Multiscale determinants of social adaptive capacity in small-scale fishing communities

Abstract Small-scale fisheries (SSFs) around the world are increasingly facing pressures from a range of environmental, economic, and social sources. To sustain SSFs, it is imperative to understand how fishing communities adapt to these pressures. In particular, to manage economic risks fishers often catch many different species; diversifying harvest portfolios creates multiple income sources in case one species becomes less abundant, less valuable, or otherwise unavailable. Here, we apply fisheries connectivity network analysis to assess the portfolios and potential adaptive capacity of small-scale fishing communities in the Baja California Peninsula (BCP), Mexico. We found that network metrics like modularity and density varied by region and through time. The Pacific coast region of Baja California displayed increasingly modular fisheries connectivity networks, indicating fisheries landings became increasingly asynchronous with each other and the potential adaptive capacity increased. The remaining three regions of Baja California showed the opposite trend, where the temporal covariance between fisheries increased over time. Overall, this study shows that the potential adaptive capacity of fishing communities varies substantially throughout the BCP, and highlights how fisheries connectivity networks can offer a way to quantify and advance our understanding of adaptive capacity within small-scale fishing communities.

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Multi-dimensional coping and adaptation strategies of small-scale fishing communities of Bangladesh to climate change induced stressors

International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management ◽

10.1108/ijccsm-06-2016-0078 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 446-468 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Apurba Krishna Deb ◽

C. Emdad Haque

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

International Development ◽

Field Research ◽

Adaptation Strategies ◽

Fishing Communities ◽

Small Scale ◽

Content Type ◽

Fishing Villages ◽

Climate Change And Variability ◽

The Face

Purpose Coastal and floodplain areas are on the frontline of climate change in Bangladesh. Small-scale coastal and floodplain fishing communities of the country face a host of cross-scale stressors continually, some induced by climate change, and they have developed coping and adaption strategies based on customary social and experiential learnings. This paper aims to examine the coping and adaptation strategies that small-scale fishing communities undertake in the face of stresses including climate change and variability. Design/methodology/approach This research takes a nuanced ethnographic-oriented approach based on around two-year-long field study in two coastal and floodplain fishing villages, represented by two distinct ethnic groups. The study adopts direct observational methods to denote the ways small-scale fishing communities address the arrays of stressors to construct and reconstruct their survival and livelihood needs. Findings It was observed that fishers’ coping and adaptation strategies comprise a fluid combination of complex overlapping sets of actions that the households undertake based on their capitals and capabilities, perceptions, socio-cultural embeddedness and experiential learnings from earlier adverse situations. Broadly, these are survival, economic, physiological, social, institutional and religiosity-psychological in nature. Adaptation mechanisms involve some implicit principles or self-provisioning actions that households are compelled to do or choose under given sets of abnormal stresses to reach certain levels of livelihood functions. Originality/value Based on empirical field research, this paper recognizes small-scale fishers’ capability and adaptability in addressing climate change-induced stresses. Policymakers, international development planners, climate scientists and social workers can learn from these grassroots-level coping and adaptation strategies of fishing communities to minimize the adverse effects of climate change and variations.

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