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Fisheries policy that is comprehensible and agreeable to fishers is a cornerstone of democratic and inclusive governance of living marine resources. However, policy designers struggle to systematically include diverse perspectives and they may not understand the breadth and depth of fishers’ knowledge about fisheries management and conservation. Failing to anticipate how reforms to management plans are received can spur policy rejection, distrust, and foster noncompliance. Knowing fishers’ knowledge of, inclination toward, and vulnerability to proposed changes can help fishery managers design and implement inclusive and forward-thinking fishery management plans. In a representative survey of Greenland’s inshore halibut fishers, we asked about current and proposed changes to the management of fisheries. From a response pool of experienced fishers, we found little to no knowledge about individual transferable quota programs, little to no inclination for or against these proposed changes, and a wide range of levels of vulnerability in the face of potentially curtailed access to fishery resources. Results suggest that fishers and fishery decision makers must increase the exchange of technical knowledge in understandable terms for Greenland’s fisheries policy to achieve sustainability outcomes and to secure small-scale fisheries livelihoods. We recommend that policy makers increase outreach efforts to show fishers “under the hood”, provide clear and accessible information, and seek suggestions and comments from fishers regarding proposed changes to the status quo. We further suggest that analysts conduct a transparent management strategy evaluation to model potential outcomes arising from any revised fishery management plan, fishing communities, and in turn, for Greenland’s entire small-scale fishing segment.
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This content will become publicly available on April 22, 2025
New directions for Indigenous and local knowledge research and application in fisheries science: Lessons from a systematic review
Abstract Social‐ecological systems like fisheries provide food, livelihoods and recreation. However, lack of data and its integration into governance hinders their conservation and management. Stakeholders possess site‐specific knowledge crucial for confronting these challenges. There is increasing recognition that Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) is valuable, but structural differences between ILK and quantitative archetypes have stalled the assimilation of ILK into fisheries management, despite acknowledged bias and uncertainty in scientific methods. Conducting a systematic review of fisheries‐associated ILK research (n = 397 articles), we examined how ILK is accessed, applied, distributed across space and species, and has evolved. We show that ILK has generated qualitative, semi‐quantitative and quantitative information for diverse taxa across 98 countries. Fisheries‐associated ILK research mostly targets small‐scale and artisanal fishers (70% of studies) and typically uses semi‐structured interviews (60%). We revealed large variability in sample size (n = 4–7638), predicted by the approach employed and the data generated (i.e. qualitative studies target smaller groups). Using thematic categorisation, we show that scientists are still exploring techniques, or ‘validating’ ILK through comparisons with quantitative scientific data (20%), and recording qualitative information of what fishers understand (40%). A few researchers are applying quantitative social science methods to derive trends in abundance, catch and effort. Such approaches facilitate recognition of local insight in fisheries management but fall short of accepting ILK as a valid complementary way of knowing about fisheries systems. This synthesis reveals that development and increased opportunities are needed to bridge ILK and quantitative scientific data.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2025954
- PAR ID:
- 10510064
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Online Library
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Fish and Fisheries
- ISSN:
- 1467-2960
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- aquatic systems fisheries management fisheries science fishers' knowledge local ecological knowledge stakeholder participation
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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