Fisher’s local ecological knowledge reveals valuable information about the impact of environmental changes on coastal fishing resources
Data files
Sep 25, 2025 version files 399.03 KB
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Data_ANOVA.csv
6.14 KB
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Data_change_percetion.csv
130.51 KB
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Data_CLMM_analysis.csv
185.62 KB
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Data_LICCIs.csv
62.76 KB
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README.md
5.16 KB
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script_ANOVA_TUKEY.R
1.94 KB
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script_CLMM.R
6.89 KB
Abstract
Global changes, driven by pollution, overexploitation, and climate change, are altering coastal systems worldwide, with significant impacts on socioecological systems, especially in fishing communities reliant on marine resources. Using local ecological knowledge from two fishing communities in Brazil’s Costa dos Corais Environmental Protection Area, we assessed the effects of these changes on fishing resources and livelihoods. Through semi-structured interviews, 113 fishermen and fisherwomen reported declines or local extinctions of key species, such as Shellfishes (Tivela mactroides and Anomalocardia brasiliana) and fishes (Albula vulpes, Canranx hippos, Epinephelus marginatus, and Mycteroperca bonaci). These declines vary by species and are linked to their commercial value and trophic level, with higher trophic level and commercial value associated with higher decline perception. The study highlights the broad, multidirectional impacts of global changes on fishing activities and underscores the value of local ecological knowledge in understanding these effects. Such insights are crucial for developing effective, context-specific public policies and adaptation strategies to support vulnerable coastal communities.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.msbcc2gb4
Description of the data and file structure
All data were obtained by semi-structured interviews with fisherfolk in two fishing communities from the Environmental Protection Area Costa dos Corais (EPACC). Secondary information regarding the species' biological characteristics was collected from FishBase and Sealife Base.
Files and variables
File: Data_LICCIs.csv
Description: Categorization of Local Indicators of Climate Change Impacts (LICCI), identified by interviewed fisherfolk.
Variables
- LICCI_ID: Ordered LICCI by interviewee
- LICCI_System: LICCI categorized at the System level (first and highest level)
- LICCI_Subsystem: LICCI is categorized at the level of Subsystem
- LICCI_Categorized: LICCI categorized at the impacted element level
- Change type: Type of the change identified for the LICCI (Decrease, increase, change)
File: Data_change_percetion.csv
Description: Individual reports of perceived population change in species of fishing resources by local experts.
Variables
- Interview_ID: Code of the interview
- Local_common_name: Local common name of the fishing resource species
- population_Changed: Perception of population change according to interviewee (Possible answers: Yes, No, or Do not know)
- How_changed: Type of change perceived (Possible answers: vanished, decreased drastically, decreased moderately, did not change, increased moderately, increased drastically, do not know)
- Why_changed: Attributed causes for perceived population change (Possible answers: Fishing pressure, Pollution, Habitat alteration, and Climate changes)
File: Data_CLMM_analysis.csv
Description: Data used to perform CLMM analysis and create a forest plot
Variables
- Interview_ID: Code of the interview
- Coomon_name: Local common name of the fishing resource species
- Species: Scientific name of the species
- Group: Group of fishing resources (Invertebrate or fish)
- Change_magnitude: Numeric transformation of the change magnitude (Possible answers: 0=vanished; 1=dedreased drastically; 2=decreased moderately; 3=did not changed; 4=increased moderately: 5=increased drastically)
- Fisher_experience: declared experience of the fisher, measured in years
- commercial_value: local commercial value of each species declared by local sellers, measured in the local coin (R$ - reais)
- max_size: Maximum size of the species (numeric), measured in centimeters (cm). Information available in Fishbase (for fishes) or Sealife Base (for invertebrates)
- Trophic_level: Trophic level value (numeric). Information available in Fishbase (for fishes) or Sealife Base (for invertebrates)
- Main_environment: Main environment where the fisher declared to fish (Possible answers: offshore, inshore, beach, mangrove, river)
- Feeding: Feeding habit of the species (Possible answers: detritivore, filter, herbivore, omnivorous, carnivore). Information available in Fishbase (for fishes) or Sealife Base (for invertebrates).
- Status_IUCN: Conservation status of the species according to IUCN classification (Possible answers: DD=Data Deficient; NE=Not Evaluated; LC=Least Concern; NT=Near Threatened; VU=Vulnerable; CE=Critically Endangered). Information available in Fishbase (for fishes) or Sealife Base (for invertebrates).
File: Data_ANOVA.csv
Description: Data used to perform ANOVA, test Tukey analysis, and create a boxplot
Variables
- Group: Group of fisheries resources (Fish and Invertebrates)
- Cause: Attributed causes for perceived population change (Possible answers: Fishing pressure, Pollution, Habitat alteration, and Climate changes)
- Treatment: interaction between Group and Cause
- Citations: Number of citations for each combination of group, cause, and treatment.
File: script_ANOVA_TUKEY.R
Description: all procedures, including loading and treatment of the data, to perform the ANOVA, test Tukey analysis, and to create the boxplot.
File: script_CLMM.R
Description: R script containing all procedures, including loading and treatment of the data, to perform the CLMM analysis and to create the forest plot.
Code/software
Any electronic spreadsheet software should work to visualize and edit data.
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
- Not Applicable
Data was derived from the following sources:
- Semi-structured interviews using questionnaires.
Human subjects data
All participants consented to participate in the research and to make their information available for academic purposes, under the guidelines of authorization CAAE 26800819.1.0000.5013 from the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Alagoas (CEP-UFAL). None of the participants were identified in the database; the participants were coded with an alphanumeric code number according to the order in which the interviews were conducted (e.g., P1, P2, P3...).