Based on a participatory bottom-up process, an effective, legally recognized and locally respected network of fish refuges is established. Sixteen fish refuges have been created since 2012, covering more than 18000 hectares.
- Willingness of fishing organizations to improve sustainable practices and ensure fisheries for future generations.
- Clear common goal.
- Participative processes for designing fish refuges.
- Combination of scientific and local-ecological knowledge.
- Temporary scope of the fish refuges increases confidence of fishermen in the process and allows for adaptive management.
- Final decision to create fish refuges relies solely on fishing organizations.
- Support from collaborative network.
The local-ecological knowledge that fishermen provide about natural resources, fishing grounds and climate conditions, are fundamental elements to be considered in the design of a fish refuge. When combining local-ecological knowledge with scientific knowledge it is important that a transparent negotiation begins that will enable to have the best science-based conditions with social acceptance.
Then, a community monitoring program is led by organizations members of the Kanan Kay Alliance. Fishermen and women are trained and actively participate in collecting data. Hence, they see results with their own eyes and can then share the information with other members of the community. Once monitoring results have been delivered, during the renewal process, the goals of the fish refuges are reviewed to understand if they meet biophysical criteria for no-take zones and hence, if changes need to be done.
This “bottom-up” approach must be complemented with “top-down” elements to ensure that decision-making reflects the complexity of this process.