elmina. The regular use of condoms in Elmina and the nearby fishing areas should also be emphasised through this outreach or mobile HIV service outlets.

Forgotten whales, fading codfish: Perceptions of ‘natural’ ecosystems inform visions of future recovery

Perceptions of past ecological change affect views of current ecosystem state, but how do baselines help to shape stakeholders' visions of an idealized future? Here, we investigate links between perceptions of natural baselines and visions for the nearshore Gulf of Maine among a key stakeholder group, active lobster fishers. We ask three related questions: (1) What do fishers perceive as a ‘natural’ Gulf of Maine? (2) How do perceptions of the past predict individual and collective visions of an ideal future? and (3) How is existing management perceived as supporting these visions? We found that fishers perceived the ecosystem to be ‘natural’ an average of one decade before they started fishing. Three species dominated views of natural systems: cod Gadus morhua, lobster Homarus americanus, and herring Clupea harengus, but while long-time fishers associated abundant cod with a natural nearshore Gulf of Maine, memories of a historically cod-rich Gulf of Maine were fading among some younger fishers who began their careers after the cod crash in the 1990s. Perceptions of ‘natural’ ecosystems dictated future visions for the majority of taxa; on average, fishers remembered and desired abundant cod and herring, but perceived halibut Hippoglossus hippoglossus and endangered right whales Eubalaena glacialis to have always been rare. Fishers described a vision for the future based on views of past ecological and social baselines, including fisheries deconsolidation and diversification, but expressed a lack of shared vision with and trust in federal management institutions to achieve these goals. In particular, memories of cod abundance in the 1970s and 1980s were coupled with memories of a diversified and accessible fishery, but fishers doubted that the recovery of cod would result in their restored access to cod fisheries. Together our results demonstrate that past personal experiences limit perceptions of what is possible, highlighting both the value and limitations of local ecological knowledge in places that have experienced ecological change over centuries. They also demonstrate how stakeholder perceptions of both social and ecological baselines shape visions for future ecosystems but are mediated by contemporary issues like trust in institutions and fisheries access. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Social construction of climate change and adaptation strategies among Senegalese artisanal fishers: Between empirical knowledge, magico-religious practices and sciences

African Atlantic countries are among the most vulnerable to global climate change (CC). Artisanal fishers are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of environmental change on the fisheries on which their livelihoods depend. Although we found that most fishers accept that CC is occurring locally, most believe that other environmental problems affecting fisheries are more important than CC. Opinions on the causes of CC vary widely according to the age and education level of fishermen. Most fishermen, mainly the older and less educated ones, attribute CC to divine will or magic-religious causes, while only one fifth link it to human activities. Older fishers were also more likely to apply traditional knowledge and religion to adapt to CC. In contrast, younger fishers were the most reluctant to attribute a reason to CC, but were the most willing to adopt modern technologies or adapt fishing methods to changing conditions. We found that most fishermen used a variety of approaches, including traditional practices, magic-religious practices and modern technologies, to adapt to CC; only a few fishers have adopted a single approach. Policies developed to help fishers adapt to CC should incorporate their sociological and cultural norms to promote policy acceptance, rather than treating non-scientific approaches as completely irrational or assuming that practitioners are fatalistic about the impacts of CC. Useful actions that are acceptable to fishermen in their adaptation to CC should involve a thorough understanding of social and environmental considerations.

Spatial use of marine resources in a rural village: A case study from Qoma, Fiji

Understanding the value of fishers’ Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge (ITK) and of fishers’ spatial use of customary fishing grounds is an important contributing factor to marine resource management. This study investigates and documents ITK of marine resources and the associated spatial knowledge of fishing areas in Qoma, a rural fishing village in Fiji. Using a sex-generational lens, our research combines theory and methods from Participatory Geographic Information Systems and ethnography. We document how fishermen and fisherwomen use geographic space in their traditional fishing grounds showing changes in the areas they travel to and fish. Targeted marine resources and knowledge of those resources differ between fishermen and fisherwomen, reflecting the traditional roles of men and women within Indigenous Fijian (iTaukei) culture. Fishermen and fisherwomen of ≥60 years have a richer knowledge of marine resources than younger fishers (men and women), measured by the number of unique species they could identify or describe using local taxonomic classification. Our ethnography findings highlight the importance of maintaining this ITK to preserve marine resources of significance for future generations. Our study concludes with insights into three knowledge gaps; the spatial use of traditional fishing grounds by fishermen and fisherwomen (including a statistical analysis and map), generational differences in fisher knowledge, and the distinctive differences in fishermen’s and fisherwomen’s ITK of fishing. This study also discusses how these three key insights when combined can contribute to improved local fisheries resource management.

