Co-constructing knowledge

Ecological research on turtles has been used to reduce bycatch in numerous fisheries through modification of both fishing gear (e.g. use of turtle excluder devices in shrimp trawling) and practices (e.g. deeper setting of longlines). Developing such solutions requires detailed knowledge of the fisheries involved and the ecology of affected species. Involving fishermen in conservation planning can result in “better” solutions that account for fishermen’s needs and incorporate their vast local knowledge while protecting imperiled populations. Moreover, fishermen’s investment in the conservation process can increase subsequent adoption of conservation solutions. This last point is especially important along isolated coasts such as the Baja California peninsula where enforcement is scarce and adoption of conservation solutions is largely up to fishermen. Through reunions and ¨Responsible Fishing¨ workshops organized by proCaguama, fishermen and researchers have been able to share their ideas and generate new knowledge and solutions to protect loggerhead turtles..
Drawing on the relationships described above, we formed a task force of local fishermen, managers, community members and conservation biologists to: (i) elucidate turtle diving and feeding behavior; (ii) collect data on stranding rates and mortality estimates; and (iii) experiment in modifying gillnet design and deployment. Local fishermen are thus learning firsthand both the conservation process and the status of loggerhead turtles while helping to generate new knowledge such as data on turtle diets, diving and movement that are credible both locally and in scientific circles.
The task force is combining local ecological knowledge with these data to develop practical solutions. For instance, tracking indicates that turtles are utilizing fine-scale foraging hotspots. Fishermen are enthusiastic that they might be able to reduce bycatch by avoiding these local hotspots. In this way fishermen’s personal participation in deriving new ecological data and combining them with their local knowledge directly empowers them to conserve sea turtles.