scholarly journals “Wild fish are a blessing”: changes in fishing practices and folk fish cuisine around Laguna Lake, Northern Philippines

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jimlea Nadezhda Mendoza ◽  
Giulia Mattalia ◽  
Baiba Prūse ◽  
Sophia Kochalski ◽  
Aimee Ciriaco ◽  
...  

AbstractSeveral coastal communities rely heavily on wild-caught fish for personal consumption and their livelihoods, thus being sensitive to the rapid global change affecting fish availability. However, in the last century, aquaculture has been increasingly adopted. To understand the uses and changes of wild-caught fish, we conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with fishers of Laguna Lake, Philippines. Fishermen, with up to 60 years’ experience, reported catching 31 fish species as a staple food. The taxa with the greatest variety of food uses were the farmed Oreochromis aureus, and the wild Channa striata and Cyprinus carpio. Fish was boiled, fried, grilled and dried, and over 20 different local dishes were reported. Fishers reported that local communities previously relied more on wild fish, while today a greater proportion of consumed fish comes from aquaculture fish species such as Oreochromis aureus and Hypophthalmichthys nobilis. Wild fish remains a crucial aspect of local gastronomic diversity, underpinning the biodiversity of the Laguna Lake, while also representing an important element for food sovereignty. The study stresses the need to sustain local ecological knowledge to ensure the ecological, social and economic sustainability of the communities.

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel da Silva Ladislau ◽  
Maiko Willas Soares Ribeiro ◽  
Philip Dalbert da Silva Castro ◽  
Jackson Pantoja-Lima ◽  
Paulo Henrique Rocha Aride ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The capture of ornamental fish is one of the main economic activities of riverine families in the Amazon. However, studies regarding the local ecological knowledge of workers in this activity are still incipient. In view of this, we have studied and explored the local ecological knowledge of artisanal fishers who specialize in the capture of fish for the aquarium trade in the middle part of the Negro River basin and investigated issues related to the ecological aspects of the fish species that are targeted by this trade in the region. Methods Therefore, we conducted semi-structured interviews and applied questionnaires to artisanal fishers of ornamental fish (N = 89), from the municipality of Barcelos, from January to April 2016. Results In total, 41 popular names were cited, which correspond to four ethnocategories and 10 families. The main species were Paracheirodon axelrodi (12.5%), Hemigrammus bleheri (8.3%), Ancistrus dolichopterus (6.4%), Symphysodon discus (5.3%), and Potamotrygon motoro (3.8%). According to the fishers, the species of fish known in the region as “piabas” have a preference for living in clusters (28.9%) and carry out migratory movements (26.1%). The diet of local fish species reported by fisheries is diverse, though mainly based on periphyton (42.2%), and the reproductive cycle directly influenced by the period of flooding of rivers in the region (37.6%) Conclusion Our study revealed that the fishers possess information on the ecological aspects of local ornamental fish species, many of which are consistent with scientific literature. The information presented may assist in the decision-making process for the management of local fishery resources and contribute to the resumption of growth and sustainability in the capture of ornamental fish.


2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 441-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leopoldo Cavaleri Gerhardinger ◽  
Rosemeri Carvalho Marenzi ◽  
Áthila Andrade Bertoncini ◽  
Rodrigo Pereira Medeiros ◽  
Maurício Hostim-Silva

The goliath grouper Epinephelus itajara is a large sized (> 400 kg) and critically endangered marine fish, which is protected in many countries, including Brazil. Through the application of semi-structured interviews, we investigated the local ecological knowledge of seven fishermen specialist on catching E. itajara from the Babitonga bay, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Local long-line fisheries for E. itajara seemed to be a disappearing tradition in the studied site, with a detailed inherent local ecological knowledge system, which is also being lost. Our study also showed that fishermen engaged in recent fisheries, such as spear-fishing, can also possess a detailed local ecological knowledge system. Through the analysis of fishermen local ecological knowledge, several aspects of E. itajara life history were registered. This species is found in the inner and outer Babitonga bay, from saline waters to areas with a large input of freshwater, and inhabits submerged wooden substrates and artificial reefs such as shipwrecks, mooring pillars and cargo containers. It is known to spawn in December and subsequent summer months in the studied area. Spawning aggregations are usually seen in December (during full moon), being also eventually observed in January and February by our informants. While lobsters, spadefishes and octopuses seem to constitute the most important food items of inner bay E. itajara, outer bay individuals may feed on catfishes, crustaceans and other fish species. The goliath grouper is regarded as pacific and curious fish, but frequently display agonistic behavior in the presence of divers. Based on the perception of well experienced spear fishermen, we hypothesize that E. itajara undertakes seasonal migrations from the inner to the outer bay during summer, and that the studied population is suffering from growth over-fishing. Our data provides a practical evidence of how joining scientific and local ecological knowledge will likely benefit E. itajara local conservation and management practices by adding important new biological data into the decision-making process.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sammer Maravilha Chagas Gilio-Dias ◽  
Rodrigo Machado ◽  
Tatiana Mota Miranda ◽  
Rumi Regina Kubo

