https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0317-5271
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ABSTRACT
Understanding the migration of fishers through the spatial window clarifies the critical role the phenomenon plays in artisanal fishers’ livelihoods. Migrant fishers’ ‘space’ refers to the complete spectrum of spatial characteristics at the destination, which include fishing ground, landing site, market, social relations and integration into society. A multiple methods approach was employed to evaluate migrant fishers’ ‘space’ at four destinations in coastal Kenya from October 2010 to March 2011. Results point out to the importance of spatial characteristics at the destination landing sites in influencing fishers’ migrations. The social relations of migrant fishers with local communities play a critical role in the integration of migrant fishers by enabling them to maintain a ‘place’ in the fishing practice. The maintenance of ‘place’ provides migrant fishers with access to the resources thereby contributing to migrant fishers' life sustenance. Therefore, understanding fishers ‘space’ allows for a better understanding of the critical roles of fisher migration in sustaining coastal livelihoods.
Acknowledgments
This work was funded by Linnaeus University through the Coastal and Marine Research in the Indian Ocean (COMARIO) and Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association-Marine Science for Management Grant WIOMSA/MASMA/CR/2008/02. We are grateful to research team members for support at various stages of this work. Government of Kenya granted research permit.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
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Notes on contributors
Innocent N Wanyonyi
Innocent N Wanyonyi is an environmental scientist specializing in Tropical Artisanal Fisheries Management and Coastal Management with recent research focusing on the dynamics of fisher migration. He has experience in the Social, Economic & Environmental and Fisheries research and Resource Management issues in the Western Indian Ocean. He now leads the applied research project on city-coastal environment conurbations at COMRED, Kenya.
Andrew Wamukota
Andrew Wamukota is an expert on small-scale fisheries. He has studied small-scale co-management, fisheries value chains, closures, markets and trade across the Swahili coastline. His studies have highlighted the income inequalities and the huge diversity of actors in these fisheries. Andrew is a researcher and lecturer at the Department of Environmental Studies, Pwani University, Kenya
Victor Mwakha Alati
Victor Mwakha Alati is a research scientist at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute under the oceanography and hydrography department. He is also a PhD researcher studying social anthropology at the Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton. He is interested in utilising ethnographic methods in investigating how fishing communities understand or use their maritime heritage practices.
Kennedy Osuka
Kennedy Osuka is a research scientist at CORDIO East Africa working under Fish and Fisheries Programme. He is also a PhD researcher at Department of Environment and Geography, University of York. He has great interest in artisanal fisheries research, coral reef resilience, management and conservation. Kennedy is keen to make contributions to policies on small-scale fishery of Kenyan coast.