by kladmin | May 1st, 2009
Raphaela Stimmelmayr and Maureen Sullivan,
Sandy Bank on the South East Peninsular St.Kitts
In October 2008, Hurricane Omar swept through St. Kitts and Nevis as a Category 3 hurricane. Our islands had flooding, downed power lines, debris blocking the streets, and animals escaped from the marine mammal park on South Friars. Hurricanes have always affected the islands, but climate change means more extreme weather events are part of the deal as the ocean temperatures rise.
As we all are aware by now, climate change will be among the most influential drivers of the future fate and status of our marine and terrestrial natural resources; shifting local and global ecological and epidemiological constraints for their and our own livelihood. Real-time monitoring of local biodiversity and climate change indicators is crucial if we want to avoid being caught in the dilemma of assessing wildlife health against ever-shifting baselines. However, the global simultaneity of climate changes, the specificity of local ecological constraints for plants and animals, and the lack of funding is pushing the monitoring capacity of local and international scientists and government agencies beyond their limits. So how do we monitor shifting baselines of marine wildlife health parameters in a changing environment? We have to look toward local user participation.
St. Kitts and Nevis has a longstanding working tradition of artisanal fishermen who have engaged for a long time in seining, fish trap setting, long-lining, rod and line, spear fishing, and free-diving in their pursuit of conch, fish, shark, sea turtle, and lobster. Just go and visit the local market in Basseterre on a Wednesday or Saturday morning. There you will see fishermen by the water cleaning their daily catch of snappers, squirrelfish, parrotfish, angelfish, trumpet fish, triggerfish, puppy sharks, hinds and many more; tossing the insides to the patiently waiting group of brown pelicans and the circling flock of magnificent frigate birds, and selling their fresh and colorful bounty by the pound until their coolers are empty.
But these fishermen are not just catching fish. Fishing traditions are founded on strong roots embedded in local fisheries’ knowledge about the local waters and creatures that live within it, such as what size to take and when, leaving smaller fish so they can grow big, watching out for where to drop anchors and set fish traps, and the understanding that self-regulated harvesting by switching between fishing sites, and the support of healthy coral reefs and sea grass beds are instrumental for the future of our local waters.
However, not all fishermen are fishing sustainably. Pressures from high food costs and rising fuel prices are obviously at play, as it is now common to see fishermen purse-seining at South Friars, a nursery reef, and spear fishing juveniles at Whitehouse Bay, another nursery. People need to make a living, and it is cost-effective to fish closer to shore. However, near shore fish nurseries are instrumental in replenishing local fish stocks and these marine areas need to be protected if we want to ensure that our islands’ marine resources will withstand the tests of time.
St. Kitts has a rich and diverse marine life legacy. Its beaches are important nesting sites for the critically endangered Hawksbill and Leatherback Turtles, as well as the endangered Green Turtle. Our marine survey work in the last two years indicates that the near shore marine environment is home to 181 different coral reef fishes, including the delicate and uncommon long snout Seahorse, and it provides an important nursery habitat for immature Hawksbills and Green Turtles. However, local knowledge holders, fishermen, and divers have indicated for some time now that there has been a drop in the abundance and quality of its marine resources over the last 20 years, with declining sea turtle numbers, noticeable coral reef degradation along the most popular dive sites, declining conch and lobster takes, and generally more effort per catch in harvesting fish.
In an ever-changing environment where small ecological changes are easily missed by the casual observer, it is mandatory that we harness local knowledge and make sure that it is not forgotten and used to its fullest extent. How do we do this? It’s simple – marine stakeholders need to communicate with one another, with tourists, developers, researchers and government entities, and get involved in local community-based marine management. By sharing our experiences and thoughts, we pass on valuable knowledge and participate in planning for our waters so that the ocean still provides a viable future for our sons and daughters to come. Local Ecological Knowledge, overlooked and under-appreciated, is the missing link in Climate Change Adaptive Marine Health Monitoring for Small Island Developing States.
So be proud of what you know, pass it on, and get involved.
Raphaela Stimmelmayr is a member of the faculty of Ross University of Veterinary Medicine and Maureen Sullivan, is member of the St Kitts Reef Ecology Watch
Popularity: 4% [?]
