Bringing Fishers' Knowledge into Fisheries Science and Management: A Methodological Workshop May 29-31,1998 Memorial University, St. John's, Nfld. On behalf of ISAR department of St. Francis Xavier University, and with the financial assistance of the faculty of Arts, Dr. Dan MacInnnes attended this workshop. The following are notes and impressions of the workshop, intended to inform the research work being undertaken on St. Georges Bay Ecosystem Project. Speaker: Bill Broderick - Commercial Fish Harvester, In-shore vice-president of Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW/CAW), Newfoundland Topic: Fishers' Knowledge: A Necessary Addition to Fisheries Science and Management Lack of consultation is a source of frustration for fish harvesters. Trust and respect are the basis of any relationship, this is no different for the relationship between DFO and Fishers. Key concerns include the conflicting information on stocks. Once again there is conflicting information on the stocks and the fact that there are too many variables for fisheries science to be exact. Sentinel Fishery Project demonstrates the need to develop 'community-based' knowledge that interpret fishers observations of such variables as wind, weather conditions, gear strategies, radar/sonar information and many others. DFO may preach partnership, but in reality it does not mean the same thing for DFO as for fisher harvesters. Qualified by the Sentinel program even if it is not considered for stock assessment.   Speaker: Gisli Palsson - Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Iceland Topic: Learning by Fishing: Practical Engagement and Environmental Concerns Modernist philosophic analysis places 'experts' in a quest for certainty, the uncertainty within nature becomes replaced by this quest. In essence experts replace local practices since the general laws are objective and the ocean is viewed as an object. Palsson suggests relax the modernist assumption of certainty for it denigrates skill and ignores human involvement in the fishery, replaced instead by boat and catch history with the emphasis on capital based data in regimes such as ITQ. Analysts are never radically separated from the systems they observe and furthermore those systems are composed of human subjects with cognitive capacities equal to and local knowledge usually greater than the analyst (R.A. Rappaport: 1996) Traditional knowledge is not capital nor is it a commodity, thus it cannot be made into a commodity without the loss of this knowledge.   Alternative Strategies For Collecting Fishers' Ecological Knowledge: Strengths and Weaknesses   Speaker: Anita Maurstad - Masters of Fishery Science, Research Fellow at the Norwegian College of Fishery Science Topic: Gathering Fishermen's Ecological Knowledge Experiences with Interviewing Fishermen in a North-Norwegian Context An interdiscipline approach to research was implemented in the Finnmark region of Norway, interview teams consisted of a biologist and a social scientist. Commented that the project started fine, lots of data with far more detail than anticipated. Found that fishers' attain knowledge from 1) Experiment 2) Talking with each other. Problems with this was that fishers' experimented in different ways and the knowledge held by the fishers' differed greatly among the participants. Research team approached interview sessions with different tools. Structured interview incorporated by one researcher and unstructured by the other. Some conflict over the methods chosen with the comment both thought the other was asking stupid questions. This attitude among research teams is a problem. Biological approach guided by 1) scientific bias 2) bureaucrats. Oral and holistic parts are inexplicable and based on experience not easily quantified in the scientific approach and thus marginalized. Ongoing stock assessment format dominated the research because of legitimacy this downgraded the fishers knowledge. Concluding remarks involve the assumption science research can predict with a little more science, rather than using fishers' knowledge we are liable to teach them 'proper' knowledge, and law versus customary law in which customary law is marginalized. Trapped in Biology thus became the theme of this presentation with the summation 'We must be critical of our own systems of knowledge__ they tend to 'construct' what fishers' knowledge is.   Speaker: Johanne Fischer - Scientist, Institut fir Seefischerei, Bundesforchungsanstalt fir Fischerei, Hamburg, Germany Topic: Alternative Methods for Drawing on Fishers' Knowledge: Comparison Nicaragua and Newfoundland Fischer makes the comment that scientists do not have a methodology to incorporate knowledge gathered by social scientists from fish harvesters. Comparisons are made between scientific knowledge and local knowledge, some of the major differences are as follows: Science makes sporadic observations, is comparative, with collective property, often tradition bound (methods), and is recorded in writing some way. Juxtaposing this is the fish harvester knowledge that comes from continuous observation, remains local, with individual property, which may not necessarily be traditional (dynamic in effort), and is orally transmitted. Fischer states that there are trust levels that are accepted within scientific study which have as an objective the answering of specific questions (stock assessment) and the management of the ocean resources. This trust is based on the methods used, which are long established, and the way in which they are corroborated, namely peer review, publication, and re-examination. Fishers' knowledge is not trusted in the scientific community because many of the attributes of the scientific method are not present. Casual observations are made, logbook entries are hard to verify and a main objective is to enhance fishing performance. Fishers' knowledge is corroborated by exchange of experience, repeated observation, and fishing success. Participatory research, evaluation