Fishers' perception of the interaction between the South American sea lions and the Chinook salmon fishery in southern Chile

We studied how the South American sea lion (SASL, Otaria flavescens) interacts with the operation of an artisanal fishery of Chinook salmon, a non-native species in Chile, using a combination of biological and social approaches, including a valuation by fishers about this interaction. During austral summer of 2019, an observer onboard artisanal fishing boats characterized the attack behavior of SASLs to gillnet-captured Chinook salmon during 33 hauls and analyzed which factors may affect the intensity of attacks. To analyze the relationship between fishers and SASLs, a Likert scale about the perception and views about nature was applied. A total of 23 interviews—including 35 open and 16 closed questions—with fishers were conducted to describe how they perceived the interactions with SASLs. Interactions with SASLs were recorded in 35% of the fishing events and varied depending on both operational factors, such as the number of boats, as well as environmental factors, such as moon’s luminosity. Even though SASL interactions resulted in seven fish (~ 70 kg) damaged of a total catch of 2815 kg (2.5%) during the survey, boats with a damaged catch by SASL lost up to 11% of their revenue. This is consistent with 87% of the interviewed fishers who considered that the conflict with the SASL negatively impacts their activity and results in economic losses. A negative perception towards SASLs likely results from personal experience and revenue loss, even though impacts of SASL interactions at the scale of the entire fishery may be less important. While older fishers with less formal education have a productivist and instrumental focus, younger fishers with a more sustainable and conservationist view of fishing offer an opportunity to lead an improved local understanding of the relationship between salmon, SASLs, and humans.

Predicting potential compliance of small-scale fishers in Brazil: The need to increase trust to achieve fisheries management goals

Many global management and conservation initiatives fail to prevent overfishing either because they do not plan for local engagement, surveillance, and enforcement, and/or because they fail to include alternatives for short-term losses. Thus, these initiatives do not gain support among fishers. In this study, we interviewed fishers to investigate their stated behavior toward fisheries regulations. We assessed possible (non)compliant behavior under scenarios where fishers would face a moratorium on some of their target species. Additionally, we investigated the consequences of such a moratorium on the food web if it were to lead to fishing alternative species. Using data from two Brazilian coastal sites, we found that younger fishers and those who demonstrated a trustworthy relationship with stakeholders were inclined to comply with the rules. The level of potential compliance also varied between the studied places, probably due to unidentified local idiosyncrasies. Fishers tended to trust community actors (e.g., the leader or head of the fishing community) more than institutional actors (e.g., environmental agencies). When fishers were asked why they would choose specific replacement species in the event of a moratorium, they most often cited expected profitability and ease of capture as reasons. Fishers also tended to say that they would replace endangered species with species in the same and/or lower trophic categories. We suggest working toward stronger stakeholder engagement, given that an overall sense of trust in a community appears to be an important asset toward successful management. Higher levels of trust could promote more transparency in the decision-making process, which could facilitate information dissemination, awareness, and the need for compliance. The mixed methods approach used here could help predict responses to new and existing management policies and support adaptive fisheries management.

Shifting baseline syndrome highlighted by anecdotal accounts from snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus) fishery

The fishes of the Lutjanidae family are widely distributed throughout the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans and have relevant commercial importance. Yellowtail snapper ( Ocyurus chrysurus ) is a targeted species in the small-scale fishery of the northeastern coast of Brazil, notably for hand-line fishing. We used the local ecological knowledge (LEK) of three generations of fishers from Ilheus (southern Bahia State, Brazil) to evaluate the perception of weight, best day of capture and relative abundance of the species. More experienced fishers captured the largest specimens, had larger catches and were more likely to indicate a decrease in species abundance. On the other hand, younger fishers had smaller catches and were more likely to indicate that the species abundance is stable or increasing. The results suggest the occurrence of shifting baseline syndrome among fishers and emphasize the importance of including information from fishers in the construction of management measures. Fishers can play a key role in developing viable proposals that are aimed at the management of fishing of species with spawning aggregation, such as yellowtail snapper.

