Adaptive capacity and coping strategies of small-scale coastal fisheries to declining fish catches: Insights from Tanzanian communities

Silas, Mathew Ogalo; Mgeleka, Said S.; Polte, Patrick; Sköld, Mattias; Lindborg, Regina; Torre‐Castro, Maricela de la; Gullström, Martin

doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2020.03.012

Cited by 42 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Our findings reveal that fishers have adapted to the declining fish catches by choosing other activities rather than using more efficient gear during this decade. Their choices due to such adaptation are expensive as it requires upgrading of fishing vessels and gear to withstand rough weather in offshore waters, and it involves extra fishing costs associated with fuel consumption while navigating to distant offshore areas (Silas et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptive coping strategies towards seasonal change impacts: Indonesian small-scale fisherman household

Susilo

Purwanti

Fattah

et al. 2021

Heliyon

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Small-scale fishers are always expected to adapt to fishing activities that cannot be conducted all year round due to weather and fishing season. This condition, especially when it is not the fish season, makes fishers face a problem. Notwithstanding, fishermen households need to develop an adequate adaptation strategy to solve the problem of fulfilling their needs, known as coping strategies. This study aims to analyze fishermen households' coping strategies in facing the fishing season and non-fish season by using fishermen's family resources and two types of internal and external family coping strategies. The data were gathered from approximately 150 smallscale fishing households using simple random sampling. The results indicate the fishers do fishing activities in three batch: peak season (68%), mild season (20%), and off-season (12%). The use of resources for fishermen households' coping strategy is carried out by diversifying the sources of household income. Some economic activities include cultivating forest land belonging to the forest department, marine tour guides, livestock, and his wife. This study also confirm that all households use internal family coping strategies with humor indicator as the highest percentage. Accordingly, the households also adopt the external family coping strategy to deal with the existing situation. This strategy follows the local community's characteristics and culture who are friendly and open and based on religion. The household coping strategy strengthening model is generated through the synergy of formal institutional roles in society and government institutions as policymakers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptive coping strategies towards seasonal change impacts: Indonesian small-scale fisherman household

Susilo

Purwanti

Fattah

et al. 2021

Heliyon

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“…This result, while seemingly contradictory, is consistent with studies showing that committed fishers may not be willing to exit fisheries [ 8 , 81 , 82 ]. This suggests that fishers who have adapted their fishing to past changes might displace their fishing effort as a response to future fishery restrictions, thereby coping with changes in a potentially unsustainable way even though they support fishery management restrictions [ 83 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What can be learned from fishers’ perceptions for fishery management planning? Case study insights from Sainte-Marie, Madagascar

Bernos¹,

Travouck²,

Ramasinoro³

et al. 2021

PLoS ONE

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Local support is critical to the success and longevity of fishery management initiatives. Previous research suggests that how resource users perceive ecological changes, explain them, and cope with them, influences local support. The objectives of this study were two-fold. First, we collated local fishers’ knowledge to characterize the long-term socio-ecological dynamics of the small-scale fishery of Sainte-Marie Island, in Madagascar. Second, we empirically assessed the individual- and site-level factors influencing support for fishery restrictions. Our results indicate that fishers observed a decline in fish abundance and catch sizes, especially in nearshore areas; many also perceived a reduction in fish sizes and the local disappearance of species. To maintain their catches, most fishers adapted by fishing harder and further offshore. Accordingly, fishers identified increased fishing effort (number of fishers and gear evolution) as the main cause of fishery changes. Collectively, our results highlight that the transition from a subsistence to commercial fishery, and resulting changes in the relationship between people and the fisheries, was an underlying driver of fishery changes. Additionally, we found that gender, membership to local associations, coping mechanisms, and perceptions of ecological health, were all interlinked and significantly associated with conservation-oriented attitudes. Conservation-oriented attitudes, however, were not associated with fishers’ willingness to decrease fishing. In the short-term, area-based restrictions could contribute to building support for conservation. In the long-term, addressing the underlying causes of the decline will necessitate collaborations among the various groups involved to progressively build livelihood flexibility. Collectively, our study provides additional insights on the individual- and site-level factors influencing support for fishery restrictions. It also highlights the importance of dialoguing with fishers to ensure that fishery management plans are adapted to the local context.

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“…The vast majority of SSFs use a variety of gear types including handlines, different sized seine nets, basket traps, spears, long-lines, cast nets, and scoop nets. However, despite their livelihood importance to coastal communities, inshore fisheries are found to be overexploited (Guard and Mgaya, 2002;Tobey and Torell, 2006;Silas et al, 2020). This context makes the sustainable utilization of marine fisheries, and the successful implementation of MPAs, critical to reduce the vulnerability of coastal communities.…”

Section: Study Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationships Matter: Assessing the Impacts of a Marine Protected Area on Human Wellbeing and Relational Values in Southern Tanzania

Baker

Murray

Kaijage³

et al. 2021

Front. Mar. Sci.

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The push to meet global marine conservation targets has significantly increased the scope and scale of marine protected areas (MPAs) worldwide. While the benefits derived from MPA establishment are often optimistically framed as a “win-win” for both marine biodiversity and for the wellbeing of coastal peoples, this assumption is challenged for several reasons, including the fact that current science and practice frequently fails to account for the full impact of MPAs on human wellbeing. This context poses a danger that the context specific, place based aspects of wellbeing, like relations to others and the marine environment, will not be accounted for, examined, or reported in evaluation and decision-making processes. To address this challenge, this research investigates how MPA implementation can change and challenge the relational wellbeing and relational values of small-scale fishers (SSFs) living in Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park, Tanzania. Fieldwork occurred over 2019–2020 and used qualitative data collection methods, including: 140 semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and observation. Results highlight a dynamic interaction between the MPA and SSFs relational wellbeing, including how relational values inform everyday fishing practices, cultural and place identities, as well as interactions with others and connections to the marine environment. Top-down approaches used in MPA development worked against key relational values, including social cohesion, reciprocity, place, agency and self-determination to dismantle and disrupt the practices SSFs viewed as fundamental to their livelihood and collective wellbeing. Our findings serve as a starting point to better recognize the context specific factors that underlie relational wellbeing and give insight into how relational values shape social-ecological complexity within coastal communities. The paper highlights how the international marine conservation community can better account for and foster relational wellbeing and relational values to achieve the goals of both human wellbeing and marine biodiversity conservation.

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Adaptive capacity and coping strategies of small-scale coastal fisheries to declining fish catches: Insights from Tanzanian communities

Cited by 42 publications

References 55 publications

Adaptive coping strategies towards seasonal change impacts: Indonesian small-scale fisherman household

Adaptive coping strategies towards seasonal change impacts: Indonesian small-scale fisherman household

What can be learned from fishers’ perceptions for fishery management planning? Case study insights from Sainte-Marie, Madagascar

Relationships Matter: Assessing the Impacts of a Marine Protected Area on Human Wellbeing and Relational Values in Southern Tanzania

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