of logbooks and diaries, and a series of open ended interviews are cited as the methods perhaps best suited for the collection of local knowledge. Participatory research in scientific study also suggested with full participation of local experts inmost faucets of study. Note the full participation requirements as spelled out by Fischer: Selection of competent people Incorporation of questions posed by local people Shared understanding of purpose and method Elaboration of sampling scheme and full participation of fishing people Mutual trust   Speaker: Nicole Power - Doctoral Student in Sociology, University of Essex, England Topic: Women's Knowledge: Providing Clues for Sustainable Fisheries Survey of female plant workers in Bonavista, Newfoundland. Apparent knowledge of reduction in fish size and correlation of size to fishery, inshore fishers' first to bring in catches with smaller fish and then the offshore fishery later. Perhaps the women felt some relationship existed between fish size and declining stocks but as a marginalized group remained silent about observations.   Speaker: Stephen Sutton, Ph.D. Candidate, Texas A&M University, U.S.A Topic: Local Ecological Knowledge and Recreational Fisheries Management in Newfoundland: The Case of the Southwest Pond Seatrout Discussion involved the use of anglers information to document population range, distribution, migration patterns for the purpose of designing a sampling strategy. Telephone survey interview was the research tool incorporated. Duration of interview session was approximately 30 minutes, questions of water level, temperature, tide, and wind were asked in the hopes of finding out about the following: Timing of migration Purpose of migration Short duration period of salt water phase Size at various stages Anglers data appeared to correspond with scientific data. Researchers felt a less structured questionnaire may have led to more knowledge from the anglers.   Speaker: Martin Purps, Fisheries Institute, Kiel, Germany Topic: Analysis of Data Derived From Fishing People of the German Wadden Sea Questions the validity of data accrued from by-catch information of fishers' in the shrimp fishery. Appeared that forgery may have occurred in logbook data. Data collected from 13 sites and 13,000 samples over a span of 40 years. Many different gatherers of information leads to questions of reliability.   Speaker: Peter Armitage, M.A. Anthropology, Memorial University, Newfoundland, Canada Topic: Methodological Considerations for Understanding Innu Environmental Knowledge Armitage begins with a history of the development of interest among social scientists in the area of TEK, also the bureaucratic use, misuse and ignorance of the subject. The frames of reference in which TEK exists are mentioned. They are as follows: Taxonomic frame Spatial frame Temporal frame Social frame The need for a socio-linguistic sophistication arises from the discourse analysis, with the case of the study in which the speaker was involved, it appears the Innu people make distinctions in observations of the natural world that researchers do not pick up due to a lack of linguistic knowledge and an understanding of the nuances of the native language. Many of the ideas put forth by the speaker are reminiscent of the R.E. Johannes paper which appears in Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Concepts and Cases edited by Julian Inglis and published by the International Development Research Center.   Speaker: Jeffrey Hutchings, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada Topic: Discarding, Catch rates and Fishing Effort in Newfoundland's Inshore and Offshore Cod Fisheries: Analytical Strengths and Weaknesses of Interview-based Data Purchase slips from boats of a length greater than 35 feet were used to analyze catch rates and fishing effort. The questions posed for this analysis were: Did catch rates or fishing effort change? Did discard rates in the inshore and offshore change? From purchase slip information it appeared there was a steady increase in effort for gillnets in the years 1981-1991 of 22% and similarly for cod traps over the same time period an increase of 30% effort. Pertinent information not included in the data referred to changes in strategies such as mesh size in gillnets (from 6.5 in. to 5.5 in.) and the change from traditional style Newfoundland cod traps to Japanese style cod traps.   Speaker: Brian Nakashima, Science Branch, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Newfoundland, Canada Topic: Collecting Information From Fishermen Before it Became Fashionable The implementation and persistence of projects to obtain information on pelagics from fishers over the past two decades were described. Surveys were developed to address specific needs and successful ones were incorporated into the research program to provide biological and/or assessment advice on pelagic fish stocks. Success from telephone interviews (85% response rate) stemmed from the following: Convenient timing for calls Knowledgeable and persistent interviewers Annual summary Follow up questions Large sample size Comparable to other sources Clear meaning of questions Problems encountered in interview process included: Opinion survey Sensitivity to interviewer Interpretation of results Time consuming (up to 30 minutes to complete survey) Maintaining long term databases The opinion of this speaker was that the implementation of a survey requires common sense and communication.   