Resilience of Small-Scale Fishers to Declining Fisheries in the Gulf of Thailand

Small-scale fishers depend on fishery resources, which have been declining continuously in Thailand and elsewhere; thus, understanding their perceived ability to adapt to future fishery declines is crucial. This study examines factors affecting perceptions of resilience among small-scale fishers in the Gulf of Thailand. Findings indicate that fishers’ responses to the fishery’s decline are associated with four components of resilience including: ability (1) to get work elsewhere; (2) to compete, survive and adapt more effectively; (3) to increase confidence by planning for financial security and learning new skills; and (4) to cope when there is a change. Perceived resilience of fishers to future fishery decline depends on a combination of several factors. Our results indicate that fishers with more education, those from households that do not depend exclusively on fish for income, younger fishers, those who had been fishing for a shorter time, those with higher levels of individual well-being and basic needs components, and those that would not become a fisherman if they had their lives to live over are more likely to be found in the high resilience group. In addition, fishing communities living in an industrial context (developed urban areas) manifest high levels of competitiveness, survivability and adaptability, which are mainly due to the diverse livelihoods provided in such areas in comparison with non-industrial areas. Equitable benefit sharing among fishing association members could be the concern, likely to impact fishers’ perceived resilience. The paper provides recommendations as to how the findings can aid in design of fishery development and governance programs appropriate to the attitudes, beliefs and values of fishers; hence, increasing the likelihood of their relative success.

Evidence of shifting baseline and Fisher judgment on lane snapper (Lutjanus synagris) management in a Brazilian marine protected area

The integration of knowledge from fishers and conventional scientific data is promising as a subsidy for the establishment of proper management procedures for fishing resources. In this context, the potential use of local ecological fisher knowledge from the Marine Extractive Reserve of Corumbau (MERC) in northeastern Brazil was evaluated regarding the shifting baseline of the lane snapper Lutjanus synagris. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 222 fishers who identified L. synagris as the main fish resource used in MERC. The relationship between the maximum L. synagris weight caught on the best fishing day among fishers of different age categories was not significant (p = 0.306). However, older fishers significantly (p < 0.001) reported a higher time span since their best day catch. In addition, older fishers were significantly more perceptive (p = 0.013) to declining L. synagris abundance over time than younger fishers, who mostly reported that this species abundance is stable or has even increased over time. These results highlight an existing shifting baseline phenomenon for the L. synagris fishery in the region. Only 22.5% of the respondents, mostly younger fishers, expressed a need to establish specific management rules for the species. The proposed strategies for local L. synagris management included establishing a closed period, defining minimum catch sizes and creating new No-Take Zones specifically for this species protection. Trust bonds between fishers and fisheries managers, as well as scientists, require strengthening, and fisher knowledge can serve as a basis for building local targets for species conservation.

Fishers’ knowledge indicates short-term temporal changes in the amount and composition of catches in the southwestern Atlantic

The scarcity of data on fish catches difficult management of small-scale fisheries in developing countries. This study applies fishers’ knowledge to investigate temporal changes in the amount (biomass) and composition (major ecological categories) of fishing resources exploited by small-scale coastal fisheries in the southeastern Brazilian coast. Four hypotheses were investigated: (1) The amount of fish caught reported by fishers would decrease over time. (2) Older fishers would report higher fish catches than younger fishers. (3) Recent interviews would mention large-sized predators less often. (4) Recent interviews would mention less high valued fishing resources. Interviews with 421 fishers in 36 communities in the southeastern Brazilian coast were analyzed, covering a time span of 14 years, from 1995 to 2009. The hypothesis 1 was confirmed, 3 was partially confirmed, while 2 and 4 were not confirmed. Fishers’ age was unrelated to all variables. The results from fishers’ interviews indicated the temporal trends of: (1) a decrease in the biomass of fish caught; (2) an increase in the occurrence of smaller fish and invertebrates in the catch; (3) an increase of high value fishing resources; and (4) maintenance of large predators. The first two indicators suggest excessive fishing, but the later indicators (3 and 4) suggest that the socioecological system of the southeastern Brazilian coast had not yet undergone major ecological shifts.

Fishers' ecological knowledge of smalleye hammerhead, Sphyrna tudes , in a tropical estuary

ABSTRACT Coastal hammerheads have suffered from overexploitation and environmental degradation. We interviewed 79 artisanal fishers to verify fishery aspects, temporal changes in catches and biological aspects of the smalleye hammerhead, Sphyrna tudes , in a marine protected area on Abrolhos Bank, Brazil. Data were compared between three generations of fishers: young, middle-aged and old. Fishers' age varied between 17 and 88 years. We verified significant reductions in the weight of individuals caught by younger fishers. The main types of fishing gear used to catch S. tudes were gill nets and longlines. Overfishing through gill nets and trawl fisheries were mentioned as the cause of S. tudes population collapse in the region. The shark's diet as reported by fishers consisted of fish, crab and shrimp; austral summer was the reproductive season. A strong similarity was verified between fishers' knowledge and biological data. We suggest as plausible strategies to conserve the local population of S. tudes the reduction of net fisheries impact through zoning and establishment of no take areas. These steps can help to initiate the recovery of this depleted species.

