Local ecological knowledge can support improved management of small-scale fisheries in the Bay of Bengal
Open Access
- 14 April 2023
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Frontiers Media SA in Frontiers in Marine Science
Abstract
Fishers' local ecological knowledge (LEK) can be used to reconstruct or supplement long-term trends in heavily exploited population or poorly assessed species with low biomass. We used historical memories of small-scale fishers to understand their perceptions of changes in catch trends in marine fisheries over the last 20 years. The study aimed at evaluating how fishers could provide consistent and reliable data on major fish species/groups comparable to official catch data and, to explore the potential of increasing their participation in fisheries management. We conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KII) with experienced fishers and stakeholders, using a structured template related to the catch and effort data. Using FGD data, we systematically compared changes in fish catch rates and effort over time and space. Data were collected on major groups of species that had reasonable landing over time. Overall, the analysis revealed changes in catch rate, monthly landings per landing center, factors that likely influence the catch trends, and the spatial expansion of fisheries. Our study provides insight into species' abundance over time. Fishers’ local ecological knowledge shows declining catch rates for major species and groups, but monthly harvests at landing centers have increased over two decades due to increased fishing efforts. Small-scale fishers are catching more fish from deeper waters over time, indicating a geographical expansion and/or development of fisheries beyond traditionally exploited areas. Such expansions of nearshore fisheries may result from the overfishing of nearby areas. On the contrary, this could be viewed as a positive indication of the potential for growth and development of small-scale fisheries in the region, especially in the context of the blue economy. The agreement between official statistics and fishers' data on species catch trends over time suggests that fishers have a good understanding of their fishing system. This indicates that fishers' knowledge could be invaluable, especially in data-poor areas. LEK integration into policy and management is thus expected to facilitate the efficient management of small-scale fisheries.Keywords
This publication has 38 references indexed in Scilit:
- Effects of Set Bagnet fisheries on the shallow coastal ecosystem of the Bay of BengalOcean & Coastal Management, 2012
- Rapidly Shifting Baselines in Yangtze Fishing Communities and Local Memory of Extinct SpeciesConservation Biology, 2010
- Harvest patterns and effort dynamics of indigenous and non-indigenous commercial sectors of the eastern Torres Strait reef line fisheryContinental Shelf Research, 2008
- Ecosystem trends: evidence for agreement between fishers' perceptions and scientific informationICES Journal of Marine Science, 2008
- Integrating customary management into marine conservationBiological Conservation, 2007
- Establishing stakeholder connections for management of the Irish orange roughy fisheryICES Journal of Marine Science, 2006
- Local ecological knowledge and practical fisheries management in the tropics: A policy briefMarine Policy, 2006
- Interpreting catch per unit effort data to assess the status of individual stocks and communitiesICES Journal of Marine Science, 2006
- TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM OF ABORIGINAL PEOPLES IN BRITISH COLUMBIAEcological Applications, 2000
- Fisheries assessment: what can be learned from interviewing resource users?Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 1999