Advancing the use of local ecological knowledge for assessing data‐poor species in coastal ecosystems

Abstract

Many of the world's most vulnerable and rapidly changing ecosystems are also among the most data-poor, leading to an increased interest in use of local ecological knowledge (LEK) to document long-term environmental change. The integration of multiple knowledge sources for assessing species abundance and distribution has gained traction over the past decade as a growing number of case studies show concordance between LEK and scientific data. This study advances the use of quantitative approaches for synthesizing LEK by presenting a novel application of bootstrapping and statistical modeling to evaluate variance in ecological observations of fisheries practitioners. We developed an historical record of abundance for 22 marine species in Puget Sound, Washington (USA), using LEK, and we quantified variation in perceptions of abundance trends among fishers, divers, and researchers. These individuals differed in aspects of their information environments, which are characterized by how, when, and where an individual has acquired ecological information. Abundance trends derived from interviews suggest that populations of long-lived rockfishes (Sebastes spp.) have been in decline since at least the 1960s and that three rockfishes protected under the Endangered Species Act were perceived as relatively less abundant than other species. Differences in perception of rockfish abundance trends among age groups were consistent with our hypothesis that the reported magnitude of decline in abundance would increase with age, with younger respondents more likely to report high abundance than older individuals across all periods. Temporal patterns in the mean and variance of reported rockfish abundance indices were qualitatively similar between fishers and researchers; however, fishers reported higher indices of abundance than researchers for all but one rockfish species. The two respondent groups reported similar changes in rockfish abundance from the 1940s to 2000s, except for two recreationally valuable species that fishers perceived as having undergone greater declines than perceived by researchers. When aggregated at appropriate spatial-temporal scales and in a culturally appropriate manner, observations of resource users are a valuable source of ecological information. Continued development of creative analytical tools for synthesizing multiple knowledge sources will be essential for advancing the formal use of LEK in assessments of marine species.

Indigenous knowledge as data for modern fishery management: a case study of Dungeness crab in Pacific Canada

“…While there is support in the literature for using interviews to reconstruct catches and abundance, human memory can be fallible, especially with increased time (Thurstan et al 2016), and thus we cannot quantify the accuracy of estimates derived from the interview data. Additionally, we did not interview commercial and recreational fishers, and their observations can also help address scientific data gaps (Beaudreau and Levin 2014). While interviewing First Nation subsistence fishers was, due to their decades of reliance upon local resources and their livelihood needs, most efficient and practical for the purposes of this study, in the future, research should expand to include additional sectors.…”

“…Even for fisheries with some data, monitoring efforts can be limited in space and time, and local fishers are commonly the first to notice changes in species abundance (Silvano and Valbo-Jørgensen 2008;Eckert et al In press). Thus there have been recommendations to integrate local and traditional knowledge into fisheries management and conservation (Drew 2005;Silvano and ValboJørgensen 2008;Beaudreau and Levin 2014).…”

“…Local and traditional knowledge can also assist in fisheries management by extending spatial and temporal data (Beaudreau and Levin 2014), but the accuracy of human memory regarding past catches and abundance of species is challenging to assess because comparable empirical data rarely exist. Memories might be biased toward extreme events, potentially exaggerating accounts of declines.…”

Tracking the invasion of Hemiramphus far and Saurida undosquamis along the southern Mediterranean coasts: A Local Ecological Knowledge study

“…Rosa et al, 2014;Silvano & Begossi, 2012). Recently LEK has been applied to the reconstruction of geographical and historical trends of some Mediterranean fishes (Azzurro et al, 2011;Maynou et al, 2011) and its use is considered to be particularly helpful in data-poor coastal ecosystems (Beaudreau & Levin, 2014), like the southern Mediterranean. Here we used LEK to investigate the distribution of two invasive fish species along the Mediterranean coasts of Libya and Tunisia: The black-barred halfbeak Hemiramphus far (Forsskål, 1775) (Hemiramphidae) and the lizardfish Saurida lessepsianus Russell, Golani & Tikochinski, 2015 (Synodontidae).…”

Ecological and socioeconomic implications of a northern range expansion of black sea bass, Centropristis striata

“…In particular, older fishers may be a vital source of information on historical changes when long-term data sets are unavailable (Johannes et al 2000, Saenz-Arroyo 2005. Furthermore, the use of fishers' observations to improve resource management has gained traction in recent years, particularly in rapidly changing ecosystems (Thornton andScheer 2012, Beaudreau andLevin 2014).…”