Depletion of marine megafauna and shifting baselines among artisanal fishers in eastern Brazil

AbstractIncreasing exploitation effort and efficiency have been leading to population declines and extinctions among large marine animals. Understanding the magnitude of such losses is challenging because current baselines about species' abundances and distributions in the sea were mostly established after humans had started affecting marine populations. For artisanal fisheries, from which written historical records are rarely, if ever, available, approaches based on gathering anecdotal information from fishers' knowledge are a promising method to know the past environmental conditions. We interviewed coastal artisanal fishers, with ages varying from 15 to 85 years, to detect temporal changes in the catch abundance of large fish species, particularly the largetooth sawfish Pristis pristis and the goliath grouper Epinephelus itajara within Abrolhos Bank, Brazil. Most fishers considered that fishing has led to species depletion. However, older fishers reported significantly more species and larger species as depleted than young fishers. Older fishers caught significantly larger largetooth sawfish and goliath grouper in the past than younger fishers. The largetooth sawfish has not been caught or sought for more than 10 years. Probabilistic tests provided no definitive evidence for local extinction, although the past record of sightings indicates a population decline close to the threshold level for extinction probability. We provide evidence that small‐scale artisanal fisheries can decimate the abundance of large coastal fishes, one of those almost close to local extinction. Finally, our results suggest that the younger generation is not aware of past ecological conditions, indicating the occurrence of a shifting baseline syndrome among the fishing community.

The status of artisanal fishing in El Salvador

El Salvador is one of the most environmentally degraded nations in Latin America, but the declining fishing industry is under-studied compared with deforestation and landuse. This paper examines the reactions to fish stock decline of two generations of fishers in La Union, El Salvador on the Golfo de Fonseca, one of the most important fishing areas in Latin America, using face to face interviews and questionaires. Both older (>35 years) and younger (<36 years) fishers supplemented their income with trading, farming and loans from their relatives in the United States. All older fishers reported larger fish catches five and ten years previously than at present. Previously, fishers caught more fish, but significantly more younger fishers than older fishers reported their fathers caught more fish than they did, indicating an increasing gap in fish catches in recent decades. More younger fishers than older fishers had fathers or male kin who were also fishers, indicating young men were less likely to join fishing without a parent or kin already involved. Minorities of both older and younger fishers engaged in supplementary activities. Environmental degradation disuaded fishers from switching to farming or hunting. The findings are similar to findings elsewhere on the decline of fish resources and generational gaps in environmental knowledge, but differ in that some other studies report fewer opportunities for fishers to access alternative or complementary activities. These findings are relevant to Latin American studies, considering the great value of the Golfo de Fonseca to the livelihoods of Central America.

Adapting to declining fish resources: the differentiation of livelihood systems and fishing strategies in Singkarak Lake’s fishing community, West Sumatra

In Southeast Asia, inland fish resources are crucial for small-scale fishing households. Their decline, due to overfishing and a set of socio-ecological factors, jeopardises aquatic ecosystems and the livelihoods of fishing communities. Singkarak Lake (West Sumatra) exemplifies this sustainability challenge. The paper proposes a multi-disciplinary analysis of the situation. First, it identifies and documents the primary livelihood systems and the strategic adaptations involved in fishing communities. Based upon a sample of 200 households and the implementation of multivariate analyses, a typology is developed. Three household types are identified. Type I comprises better-off farming fishers that have high fishing capitals and income but the lowest returns on fishing and land assets. Type II includes poor fishing farmers with higher farming income; they show the highest return on land assets. Type III is composed of poorer, younger fishers with the highest return on fishing assets and fishing costs. They have little land, low farming income, and diversified livelihood sources. Second, the technical efficiency (TE) of fishing households is studied using a data envelopment analysis. The results show that the average TE is low, but marked differences exist between the types. Type I households have the lowest TE in fishing, confirming an extensification and overcapitalisation strategy. Type II households show a high technical fishing efficiency. They have developed on-farm diversification with a combined, balanced livelihood system. Type III households are the most efficient fishers. They developed an intensification strategy together with off-farm diversification. Different livelihood strategies and economic portfolio have been developed as the response to the limited resources, uncertainty, fluctuating environment and other source of vulnerability. The fishers built up their livelihood based on their assets’ ownership, access to other resource out of fishing and their socio-economic status. In this context, understanding livelihood diversity among small-scale fishers, different socio-economic, their efficiency, constraints and opportunities emerge as important factor in policy formulation to enhance support to small-scale fishing communities and improved management of both the resources and local development. Finally, the paper suggests a focus on people and community-related solutions and proposes a threefold approach of resource conservation, livelihood improvements and restructured governance.