Abstract The presence of catfish of the Ariidae family in the list of endangered species of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), as from 2014, led to forbidding fishing two species of this family. Thus, artisanal fisherfolk lost a significant part of their income, causing conflicts between them and the fishing authorities in RS. This work aims mainly to understand the Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) of the artisanal fisherfolk of the North Coast of RS regarding the ecology and taxonomy of catfish of the Ariidae family, seeking to relate it to the establishment of the fishing regulations in force in the State. 33 semi-structured interviews were made with artisanal fisherfolk. The interviewees perceive differences among the region ethnospecies; hardly ever are they consulted during the fishing regulations establishment process. Considering the aforementioned aspects, the artisanal fisherfolk LEK on catfish can be an important tool in the participatory management of catfish fishing.


2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-27
Author(s):  
Katey Castellano

Robert Wedderburn’s London-based periodical, Axe Laid to the Root (1817), disseminates his vision for a transatlantic alliance between the radicals of England’s lower classes and the enslaved people in the West Indies. Throughout the Axe’s six issues, he challenges the abolitionist narrative that liberal, individualist freedoms should be spread from England to the West Indies. Wedderburn instead instructs his white, lower-class readers in London about already existing African Jamaican practices of insurrectionary land and food reclamation. First, he champions the provision grounds as a land commons that produce food sovereignty and communal identity. Then he represents the Jamaican Maroons’ local ecological knowledge as a source of resistance to plantation economies. Using Sylvia Wynter’s environmental theories of resistance, this essay argues that Wedderburn’s political theories champion African Jamaican land and food commons as a model for abolitionist futures.


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 29-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milena Ramires ◽  
Mariana Clauzet ◽  
Alpina Begossi

This article investigates the folk taxonomy of four artisanal fisheries communities in Ilhabela/SP. The local folk taxonomy shows how these fishermen identify, name and classify fish resources in the environment exploited by them. Forty-two fishermen from four different local communities of Ilhabela were interviewed through a structured questionnaire and photographs of fish species with occurrence for the southeast region of Brazil. Respondents identified the 24 species listed as 50 generic names and 27 binominal specific names, mainly related to aspects of fish species morphology such as color, shape and size. These fish were classified into eight groups according to local criteria related to the morphology, ecology and fishing forms associated with the capture of species. The morphological aspect was identified as the most used feature by respondents to name and classify local fish, followed by ecological aspects such as behavior, diet and habitat. The comparison of local criteria used for the groups was similar to the scientific taxonomy criteria, showing a detailed local ecological knowledge by this group of fishers.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nataliya Stryamets ◽  
Michele F. Fontefrancesco ◽  
Giulia Mattalia ◽  
Julia Prakofjewa ◽  
Andrea Pieroni ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundThe use of plants in rituals is a little explored corner of biocultural diversity which has developed through time within a complex socio-ecological system. Indeed, rituals are complex interactions between humans and biodiversity shaped by history, culture and ethnic belonging. Yet, in Western Ukraine, such rituals were forbidden for over 50 years (1939-1991). The current revival of rituals by rural inhabitants is an untapped reservoir of local ecological knowledge. The aim of the present study was to identify the ritual use of wild and cultivated plants in two regions of Western Ukraine, Bukovina and Roztochya, and to compare the findings with historical data. Moreover, we analyzed attitudes toward the ritual use of plants and interactions with the local environment. MethodsWe conducted 31 in-depth semi-structured interviews among Orthodox Hutsuls of Bukovina and 16 interviews among Greek Catholic rural inhabitants of Roztochya during summer 2018 focusing on the ritual uses of plants. ResultsWe documented 26 plant taxa among Bukovinian Hutsuls and 58 plant taxa among inhabitants in Roztockya that were used in 7 religious festivals (of which two were celebrated differently in the two communities). Plants were mainly used in bouquets, but also for decorating churches and houses or in fruit baskets. In both communities, almost 25% of the interviewees could not name the plants they collected for bouquets, but rather referred to “just beautiful green herbs” one can get in meadows, forests and gardens. Comparison with historical data shows a smaller number of taxa currently used (wild taxa have been lost), yet the persistence of 18 taxa used both now and a century ago. ConclusionsContemporary practices concerning the use of plants in Christian rituals in Bukovina and Roztochya can be contextualized in the broader phenomenon of the revitalization of traditional environmental knowledge and practices that have characterized Europe over the past thirty years and in particular Eastern Europe after socialism. The current religious use of plants is to a certain extent the revitalization of historical rituals supported by various internal (knowledge from older generations) and external (church authorities and fashion in the region) drivers. Further research should address changes in regions with longer and more severe prohibition of religious practices and their revival.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerio Sbragaglia ◽  
Jacopo Cerri ◽  
Luca Bolognini ◽  
Jakov Dulčić ◽  
Fabio Grati ◽  
...  

