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Local ecological knowledge (LEK) suggests overfishing and sequential depletion of Peruvian coastal groundfish

Published Article

Peru

Publication date: November 14, 2023

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Local ecological knowledge from Peru’s coastal communities reveals strong evidence of overfishing and sequential depletion of key groundfish species. This study documents ecological trends, fishery pressures, and community observations to inform sustainable management and conservation strategies along the Peruvian coast.

Subject Tags

  • Fisheries
  • Marine protected areas

Abstract

Fish populations targeted by recreational and artisanal fisheries remain largely unassessed in low‐ and middle‐income countries. This generally results in a lack of regulatory action from government agencies, thus aggravating the risk of overfishing. In this context, sources of historical information, such as local ecological knowledge (LEK), are key to providing insight on the status of fish populations and informing management. Systematized elicitation processes have increasingly shown an ability to produce quantitative indicators while reducing biases and caveats inherent to expert knowledge. In this study, we assessed changes in composition of the catch, species abundance, and geographical distribution of the catch for 10 data‐poor coastal groundfish species of Peru using LEK.

Citation

Castagnino, F., Estévez, R. A., Caillaux, M., Velez‐Zuazo, X., & Gelcich, S. (2023). Local ecological knowledge (LEK) suggests overfishing and sequential depletion of Peruvian coastal groundfish. Marine and Coastal Fisheries, 15(6), e210272.

TNC Authors