Fishers' Knowledge and Fisheries Science, Implication for Stock Assessment Speaker: Rejeanne Camirand, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Institute Maurice-Lamontage, Quebec, Canada Topic: Knowledge Sharing Between Fishers and Scientists: Toward a Better Understanding of the Status of Lobster Stocks in the Magdalen Islands With the collapse of the groundfishery and the apparent mistrust of the fishing industry on the ability to rely on stock assessment carried out by DFO scientists, pressure was exerted from the fishing industry for a greater inclusion of harvesters in stock assessment methods. Pilot project undertaken in 1991-1993 appears to have led to a culture change where the communication and co-operation between fish harvester and scientists has been enhanced through promotion of such projects. Since 1993 examples of this greater co-operation include: Invitation of fishers aboard research vessels Participation of fishers in different studies (several were mentioned) Increase in the number of both formal and informal meetings Distribution of Information on scientific activities in local and fisheries publications Some of the recent studies initiated by DFO with co-operation of fishers include: 1990--Index fishermen program (volunteer based census) 1990-1997--Scallop program 1994--Groundfish sentinel program 1995--Traditional ecological knowledge survey In respect to the Magdalen Islands project the objectives were to collect data on fishers ecological knowledge and opinions then make this knowledge available to the stock assessment scientists. The fields of interest for the study were the evolution of fishing practices, social organization around the fishery (sharing and fishing ground allocation), lobster biology, and environmental changes in the study area. Methodology was ethnoscientific in approach, semi-structured interviews of about 2 hour length held with 40 informants, 220 variables distinguished. Information recorded in a Microsoft database product. Quantification of changes in fishing equipment and qualification of general descriptions of gear changes were recorded. Study concluded with what was felt as a better understanding of fishers social interactions and the territoriality and competition of fishing grounds allocations. Results of the study show evidence of an increase in the mobility of the fleet, a shift in harvesting strategy from interception to pursuit of lobsters, and a unit of effort change. Impact of the study on stock assessment were the reassessment of both catch per unit effort (CPUE) and level of exploitation rate plus new information generated on the status of the lobster stock. There is a need to document and monitor innovation that occurs in the fishery. Some of the problems faced by researchers included: The lack of precise information Much information to quantify Variable reliability of information Compilation of data Factors that help for a successful study include a proper methodology for planning, conducting, and analysing interviews. Sampling at sea data of fishers observations, concerns and opinions. The only way to obtain and record information of the past is through fishers knowledge. Recognition and respect of expertise of all participants is vital.   Speaker: Ted Ames, Fish Harvester, Maine, U.S.A Topic: Fishers' Knowledge of Cod and Haddock Spawning Grounds in the Gulf of Maine Perhaps up to 67% of spawning grounds for haddock and cod, in the area under consideration in this report, have been lost. Through local knowledge could some of these former spawning grounds be identified? Confirmation of spawning grounds contingent on two person identification with the proper bottom conditions for spawning, reasoning for the two person system was the shortening memory of the older fishers of the study group, with identification coming from more than one source it was felt that there was a higher reliability factor for the information. Researchers discovered that there were two stocks-- a local stock (gone) and a migratory stock (still there). Ames suggests that a greater involvement of fishers in management regimes is required for successful harvesting practices. Co-management of the stocks, with local control of decisions, was considered the best option by this presenter. Fishers must become the stewards of the resource and determine when and how much can be harvested from local waters.   Speaker: Joe Wroblewski, Professor, Ocean Sciences center, Memorial University, Newfoundland, Canada Topic: A Subpopulation of Northern Cod in Gilberts Bay, Labrador In 1973 a population of cod was accidentally discovered while fishing trout in this almost landlocked bay. The 'peculiar stock of cod' was identified as a subpopulation by the following methods: Distribution substructure (residency of cod in the area) Population dynamics (abundance, reproduction, growth and mortality) Phenotypes (morphology and appearance) Genetics A different management scheme for this stock is suggested, although no model was presented. Scientifically undescribed until present, it was noted that local fishers knew of the stocks existence for some time.   Speaker: Patricia King, Project Manager, Fishermen and Scientist Research Society, Nova Scotia, Canada Topic: Incorporation of Fishers' Knowledge into Resource Assessment A brief history of this non-profit organisation was given. Made up of 146 members consisting of 119 fishermen and 27 scientists, they have worked on tagging and habitat charting projects along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. The charting of sensitive habitat carried out in interviews with 200 current and retired fishers. No methodology as to how interviewees were selected.   Speaker: Benjamin Davis, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Newfoundland, Canada Topic: Sentinel Program Background on the sentinel program given, started in 1990 initially to be an index assessment program. Two different cultures represented by this program. First there is the culture of science, which has quantifying strength and method, but knows little of the fishers. Then we have the fishers, who know little about scientific methods, but have a store of knowledge on the stocks. (Ph.D. of the sea) Goals of the program: To develop a reliable catch rate time series for use in resource assessment To describe the temporal and spatial relationships between fishers and the resource To get basic biology Incorporate fishers' knowledge in the process The catch rate time series developed is now being used in resource assessment. Finding ways to make quantitative data out of input data from the fishers knowledge reported as a important factor of the program.   