Marine recreational fishers accumulate a vast amount of Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) during their fishing activity that can be of paramount importance for monitoring how climate change affects the structure of biological communities. Here, we accessed the LEK of recreational anglers and recreational spearfishers to investigate the increase in the abundance of five northward expanding indigenous thermophilic fish species in two subregions of the Mediterranean Sea: the Adriatic/Ionian Seas and the Tyrrhenian/Ligurian Seas. We used an online survey administered through Twitter and Facebook between 2017 and 2018 to both Italian and Croatian recreational fishers. A total of 794 respondents completed the questionnaire (386 from the Adriatic/Ionian subregion and 408 from the Tyrrhenian/Ligurian one). Overall, the species perceived as most increasing in abundance were Pomatomus saltatrix (71% of replies) followed by Sphyraena viridensis (58%). The rest of species (Coryphaena hippurus, Balistes capriscus and Sparisoma cretense) ranged between 17% and 25%. We showed that recreational fishers have a stable system of beliefs about meridionalization, which is perceived homogeneously between recreational anglers and spearfishers. Moreover, our results indicate that latitude is negatively correlated with meridionalization in the Adriatic/Ionian, but not in the Thyrrenian/Ligurian Seas, suggesting that meridionalization of the Adriatic/Ionian Seas could be a process that is temporally lagged with respect to the Tyrrhenian/Ligurian Seas. Our study demonstrate that LEK of specific target groups such as recreational fishers can be easily accessed on large geographical scale and it can be useful to identify those fish species who are regarded as indicators of climate change.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
IIK NURUL FATIMAH ◽  
JOHAN ISKANDAR ◽  
Ruhyat Partasasmita

Abstract. Fatimah IN, Iskandar J, Partasasmita R. 2020. Ethnoecology of paddy-fish integrative farming (minapadi) in Lampegan Village, West Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 4419-4432. In the past, the traditional paddy-fish integrative farming (minapadi) was predominantly undertaken by rice farmers in West Java, particularly in the water abundant areas. Currently, however, the practice of the rice-fish system has been dramatically reduced due to the Green Revolution programs, including water pollution that may have affected fish farming in paddy fields. Although the rice-fish systems have rarely been practiced in West Java villages, some farmer groups of Lampegan Village, Ibun Sub-district, Bandung District are still practicing the rice-fish farming system. The purpose of this study is to collect and document the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of Lampegan Village about the rice-fish system farming managements, including data on various fish species that are widely cultivated in the community, cultural practices of the rice-fish farming management, and benefits of the rice-fish farming system. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was used, with an ethnoecological approach. Techniques of data collection, such as observation, semi-structured interviews, or deep interviews, and structured interviews were employed in this study. The results of the study show that the farmers of the rice-fish farming in Lampegan Village, Bandung District own rich and deep knowledge of fish species and practice of the minapadi system. The TEK of the rice-fish farming management system has been inherited from ancestors and is mixed with western scientific knowledge. The rice-fish farming systems have provided some ecological and socio-economic benefits for village people.


2018 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 913-924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maggie N Chan ◽  
Anne H Beaudreau ◽  
Philip A Loring

AbstractLocal ecological knowledge (LEK) of resource users is a valuable source of information about environmental trends and conditions. However, many factors influence how people perceive their environment and it may be important to identify sources of variation in LEK when using it to understand ecological change. This study examined variation in LEK arising from differences in people’s experience in the environment. From 2014 to 2016, we conducted 98 semi-structured interviews with subsistence fishers and recreational charter captains in four Alaskan coastal communities to document LEK of seven fish species. Fishers observed declines in fish abundance and body size, though the patterns varied among species, regions, and fishery sectors. Overall, subsistence harvesters provided a longer-term view of abundance changes compared with charter captains. Regression analyses indicated that the extent of people’s fishing areas and their years of fishing experience were relatively important factors in explaining variation in fishers’ perceptions of fish abundance. When taken together, perspectives from fishers in multiple regions and sectors can provide a more complete picture of changes in nearshore fish populations than any source alone. These findings underscore the importance of including people with different types of expertise in local knowledge studies designed to document environmental change.


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