Title
Combining Knowledge Systems Helps Understand the Spatial Dynamics of Data-Limited Small-Scale Fisheries Systems in Brazil: A Methods Analysis
Date Issued
01 December 2021
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Universidade Federal do ParĂ¡
Publisher(s)
Frontiers Media S.A.
Abstract
Mangrove habitats provide nursery, shelter, and feeding sites for many economically relevant fish, and invertebrates, such as crabs. Given the highly artisanal character and the patchy spatial distribution of small-scale fishing in mangroves, there is often little data available to inform management, potentially threatening the sustainability of this livelihood-supporting activity. This study assesses the combination of different data collection methods and of including published data in the analysis of the spatial dynamics. We examine crab fisheries in two sustainable-use protected areas as a case study to understand use patterns as indicated by a specific combination of mapping methods. Mangrove crab fishing grounds were mapped by overlaying crab gatherers’ tracked routes with maps produced during participatory-mapping-centered interviews. Information from the literature was used to spatialize crab carapace width and relate it to distance traveled by fishers. Results show that crabs tended to be larger if caught farther from the villages where fishers live. In terms of collection methods, even though GPS tracking is relatively time- and resource-consuming, incorporating some GPS tracking into participatory mapping helps overcome a downside of this type of mapping (e.g., lack of geographical precision) and identifies information that can be accessed through participatory techniques. This highlights the importance of linking different approaches in order to understand small-scale fisheries spatial dynamics.
Volume
8
Number
760535
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
BiologĂa marina, BiologĂa de agua dulce, LimnologĂa
Agricultura, Silvicultura, PesquerĂa
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85121338980
Source
Frontiers in Marine Science
ISSN of the container
22967745
Sponsor(s)
RB was grateful to the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development – CNPq for the scholarship to perform the doctoral research (process 290055/2014-8) and
RB was grateful to the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development ? CNPq for the scholarship to perform the doctoral research (process 290055/2014-8) and to the Rufford Foundation (20310-1) for a small grant that contributed to the fieldwork. We would like to thank the University of Bremen for funding the open-access publication of this manuscript.
The research was approved by ICMBio (Sisbio process number 36427147) and followed the Code of Ethics and procedures adopted by Brazilian universities as of 2015. Accordingly, participants in the study, including informants and fishers carrying GPS devices, were informed about the purpose of the questionnaire as well as data use and diffusion. We obtained oral consent from participants prior to conducting surveys and from GPS carriers before their fishing trips. Answers were recorded anonymously, and individual informants cannot be identified in published material or other publicly available records. Whenever possible and agreed upon by informants, we recorded personal contact information to facilitate the restitution of results to participants. This restitution activity started with the awareness-raising project funded by the Rufford Foundation (20310-1) and continues today, following the conclusion of the project.
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientĂfico e TecnolĂ³gico 290055/2014-8 CNPq
Universität Bremen
Sources of information:
Directorio de ProducciĂ³n CientĂfica
Scopus