Rebuilding the Namibian hake fishery: a case for collaboration between scientists and fishermen

Abstract

ABSTRACT. One of the most important fisheries in the northern Benguela is the Namibian hake fishery, which targets both Merluccius capensis and Merluccius paradoxus. In spite of attempts to rebuild the hake stocks that were severely depleted by distant-water fleets before Namibia's independence in 1990, stocks have failed to recover. Because the ecological goal of stock rebuilding competes with social and economic objectives on the political stage, the ability to make accurate abundance estimates is important. However, the precision of abundance estimates is impeded by lack of understanding of hake behavior and of the effects of environmental factors. Furthermore, at present both species of hake are assessed and managed as one Namibian stock. We present qualitative information derived from interviews that we conducted with Namibian hake trawl and longline fishers during the 2009 and 2010 fishing seasons, and information gleaned from analyzing logbook data. We contextualize both types of data within the scientific literature on Namibian hakes and the Namibian hake fishery. Fishers monitor sea surface and bottom temperature, water quality, currents, and weather, and they have detailed knowledge about the behavior and habitat of hakes. Fishers differentiate between three different types of M. capensis, which they associate with different fishing areas. They also describe innovations that have taken place over the past 20 years, which are of relevance to the assessment of fishing efficiency and effort, but have not been taken into account in the stock assessments. Our analysis of logbook data supports the increase in efficiency. The results show that closer collaboration between scientists and fishers has the potential to improve the accuracy of survey estimates and stock assessments, and thus is important for rebuilding of hake stocks and the hake fishery.

Biological Aspects of Juveniles of the Common Stingray, Dasyatis pastinaca (Linnaeus, 1758) (Elasmobranchii, Dasyatidae), from the Central Mediterranean Sea

“…Still little is known about several biological and ecological aspects of D. pastinaca, such as population structure, abundance, distribution and habitat selection and no data are available from the western part of the Mediterranean Sea. The experience and knowledge of fishery workers is a valid method for data collection [49,50]; a close collaboration between scientists and fishermen can lead to a better understating of the ecology and distribution of elasmobranchs.…”

Biology and fisheries of the shallow‐water hake ( Merluccius capensis ) and the deep‐water hake ( Merluccius paradoxus ) in Namibia

“…First results highlight the ecological understanding of skippers. Examples are their understanding of spawning seasons or size distributions in different areas, diurnal migration and differences between the species (Paterson, in press; Paterson and Kainge, 2014), which currently is not used in the management process (Draper, 2011;Paterson, in press;Paterson et al, 2014) as well as the failure of the current management to achieve stated ecological or social objectives Paterson et al, 2013). Some concerns on social issues within the fishery have been addressed in the National Development Plan as well as poverty alleviation being incorporated in a management strategy .…”

Introduction to the Special Feature on rebuilding fisheries and threatened communities

“…Bennett et al (2014), Broderstad and Eythórsson (2014), Foley and McCay (2014), Johnsen and Hersoug (2014), Nayak et al (2014), Paterson and Kainge (2014), Power et al (2014), and Pinkerton et al (2014) examine issues of complexity, class exploitation, use and property rights, levels and scales of governance, youth, relationships between local and scientific knowledge, often dwindling access to resources, and control over management of local and First Nation communities. They share concerns that many communities and people (who are on the frontlines grappling with major shifts in the social-ecological systems of which they are a part) are at risk of having their vulnerability enhanced by management initiatives and organizational and market changes triggered by, or concurrent with, these changes.…”

“…They address the challenge of how to bring local and scientific voices together, in a discussion that covers the challenges of scale differences and the concurrence (or otherwise) of empirical data. Paterson and Kainge (2014) focus on the possibility of combining local ecological knowledge insights with fisheries science, this time investigating the local knowledge of fishing trawler captains in the industrial blue water Namibian hake fishery. They discuss the challenges involved in understanding complex ecological systems Ecology and Society 19(3): 49 http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol19/iss3/art49/ and the nuanced analyses that are possible when such local knowledge is accepted as a regular part of stock assessment science practice.…”

“…Ten addressed the first question (Bennett et al 2014, Blythe et al 2014, Broderstad and Eythórsson 2014, Dawe and Schneider 2014, Foley and McCay 2014, Johnsen and Hersoug 2014, Nayak et al 2014, Paterson and Kainge 2014, Pinkerton et al 2014, Power et al 2014; nine addressed the second question either directly or implicitly (Bennett et al 2014, Blythe et al 2014, Brodestad and Eythórsson 2014, Foley and McCay 2014, Lowitt 2014, Nayak et al 2014, Paterson and Kainge 2014, Pinkerton et al 2014, Power et al 2014; and eight implicitly addressed the last question (Bennett et al 2014, Broderstad and Eythórsson 2014, Foley and McCay 2014, Johnsen and Hersoug 2014, Nayak et al 2014, Paterson and Kainge 2014, Pinkerton et al 2014, Power et al 2014.…”