Local ecological knowledge concurs with fishing statistics: An example from the abalone fishery in Baja California, Mexico

The use of local ecological knowledge (LEK) to assess species status has been controversial among marine scientists. While some consider this to be one of the few historical tools available to understand the extent of change that has occurred in marine animal populations and ecosystems with a long-t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine policy 2016-09, Vol.71, p.217-221
Main Authors: Sáenz-Arroyo, Andrea, Revollo-Fernández, Daniel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brackish
Correlation analysis
Ecological monitoring
Ecology
Ecosystems
Fisheries
Haliotis
Historical artifacts
Historical ecology
Local ecological knowledge
Marine
Populations
Restoration ecology
Shifting baseline syndrome
Trends
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Summary:The use of local ecological knowledge (LEK) to assess species status has been controversial among marine scientists. While some consider this to be one of the few historical tools available to understand the extent of change that has occurred in marine animal populations and ecosystems with a long-term historical perspective, others believe fishers tend to exaggerate catches and that their memories cannot be considered a reliable source of information to assess species at risk of extinction. This study compares long-term fishery data on catches with fishers' memories in the abalone (Haliotis spp) fishery from Baja California, Mexico. Results show that historical landings and fishers' memories strongly concur in the history of how this fishery has collapsed over the last 60 years. Pearson correlation analysis between both sets of data reports a value of 0.75, showing a high correlation (p
ISSN:0308-597X
1872-9460
DOI:10.1016/j.marpol.2016.06.006