Fisheries assessment: what can be learned from interviewing resource users?

Neis, Barbara; Schneider, David C.; Felt, Lawrence F.; Haedrich, Richard L.; Fischer, Johanne; Hutchings, Jeffrey A.

doi:10.1139/f99-115

Cited by 263 publications

(125 citation statements)

References 13 publications

(22 reference statements)

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“…Fishers may be able to perceive trends rapidly and at small scales, which, owing to subtle increases in fishing effort or efficiency, or aggregation over large scales, are not detectable by landings data (Neis et al 1999;Rochet et al 2008). Meanwhile, landings data may better detect large-scale trends from background variability by integrating the catches of many different fishers (van Densen 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such changes are almost impossible to record and standardize (Hilborn & Walters 1992). Interviews with fishers have the advantage of being able to investigate such changes (see for example Neis et al 1999;Quirijns et al 2008;Eigaard 2009). In multispecies tropical fisheries, data collection is often aggregated at high taxonomic levels and large spatial scales.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Perceptions of trends in Seychelles artisanal trap fisheries: comparing catch monitoring, underwater visual census and fishers' knowledge

2011

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SUMMARYFisheries scientists and managers are increasingly engaging with fishers' knowledge (FK) to provide novel information and improve the legitimacy of fisheries governance. Disputes between the perceptions of fishers and scientists can generate conflicts for governance, but can also be a source of new perspectives or understandings. This paper compares artisanal trap fishers' reported current catch rates with landings data and underwater visual census (UVC). Fishers' reports of contemporary 'normal' catch per day tended to be higher than recent median landings records. However, fishers' reports of 'normal' catch per trap were not significantly different from the median CPUE calculated from landings data, and reports of 'good' and 'poor' catch rates were indicative of variability observed in landings data. FK, landings and UVC data all gave different perspectives of trends over a ten-year period. Fishers' perceptions indicated greater declines than statistical models fitted to landings data, while UVC evidence for trends varied between sites and according to the fish assemblage considered. Divergence in trend perceptions may have resulted from differences in the spatial, temporal or taxonomic focus of each dataset. Fishers may have experienced and understood behavioural changes and increased fishing power, which may have obscured declines from landings data. Various psychological factors affect memory and recall, and may have affected these memory-based estimates of trends, while different assumptions underlying the analysis of both interview data and conventional scientific data could also have led to qualitatively different trend perceptions. Differing perspectives from these three data sources illustrate both the potential for 'cognitive conflicts' between stakeholders who do not rely on the same data sources, as well as the importance of multiple information sources to understand dynamics of fisheries. Collaborative investigation of such divergence may facilitate learning and improve fisheries governance.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of trends in Seychelles artisanal trap fisheries: comparing catch monitoring, underwater visual census and fishers' knowledge

2011

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“…Population discrimination at a local geographic scale Neis et al (1999) Brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis) Bernatchez 2001, Moritz 2002. This consideration of evolutionary biology knowledge (EBK) below the species level stems mainly from two concerns.…”

Section: Restoration Of Oil Spill Impacted Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, TEK provided detailed long-term descriptions of population biology within individual rivers with respect to: (1) the dates when charr entered individual rivers and were seen breeding, which suggested that charr reside within rivers for as long as 2-3 mo before returning to the lake; (2) the locations and characteristics of certain breeding grounds, e.g., breeding aggregations in the outflow, and (3) specific seasonal movements, which supported that inflow charr are predominantly migratory, whereas the outflow population apparently contains migratory, nonmigratory, or partially migratory components. Huntington (1998), Neis et al (1999) and Moller et al (2004) also note that TEK provides additional, and often more detailed information than scientific data at finer geographic scales.…”

Section: Similarities and Differences Between Tek And Ebkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating Traditional and Evolutionary Knowledge in Biodiversity Conservation: a Population Level Case Study

