Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) as a support for Octopus vulgaris fisheries management

Abstract

Fishermen’s Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK), when documented, may play an important role in documenting fishing practices, enhancing the understanding of ecological changes and scientific data. Furthermore, through targeted questions, researchers and managers can get information on several social and economic features of fisheries and their value for the local communities, contributing to create improved management plans. We developed a questionnaire to gather LEK information, from fishing activities and species’ ecology to fishermen perception on fisheries management and impacts. The survey, carried out in 2017, focused on Octopus vulgaris fishery involving three fishing communities in Komiža (Croatia), Patti (Sicily, Italy) and Palamós (Cataluña, Spain), resulting in a total of 47 interviews. In these areas octopus was targeted in multispecific and multigear fisheries, with clear seasonality patterns. O. vulgaris was never the single target species, and its relevance for fishermen decreased from Palamós to Patti and Komiža communities. In all areas fishermen reported a decline in octopus catches. In particular they pointed to recreational and illegal fishing as the worst source of impact, affecting the stock and determining economic losses. According to fishermen perception the impact of this activity seems to be higher than marine pollution, requiring an increase in controls by the authorities. The majority of fishermen consider to be duly involved in setting rules and management processes, though there is the need to increase collaboration with researchers and policy makers to enforce effective management measures at local level