337
10 The Role of Local Ecological Knowledge in the Conservation and Management...
other considerations such as confi dentiality and data quality. Follow-up steps
for management and conservation are considered while validation is addressed in
Sect. 10.4 .
10.3.1 LEK Is Not Distributed Equally
The depth and precision of LEK can vary enormously among fi shers. Geography,
gender, age, fi shing method used, area fi shed, dependency on fi shery resources and
fi shing traditions are all important factors. Knowledge is often proprietary and not
always widely shared within a community; this alone produces a vast array of
knowledge levels. Therefore, before gathering fi shers’ LEK it is important to learn
as much as possible about the practices, species, trade and history of fi sheries in the
area, by reading and talking to people knowledgeable about the region or society.
Such preparation allows interviewers to be better informed to select and, importantly, engage with appropriate interviewees, formulate appropriate questions and
be able to supply answers to questions likely to arise.
10.3.2 Gear, Species, Location and Fish Handling Practices
The gear used, fi shing locations, species of greatest interest, or the typical practice
of cleaning fi sh will all determine interviewee experiences and knowledge, and
infl uence questions and responses. For example, spearfi shers may know about
behaviours and colour changes of the fi shes they see underwater, while inshore net
fi shers may know little of species taken offshore by hook and line but much about
seasonally migrating species that follow the shoreline. In some communities,
women may target fi sh inshore while men travel further offshore, so experiences
concerning marine resources are often very different within a community, or even a
household. In Brazil, long-line fi shers were unaware of spawning aggregations of
goliath grouper fi shed only by spearfi shers from the same city; long-liners and
spearfi shers used different popular names for goliath grouper (Gerhardinger et al.
2006 ) . If fi shers do not clean their catch (removal of abdominal contents and gills)
before sale, either because fi sh are sold ‘whole’ or because others in the community,
such as a fi sher’s wife, do the cleaning, questioning fi shers about ovary condition
may be meaningless.
Different types of aggregating species may be easier than others to identify from
interviews. Large transient aggregations of certain mullets (Mugilidae), rabbitfi shes
(Siganidae) and groupers (Serranidae), being brief and highly time- and locationspecifi c, are more readily recognizable as spawning aggregations than are resident
aggregators that gather in many smaller groupings throughout much the year at
poorly defi ned sites (for defi nitions of aggregation type see Chap. 1 ). Surgeonfi shes
(Acanthuridae), for example, normally move around in schools but also form
10 The Role of Local Ecological Knowledge in the Conservation and Management...
other considerations such as confi dentiality and data quality. Follow-up steps
for management and conservation are considered while validation is addressed in
Sect. 10.4 .
10.3.1 LEK Is Not Distributed Equally
The depth and precision of LEK can vary enormously among fi shers. Geography,
gender, age, fi shing method used, area fi shed, dependency on fi shery resources and
fi shing traditions are all important factors. Knowledge is often proprietary and not
always widely shared within a community; this alone produces a vast array of
knowledge levels. Therefore, before gathering fi shers’ LEK it is important to learn
as much as possible about the practices, species, trade and history of fi sheries in the
area, by reading and talking to people knowledgeable about the region or society.
Such preparation allows interviewers to be better informed to select and, importantly, engage with appropriate interviewees, formulate appropriate questions and
be able to supply answers to questions likely to arise.
10.3.2 Gear, Species, Location and Fish Handling Practices
The gear used, fi shing locations, species of greatest interest, or the typical practice
of cleaning fi sh will all determine interviewee experiences and knowledge, and
infl uence questions and responses. For example, spearfi shers may know about
behaviours and colour changes of the fi shes they see underwater, while inshore net
fi shers may know little of species taken offshore by hook and line but much about
seasonally migrating species that follow the shoreline. In some communities,
women may target fi sh inshore while men travel further offshore, so experiences
concerning marine resources are often very different within a community, or even a
household. In Brazil, long-line fi shers were unaware of spawning aggregations of
goliath grouper fi shed only by spearfi shers from the same city; long-liners and
spearfi shers used different popular names for goliath grouper (Gerhardinger et al.
2006 ) . If fi shers do not clean their catch (removal of abdominal contents and gills)
before sale, either because fi sh are sold ‘whole’ or because others in the community,
such as a fi sher’s wife, do the cleaning, questioning fi shers about ovary condition
may be meaningless.
Different types of aggregating species may be easier than others to identify from
interviews. Large transient aggregations of certain mullets (Mugilidae), rabbitfi shes
(Siganidae) and groupers (Serranidae), being brief and highly time- and locationspecifi c, are more readily recognizable as spawning aggregations than are resident
aggregators that gather in many smaller groupings throughout much the year at
poorly defi ned sites (for defi nitions of aggregation type see Chap. 1 ). Surgeonfi shes
(Acanthuridae), for example, normally move around in schools but also form