Fraser¹,

Coon²,

Prince³

et al. 2006

E&S

107

108

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ABSTRACT. Despite their dual importance in the assessment of endangered/threatened species, there have been few attempts to integrate traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and evolutionary biology knowledge (EBK) at the population level. We contrasted long-term aboriginal TEK with previously obtained EBK in the context of seasonal migratory habits and population biology of a salmonid fish, brook charr, (Salvelinus fontinalis) inhabiting a large, remote postglacial lake. Compilation of TEK spanning four decades involved analytical workshops, semidirective interviews, and collaborative fieldwork with local aboriginal informants and fishing guides. We found that TEK complemented EBK of brook charr by providing concordant and additional information about (1) population viability; (2) breeding areas and migration patterns of divergent populations; and (3) the behavioral ecology of populations within feeding areas; all of which may ultimately affect the maintenance of population diversity. Aboriginal concerns related to human pressures on this species, not revealed by EBK, also help to focus future conservation initiatives for divergent populations and to encourage restoration of traditional fishing practices. However, relative to EBK, the relevance of TEK to salmonid biodiversity conservation was evident mainly at a smaller spatial scale, for example, that of individual rivers occupied by populations or certain lake sectors. Nevertheless, EBK was only collected over a 4-yr period, so TEK provided an essential long-term temporal window to evaluate population differences and persistence. We concluded that, despite different conceptual underpinnings, spatially and temporally varying TEK and EBK both contribute to the knowledge base required to achieve sustainability and effective biodiversity conservation planning for a given species. Such integration may be particularly relevant in many isolated regions, where intraspecific diversity can go unrecognized due to sparse scientific knowledge or undocumented TEK, and where governmental agencies and local communities increasingly seek to find common ground on which to address biodiversity issues.

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“…Fishers' local knowledge is considered to be one such information source (Berkes et al 2000;Drew 2005). Although many scholars have demonstrated the value of fishers' knowledge and advocated its use, fishers' knowledge has generally played a limited role in science and management (Neis et al 1999, but see Haggan et al 2007;Pálsson 2000). Wilson (2007) cautions that the lack of connection between local, qualitative fishers' knowledge and experiences and large-scale, quantitative scientific-based management approaches hinders the learning and adaptation necessary for effective governance of the marine commons.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cooperative research and knowledge flow in the marine commons

Johnson

2009

Int J Commons

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Abstract:The lack of communication and knowledge exchange between fishers and scientists, as well as managers, has often been at the root of fisheries management conflicts. Integration of fishers' knowledge into scientific-based fisheries management is difficult due to distrust between fishers and scientists and institutional constraints that limit management to only the best scientific information available. A recent response to the Northeast U.S. fisheries crisis has been to include fishers in scientific research. Cooperative research, where fishers and scientists collaborate to produce knowledge for fisheries management, aims to improve the knowledge base of fisheries management and integrate fishers and their knowledge into the science policy process, which together is expected to generate broader acceptance of scientific-based management. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in the Northeast U.S., this paper discusses the value of cooperative research as a tool for managing the commons. Specifically, it focuses on the flow of knowledge and expertise between fishers and scientists. The flow of knowledge from fishers to science often involves a process of translation, where fishers' knowledge is transformed (proven, verified, etc.) into scientific knowledge. Knowledge and expertise also flow from scientists to fishers, where fishers gain understandings of the scientific research process. With this new expertise, fishers develop a greater capacity to participate in science and management discussions. The paper suggests that two-way knowledge flow between fishers and scientists can improve commons management through increased communication, trust and capacity building, which ideally can improve mutual understanding necessary for collective action. Finally, boundary spanners are identified as being critical to successful knowledge exchange in cooperative research.

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Fisheries assessment: what can be learned from interviewing resource users?

Cited by 263 publications

References 13 publications

Perceptions of trends in Seychelles artisanal trap fisheries: comparing catch monitoring, underwater visual census and fishers' knowledge

Perceptions of trends in Seychelles artisanal trap fisheries: comparing catch monitoring, underwater visual census and fishers' knowledge

Integrating Traditional and Evolutionary Knowledge in Biodiversity Conservation: a Population Level Case Study

Cooperative research and knowledge flow in the marine commons

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