Fishing Farmers or Farming Fishers? Fishing Typology of Inland Small-Scale Fishing Households and Fisheries Management in Singkarak Lake, West Sumatra, Indonesia

Technical and socio-economic characteristics are known to determine different types of fishers and their livelihood strategies. Faced with declining fish and water resources, small-scale fisheries engage into transformations in livelihood and fishing practices. The paper is an attempt to understand these changes and their socio-economic patterns, in the case of Singkarak Lake in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Based upon the hypothesis that riparian communities have diverse, complex yet structured and dynamic livelihood systems, the paper's main objective is to study, document and model the actual diversity in livelihood, practices and performance of inland small-scale fisheries along the Singkarak Lake, to picture how households are adapted to the situation, and propose an updated, workable model (typology) of those for policy. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis were used to develop a typology of fishing households. The results show that small-scale fishers can be classified into different types characterized by distinct livelihood strategies. Three household types are identified, namely "farming fishers" households (type I, 30%), "fishing farmers" households (type II, 30%), and "mainly fishers" households (type III, 40%). There are significant differences among these groups in the number of boats owned, annual fishing income, agriculture income and farming experience. Type I consists of farming fishers, well equipped, with high fishing costs and income, yet with the lowest return on fishing assets. They are also landowners with farming income, showing the lowest return on land capital. Type II includes poor fishing farmers, landowners with higher farming income; they show the highest return on land asset. They have less fishing equipment, costs and income. Type III (mainly fishers) consists of poorer, younger fishers, with highest return on fishing assets and on fishing costs. They have little land, low farming income, and diversified livelihood sources. The nature of their livelihood strategies is discussed for each identified group. This helps to understand the complexity and diversity of small-scale fishers, particularly in the study area which is still poorly known. This paper concludes with policy implication and possible management initiatives for environmentally prudent policy aiming at improvement of fishers' livelihood.

Quantifying Species Abundance Trends in the Northern Gulf of California Using Local Ecological Knowledge

AbstractEcosystem‐based fisheries management requires data on all parts of the ecosystem, and this can be a barrier in data‐poor systems. Marine ecologists need a means of drawing together diverse information to reconstruct species abundance trends for a variety of purposes. This article uses a fuzzy logic approach to integrate information from multiple data sources and describe biomass trends for marine species groups in the northern Gulf of California, Mexico. Forty‐two species groups were analyzed, comprising fish, invertebrates, birds, mammals, turtles, and algae. The most important new data series comes from recent interviews with fishers in the northern part of the gulf. Respondents were asked to classify the abundance of various targeted and untargeted marine species groups from 1950 to the present. The fuzzy logic method integrates their responses with catch‐per‐unit‐effort series, intrinsic vulnerability to fishing determined from life history parameters, biomass predicted by a Schaefer harvest model, and other simple indices. The output of the fuzzy logic routine is a time series of abundance for each species group that can be compared with known trends. The results suggest a general decline in species abundance across fished and unfished taxa, with a few exceptions. Information gathered from interviews indicated that older fishers tended to recognize a greater relative decrease in species abundance since 1970 than did younger fishers, providing another example of Pauly's (1995) shifting cognitive baselines.

Evidence of fishery depletions and shifting cognitive baselines in Eastern Indonesia

We analyzed fisher interview data collected in the Raja Ampat archipelago of Eastern Indonesia to demonstrate a perceived decline in the abundance of living marine resources targeted by commercial and artisanal fisheries. The decline appeared ubiquitous among all tested species and a clear trend emerged in which older fishers recall greater past abundance than younger fishers. This provides evidence for the shifting baseline syndrome, a dangerous cognitive condition in which each generation of fishery stakeholders accepts a lower standard of resource abundance as normal. We used a fuzzy expert system to standardize and quantify the anecdotal evidence, and combine it with additional depletion indicators to produce a decadal time series of resource abundance from 1970 to present. Using governmental catch-per-unit-effort data from more recent years we hindcasted to establish an absolute scale with which to interpret the perceived decline. The interview information suggested that some exploited species may have declined by as much as an order of magnitude since 1970.