Commercial Fishermen's Observations of Ecological Change in Narragansett Bay: A Pilot Project

This report presents a pilot effort to synthesize commercial fishermen’s observations of ecological change in Narragansett Bay. Using semi-structured interviews and a laminated nautical chart, fishermen were asked to recollect spatial and temporal trends in a variety of fish, invertebrate, and macroalgal species, as well as abiotic factors such as water clarity. Transcripts were analyzed using qualitative content analysis, and hand-drawn maps were input into GIS for visualization. The synthesized fishermen’s ecological knowledge (FEK) were compared to published scientific ecological knowledge (SEK) on Narragansett Bay to identify areas where the two types of knowledge are (a) contradictory, (b) confirmatory, (c) complementary, or (d) explanatory.

The report reflects on the capacity for this type of exploration to overcome mistrust between resource users and managers and to broaden the pool of knowledge available for understanding and managing fast-changing coastal ecosystems. The main focus is on methodologies, challenges, initial findings, and lessons learned for future applications.

Although the information in this document has been funded by the EPA (CE00A00407), it has not undergone the EPA’s publications review process and therefore, may not reflect the views of EPA and no official endorsement is inferred. The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission. Any mention of trade names, products, or services does not imply an endorsement by the U.S. Government, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission. The EPA and NEIWPCC do not endorse any commercial products, services, or enterprises.