Fishers' Ecological Knowledge about Marine Pollution: What Can FEK Contribute to Ecological and Conservation Studies of a Southwestern Atlantic Estuary?

Abstract

The growth of human populations and industrial activities in the last decades have been the major cause of ecosystem decline, especially due to the inputs of several pollutants in the environment. Estuaries are one of the main concerns in marine governance because they receive potentially toxic substances from many sources that end up in the sea. Despite this, marine policies that aim to protect marine areas have dismissed local fishers' knowledge, although fishers have ecological knowledge that endorses and complements scientific research. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify sources and indicators of pollution in the Bahía Blanca Estuary (BBE) according to the fishers and to contrast this knowledge with scientific studies. We conducted 20 interviews with the fishers of the BBE, and the results showed that all of them think the estuary is polluted and that there have been changes in the biomass of catches in the past. Most of them think that industries of the petrochemical complex are the major cause of pollution (57%), while marine organisms were the most mentioned items as indicators of pollution (59%), especially the commercial species (41%). We found interesting parallels between fishers' ecological knowledge (FEK) and scientific data. Thus, we conclude that FEK is an invaluable tool that provides data that could help to co-protect and co-manage this estuary and the services it provides.

Alternative Conservation Paradigms and Ecological Knowledge of Small-Scale Artisanal Fishers in a Changing Marine Scenario in Argentina

“…The BBE ecosystem suffers from the impacts of both pollution from industrial development (Marcovecchio et al, 2021) and overfishing that directly affect the local population. Several social movements as well as conflicts have arisen in response to these threat generally initiated by the fisher community, which has experienced a collapse in their fisheries negatively impacting their economies and livelihoods (Noceti, 2017a;Truchet, 2018;Truchet et al, 2019). However, fishers' knowledge and experiences have not been incorporated in conservation decision making and management of the estuary despite available evidence that wellmanaged fishing in coastal ecosystems could help increase food security, alleviate poverty, provide jobs, and protect biodiversity (Anbleyth-Evans & Lacy, 2019).…”

Known but not called by name: recreational fishers’ ecological knowledge of freshwater plants in Hungary

“…It has been proven that besides fish-related knowledge, as stock assessment [ 8 ], ecological decay [ 9 ], or different aspects of ethnozoology [ 10 ], FEK can be also effectively used in many other areas of both maritime and freshwater research, as fishers often take even involuntarily valuable observations of their environment. Therefore, they can also report reliable data about sources and indicators of marine pollution [ 11 ] or ecosystem modelling [ 12 ]. FEK on freshwater ecosystems also represents a great opportunity in filling gaps for monitoring biodiversity [ 13 ], or forming local guidance on habitat management [ 14 , 15 ], while FEK can also be an effective tool in freshwater habitat restoration [ 16 , 17 ].…”

A global record of particulated metals on the southwestern Atlantic shelf (Argentine Sea)

“…This ecosystem is one of the widest in the world-with an area of 1.2 million km 2 -and one of the most productive and complex in the Southern Hemisphere (Palma et al 2008;Lutz et al 2010;Matano et al 2010). It supports high phytoplankton productivity with several ecosystem services (Martinetto et al 2019) and important commercial fisheries, such as hake (Merluccius australis, Merluccius hubbsi), squid (Illex argentinus) and shrimps (Pleoticus muelleri, Artemesia longinaris) (Bezzi et al 2000;Acha et al 2004;Carreto et al 2016;Carranza et al 2017;Martinetto et al 2019) that adds economic value to this ecosystem and sustains the livelihoods of many families of small-scale artisanal fishers (Truchet et al 2019;Truchet and Noceti 2020). Hence, the determination of metals in the water column gives information about their bioavailability, which helps understand changes in productivity or evaluate potential risk for biota.…”