What is “Ecological” in Local Ecological Knowledge? Lessons from Canada and Vietnam

Abstract

Case studies from Canada and Vietnam demonstrate both the importance and content limitations of local ecological knowledge (LEK) acquired during collaborative research between local fishers and scientists. The Canadian research disproved fishers' contentions that white hake (Urophycis tenuis) was the main predator on juvenile lobster (Homarus americanus). In the Vietnam case, the LEK of 400 fishers was used to test a hypothesis about monsoon seasonality and the availability of fish for fermentation. Fishers' LEK was important in both confirming the basis of the hypothesis and highlighting anomalies. The cases demonstrate that although important, harvesters' local experiences and observations may not characterize accurately such ecosystem processes as predator–prey dynamics or seasonality. It is unrealistic to expect fishers' LEK and understanding of ecology to embody such attributes, since stomach contents of commercially important target species are rarely examined, and fishers interact with ecosystems primarily to earn a living.

Keywords:

• coastal fisheries
• collaborative research
• fermented fish
• local ecological knowledge
• monsoon seasonality
• Nova Scotia
• tropics
• Vietnam

Acknowledgments

The Canadian research was funded by grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (numbers 833-99-1012 and 833-2002-2000) and the Fisheries and Oceans Canada Science Subvention Program. Dr. John Mark Hanson, research scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (Gulf Region), collaborated in the design and conduct of the Georges Bay primary research, and led the analyses and interpretations of the stomach contents data. Research assistants Hadley Watts and Holly MacPherson made essential contributions in stomach sampling and content descriptions. The Gulf Nova Scotia Bonafide Fishermen's Association provided sampling nets, boats, and captain–crew time in support of the research. Research in Vietnam in 1982–1986 was supported by the Ajinomoto Co. of Tokyo, and in 1995–1996 by JICA via IC-Net. Comments by R. E. Johannes and Daniel Pauly helped improve the publications on which case study 2 is based. Dr. Nguyen Long, of the RIMP, Haiphong, and Nguyen Minh Ha, Foreign Service, Government of Vietnam, assisted with translation and interpretation. We also acknowledge the insightful input from the reviewers. Their careful reading and comments have helped us to produce a more cogent article. Figure 1 has been redrawn from that originally published in Davis et al. (2004).

Notes

For a fuller treatment of the first case study see Davis et al. (2004), and for copies of the questionnaire and interview schedules visit www.stfx.ca/research/srsf

The collaboration consisted of social scientists affiliated with St. Francis Xavier University, marine scientists with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Gulf Region, and the Gulf Nova Scotia BonaFide Fishermen's Association.

In their reproductive strategy these fish migrate from inshore zones with extremely high predation rates, to spawn offshore, where the pressure is less intense, at times and in places where the eggs and larvae will be swept coastward. Winds, currents, and gyres ensure a steady coastward drift of eggs, larvae, and postlarval forms, so that the early juvenile stage arrives at plankton-rich inshore feeding grounds. Therefore, spawning should occur toward the latter part of the onshore monsoon.

The van chai is the traditional management institution in Vietnamese fishing communities (Ruddle and Tuong 2009).

However, further investigation might show that this is explained by latitudinal variation in the timing of the seasons.