350
R. Hamilton et al.
personal communication). In Palau and Fiji, local NGOs or authorities prefer not to
release site data on aggregations for fear that local recreational and commercial
fi shers, many with powerful outboard boats and using SCUBA and spears, could
quickly reach newly reported sites. Poaching is common in both countries, enforcement minimal, and fi sh stocks close to more highly populated areas are overfi shed
leading to interest in expansion of fi shing grounds (YSM personal observation
2005). For data-sharing purposes, confi dentiality agreements could be developed.
10.6 Validating and Integrating LEK with Science to Support
Management and Understanding
The major challenges in incorporating LEK into management agendas is assessing
the reliability and accuracy of the information collected and using this information
to gain support for management, if needed. This section addresses the issue of validation, communication and integration of interview-sourced information. Possible
approaches range from visits to reported sites at the time(s) and place(s) indicated
for spawning (although this does not exclude the possibility that spawning occurs at
other times and places not recorded) to market visits, discussion with dive guides,
fi shery reports, cross-sector interviews (i.e. traders, wholesalers, etc.), underwater
visual census (UVC) surveys, dedicated follow-up studies and assessment of consistency among or within communities of experiences reported.
To assess fi sher’s knowledge effectively, an interviewer must be certain of which
species informants are talking about and where and when their observations were
made. Having good fi sh reference materials greatly facilitates this process. Local
fi shing communities often have a highly developed folk taxonomy for food fi shes
and experienced fi shers can quickly attribute local species names to photos of fi sh
in a reference book. Photos may need to include both dead and live specimens,
according to the likely experience of the interviewee. An experienced and prepared
interviewer will already have a good knowledge of folk names but, nonetheless,
should continue to cross-check local names with fi sh reference guides; local names
can vary markedly even at small geographic scales and important species may have
several different names that relate to different size classes of the same species. In
the Yucatan Peninsula, for example, fi shers from the Yucatan State call the black
grouper, Mycteroperca bonaci , ‘negrillo’; in contrast, those from Quintana Roo call
it ‘abadejo’. To fi shers from the Yucatan, however, “abadejo” is the gag grouper,
M. microlepis (AA-P personal observation 2006) .
Maps, charts and satellite photos of reefs are useful for documenting fi sh migratory
pathways, checking site names and identifying locations of FSA sites. To collect
fi ne-scale information, interviewers can ask knowledgeable fi shers to draw a sketch
map. Spearfi shers, in particular, can often provide a wealth of information on the
physical features of a site, depth ranges of aggregating species, aggregation boundaries, water conditions, and variations in fi sh densities. However, not all fi shers can
R. Hamilton et al.
personal communication). In Palau and Fiji, local NGOs or authorities prefer not to
release site data on aggregations for fear that local recreational and commercial
fi shers, many with powerful outboard boats and using SCUBA and spears, could
quickly reach newly reported sites. Poaching is common in both countries, enforcement minimal, and fi sh stocks close to more highly populated areas are overfi shed
leading to interest in expansion of fi shing grounds (YSM personal observation
2005). For data-sharing purposes, confi dentiality agreements could be developed.
10.6 Validating and Integrating LEK with Science to Support
Management and Understanding
The major challenges in incorporating LEK into management agendas is assessing
the reliability and accuracy of the information collected and using this information
to gain support for management, if needed. This section addresses the issue of validation, communication and integration of interview-sourced information. Possible
approaches range from visits to reported sites at the time(s) and place(s) indicated
for spawning (although this does not exclude the possibility that spawning occurs at
other times and places not recorded) to market visits, discussion with dive guides,
fi shery reports, cross-sector interviews (i.e. traders, wholesalers, etc.), underwater
visual census (UVC) surveys, dedicated follow-up studies and assessment of consistency among or within communities of experiences reported.
To assess fi sher’s knowledge effectively, an interviewer must be certain of which
species informants are talking about and where and when their observations were
made. Having good fi sh reference materials greatly facilitates this process. Local
fi shing communities often have a highly developed folk taxonomy for food fi shes
and experienced fi shers can quickly attribute local species names to photos of fi sh
in a reference book. Photos may need to include both dead and live specimens,
according to the likely experience of the interviewee. An experienced and prepared
interviewer will already have a good knowledge of folk names but, nonetheless,
should continue to cross-check local names with fi sh reference guides; local names
can vary markedly even at small geographic scales and important species may have
several different names that relate to different size classes of the same species. In
the Yucatan Peninsula, for example, fi shers from the Yucatan State call the black
grouper, Mycteroperca bonaci , ‘negrillo’; in contrast, those from Quintana Roo call
it ‘abadejo’. To fi shers from the Yucatan, however, “abadejo” is the gag grouper,
M. microlepis (AA-P personal observation 2006) .
Maps, charts and satellite photos of reefs are useful for documenting fi sh migratory
pathways, checking site names and identifying locations of FSA sites. To collect
fi ne-scale information, interviewers can ask knowledgeable fi shers to draw a sketch
map. Spearfi shers, in particular, can often provide a wealth of information on the
physical features of a site, depth ranges of aggregating species, aggregation boundaries, water conditions, and variations in fi sh densities. However, not all fi shers can