Knowing through fishing: exploring the connection between fishers' ecological knowledge and fishing styles

Abstract

That fishers' ecological knowledge (FEK) can contribute to the sustainability and legitimacy of environmental planning and management is widely accepted. Nevertheless, despite this broad consensus about its importance, there is uncertainty about the ways in which FEK can be captured methodologically. Here, we present the results of a methodological inquiry aimed to connect FEK to the diversity of work practices within fisheries. Using a sample from a qualitative study of Swedish small-scale fishers, we test to what extent a new combination of concept and method - Fishing Style analysis and the Structure-Dynamic-Function framework - can produce insights into the partiality and diversity of FEK, as well as its embodied and tacit aspects. Results demonstrate how different work practices generate a variety of FEKs. We use this finding to discuss the implications of our work for future study of FEK, and how attention to FEK can inform environmental planning and management.

Keywords

fishers' ecological knowledge (FEK); traditional ecological knowledge (TEK); local ecological knowledge (LEK); fishing styles; methodology

Published in

Journal of Environmental Planning and Management
2023, Volume: 66, number: 9, pages: 1841-1860 Publisher: ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR AND FRANCIS LTD

SLU Authors

• Garavito Bermudez, Diana

  • Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Associated SLU-program

SLU Swedish Biodiversity Centre


Sustainable Development Goals

SDG14 Life below water


UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Management
Fish and Aquacultural Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2022.2043257

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/116515