Fishers Ecological Knowledge and Alternative Management Models Speaker: John Kearney, St. Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia, Canada Topic: The Potential of Community-Based Co-Management for Integrating Fishers Ecological Knowledge in Resource Management The new social-ecological paradigm will require political struggle, in this struggle the incorporation of community-based management regime in the fishery is viewed by this presenter as vital. Participatory research methods, contends the presenter, should be used to develop the management scheme. This method of research, it is suggested, builds upon existing knowledge to gain new knowledge. The increase of knowledge empowers fishers, increases their understanding of the forces oppressing them and helps relate to their situation.   Speaker: Jim Wilson, Scholl of Marine Resources, University of Maine, U.S.A Topic: Fishers' Knowledge and Ecological Approaches to Fisheries Management The subject of two cultures and two languages in the fishery debate surfaces as a theme once again in this presentation. Assessments are designed to do without the information that fishers provide, thus it becomes improbable to ask how to put fishers ecological knowledge into stock assessment. Scientists have adopted Hardin's position (tragedy of the commons) and took an adversarial role to fishers. Scientists as the 'protectors of the fish' and fishers as the 'mad dogs who tasted the blood of the sheep' led to the mindset of skepticism about information from fishers. Reasoning for the mindset being the belief that fishers have a financial incentive to cheat. Fishers equally wary of scientists because the observations made on the water differed from those of the scientists. Blunders in the past by scientists on stock assessment issues has reduced credibility in the eyes of fishers and this is really where the two cultures theme comes into play. Scientists view things in causal relationships, rely on predictable and deterministic thinking this diametrically opposes the fishers way of thinking that is grounded in the dynamic of what works today may not work tomorrow. A different approach to management of the fishery has been adopted in the state of Maine, seven zones were created with elected councils that have the authority to regulate the fishing industry. Employment of fishers ecological knowledge is assumed due to the scheme of regulation and the fishers direct involvement in management. Although the fishery works on a large scale the management of the fishery is done at the local level. Incentives for stewardship involve the creation of institutions to create a means of mutual restraint. Authority must be given over to the new groups, people must see the new groups as credible, legitimacy must be placed in system with the implementation of legal and reasonable rules of governance and assurances about other peoples behavior must come from these elemental factors of governance. It is noted by the presenter that this system is working in Maine although there are problems. (no mention in notes of the problems)   Speaker: Firkret Berkes, Professor, University of Manitoba, Canada Topic: Learning from Traditional Knowledge to Design Alternative Management Systems No notes accompany this section!   Speaker: George Feltham, Chairman, Eastport Lobster Protection Committee, Newfoundland, Canada Topic: Conservation Initiatives in the Lobster Fishery of the Eastport Area of Newfoundland The protection committee was formed in 1994 due to a re-emphasis on the lobster fishery after the groundfish moratorium was introduced. Licenses were reactivated and some retirees sold to new users, a decline in the fishery was the result. FRCC lobster report used for the development and establishment of lobster associations dedicated to conservation. Follows is a list of recent activities and results: 1994 Trap-Limit set at 200 V notching program established No fishing zones designated 1996 Increased catch rate in year two of implementation of measures !997 Catch rate still higher than 1994 level Some areas restricted to traditional fishers from area Management related to landing port DFO makes funding available for scientific research which in turn helps in documentation of successes Fishers realize the program has been in their own self-interest from documentation of successes 1998 Working on data collection Projects are being initiated to help strengthen the link with the community and educate the next generation Mutual trust is required for effective implementation of initiatives, at the grassroots level there is the dynamic of fishers helping fishers. The trust must manifest itself in relations between fishers themselves, fishers and scientists and lastly between fishers and government.   Speaker: James R. McGoodwin, Professor, University of Colorado, U.S.A Topic: Prospects and Problems Entailed in Integrating Fishers' Ecological Knowledge into Contemporary Fisheries Science and Management Fishers and management of fishers, some observations listed: Systematically consulted and systematically ignored Misinformation is part of discourse by all participants The ocean is not a clockwork- everyone knows we cannot manage the weather but we do think we can control the ocean,predicting fish stocks is arrogance, cannot be understood as an aquarium We turn to fishers because science has failed Scale: Fishers regional and local and scientist much greater scale (inequable) McGoodwin feels fishers are advantaged after a depletion, possibility exists to use knowledge to develop subsequent management strategies. Essential to this is a precondition of trust and respect. Fisheries are a human phenomena not a regional, technological, or species specific behavior thus we organise strategies to deal with the phenomena within a natural and social context